The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:30 "The Graceful Commentary

0:32 on the Book of Introductory Profiles

0:35 to the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"

0:38 by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nassif,

0:42 may Allah preserve him.

0:44 Surah al-Saff.

0:46 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:48 Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,

0:50 and may peace and blessings

0:52 be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,

0:55 and upon all his family and Companions.

0:57 We continue with our graceful commentary

0:59 on the introductory profiles,

1:01 and we have arrived at Surah al-Saff.

1:03 I have three observations regarding it.

1:06 The first observation

1:08 concerns what was mentioned about the opening of the surah.

1:10 He stated that it opens

1:12 with a declarative sentence,

1:14 and that it is among the surahs that begin

1:17 with glorification (tasbih).

1:19 In truth,

1:21 this is not consistent

1:23 with the methodology of the book

1:25 as established earlier in Surah al-Isra'

1:27 and in the introduction of the book.

1:29 If you look at the beginning of the book,

1:31 on pages fourteen and fifteen,

1:33 you will find a lengthy citation

1:35 from Imam al-Suyuti

1:37 explaining the various types of surah openings.

1:39 What he mentioned

1:41 is a fine scholarly effort (ijtihad),

1:43 though it may be contested in certain aspects.

1:45 However, if one adheres

1:47 throughout the book, as noted there,

1:49 to what Imam al-Suyuti mentioned,

1:51 then consequently,

1:54 the most precise phrasing here,

1:56 which is appropriate and consistent

1:58 with what preceded in Surah al-Isra',

2:00 is to say:

2:02 "It opens with a sentence

2:04 of praise (thanā'),"

2:06 which is one of the categories mentioned

2:08 in *Al-Itqan*.

2:10 Thus, we should say: "It opens with a sentence of praise,

2:12 and it is among the surahs

2:14 that begin with glorification," because praise

2:16 encompasses various forms, as previously noted:

2:18 among them is tasbih (glorification),

2:20 tahmid (praise), and tabrik (exaltation of blessings).

2:22 Therefore, it is among the surahs that begin with tasbih,

2:24 so it should read:

2:26 "It opens with a declarative sentence [of praise],

2:28 and it is among the surahs that begin with tasbih."

2:30 It may also be added

2:32 that it opens with a verb

2:34 in the past tense.

2:36 If you return to that same passage,

2:38 you will find an explanation

2:40 for that on page

2:43 fourteen

2:45 specifically.

2:47 I mentioned page fourteen,

2:49 or page fifteen,

2:51 where this quotation appears:

2:53 "Glorification is an expression reserved exclusively for Allah;

2:55 thus, He began with the verbal noun (masdar)

2:57 in [the Surah of] the Children of Israel (Bani Isra'il),"

2:59 meaning in Surah al-Isra', where He said, "Exalted is He

3:01 who took His Servant by night..."

3:03 He stated: "Because it is the root form;

3:05 the root of derived words

3:07 is the verbal noun"—

3:09 although this is actually a contested linguistic issue.

3:11 He continued: "Then with the past tense in al-Hadid and al-Hashr,

3:13 because it is the earlier of the two timeframes;

3:15 for we have the past tense

3:17 and we have the present tense,

3:19 and of the two, the past is prior."

3:21 Thus, He began with al-Hadid and al-Hashr.

3:23 He continued: "Then with the present/imperfect tense in al-Jumu'ah

3:25 and al-Taghabun,"

3:27 meaning the timeframe of the present and the future.

3:29 Then he stated: "Then with the imperative form in al-A'la,"

3:31 and the imperative pertains to the future.

3:33 He explained: "In order to encompass

3:35 this word from all its grammatical facets."

3:37 While what he mentioned

3:39 is subtly insightful in itself,

3:41 it is not the most precise explanation

3:43 for such stylistic variation.

3:45 Rather, this variation is grounded in

3:47 contextual suitability.

3:49 For each surah has its own context

3:51 and its own core purpose,

3:53 and the grammatical form arrives

3:55 perfectly suited to that context.

3:57 I have devoted specialized research to this,

3:59 including a study

4:01 dedicated specifically to these

4:03 openings featuring glorification,

4:05 detailing the distinctions

4:07 between them and the appropriateness of each

4:09 to its specific context,

4:11 while considering the verse in its entirety.

4:13 “All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifieth Allah; and He is the Mighty, the Wise.” (57:1)

4:15 Thus,

4:17 the formulation varies

4:19 across the entire verse,

4:21 which is

4:23 a delightful topic of study

4:25 indeed,

4:27 and one that requires

4:29 deep reflection.

4:31 As for the second

4:33 observation,

4:35 it concerns what was mentioned

4:37 regarding the thematic placement of the surah.

