Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed)
· Lesson 112 of 117
Nice comment on the identification cards of the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surah Al-Fatihah
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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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A Gentle Commentary
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on the book "Identification Cards
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for the Surahs of the Noble Mus-haf"
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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 al-Fatihah.
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds,
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and may peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers.
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Our lesson today, within the gentle commentary
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on the identification cards,
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focuses on Surah al-Fatihah.
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Discussion on this surah could easily be vast and prolonged,
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but I shall confine myself to three main points.
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The first point
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concerns the author's text regarding the chronological order of its revelation.
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Surah al-Fatihah is not mentioned
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in the well-known transmission concerning the chronological order of revelation,
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although it is evident that it was revealed very early on.
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In the footnote,
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I indicated what is actually intended
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by the well-known transmission,
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contrary to what appears in the printed book.
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For the author confined himself in the footnote
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to citing
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another weak transmission
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that ought not to have been mentioned.
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Anyone who has the book will find
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this flaw in the footnote
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on page nineteen.
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As for the second point,
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it concerns the analysis of this narration itself:
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this well-known transmission
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upon which I relied.
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I will address it from three perspectives.
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First, its chain of transmission (isnad):
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its isnad contains weakness.
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Although some contemporary researchers declared it strong,
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they did so without any clear evidence.
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Nevertheless, the scholars
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relied upon it due to its renown,
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and its weakness does not warrant discarding it altogether.
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The scholars have thus relied upon it.
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This is the first matter,
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concerning the weakness in its isnad.
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The second matter relates to its text (matn):
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its text requires critical examination.
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Among the best
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of those who relied upon it
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and cited it
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in his Tafsir
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for every surah—
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while simultaneously critiquing its text—
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was Shaykh al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur.
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In his Tafsir,
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you will find him at the beginning of each surah
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saying, "It is counted as the ninth,"
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"It is counted as the tenth,"
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and the like.
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Then he mentions what contradicts
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that statement,
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or presents
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other evidence that he favors,
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scrutinizes,
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and uses to debate
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this well-known transmission.
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As for most others who relied on this transmission,
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to the best of my knowledge,
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they would simply cite it without
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significant critical scrutiny.
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Perhaps
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Muhammad 'Izzat Darwazah's book,
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"Al-Tafsir al-Hadith",
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also paid some attention to it, but it does not match
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the attention given by al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur.
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Indeed, al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur is among the finest to critique
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the text of Jabir ibn Zayd's transmission,
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the famous narration
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mentioned by al-Suyuti in
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"Al-Itqan" and other works.
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The third matter is that there is
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confusion in the sequencing of this transmission;
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that is, those who relied on this transmission
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confounded it, advancing some surahs and delaying others.
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Even al-Tahir ibn 'Ashur
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fell into this, among others.
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For this reason, I relied upon
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the narration that I referenced
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in the footnote
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on that very page,
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where the modification in the footnote occurred.
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I relied on the transmission of Abu 'Amr al-Dani
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in his book
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"Al-Bayan fi 'Add Ay al-Qur'an",
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because it is a narration with a connected isnad; later authors transmitted it from it,
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yet when they transmitted it,
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errors occurred in their ordering.
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And this transmission,
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which is found with Abu 'Amr,
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may Allah have mercy on him, contains no mention of al-Fatihah.
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Therefore, al-Fatihah
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is not counted within
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the well-known transmission
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upon which I relied. These were two points,
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both of which were related
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to the chronological order of revelation.
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With each surah,
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we will attempt to pause over an aspect we have not previously addressed.
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We have now paused over the order of revelation,
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and with another surah we shall examine
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the occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) and other matters,
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to clarify various issues, if Allah wills.
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The third point is the most important of all,
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so lend it your hearing
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and your hearts;
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I ask Allah to grant spiritual opening to me and to you,
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reminding both myself and my beloved listeners.
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Give your full attention to Surah al-Fatihah,
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for it is the greatest surah of the Qur'an.
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It is the one that encapsulates the entire Qur'an,
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encompassing all of its core objectives.
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Here, I wish to draw attention
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to two essential dimensions:
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the scholarly and the practical.
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As for the scholarly dimension,
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I say: one must attain deep understanding (fiqh)
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of the meanings of al-Fatihah.
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Make a habit, every so often, of reading
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a Tafsir of al-Fatihah
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that you have not read before.
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If you read Ibn Kathir this month,
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read al-Qurtubi the next month,
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then a third exegete, and a fourth.
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Read as abundantly as you can
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from the works of Tafsir on al-Fatihah,
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because this continually renews
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what you already know and provides you with fresh
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insights. This is directly connected
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to the other dimension, which is the practical
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application: be diligent
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in contemplating al-Fatihah
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during prayer whenever you recite it or hear it.
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Never pass over it
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hastily;
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rather, know and be certain that it is greater
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than anything you will recite or hear after it.
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Indeed,
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as we mentioned, it encompasses the objectives of the Qur'an,
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serving as the key
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to understanding everything that follows it.
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When you recite al-Fatihah in prayer,
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realize that whatever follows is understood through it,
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and that it is the key to that understanding.
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So focus deeply upon it
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and give it its due reverence.
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In fact, al-Fatihah is the prayer itself,
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as indicated by the hadith: "I have divided the prayer
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between Myself and My servant into two halves."
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Thus, He designated al-Fatihah
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as the prayer itself,
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which is by way of elevating its supreme status.
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For that reason, it has been named
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the Surah of Prayer.
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I shall content myself with this discussion regarding this
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surah; otherwise, speech
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concerning it could extend indefinitely, as I noted.
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Whoever wishes
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may listen to the detailed commentary.
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Furthermore, seek an abundance
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of learning and spiritual tasting
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of Surah al-Fatihah,
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and you will find immense good,
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by Allah's leave.
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May peace and blessings be upon his family and all his Companions,
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and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.