The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:03 The commentary series: "At-Ta'liq al-Latif

0:32 'ala Kitab Bitaqat at-Ta'rif

0:35 bi-Suwar al-Mushaf ash-Sharif",

0:38 by Dr. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Ibn 'Umar Nasif,

0:42 may Allah preserve him.

0:44 Surah al-Insan.

0:46 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:48 All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

0:51 We continue with the commentary series,

0:53 exploring the profile cards of the surahs, now with Surah al-Insan.

0:55 I would like to make three brief reflections on it.

0:57 The first reflection

0:59 concerns the virtues of this surah.

1:01 Reciting this surah during the Fajr prayer

1:03 on Friday,

1:05 alongside Surah as-Sajdah,

1:07 is from those surahs that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to recite

1:11 in specific prayers

1:13 or at specific times.

1:15 One should be eager to observe them,

1:17 first and foremost out of following the Sunnah,

1:19 and out of a desire—

1:21 a desire to imbibe

1:23 what a person needs spiritually

1:25 in this prayer, secondly.

1:27 For the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not specify

1:29 a surah except for profound wisdom,

1:31 peace and blessings be upon him.

1:33 We are in need of listening to

1:35 and reciting this surah

1:37 in this specific setting, even if it may seem somewhat long;

1:39 yet in reality, it is not long.

1:41 That is, reciting both as-Sajdah and al-Insan together

1:43 constitutes a moderate recitation in prayer,

1:45 not a lengthy one,

1:47 even if we tend to perceive it as long.

1:49 Thirdly, for the imams:

1:51 if they choose to practice this Sunnah,

1:53 they ought to recite deliberately and calmly.

1:55 That is, they should recite

1:57 at the same pace at which they normally recite

1:59 in their prayers throughout the rest of the week.

2:01 Reciting more Qur'an does not mean one should rush,

2:03 especially if rushing

2:05 undermines reflecting on the meaning

2:07 and moving the hearts.

2:09 I recall once

2:11 that an imam,

2:13 whose own mosque was undergoing

2:15 renovation,

2:17 would attend another mosque.

2:19 I happened to pray behind him there.

2:21 The regular imam was delayed,

2:23 so they put this visiting imam forward to lead.

2:25 He decided to recite Surah as-Sajdah and Surah al-Insan,

2:27 but perhaps felt pressured by the congregants,

2:29 so he rushed at an alarming,

2:31 extreme speed,

2:33 to the point that

2:35 he made an egregious mistake in an ayah where no one normally errs

2:37 in Surah al-Insan.

2:40 As he was reciting,

2:42 he suddenly realized that

2:44 he had made a glaring mistake—

2:46 no,

2:48 he simply carried on reciting,

2:50 then tried to correct it and continued.

2:52 What compelled him to slip into such an error

2:54 that could potentially invalidate his prayer?

2:56 It may sometimes be beneficial

2:58 to forego this Sunnah,

3:00 or to vary

3:02 the recitation,

3:04 for a valid Sharia interest.

3:06 However, if

3:08 you are able to uphold this Sunnah,

3:10 give it its proper due of deliberate composure

3:12 in recitation and melodious chanting (tartil).

3:14 For it is a magnificent surah that we truly need.

3:16 As for the second reflection,

3:18 it relates to what was mentioned regarding

3:20 the placement of the surah: namely, that it comes

3:22 right after Surah al-Qiyamah. The former described

3:24 the Day of Resurrection, whereas this one details

3:26 Paradise, while also referencing the Hellfire.

3:28 One notices that Surah al-Qiyamah

3:30 was more intense in inducing awe and dread;

3:32 from beginning to end,

3:34 warning and fright were predominant,

3:36 though not entirely devoid of encouragement.

3:38 Here, it is the reverse, which is why the exegetes noted:

3:40 this surah gives a detailed account of Paradise—

3:42 the description of Paradise is elaborated at length—

3:44 while only briefly alluding to the Fire:

3:46 "Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains..."

3:48 aside from a few other scattered verses.

3:50 But the majority of the surah

3:52 focuses on Paradise. Therefore,

3:54 whoever wishes to read extensively about Paradise,

3:56 among the finest

3:58 and most beautiful passages

4:00 that a person

4:02 ought to ponder are the verses of Surah al-Insan,

4:04 while consulting the books of Tafsir

4:06 that have paid special attention

4:08 to elucidating these verses

4:10 through hadith and through other Qur'anic verses

4:12 prior to that,

4:14 as well as the sayings of the Companions and the Tabi'un.

4:16 The third and final reflection

4:18 deals with

4:21 the thematic sections of the surah.

4:23 It was mentioned that the first section

4:25 contains an urging to succeed in life's test

4:27 through showing gratitude to Allah.

4:29 One might also add,

4:31 for clarity: "and through not falling into disbelief,"

4:33 based on His words, Exalted is He:

4:35 “Lo! We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving.” (76:3)

4:37 and before that: "from a drop of mingled fluid... and We made him hearing and seeing,"

4:39 "Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful..."

4:41 “Lo! We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or disbelieving.” (76:3)

4:43 "...or ungrateful."

4:45 Thus, both gratitude

4:47 and ingratitude were indicated, whereas here

4:49 only gratitude was highlighted in the outline.

4:51 Of course, whoever upholds gratitude

4:53 is safely protected from disbelief;

4:55 nevertheless, stating it explicitly is fitting

4:57 given what follows immediately after. He then mentioned a brief

4:59 reference to the fate of the disbeliever,

5:01 followed by a detailed description of the fate of the grateful.

5:03 Notice how He said: "either grateful

5:05 or ungrateful,"

5:07 indicating two paths

5:09 and two distinct groups.

5:11 Then He said: "Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers

5:13 chains and shackles and a blaze."

5:15 This corresponds to the ungrateful disbeliever.

5:17 Then He said: "Indeed, the righteous...",

5:19 and the verses proceeded to speak at great length

5:21 about what corresponds to the grateful,

5:23 along with all the delightful details contained therein.

5:25 So the opening mentioned

5:27 the grateful first, then the ungrateful;

5:29 subsequently,

5:31 He described the ungrateful very briefly,

5:33 and then elaborated on the grateful

5:35 at length.

5:37 This deliberate shift in order—

5:39 where the default expectation might be to mention "either grateful or ungrateful",

5:41 and then discuss the grateful first,

5:43 followed by the ungrateful—

5:45 was inverted.

5:47 Such inversion holds subtle benefits

5:49 and rhetorical points in every single context.

5:51 Whenever you observe such advancement or deferral

5:53 between the mention of the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, seek out the underlying wisdom,

5:55 for this is among the things that aid contemplation;

5:57 then consult the works

5:59 of the scholars.

6:01 Among what is said here

6:04 is that since the discussion

6:06 of the grateful would be long, it was placed last,

6:08 even though gratitude was introduced first,

6:10 signaling its primacy and honor.

6:12 Yet it was deferred in detail

6:14 because the verse "Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains..."

6:16 is concise;

6:18 once concluded,

6:20 the listener's mind is left completely free and receptive thereafter

6:22 to dwell upon the mention of the people

6:24 of obedience.

6:26 And Allah is the Granter of success.

6:28 May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions.

The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surah Al-Insan

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