4:39 It was noted therein

4:41 regarding its correlation with al-Mumtahanah

4:43 that it commands

4:45 fighting in Allah's cause.

4:47 In truth, this matter

4:49 is very important.

4:51 As scholars of spiritual purification always say:

4:53 "Purging impurities precedes adorning with virtues (al-takhliyah qabl al-tahliyah)."

4:55 It is essential

4:57 first to purify

4:59 hearts from every

5:01 sentiment

5:03 that does not please Allah, the Exalted and Glorified,

5:05 which includes

5:08 loyalty to the disbelievers

5:10 and taking them as close allies.

5:12 Thus, the fighting mentioned in al-Mumtahanah—

5:14 the preceding surah—

5:16 purifies the hearts of the believers

5:18 from this taint.

5:20 And it is a taint that directly affects

5:22 what is addressed in this surah,

5:24 for the believers fighting

5:26 in unified ranks and in solidarity

5:28 requires beforehand,

5:30 or necessitates prior to it, the cleansing of their hearts

5:32 and their purification

5:34 from the impurities of allegiance to disbelievers.

5:36 Thus, between the two surahs, there is

5:38 a clear thematic harmony and mutual reinforcement.

5:40 As I said, this relates to the principle of purging

5:42 occurring before

5:44 adorning.

5:46 Fighting the disbelievers is an act of adornment,

5:48 but prior to it, the heart must be purged

5:50 of these impurities.

5:52 As for the third

5:54 observation,

5:56 it concerns what was stated regarding the chronological order of the surah's revelation,

5:58 where it was stated at the end:

6:00 "And its multiple revelation narratives

6:02 may help in

6:04 dating its revelation."

6:06 Regarding its multiple revelation narratives:

6:08 when we consult the occasion of revelation (sabab al-nuzul),

6:10 we find only a single occasion.

6:12 Before I conclude this point,

6:14 I wish to make a brief digression and say:

6:16 the occasion of revelation mentioned

6:18 is incomplete.

6:20 If you refer to the *Musnad* of Ahmad,

6:22 you will find it in full,

6:24 and in its completion, it states that the entire surah

6:26 was revealed,

6:28 contrary to the apparent meaning of this text.

6:30 For the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited to us:

6:32 "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah..."

6:34 up to His words: "...most hateful in the sight of Allah,"

6:36 and then the rest of the narration mentions that he

6:38 completed the entire surah.

6:40 This has a significant bearing

6:42 on its revelation,

6:44 as it was revealed all at once.

6:46 Consequently, if its date of revelation is identified,

6:48 whether approximately or precisely,

6:50 it encompasses every single one of its verses.

6:52 Returning to the multiple narratives of its revelation:

6:54 how can there be multiple narratives when we have

6:56 only one occasion?

6:58 This comes down to two matters:

7:00 first, that this single occasion has

7:02 multiple transmission chains (riwayat),

7:04 which can be helpful, because by compiling them,

7:06 mention might be made of one

7:08 of the Companions whose date

7:10 of accepting Islam is known, or

7:12 the date of his martyrdom, and so forth.

7:14 This aids us in achieving precise

7:16 a meticulous compilation of the transmission chains.

7:18 Some names may be mentioned,

7:20 or certain events or places,

7:22 which, through our knowledge of the Seerah, aid us

7:24 in determining the precise dating

7:26 of revelation. And we say "may",

7:28 because this comprehensive research has not yet been conducted,

7:30 so one might arrive,

7:32 after collecting these narrations,

7:34 at a precise determination

7:36 of the date of revelation.

7:38 Furthermore, regarding the multiplicity of narrations from another perspective,

7:40 of course, only one occasion of revelation was mentioned here,

7:42 but there are other reasons

7:44 mentioned in other books.

7:46 I have only restricted myself—as I have explained

7:48 on multiple occasions

7:50 and in the book itself—

7:52 to the book *Al-Sahih min Asbab al-Nuzul*

7:54 by Shaykh Dr. Issam Al-Humaydan,

7:56 which is the adopted source in this work.

7:58 Other narrations of reasons for revelation have also been reported

8:00 that likewise aid in knowing

8:02 the precise date of revelation.

8:04 Thus, the narrations

8:06 regarding the occasion itself are numerous,

8:08 and they help; and there are other narrations

8:10 not mentioned here because they do not meet the criteria of

8:12 the book, which are also helpful.

8:14 I will conclude with this much regarding Surah As-Saff,

8:16 and I ask Allah

8:18 to illuminate my heart and yours,

8:20 and my path and yours,

8:22 through the Magnificent Qur'an.

8:24 May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,

8:26 and upon all his family and Companions,

8:28 and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surat Al-Saff

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