Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed)
· Lesson 25 of 117
The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surah Al-Balad
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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 on the Book of Identification Cards
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on the Noble Qur'anic Chapters
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by Dr. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Umar Nassif,
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may Allah protect him.
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Surah Al-Balad
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah,
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and upon his family, his Companions, and his followers.
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We continue with the Gentle Commentary on the Identification Cards,
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and with Surah Al-Balad, and I have three points of reflection with it.
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The first point of reflection is with the opening of the Surah.
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It is mentioned in the book that it begins with an oath.
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This is the fifth type of opening mentioned in Al-Itqan.
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Then he said at the end of this section:
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And it can be counted under the fourth type,
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which is beginning with a report, as Al-Suyuti did.
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This requires some clarification.
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Al-Suyuti first mentioned the types of openings.
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The fifth opening was the oath.
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But he did not mention this Surah,
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or this opening,
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when he listed what falls under this type.
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Rather, he mentioned it under the fourth type,
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which is beginning with a report.
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And what is the reason?
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The reason is the existence of disagreement.
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Some view it as an oath,
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while others view it as not an oath.
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So, whoever said it is an oath,
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placed it under the fifth type of opening.
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And whoever said it is not an oath,
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but rather a report of not taking an oath,
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placed it under the fourth type.
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And the matter is simple.
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What is truly more important, in reality,
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is that Surah Al-Qiyamah resembles Surah Al-Balad
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in this opening.
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Then we find a similarity between them
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in something else,
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which is the phrase "Does he think?" that is repeated in both Surahs.
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In each Surah, "Does he think?" is mentioned.
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"Does man think that We will not gather his bones?"
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Then he said at the end of the Surah:
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"Does man think that he will be left aimless?"
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And it was mentioned twice in Surah Al-Balad:
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"Does he think that no one has power over him?"
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“Thinketh he that none beholdeth him?” (90:7)
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So, both Surahs draw attention to a mistaken assumption.
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And both Surahs begin with the same type of opening.
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This requires research and contemplation.
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As for the second point of reflection,
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it is with the theme of the Surah.
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He said: Reminding man of Allah's power over him,
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and the duty required of him in this life.
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From where did we derive that the theme of the Surah
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is reminding man of Allah's power over him?
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In truth, it is apparent from more than one angle.
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The first is these oaths at the beginning of the Surah,
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which indicate Allah's power.
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This city, Mecca,
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how Allah placed it between these valleys,
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where there is no cultivation, no forests, and no rivers,
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and people come to it from all over the earth,
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willingly, not under compulsion, seeking the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted.
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This is a sign.
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"And you are free in this city"
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This is another sign indicating the power of Allah, the Exalted.
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And the verse speaks about what Allah permitted for him on the day of the conquest of Mecca,
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in the Sanctuary.
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And when one contemplates, it is a great sign
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of the power of Allah, the Exalted, and his parents and offspring.
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Another matter besides the oaths:
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what came afterward, "Does he think that no one has power over him?"
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"Have We not made for him two eyes, and a tongue and two lips?"
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And the third matter that indicates the Surah's theme is power,
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and the explicit mention by the scholar Al-Baqai in his Tafsir.
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So, these three indicators
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were the reason for choosing this opinion
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in defining the theme of the Surah.
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The third point of reflection remains,
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and it is related to the theme of the Surah.
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For in the theme of the Surah and its duty,
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what is required of him in this life,
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what is the practical outcome of our knowledge that Allah has power over us?
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And the Surah nourishes this meaning within us,
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that Allah has power over us.
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What is the practical outcome?
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The practical outcome is that we strive with all our ability
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to be saved from Allah's punishment,
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by freeing a captive or feeding in a day of hunger,
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or what is mentioned in the verses,
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indicating the exertion of effort during hardship,
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so that a person overcomes this obstacle,
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and is saved and attains the mercy of Allah, the Exalted.
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And Allah, the Exalted, has power over us in this world,
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in the first life, and has power over us in the Hereafter.
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We must exert effort to be freed from Allah's punishment.
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We ask Allah to make us among the saved.
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We ask Allah, upon our Prophet Muhammad,
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and upon his family and all his Companions. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.