Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed)
· Lesson 69 of 117
The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surah Al-Ahqaf
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
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The commentary series titled "Al-Ta'liq al-Latif
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'ala Kitab Bitaqat al-Ta'rif
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bi-Suwar al-Mushaf al-Sharif"
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by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz
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Ibn 'Umar Nasif.
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Surah al-Ahqaf.
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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
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Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings
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be upon the Messenger of Allah.
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We continue with our gentle commentary
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on the introductory profile cards of the Qur'an.
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We have reached Surah al-Ahqaf,
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and concerning it, I have three points of reflection.
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The first point
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relates to the second reason
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for revelation referred to in his statement:
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"The second requires
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compiling and critically reconciling the narrations
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alongside the verses of Surah al-Jinn."
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A reason for revelation was reported concerning
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the words of Allah the Exalted:
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"And [mention] when We directed to you a group of the jinn..."
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And Surah al-Jinn
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likewise
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has an occasion of revelation; between the two occasions
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are both similarities and differences.
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Hence, it requires—
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as I pointed out—a dedicated,
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specific study
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that examines
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the meeting of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
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with the jinn, or—excuse me—
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the jinn's listening to the Prophet (peace be upon him),
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and its connection to both of these surahs.
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This is also
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beneficial for
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determining the chronology of revelation, as I noted
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in the discussion on the dating
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of the surah's revelation.
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The second point concerns the context and placement
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of the narrative of the jinn
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within this surah.
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It will become evident that
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the surah primarily addresses the disbelievers,
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threatening and warning them in the first place.
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Yet the jinn
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are mentioned within it, and therefore you find
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regarding the surah's overarching theme
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that among its topics
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is refuting those who turn away,
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warning them, and presenting examples
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of their past counterparts—
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which is what Allah mentioned
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in the story of 'Ad
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with their people
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at al-Ahqaf (the sand dunes)—
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as well as those who differed from them,
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meaning those who took a contrasting path and answered
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the call of faith.
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Thus, the story of the jinn was brought in
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to combine encouragement and warning (targhib and tarhib).
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Just as Allah cautioned them
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through the mention of 'Ad and al-Ahqaf,
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He also encouraged them and drew their attention
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to the path of true guidance
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which the jinn traversed.
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This is a wonderfully subtle
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da'wah methodology, without doubt,
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from which callers to Islam should actively benefit.
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As for the third and final point,
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it is that
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the surah is identifiable
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from its beginning
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and its conclusion as being
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primarily concerned with the disbelievers,
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this being among its most prominent themes.
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As I noted, look at
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its opening: "Ha, Meem. The revelation
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of the Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
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We did not create the heavens and the earth
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and what is between them except in truth
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and for a specified term. But those who disbelieve,
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from that of which they are warned, are turning away."
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And this brings to mind
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Surah Ghafir, Fussilat,
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and al-Dukhan,
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and some of this also occurs
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in al-Jathiyah, regarding the stance of the disbelievers
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toward the Qur'an after the praise
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of this Mighty
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Book. And at the end of the surah:
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"[This is] a notification. And will any be destroyed
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except the defiantly disobedient people?"
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Thus, it can be added
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to the central theme of the surah
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that among the clearest indicators of its theme
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are its opening
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and its closing. This is frequent
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in the Qur'an; al-Biqa'i attempted
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to apply this across every single surah of the Qur'an
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and to correlate the end
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of each surah with its beginning.
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I ask Allah for success for everyone.
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May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad
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and upon all his family and Companions.
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And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.