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 Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:30 A Gentle Commentary

0:32 on the Book: Identification Cards

0:35 for the Surahs of the Noble Mus'haf,

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

0:42 may Allah preserve him.

0:44 Surah ar-Ra'd.

0:46 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:47 Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

0:51 We continue with this gentle commentary,

0:53 and with Surah ar-Ra'd,

0:55 with which we have three main pauses.

0:57 The first pause pertains to its name.

0:59 One of the notable observations

1:01 regarding the names is that there is

1:03 a group of surahs that appear consecutively

1:05 with names that share

1:07 a clear relationship. Here we have

1:10 Yunus, Hud,

1:12 Yusuf, and Ibrahim,

1:14 and between them came ar-Ra'd—

1:16 between Yusuf and Ibrahim—

1:18 followed then by al-Hijr.

1:20 Now, al-Hijr differs

1:22 from the rest

1:24 of these surahs, yet it also aligns with them:

1:26 it aligns in being centered

1:28 on Qur'anic narratives.

1:30 From Yunus through to

1:32 al-Hijr, they all focus on Qur'anic narratives.

1:34 Four are named after prophets,

1:36 while al-Hijr is the name of a place

1:38 where the disbelievers were punished;

1:40 I will return to this, if Allah wills, when discussing Surah

1:42 al-Hijr.

1:44 As for Surah ar-Ra'd, it has a distinct name—

1:46 a truly distinct name

1:48 that clearly differs

1:50 from the other names,

1:52 and its central theme is likewise unique,

1:54 distinct from the rest of the surahs.

1:56 When you recite each of these surahs,

1:58 once you conclude Surah Yusuf,

2:00 preceded by Yunus

2:02 and Hud, you begin reciting

2:04 Surah ar-Ra'd; the mere recollection

2:06 of its name draws your attention

2:08 to the fact that its subject matter is different.

2:10 The theme here revolves around the signs of Allah

2:12 that point to Him,

2:14 regardless of the stances of the disbelievers.

2:16 At the beginning of the surah, with "Alif, Lam, Mim, Ra,"

2:18 “Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra. These are verses of the Scripture. That which is revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the Truth, but most of mankind believe not.” (13:1)

2:20 signs are mentioned

2:23 that point to Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He;

2:25 rather, this

2:27 constitutes the overall essence of the surah,

2:29 unlike the surahs before it

2:31 which employed narrative stories,

2:33 and likewise those after it

2:35 among the group termed

2:37 the "Alif-Lam-Ra" surahs.

2:39 Some scholars also include among them the "Alif-Lam-Mim-Ra" surah

2:41 that accompanies them

2:43 in the order of the Mus'haf.

2:45 Thus, the variation

2:47 in the name and the type of name

2:49 reflects a shift in theme.

2:51 We now move to the second pause,

2:53 which is that the surah

2:55 consists,

2:57 as shown in its structural passages, of an introduction

2:59 and a single main section.

3:01 This single section has been characterized as having a dual opening.

3:03 These are technical terms I have formulated through careful study,

3:05 and they invite

3:07 further reflection.

3:09 Any noble reader

3:11 can

3:13 categorize them whenever they find

3:15 an opening described in a particular way,

3:17 noting it down

3:19 and recording it, so that

3:21 across their complete reading of the book,

3:23 the various openings of the Qur'an become clear to them:

3:25 the openings of each section.

3:28 The opening here is dual

3:30 in the sense that it makes Allah known,

3:32 and introducing Allah

3:34 inherently entails praising Him;

3:36 for nothing is attributed to Him or predicated of Him

3:38 except that which is deserving of

3:40 absolute praise, and He is truly worthy of all praise

3:42 and gratitude, Glorified and Exalted be He.

3:44 We notice that the passages mentioned

3:46 thereafter—and which I chose

3:48 not to provide explicit subheadings for,

3:50 though one could easily do so—

3:52 also follow this pattern; that is, beneath this opening

3:54 or main section, there are several passages:

3:56 three passages,

3:58 all of which extol Allah

4:00 and all of which begin with the name "Allah."

4:02 However, I did not wish

4:05 to turn these passages

4:07 into separate headings for their openings,

4:09 so as not to overburden the book;

4:11 otherwise, if you examine these

4:13 passages, you will find that they are

4:15 likewise parallel.

4:17 The surah's single section

4:19 begins with: "Allah is the One Who raised

4:21 the heavens," then

4:23 the second passage—

4:25 and naturally, the start of the section is the start of the first passage—

4:27 the second passage begins with: "Allah knows..."

4:29 “Allah knoweth that which every female beareth and that which the wombs absorb and that which they grow. And everything with Him is measured.” (13:8)

4:31 then the third passage begins with:

4:33 "Allah extends provision..." Thus, the name of

4:35 "Allah" is repeated,

4:37 Glorified and Exalted is He in the highest.

4:39 These openings

4:41 instill within us the realization that the surah

4:43 speaks directly

4:45 of Allah,

4:47 Glorified and Exalted be He.

4:49 This brings us

4:51 to the third and final pause:

4:53 surahs like this one

4:55 are immensely helpful

4:57 in receiving and appreciating

4:59 the Madinan surahs.

5:01 These Makkan surahs that introduce

5:03 Allah provide

5:05 an evident aid toward

5:07 understanding the Madinan surahs.

5:09 For in the Madinan surahs, we find

5:11 numerous legal rulings

5:13 that conclude with the names of Allah.

5:15 Who is this Allah? He is the One

5:17 Whom we came to know in Makkah.

5:19 We observe here that when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

5:21 witnessed the early conversions from Madinah

5:23 in the initial stages,

5:25 he dispatched Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)

5:27 and Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr with them

5:29 to teach them the Qur'an,

5:32 so that they might draw

5:34 from the very same spring that nurtured

5:36 the Companions who later became the Emigrants (Muhajirun),

5:38 following the Companions in Makkah.

5:40 Thus, the spiritual identity

5:42 of the Companions in Madinah was forged

5:44 through nurturing upon the Qur'an; so when the Prophet (peace be upon him) settled

5:46 in Madinah, they were fully prepared

5:48 to receive the Madinan Qur'an.

5:50 We ought to pay close attention to the name of this surah,

5:52 and rejoice in every verse

5:54 that begins with the name of Allah,

5:56 for it praises Allah

5:58 and makes Him known to us,

6:00 so that we may worship Him, Glorified and Exalted be He.

6:02 I ask Allah for success for all.

6:04 I will suffice with this much

6:06 regarding this surah.

6:08 May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,

6:10 and upon all his family and Companions.

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

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