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 The Subtle Commentary

0:32 upon the book *Identification Cards*

0:35 *for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*,

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

0:42 may Allah preserve him.

0:44 Surah al-Munafiqun.

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

0:48 Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds,

0:49 and peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers,

0:52 and upon his family and all his companions.

0:54 We continue with our subtle commentary on the *Identification Cards*,

0:57 and we have arrived at Surah al-Munafiqun.

0:59 I have three points of reflection regarding it.

1:01 The first reflection:

1:03 it opens with a conditional clause.

1:05 There is an error in the book stating

1:09 that it opens with an informative declarative sentence,

1:11 whereas it is correctly stated in the diagrammatic chart

1:14 within the very same book.

1:16 It indeed opens with a condition, according to the classification

1:20 adopted by al-Suyuti,

1:23 which was mentioned at the beginning of the book,

1:25 may Allah have mercy on him.

1:26 Six other surahs share this opening feature with it,

1:29 and it is beneficial to add that note here,

1:31 because the shared openings among surahs

1:34 are significant when comparing them

1:37 and observing their points of similarity and difference.

1:42 Thus, one may add that it begins with a conditional structure,

1:45 a feature shared by six other surahs,

1:48 or alongside which six surahs share this opening:

1:51 al-Takwir, al-Infitar, al-Inshiqaq, al-Zalzalah,

1:53 and al-Nasr.

1:54 This makes a total of seven surahs.

1:57 We notice that five of these surahs

2:00 are connected to the Day of Resurrection,

2:02 whereas al-Nasr and al-Munafiqun,

2:05 which precedes it in the codex order,

2:07 neither of them is about the Day of Resurrection.

2:11 The common denominator among all these surahs

2:15 that begin with a conditional clause

2:17 is that they are tied to a momentous event.

2:20 The share related to the Day of Resurrection

2:23 consists of five surahs,

2:25 which is fitting given that it is

2:28 the greatest event that humanity will ever experience,

2:31 occurring after the test concludes and the results are presented.

2:34 I ask Allah to deliver us.

2:36 The second reflection: it is mentioned here

2:39 that it was revealed during the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq,

2:41 regarding the chronological order of the surah's revelation.

2:43 The author favored the view that it was revealed during the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq.

2:45 Preceding that, the phrasing stated:

2:48 "It is counted as the one hundred and fifth in the chronological order of revelation

2:51 according to Jabir ibn Zayd;

2:52 it was revealed after Surah al-Hajj and before Surah al-Mujadilah."

2:55 Then he stated, "And it is also placed after al-Hajj in the other two transmissions."

2:58 This part should be deleted,

3:01 as it is not part of his original statement;

3:04 rather, it was added through the editor's own exertion.

3:08 Regarding the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq:

3:10 why did they prefer the view that it was the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq?

3:12 There is a scholarly difference of opinion on the matter,

3:14 but several scholars favored this position.

3:16 You can find this issue thoroughly discussed in the introduction

3:19 to the Tafsir of Surah al-Munafiqun

3:22 by al-Tahir Ibn 'Ashur.

3:24 Among the points they examined regarding this issue is that

3:27 the hypocrites said, "The more honorable will surely expel the more humiliated therefrom."

3:31 This statement is consistent with an earlier period of revelation,

3:36 at a time when the hypocrites still held influence and strength,

3:40 whereas the alternative opinion—that it occurred during the Battle of Tabuk—

3:43 was after the power of the hypocrites had already waned.

3:46 What al-Tahir Ibn 'Ashur mentioned here

3:48 demonstrates that the scholars did not merely pass

3:51 over historical reports passively; rather, they scrutinized,

3:54 compared, reflected, and engaged their analytical faculties.

3:58 These are self-evident matters obvious to anyone who has studied the sacred sciences,

4:01 yet I mention them because some contemporary critics who cast doubts

4:05 upon the Sunnah and the hadith scholars

4:07 create the illusion that they accepted any report or hadith indiscriminately

4:11 without reflection. But look at their deep reflection here regarding the verse

4:14 and the condition of the hypocrites at the time of revelation:

4:21 does it fit the Battle of Tabuk,

4:23 or does it align with the Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq?

4:26 This, along with much else, confirms their meticulous care

4:29 regarding both chains of transmission and textual contents, may Allah have mercy on them,

4:32 and may Allah reward them with good on behalf of the Ummah.

4:35 The third reflection is truly a reflection

4:40 on the structural harmony between the first and second sections.

4:43 We notice that the first section clarifies the reality of the hypocrites,

4:46 but the second section

4:48 shifts to address the believers:

4:50 "O you who have believed, let not your wealth distract you..."

4:52 “O ye who believe! Let not your wealth nor your children distract you from remembrance of Allah. Those who do so, they are the losers.” (63:9)

4:54 "And whoever does that, then those are the losers."

4:58 It is as though the believers, having learned the characteristics of the hypocrites,

5:03 were commanded to focus on themselves

5:06 and occupy themselves with their own spiritual rectification,

5:07 out of caution lest they resemble the hypocrites

5:11 or slip into hypocrisy through neglecting the remembrance of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted,

5:16 and becoming engrossed in wealth and children.

5:19 What I wish to draw from this insight

5:23 is that we should not become preoccupied with the affairs of the hypocrites—

5:26 even though we ought to recognize their states—

5:28 or with understanding the strategies and plots of the disbelievers,

5:31 to the point where that distracts us from ourselves, our own rectification,

5:34 and taking proper care of our souls.

5:35 I will suffice with this much.

5:37 May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,

5:38 and upon all his family and companions,

5:40 and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.

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

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