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.

0:03 A gentle 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 al-Qiyamah.

0:46 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

0:50 Returning now to this gentle commentary

0:53 on the identification cards,

0:55 the last surah we covered was Surah al-Muddaththir,

0:58 and today we take up Surah al-Qiyamah.

1:01 I have three points of reflection upon it.

1:03 The first point pertains to the opening of the surah.

1:05 The author stated that it begins with an oath,

1:07 which is the fifth type of opening among those mentioned in *Al-Itqan*.

1:10 Furthermore,

1:12 it and Surah al-Balad—

1:14 though written as feminine dual, the phrasing should indicate singular concord—

1:17 meaning Surah al-Qiyamah along with Surah al-Balad,

1:19 are uniquely characterized by a distinctive style of oath,

1:22 the signification of which is debated,

1:24 because some scholars regard it as an oath,

1:26 while others do not consider it an oath.

1:29 Therefore,

1:31 he noted that it could be classified under the fourth category,

1:34 which is opening with an informative statement,

1:36 meaning the fourth of the various types of openings.

1:38 The fifth type is the oath.

1:40 Indeed, al-Suyuti himself,

1:42 upon whom the author relied in this book regarding surah openings,

1:44 classified it

1:46 among the openings

1:48 by informative statements

1:50 and did not count it among the oaths.

1:52 The apparent reason for this is the scholarly difference:

1:54 is this an oath,

1:56 or is it a negation of an oath?

1:58 Moreover, both surahs,

2:00 by virtue of sharing this opening,

2:02 merit deep reflection and comparison.

2:04 It is also observed that in both of these surahs,

2:06 there occurs

2:08 the phrase "Does man think...?" twice

2:10 in each surah.

2:12 Thus, the two surahs beginning with "Nay, I swear"

2:14 resemble each other

2:16 in the fact that

2:18 both contain this specific expression.

2:20 And this phrase, "Does man think...?",

2:22 is a recurring motif

2:24 throughout the Qur'an,

2:27 expressing denunciation

2:29 against anyone who harbors a false assumption,

2:31 as though it delivers him from the darkness

2:33 in which he resides into the light,

2:35 should he be guided by the words

2:37 of the Subtle, the All-Aware.

2:39 As for the second point of reflection, it concerns the occasion of revelation.

2:41 The author mentioned a single occasion of revelation,

2:43 which relates to an issue

2:45 connected to the science of textual correlations (*'ilm al-munasabat*).

2:47 There is an important principle in the science of textual correlations

2:49 that al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur pointed out

2:51 frequently.

2:53 Sometimes an exegete attempts

2:55 to

2:57 forge a link between verses,

2:59 and this endeavor in itself

3:01 is good and accepted by the vast majority of scholars,

3:03 save for a few who hesitated regarding this matter

3:05 and objected to the study of textual correlations.

3:07 But the problem arises

3:09 when speaking of textual correlations

3:11 without taking into account the occasions of revelation.

3:13 Thus, you find someone interpreting a verse

3:15 incorrectly merely

3:17 to make it cohere neatly

3:19 with what precedes it and what follows it,

3:21 completely disregarding the occasion of revelation.

3:23 Here,

3:25 the occasion of revelation for Allah's words, "Do not move your tongue therewith

3:27 to make haste with it,"

3:29 is that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to endure

3:31 great hardship during revelation

3:33 and would frequently move his lips—

3:35 to the end of the narration.

3:37 Thus, it is evident

3:39 that this occasion has no thematic link

3:42 to the verses preceding it or following it.

3:44 And we said that this relates back to the science of textual correlations,

3:46 in the sense that

3:48 verses may be revealed for a specific reason,

3:50 and their descent happens to coincide with

3:52 the revelation of verses

3:54 treating an entirely different topic.

3:56 Thus we understand the rationale for their mention alongside them:

3:58 namely, that they coincided

4:00 in the time of revelation, not that there is an intrinsic

4:02 correlation between them—a point emphasized by al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur.

4:04 By keeping this in mind, the scholar treating

4:06 this subject is spared from forced contrivance

4:08 regarding certain verses.

4:10 The third and final point of reflection

4:12 concerns the thematic sections.

4:14 Under the single section, it says: "And in it [fem.]..."

4:16 We should assume it means: "And in it [masc.]..."

4:18 "The opening with a denunciatory interrogative,

4:20 and the denunciation of those who deny

4:22 the gathering of bones..." It would be better phrased as:

4:24 "and the denunciation of him who assumes

4:26 that Allah will not assemble his bones,"

4:28 and the like,

4:30 because this aligns

4:32 with the statement in the last two lines: "and the refutation of

4:34 whoever assumes that he will be left neglected,"

4:36 in reference to "Does man think

4:38 that We will not assemble his bones?" at the beginning of the surah,

4:40 and "Does man think that he will be left neglected?"

4:42 at the end of the surah.

4:44 So it is preferable for the wording

4:46 to point to this parallelism.

4:48 Furthermore, it is noteworthy

4:50 that there are parenthetical verses

4:52 mentioned in the occasions of revelation a moment ago,

4:54 and they are noted here in the third line

4:56 of the single thematic section.

4:58 He stated: "Parenthetical verses discussing

5:00 the manner required of the Prophet,

5:02 peace be upon him, in his reception of the Qur'an."

5:04 It is clear that these verses

5:06 are not directly

5:08 connected to the verse preceding them.

5:10 I spoke about this a moment ago,

5:12 but I wish to add here

5:14 that such parenthetical insertions

5:16 remind anyone who reads the Qur'an

5:18 and listens to these verses

5:20 that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

5:22 holds a sublime status with Allah,

5:24 and that he, peace be upon him,

5:26 is the one upon whom

5:28 the revelation descended.

5:30 This reminds me

5:32 that the Prophet, peace be upon him, received the revelation,

5:34 conveyed it to us,

5:36 and was then taken by Allah, Exalted is He;

5:38 so it must remain ever-present in our hearts

5:40 that he is the one who received the revelation,

5:42 who conveyed it,

5:44 and who will be a witness

5:46 over his Ummah: "So how will it be when We bring from every nation a witness

5:48 “But how (will it be with them) when We bring of every people a witness, and We bring thee (O Muhammad) a witness against these?” (4:41)

5:50 and We bring you as a witness over these?"

5:52 Thus, such verses that appear

5:54 parenthetically speaking about the Messenger of Allah

5:56 ought to draw our attention

5:58 to this reality and to other insights that emerge

6:00 through deep contemplation.

6:02 I content myself with this, and I invoke blessings upon the best of Messengers,

6:04 and upon his family and Companions.

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

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