Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed)
· Lesson 115 of 117
The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surah Al Imran (2)
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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 Brief Commentary
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on the Book "Introductory Cards
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to the Surahs of the Noble Mus-haf"
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by Dr. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Umar Nassif,
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may Allah preserve him.
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Surah Al 'Imran.
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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, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
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We continue with the brief commentary
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on the introductory cards,
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and this is the second segment
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pertaining to Surah Al 'Imran.
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In this segment, there are three pause points.
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The first pause point:
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we have a heading
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which is "The Passages of the Surah,"
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and in the diagram, "Its Passages."
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Here, an inquirer might ask:
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What reference work was relied upon
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for this introductory overview?
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Was it a single reference or more?
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Because in some of the overviews I referenced,
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I relied upon a single book,
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such as the occasions of revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul),
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to which I referred in this manner.
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What about this thematic division?
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I say: the truth is that I
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initially began with one of the contemporary books,
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following its lead, because
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most of the books that divided—
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and within the limits of my reading, the books that divided—
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the surah into passages,
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or what they might call passages,
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or call sections, or otherwise,
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are mostly contemporary works.
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So I followed the approach of some of them,
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but then I noticed that I needed
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to ponder the context more deeply
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and determine the intended meaning
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of each
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verse, in order to know whether this
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division that I initially adopted
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was precise or not.
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Thus, it was as though the main works
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I returned to—indeed,
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perhaps the only works I returned
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to—were just two books:
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the book of Imam al-Tabari,
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*Jami' al-Bayan*,
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the Tafsir of Imam al-Tabari,
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and the book of Imam
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Ibn Ashur, may Allah have mercy on them all,
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in his Tafsir, *al-Tahrir
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wa-l-Tanwir*.
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These two references are distinguished
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by several features.
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They are distinguished by
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their keenness to specify
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the intended meaning; that is, when
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the People of the Book are mentioned, are they the Jews or the Christians
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in this particular verse?
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When the believers are addressed, which specific group is being addressed?
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And so forth. These two
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scholars are meticulous
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in this regard,
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and they are keen on paying close attention to context.
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People might know this—
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rather, I think they know it—
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regarding Ibn Ashur, but some
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readers do not pay attention to this
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in Imam al-Tabari's work,
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and I do not exaggerate when I say that the attention
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Imam al-Tabari gives to this
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is exceptionally profound.
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Therefore, I relied upon these two books
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after the initial division.
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Consequently, the division presented here
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now
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is not confined
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to a single book,
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and you will not find any single book that matches it
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entirely, while still benefiting
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from what I have mentioned.
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Then, the second pause point:
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these structural divisions are a matter of ijtihad (scholarly discretion).
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That is to say, it is possible
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for us to ponder the surah further,
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and it is not non-discretionary.
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Moreover, someone else who reads the surah
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might see something different.
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These are divisions
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upon which no legal ruling (hukm shar'i) is built;
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rather, they are divisions meant to facilitate our understanding
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of the surah due to its length.
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The surah contains several themes,
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so we need
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to divide it in order
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to grasp the context, the themes,
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and the like.
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Therefore, if you ponder the surah,
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you may notice that it
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could be divided in another way.
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This is why you find me
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also saying:
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"It is possible to divide
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the surah," or "it is divided,"
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or "it has been divided,"
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and similar expressions
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in the passive voice,
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or with a passive participle,
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to indicate that it is not a definitive,
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absolute division,
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nor that the surah objectively only divides into this
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specific structure.
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I will give you one of the keys
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for dividing passages that helps,
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and it is a tremendous key
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that I have pointed out in many
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sections,
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though it is not the only key:
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the similar openings of verses.
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If you observe
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now in the surah,
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you will find that the first section contains
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a vocative opening,
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the second section contains a vocative opening,
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and the third section contains a vocative opening.
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These vocative openings
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serve as a key,
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because
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"O you..."
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Pardon me, my eyes wandered to Surah al-Baqarah;
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it has this exact pattern:
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a vocative opening—
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"O mankind, worship," "O mankind, eat," "O you who have believed, enter."
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Thus, the opening is similar, and this helps in identifying new themes
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or new sections; this is helpful in many surahs of the Qur'an, though perhaps
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the short surahs from Surah al-Duha to al-Nas are an exception. As for most
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surahs, they exhibit this verbal connection: the repetition or similarity of verse openings.
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This is a textual feature, and it is not the only one, as I mentioned, that aids in understanding
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the division or dividing the surah; rather, the thematic aspect is also crucial, and the discussion
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on this is extensive. It may become clear to whoever listens to the full lessons and the detailed explanation;
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many things will also become apparent to them that I have not highlighted here. The third and final pause point
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concerns the division of Surah Al 'Imran: it is divided into three sections, or we can say
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it can be divided into three sections, and after these three sections comes an epilogue.
