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.

0:02 A Gentle Commentary

0:32 on the book "Identification Cards

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

0:37 by Dr. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Umar Nasif,

0:42 may Allah preserve him.

0:44 Surah al-Isra'.

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

0:48 All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

0:54 We continue with our gentle commentary on the identification cards,

0:56 and we are now with Surah al-Isra'.

0:58 I have three points of reflection concerning it.

1:00 The first reflection pertains to the virtues of the Surah,

1:03 and it entails two matters. First,

1:05 the hadith mentioned at the beginning of its virtues

1:08 has been narrated from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

1:10 that he would not sleep

1:12 until he recited Bani Isra'il and al-Zumar.

1:16 The truth is that I cited this hadith as established

1:19 based on its authentication by some contemporary scholars,

1:25 but it has become clear to me that establishing it requires further investigation;

1:30 the documentation (takhrij) here is deficient.

1:33 I hope to rectify this and examine the hadith more thoroughly

1:37 in the forthcoming edition, if Allah wills,

1:40 and I ask Allah to forgive any shortcoming.

1:43 The second matter concerning its virtues

1:45 is that this Surah is among "the first vintage" (al-'Itaq al-Uwal).

1:49 We have the well-known fourfold division:

1:51 we have already encountered the Seven Long Surahs, the Mi'un, the Mathani,

1:55 and the Mufassal. There are also groups of Surahs that share common features,

2:01 such as the Hawamim, those beginning with Alif-Lam-Ra,

2:06 as well as the Al-Hamim and the Tawasin.

2:11 These are thematic clusters.

2:13 Most typically, these clusters—

2:15 or many of them—share a common opening.

2:19 As for this group, "the first vintage" (al-'Itaq al-Uwal),

2:22 it is taken from the statement of Ibn Mas'ud mentioned in the book,

2:27 in which he refers to Bani Isra'il—

2:29 which is al-Isra'—

2:31 al-Kahf, Maryam, Taha, and al-Anbiya'.

2:34 He says, "They are among the first vintage,"

2:38 and the word *'atiq* denotes something ancient,

2:41 while it also carries another meaning: something

2:44 of exquisite quality.

2:46 This meaning—the meaning of antiquity—opens up an avenue for research:

2:50 what did Ibn Mas'ud mean by these Surahs being ancient?

2:54 Did he mean that they were revealed in Makkah,

2:57 or did he mean that they were revealed in the earliest phase of the Makkan period?

3:00 This warrants careful study.

3:03 Furthermore, why were these specific Surahs grouped together?

3:05 What is the link between them,

3:07 given that, as you may notice,

3:09 they are also consecutive in the arrangement of the Mus-haf?

3:13 In truth, "the first vintage" requires specialized study.

3:17 I have seen passing remarks by some commentators in Tafsir,

3:21 but they are brief observations within the limits of what I have reviewed;

3:24 hence, this is something truly worthy of investigation.

3:27 This concludes the first point of reflection.

3:29 As for the second reflection,

3:31 it concerns the chronological order of the Surah's revelation,

3:34 which I have agreed with you to term the "dating of the Surah's revelation,"

3:39 as that is more precise.

3:40 Here you find it counted as the forty-ninth Surah,

3:44 revealed after al-Qasas and before Yunus.

3:48 I have told you that this is the precise count,

3:51 whereas you may find in some books

3:54 discrepancies in the numbering.

3:57 You can find this precise enumeration documented with this accuracy

4:00 in the work of Imam Abu 'Amr al-Dani

4:04 on counting the verses of the Qur'an,

4:06 entitled *Al-Bayan fi 'Add Ay al-Qur'an*.

4:09 He mentioned therein the transmission

4:11 by which the Surahs and their sequence are counted.

4:16 Then it is noted here in the text of the book:

4:19 "and the mention of consecutive rulings therein."

4:23 It is well known that Makkan Surahs do not typically contain many rulings,

4:28 yet here consecutive legal rulings are mentioned:

4:31 "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him,

4:33 and that you be dutiful to parents," and so forth.

4:35 Several legal rulings are stated,

4:37 and this mention of rulings aids in dating the revelation.

4:41 Then I noted: "and the incident of the Night Journey (al-Isra'),"

4:44 meaning the mention of the event of al-Isra',

4:46 which took place late.

4:47 Mentioning rulings helps in dating the revelation;

4:50 the incident of al-Isra'—which occurred late, towards the end of the Makkan period—

4:55 is another factor that helps in dating the revelation;

4:58 along with its being among the first vintage,

5:00 which suggests, as we mentioned, that its revelation may have begun very early;

5:05 and the fact that parts of it were revealed while the Prophet was in hiding in Makkah.

5:08 This fourth factor becomes evident upon examining the reasons for revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul):

5:13 the Prophet was in hiding in Makkah,

5:14 which may indicate that they are early—

5:17 specifically those verses revealed on that occasion.

5:20 It suggests that its revelation was dispersed over a long span of time.

5:25 Thus, there are four factors that indicate—

5:28 the conclusion being that they indicate the Surah was revealed intermittently over an extended period:

5:33 the mention of consecutive legal rulings,

5:34 the mention of the incident of al-Isra',

5:36 its being from the first vintage,

5:38 and the revelation of parts of it while the Prophet, peace be upon him, was in hiding in Makkah.

5:41 These four factors lead us to say:

5:44 they give the sense that it was revealed intermittently over a long period during the Makkan era,

5:52 while noting the repeated revelation of one of its verses during the Madinan era,

5:56 which is: "And they ask you about the soul."

6:00 Thus, the revelation of the Surah spanned a long time, as these evidences suggest.

6:05 And Allah knows best.

6:06 As for the third and final reflection,

6:10 when you look at the central theme of the Surah

6:14 or its thematic passages,

6:16 you will find that the word *ni'am* (blessings) or *ni'mah* (blessing)

6:21 recurs throughout this Surah.

6:23 We have already mentioned that Surah al-Nahl is called the Surah of Blessings,

6:27 as it contains many blessings,

6:30 but the blessings there were mostly tangible, worldly blessings

6:36 calling for submission to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.

6:40 As for the blessing emphasized

6:44 alongside other blessings in Surah al-Isra',

6:47 it is an intangible, religious blessing,

6:52 far greater than all those other blessings:

6:53 it is the blessing of the Magnificent Qur'an.

6:56 You find the Qur'an mentioned from the early parts of the Surah—

6:59 "Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most upright"—all the way to its end.

7:06 “And (it is) a Qur'an that We have divided, that thou mayst recite it unto mankind at intervals, and We have revealed it by (successive) revelation.” (17:106)

7:10 The verses in the Surah that speak of the Qur'an are numerous.

7:15 This is a blessing that, as I mentioned, is the greatest of spiritual blessings.

7:20 The Surah urges gratitude,

7:23 and showing gratitude to Allah for the blessing of the Qur'an is accomplished by acting upon it;

7:30 and there can be no acting upon it without recitation and comprehension.

7:33 I ask Allah to grant me and you success in doing that which He loves and is pleased with.

7:37 May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon all his family and Companions.

7:40 All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation.

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

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