Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed) · Lesson 62 of 117

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

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0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
0:03 [Text audio check]
0:30 *The Gentle Commentary*
0:32 *on the Identification Cards*
0:35 *for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an,*
0:38 by Dr. Muhammad ibn Abdulaziz ibn Umar Nasif,
0:42 may Allah preserve him.
0:44 Surah an-Najm.
0:46 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah,
0:48 and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
0:50 We continue with *The Gentle Commentary on the Identification Cards*,
0:52 looking at Surah an-Najm, regarding which I have three reflective points.
0:56 The first point concerns the chronological order of the Surah's revelation.
1:01 Normally, when discussing the order of revelation, I merely provide
1:07 a brief indication following the layout of the notes,
1:13 leaving detailed explanations and resolving problematic issues
1:17 for the audio commentary,
1:19 or for whenever Allah facilitates the writing of an expanded commentary and the like.
1:23 In this specific place, however, an elaborate mention was made to resolve a potential problem,
1:30 because it is reported that the first surah revealed containing a prostration was Surah an-Najm.
1:37 This presents—or might present—a problem, because the first surah revealed unconditionally was Surah al-'Alaq, and it also contains a prostration.
1:45 In the book, the answer resolving this issue was included, but I think it should, by Allah's will, be removed in future editions,
1:53 because it diverges from the methodology of the book and is inconsistent with the treatment of preceding and succeeding surahs.
2:00 For there is hardly a surah—or rather, I should say,
2:05 many surahs contain similar ambiguities,
2:08 so harmonizing them and explaining alternative interpretations is not part of the primary scope of the book.
2:16 As for the second point, it pertains to the overall theme of the Surah: reflecting upon its thematic flow,
2:23 it becomes clear that one of its most prominent themes is refuting the misconceptions of the disbelievers,
2:28 culminating in the necessity of prostrating before the Lord of the worlds.
2:35 It is as if the final verse of the Surah summarizes its entirety and represents its ultimate objective.
2:42 The objective of the Surah, then, is that you prostrate before the Lord of the worlds, worship Him, and affirm His Oneness,
2:50 and all the preceding verses lead up to this monumental conclusion.
2:56 Now, as you know, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited it and prostrated,
3:01 and the disbelievers prostrated along with him out of the overwhelming awe of these verses.
3:07 Indeed, in *Sahih al-Bukhari*, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported:
3:11 "The Prophet (peace be upon him) prostrated upon reciting an-Najm, and the Muslims, the polytheists, the jinn, and mankind all prostrated along with him."
3:20 This reinforces my conviction that segmenting surahs and reading them in fragments diminishes one's ability to be deeply moved and benefit from them.
3:30 So when you read a surah, try to complete it in a single sitting,
3:35 for its parts flow into one another until you reach its final verse, culminating in a beautiful conclusion.
3:44 As for the third and final point, it concerns the structural sections of the Surah.
3:50 It is mentioned here that it has three sections.
3:53 Here, I would like to repeat a noteworthy observation
3:56 that became apparent to me this year while reviewing the book and reading the Book of Allah:
4:03 it occurred to me that much of what I had designated as a first section is better suited to be considered an introduction, due to its profound connection to everything that follows it,
4:11 as though what follows is an outgrowth of it.
4:15 This is especially so because subsequent sections often share similar openings, unlike the first section.
4:22 Surah an-Najm is an example of this: it began with an oath,
4:26 whereas we find that the second and third sections are structurally similar.
4:32 The opening of the second section is an interrogative stylistic device expressing sarcasm or denunciation.
4:41 In the book, I noted it as a sarcastic interrogation;
4:44 this is one interpretive angle of the verse, while the other is that it is a rhetorical denunciation.
4:49 Both angles were mentioned by at-Tahir ibn 'Ashur in his Tafsir.
4:52 Allah Almighty says: ◁ Have you considered al-Lat and al-'Uzza? ▷
4:57 Then the third section opens with: ◁ Have you seen him who turned away? ▷ and the similarity between both sections is evident.
5:05 Thus, the first section is more akin to an introduction, while the second and third sections
5:13 work in tandem to arrive at the final conclusion: ◁ So prostrate to Allah and worship Him. ▷
5:23 I will suffice with this, and I ask Allah for success and guidance.
5:28 May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and Companions.
5:31 And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.