Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed)
· Lesson 71 of 117
The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surat Al-Dukhan
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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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The brief commentary
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on the book "Identification 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 Nasif,
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may Allah preserve him.
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Surah Ad-Dukhan.
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
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We are still continuing with our brief commentary
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on the identification cards.
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Surah Ad-Dukhan, and we have a series of pauses regarding it. The first pause concerns the surah's placement
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and its suitability to Surah Az-Zukhruf, along with the similarity in their openings. At the end of the previous surah,
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there is the command to turn away graciously: "So turn away from them and say, 'Peace.'" And what
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recurs in this surah is the command to watch and wait: "So watch," at the beginning of the surah on the first
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page: "So watch for the day when the sky brings visible smoke," and at the end of the surah,
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in the very last verse: "So watch, indeed, they are waiting." Thus, there is a verbal link here, which is
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one of the textual connections that exist between two surahs; it may be
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verbal, or it may be thematic, as was the case with things we have previously covered.
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As for the second pause, it concerns the date of the surah's revelation. He noted that the mention of the smoke (ad-dukhan)
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and the tree of Zaqqum may assist in determining the chronological order of revelation. As we have noted time
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and again, the word "may" mentioned in such a context merely points to
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a potential avenue of research. The verses mentioning Zaqqum in the Qur'an are numerous,
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and for some of them, specific reasons for revelation are transmitted; compiling these verses and examining the reasons,
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as well as reflecting upon their contexts and contents, may lead to determining a date
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for the revelation of some or all of those verses. As for the smoke, it is mentioned only
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in this surah; nevertheless, there is a substantial difference among the Companions regarding it, which he mentioned here
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under the reasons for revelation, and examining the narrations may also assist in this regard. This requires
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collecting the diverse reports of the Companions concerning the matter of the smoke, and which of them
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interpreted it as occurring in this worldly life, as well as identifying the historical events or situations that occurred
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during the revelation of the entire surah or the revelation of these verses; all of this helps
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in acquiring knowledge. However, a researcher may delve into a specific aspect of
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these proposed points and yet not arrive at a definitive conclusion; one might only reach
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a strong presumption, for the matter is one of scholarly ijtihad. As for the third
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and final pause, it connects the theme of the surah with its internal divisions. I recall here
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that Surahs Ghafir, Fussilat, and Az-Zukhruf mentioned the conditions of the disbelievers who denied
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the Qur'an in their openings; likewise, here Allah Almighty says: "Nay, they are in
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doubt, playing." I have identified the theme of the surah as warning those who doubt and play; notice
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in the introduction the clarification that the polytheists are indeed in doubt, playing; then, throughout
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the body of the surah, the decisive proof is established against those who are in doubt, playing. Thus, the context
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is seamlessly connected. Remarkably, the description of the disbelievers' punishment in the Hereafter in this
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surah carries a distinct irony that corresponds to their playful mockery in this worldly life; that is,
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by contrasting it, saying: "Seize him and drag him into the midst of Hellfire, then pour over his head
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of the torment of scalding water: 'Taste this! Indeed, you were the mighty, the noble.'" This is said in derision of him,
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for what might or nobility could there possibly be in what he is tasting? Yet this is precisely what is deserved by
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those who are in doubt, playing. The discussion concerning this surah has many branching avenues,
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but I shall suffice with this much. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon
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his family and all his Companions. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.