Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed)
· Lesson 104 of 117
The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surat Hud
0:000:00
Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
0:00
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
0:03
"The Gentle Commentary
0:32
on the Book of Profile 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.
0:43
Surah Hud.
0:46
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
0:50
We continue with our gentle commentary on the profile cards,
0:54
and now we turn to Surah Hud.
0:56
God willing, I will pause over it with three reflections.
0:59
The first reflection:
1:00
regarding this name, "Hud."
1:03
It is named after the story of Hud mentioned within it, and as we noted, one can reflect more deeply and contemplate further,
1:08
as I mentioned in Surah al-A'raf. When you reflect,
1:11
you find that this surah has counterparts.
1:14
There are several surahs
1:15
named after prophets:
1:18
among them is Yunus, before it,
1:20
and among them are Yusuf
1:22
and Ibrahim,
1:23
after it,
1:24
along with other surahs,
1:26
such as Nuh, peace be upon him.
1:28
Some scholars looked at the totality of these surahs,
1:30
and they observed
1:32
that the surahs named after
1:34
individuals
1:35
are mostly named after prophets—
1:37
though Luqman is not a prophet—
1:39
and they are generally
1:41
the leaders of Tawhid and faith.
1:43
This is the common thread
1:45
that unites them and qualifies their names
1:49
to be immortalized
1:50
as names of Qur'anic surahs.
1:52
It also gives us
1:53
another dimension: that Islam is not an ethnicity,
1:57
nor is it restricted to a race,
1:58
nor
2:00
a color;
2:01
rather, it is
2:02
one
2:03
unified religion,
2:04
beginning all the way back with the very first messenger,
2:07
Nuh, peace be upon him.
2:09
Then comes another question
2:11
that requires further contemplation,
2:13
which is:
2:14
why these specific names?
2:15
Musa, peace be upon him, despite his immense virtue and status, as well as 'Isa—
2:20
neither has a surah named after him according to the well-known designations;
2:22
neither Musa nor 'Isa.
2:24
Yet we find Yunus, even though
2:26
we do not know of him receiving
2:28
the same honor from Allah that we know Musa received,
2:31
namely Allah speaking directly to him.
2:32
So the question, to which I currently have no definitive answer—
2:35
and I often raise such questions—is:
2:38
why were these particular names chosen—Hud, Yunus,
2:41
and the rest of those after whom
2:43
surahs of the Qur'an were named—
2:45
rather than other prophets of Allah?
2:46
This is not an absolute preference
2:48
of them over others,
2:50
but rather they possess a unique significance,
2:52
or their narratives contain a distinctive quality
2:54
that necessitated this.
2:56
The second reflection
2:58
concerns
2:59
the chronological order of the surah's revelation,
3:01
which we have previously explained to be,
3:02
in reality, the historical dating of the surah's descent.
3:04
He mentioned the verse count, then stated
3:06
that a part of the surah was revealed in Medina.
3:09
Therefore,
3:10
there is scholarly discussion on this matter:
3:12
regarding its period, it is Meccan
3:14
by consensus, except for verse 114,
3:17
as noted at the top of page
3:20
fifty-seven.
3:23
Nevertheless, this intertwines
3:24
with the issue of its historical dating,
3:25
because chronologically,
3:27
most of it was revealed in Mecca,
3:29
while certain indicators suggest a later
3:30
period of revelation.
3:32
Yet, despite this, it contains
3:34
this verse that was revealed in Medina:
3:36
"And establish prayer at the two ends of the day
3:37
and at the approach of the night."
3:39
Here,
3:40
I emphasize that in identifying
3:41
the Meccan and Medinan passages
3:42
and their exceptions,
3:44
this is perhaps the very first verse
3:46
we have encountered in the Qur'an
3:47
where the exception is genuinely authentic.
3:49
For verses in al-Baqarah were claimed to be exceptions,
3:51
but no exception in it proved authentic;
3:53
and verses in an-Nisa' were claimed to be exceptions,
3:54
but the exception in it was not authentic—
3:56
meaning that their dating before or after the Hijrah was not soundly established.
3:58
The same applies
4:01
to all the verses claimed
4:03
to be exceptions.
4:04
And the first authenticated
4:05
exception
4:07
occurs in Surah Hud,
4:09
based on the two academic dissertations
4:11
mentioned at the beginning of the book
4:13
regarding the Meccan and Medinan surahs.
4:15
They are two rigorous,
4:17
scholarly dissertations;
4:18
the first—covering Surah al-Fatihah to al-Isra'—is more thoroughly vetted, but even the second half is well-researched and represents the finest work I have found on the subject, so I adopted their conclusions and did not diverge from them except regarding a note in Surah al-Fatihah
4:34
concerning the possibility of multiple revelations.
4:37
The point is that this verse is an exception, and this calls for deeper reflection.
4:42
It serves as evidence for what is stated at the beginning of Surah Hud: "A Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from One who is Wise and Acquainted." Allah, Exalted is He; and thorough acquaintance (khibrah)
4:52
is more precise and specialized than general knowledge. When a human author attempts to insert something into a work of his that people have already heard and examined, it requires reworking its flow;
5:11
yet this verse sits as though it inherently belongs there—indeed, it truly belongs there, even though it was revealed some time after what precedes and succeeds it.
5:21
For what precedes it and what follows it is Meccan, while this single verse is Medinan.
5:25
This verse, whose status as an exception is authentically established, is worthy of deep contemplation regarding how seamlessly it integrates with what comes before and after it.
5:33
There remains the third and final reflection, which concerns the Qur'anic narratives.
5:39
We notice that Surah Hud contains multiple narratives spanning more than eighty verses of the surah—
5:49
that is, most of the surah consists of stories. If we reflect on the beginning of the surah, its conclusion, and the stories themselves, we find that these verses were sent down to grant steadfastness to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
6:03
And bringing steadfastness to the Messenger of Allah also provides steadfastness to whoever seeks to follow his path and call to Allah.
6:10
At the beginning of the surah: "Then possibly you would forgo some of what is revealed to you and your breast will be constrained by it because they say, 'Why has there not been sent down to him a treasure or come with him an angel?'"
6:18
It mentions the arguments and disputations of the disbelievers.
6:22
In the middle of the surah, amidst the narratives, following the conclusion of the story of Nuh: "That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you."
6:28
“This is of the tidings of the Unseen which We inspire in thee (Muhammad). Thou thyself knewest it not, nor did thy folk (know it) before this. Then have patience. Lo! the sequel is for those who ward off (evil).” (11:49)
6:34
And at the end of the surah: "And each story We relate to you from the news of the messengers is that by which We make firm your heart," preceded by: "So remain on a right course as you have been commanded."
6:42
In the final verse: "And to Allah belongs the unseen of the heavens and the earth and to Him will be returned the matter, all of it, so worship Him and rely upon Him.
6:49
And your Lord is not unaware of that which you do." Thus, the entire surah is built around granting steadfastness to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
6:54
Among the greatest sources of steadfastness are these narratives. Here I caution, emphasize, and reiterate:
6:58
never assume, as some Muslims mistakenly do, that these stories are merely for children or for someone hearing them for the first time.
7:06
These stories were directed to the master of mankind to grant him firmness; therefore, our need for them is all the more dire whenever trials intensify and grow severe.
7:15
When you need greater patience, among the things that foster patience are these Qur'anic stories, so we must give them our utmost attention.
7:23
How wonderful it would be if a person had a dedicated interest in Qur'anic narratives—reading what has been written about them, studying them with his brethren, and pondering them in solitude!
7:32
For indeed, therein lies immense steadfastness for a person.
7:34
May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and Companions.
7:37
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.