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 Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:30 The gracious commentary

0:32 on the book "Identification Cards

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

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

0:42 may Allah preserve him.

0:44 Surah Luqman.

0:46 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:48 Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

0:53 We continue with our gracious commentary on the identification cards,

0:55 focusing on Surah Luqman.

0:57 I would like to make three brief observations regarding it.

0:59 The first observation concerns the name of the surah.

1:01 Although its name shares a common feature with other surahs

1:05 in being the name of a man,

1:07 the crucial difference between it

1:09 and those other surahs

1:11 is that this individual's

1:13 status as a prophet is disputed,

1:15 and the more renowned opinion is that he was not a prophet.

1:17 This contrasts with the other men

1:19 after whom surahs were named.

1:22 Does this not draw our attention to something

1:24 whose corroboration is found in

1:26 the words of Allah the Exalted: "And whoever obeys Allah [and the Messenger—they will be with those]

1:28 “Whoso obeyeth Allah and the messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah hath shown favour, of the prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they!” (4:69)

1:30 upon whom Allah has bestowed favor: the prophets,

1:32 the steadfast affirmers of truth,

1:34 the martyrs, and the righteous"?

1:37 Prophethood

1:39 cannot be attained through personal exertion,

1:41 whereas the rank of the steadfast affirmers of truth and the degrees below it

1:43 are realms wherein a person expends

1:45 every effort to attain them.

1:47 So I say—and this is a subject

1:49 for mutual study and contemplation:

1:51 Does naming a surah

1:53 after Luqman, who was not a prophet

1:55 according to the more sound view,

1:57 remind us that one may ascend

1:59 to immense spiritual heights, even though

2:01 one cannot reach the station of prophethood?

2:03 The station of prophethood is truly magnificent,

2:06 yet it remains beyond our reach.

2:08 So might this surah

2:10 serve as a means

2:12 to bring him closer to our reach, or

2:14 should we elevate his status because the righteous

2:16 are companions to the prophets?

2:18 Indeed, Luqman accompanied

2:20 in a spiritual sense

2:22 those very prophets by having his name become

2:24 the title of a surah in the Qur'an.

2:26 I present this issue purely as

2:28 a matter of reflection, rather than

2:30 an assertion of definitive certainty.

2:32 It is merely an attempt on my part

2:34 to indicate that

2:36 in the names of surahs, as in other matters,

2:38 there is ample room for scholarly reflection and contemplation.

2:40 The second observation

2:42 concerns the dating and chronological context of the surah.

2:44 It has been authentically established

2:46 that parts of this surah were revealed before

2:48 the verse in Surah al-An'am.

2:50 For on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud,

2:52 may Allah be pleased with him: when this verse was revealed,

2:54 “Those who believe and obscure not their belief by wrongdoing, theirs is safety; and they are rightly guided.” (6:82)

2:56 "[...and did not obscure] their faith with wrongdoing,"

2:59 it weighed heavily on the Companions of the Messenger of Allah,

3:01 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and they asked:

3:03 "Which of us has not obscured his faith with wrongdoing?"

3:05 Thereupon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

3:07 "It is not as you think.

3:09 Have you not heard the words of Luqman

3:11 to his son: 'Indeed, associating partners with Allah is a tremendous wrongdoing'?"

3:13 And this

3:15 makes us realize that

3:17 the chronology of revelation can sometimes be deduced

3:19 from unexpected sources.

3:21 A mere interpretation of one verse by another

3:23 can reveal to us

3:25 that one verse preceded another, just as

3:27 is the case here. I would also mention another example:

3:29 Surah al-Ma'idah

3:31 is widely held to have been revealed quite late,

3:33 yet it contains verses mentioned

3:35 before the Battle of Badr,

3:37 within the discourse of the Companions with the Prophet,

3:39 peace be upon him,

3:41 “They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.” (5:24)

3:43 which occurred in that account.

3:45 Thus, the main point is that

3:47 interpreting the Qur'an by the Qur'an,

3:49 or rather, interpreting the Qur'an by the Sunnah,

3:51 sheds light on aspects of

3:53 the chronology of revelation.

3:55 The third and final observation

3:57 is that the central theme of the surah

3:59 is the vital necessity of seeking guidance

4:01 through the Wise Book of Allah.

4:03 We notice that

4:05 it is stated in the surah:

4:07 "And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech

4:09 to mislead from the way of Allah..."

4:12 And the vast majority of the salaf (early generations),

4:14 including our masters

4:16 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

4:18 and 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,

4:20 may Allah be pleased with them,

4:22 interpreted this verse

4:24 as referring to singing.

4:26 Certain contemporary thinkers have taken issue with this view.

4:28 I do not wish

4:30 to dwell at great length on this,

4:32 but I want to emphasize that this verse aligns impeccably with the context.

4:34 Interpreting the verse as referring to singing

4:36 is exceptionally appropriate to the textual flow.

4:38 For this reason, Ibn Kathir commented

4:40 on these verses, saying regarding "And of the people...":

4:42 He said:

4:44 "When Allah the Exalted mentioned the state of the felicitous—

4:46 who are guided by the Book of Allah

4:48 and derive benefit from listening to it,

4:50 just as Allah the Exalted stated:

4:52 “Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements, a Scripture consistent, (wherein promises of reward are) paired (with threats of punishment), whereat doth creep the flesh of those who fear their Lord, so that their flesh and their hearts soften to Allah's reminder. Such is Allah's guidance, wherewith He guideth whom He will. And him whom Allah sendeth astray, for him there is no guide.” (39:23)

4:54 '[Allah has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration.] The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver therefrom,

4:56 then their skins and their hearts soften

4:58 to the remembrance of Allah.

5:00 That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He wills,

5:02 “Allah hath (now) revealed the fairest of statements, a Scripture consistent, (wherein promises of reward are) paired (with threats of punishment), whereat doth creep the flesh of those who fear their Lord, so that their flesh and their hearts soften to Allah's reminder. Such is Allah's guidance, wherewith He guideth whom He will. And him whom Allah sendeth astray, for him there is no guide.” (39:23)

5:04 and one whom Allah sends astray has no guide'—He coupled it with the mention

5:06 of the state of the wretched,

5:08 who turn away from benefiting

5:10 from listening to the speech of Allah,

5:12 turning instead to listen to

5:14 musical pipes and song

5:16 accompanied by melodies and musical instruments,

5:18 as Ibn Mas'ud stated

5:21 regarding the words of the Exalted: 'And of the people is he who buys

5:23 the amusement of speech.' He said: 'By Allah, it is

5:25 singing!'—to the end of his narration."

5:27 The point to take note of in this correlation

5:29 is that the surah speaks of the Qur'an,

5:31 and issues a warning

5:33 regarding whoever is preoccupied with anything besides the Qur'an.

5:35 We do not claim that this

5:37 verse is the sole proof

5:39 for the prohibition of singing,

5:41 for the proofs prohibiting singing are numerous.

5:43 Rather, the statements of the salaf (early generations) came

5:45 as if drawing attention

5:47 to the inclusion of

5:49 this particular practice within the general scope of

5:51 the matter; otherwise, the issue of

5:53 the prohibition of singing was already firmly established among them.

5:55 And Allah knows best.

5:57 With this, we bring to a close

5:59 these three observations. I ask Allah

6:01 to benefit us through the Magnificent Qur'an,

6:03 and to make it an argument in our favor

6:05 and not an argument against us.

6:07 May Allah send blessings upon Muhammad and upon his family and Companions,

6:09 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 | Surah Luqman

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