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This word "Epilogue" was omitted from the text of the book but was mentioned in the diagram; it was not mentioned on
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the page preceding the diagram, but it was mentioned in the diagram. We have a first section, a second
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section, a third section, and an epilogue. The first section contains an introduction to Allah, the Exalted,
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and we can make this introduction a prologue; that is, we can make this first section
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the prologue of the surah. Why? Because it is an introduction to Allah that connects to the second section
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and the third: a part of this introduction connects to the second section—as al-Tabari pointed out—
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and a part connects to the third section. A part of the first section,
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which introduces Allah,
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connects to the second section,
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and a part of the first section
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connects to the third section.
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So, what is the content of the second section and the third section?
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The second section—
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and this relates to the events of the surah that we discussed—
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the second section
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debates the People of the Book,
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especially the Christians,
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and connects this
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to the Christians of Najran.
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The third section relates to the Battle of Uhud
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and what befell the Muslims during it,
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and how Allah, Glorified and Exalted, nurtured
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the Muslims after the Battle of Uhud with a creedal upbringing, drawing their attention to matters
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that were the cause of the defeat,
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correcting their perceptions, and reaffirming them in faith.
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I mentioned that the first section
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contains a part relating
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to the second section, which is the dialogue with the People of the Book.
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Among the clearest examples of this is His saying: "Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence" at the beginning of the surah,
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and His saying: "It is He who forms you in the wombs however He wills,"
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and His saying: "Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam."
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As for
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the part that relates to the third section,
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it is exemplified by His saying, Exalted is He: "Say, 'O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will
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and You take sovereignty away from whom You will,
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and You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will.'"
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In these verses, you find a connection
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to what is mentioned in the surah's third section
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regarding the Battle of Uhud,
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and that sovereignty belongs to Allah, and all command belongs to Him, Glorified and Exalted.
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There remains the epilogue of the surah.
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Of course, the first section from the beginning of the surah,
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we can treat as a prologue, as I said.
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The second section begins with: "Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah..."
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And the third section—
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if we make the first section a prologue,
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we can make the third section the second main part—
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begins with His saying, Exalted is He:
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"O you who have believed..."
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“O ye who believe! If ye obey a party of those who have received the Scripture they will make you disbelievers after your belief.” (3:100)
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“O ye who believe! If ye obey a party of those who have received the Scripture they will make you disbelievers after your belief.” (3:100)
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As for the epilogue,
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it begins with His saying, Glorified and Exalted:
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"Indeed, in the creation of the heavens
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"and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day,"
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"are signs for people of understanding—"
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And just as the first section
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connects with the second and third sections,
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as I mentioned, serving as an introduction,
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so too the conclusion connects with both sections.
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For within it is a reminder of the character of the believers,
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and this recurs across the surahs of the Qur'an
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in which fighting and jihad are mentioned:
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the moral virtues of the believers are recalled.
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There are precedents for this
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in Surah al-Anfal and Surah at-Tawbah.
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Here as well, it highlights the traits of the believers,
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and we notice that these are mostly
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virtues that are not physical attributes
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required in combat,
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such as bodily strength and the like;
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rather, they are moral qualities
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or acts of the heart,
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such as the fear
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of Allah, reflection, and similar inner deeds.
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This feature is not unique to this surah.
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Re-emphasizing the moral character of the believers
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is particularly fitting in the context of the Battle of Uhud,
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and also
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relevant to the aftermath of Uhud
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and warfare in general.
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Likewise, in this conclusion,
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there is a prohibition against being deceived by the uninhibited movement of the disbelievers
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“Let not the vicissitude (of the success) of those who disbelieve, in the land, deceive thee (O Muhammad).” (3:196)
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throughout the land, which is deeply pertinent
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to what transpired at Uhud.
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Furthermore, near the end
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of the conclusion, or shortly
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before it, we find a reminder
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that among the People of the Book
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are true believers. This connects directly
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to the debate with the People of the Book
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that appeared earlier in the surah:
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"They are not all alike; among the People of the Book..."
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“They are not all alike. Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of Allah in the night season, falling prostrate (before Him).” (3:113)
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"...during the hours of the night, prostrating themselves."
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And here Allah says: "And indeed, among the People of the Book are those who believe in Allah
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and what has been revealed to you and what has been revealed to them,
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humbling themselves before Allah. They do not exchange the verses of Allah for a small price.
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Those will have their reward with their Lord.
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Indeed, Allah is swift in account."
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Thus, these verses are tied to the overarching themes of the surah.
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Then comes the final verse of the surah,
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which ties the entire surah together.
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Through deep reflection, you will surely discover
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abundant insights that I have not mentioned,
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and which may not have even crossed my mind;
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its wonders never cease.
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May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,
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and upon his family and all his Companions.
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And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.