Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed)
· Lesson 10 of 117
The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surat Al-Fil
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Concise commentary on the book *Profile Cards*
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*for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an,*
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by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Nassif,
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may Allah preserve him.
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Surah Al-Fil.
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds,
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and peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,
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and upon all his family and Companions.
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We are still continuing our concise commentary on the profile cards,
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and we have reached Surah Al-Fil.
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We have three main points regarding it.
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The first point
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concerns the order of its revelation, as it is considered
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the eighteenth surah according to the well-known opinion,
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revealed after Surah Al-Kafirun.
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This gives a sense of the nature of
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the events and the context in which the Muslims lived.
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They were in a state of extreme weakness in Makkah
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when this surah was revealed.
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This helps us
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visualize its impact
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upon the hearts of the believers
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as they experienced hardship, distress, and weakness,
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needing to strengthen
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their bond
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with the All-Powerful, Exalted is He,
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and needing an increase in certainty
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that the One who disposes all affairs
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is Allah, Glorified and Exalted,
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and that their affair would ultimately lead to good.
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As for the second point,
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it relates to the central theme of the surah,
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which is described as
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a manifestation of Allah's power over His creation—
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specifically those who take pride in strength other than His.
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This is indicated
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by the name of the surah itself:
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*Al-Fil* (The Elephant).
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For this elephant was a source of pride
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for those created beings,
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causing them to forget Allah's power
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over them.
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While this was a historical event,
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it serves
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for all time after as
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a timeless lesson for anyone who takes pride
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in any earthly power.
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The elephant
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is weak
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compared to the modern, lethal weaponry
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that exists today.
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Yet the elephant,
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modern weapons,
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and everything human beings manufacture
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in every time and place,
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are as nothing before the power of Allah.
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We must always remember this.
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The elephant was merely a symbol,
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representing one of the greatest sources of modern warfare power at that time.
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Otherwise,
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His command,
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whenever He intends a thing,
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is simply to say to it,
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"Be," and it is.
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As for the third point,
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this story
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related to us in this
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surah occurred in the realm of
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physical means, where human beings exerted
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their worldly causes; yet,
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the Lord of all things
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rendered their treacherous plot completely astray,
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Glorified and Exalted is He.
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However, the time is near when there will be no
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apparent physical means, on the Day
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when Allah gathers all creation together.
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If they, while in the world of physical means
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in which they took pride,
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were utterly helpless before
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the power of Allah,
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then their helplessness on the Day they return
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to Allah will be even more severe
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and far greater.
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This is perhaps one of the thematic connections
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between Surah Al-Fil
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and Surah Al-Humazah.
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Surah Al-Humazah
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mentioned
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the punishment prepared for the slanderer and backbiter,
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which takes place after
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the end of this worldly life.
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Then Allah brought proof from the realm
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of tangible, witnessed experience—
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where man possessed worldly power and means,
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yet was still rendered entirely helpless
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before the decree of Allah, Glorified and Exalted.
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I ask Allah
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to grant me and you success
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and divine assistance.
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And Allah knows best.
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May Allah bless his family and Companions and grant them peace.