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.

0:02 Concise commentary on the book *Identification Cards for the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an*,

0:37 by Dr. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Umar Naseef, may Allah preserve him.

0:43 Surah al-Ma'idah.

0:46 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

0:51 Welcome to a new segment of the concise commentary on the identification cards.

0:55 Today's chapter is Surah al-Ma'idah, and we will pause over three key reflections on it.

1:01 Truthfully, today's reflections will not be directly tied to what is written in the diagrammatic outline,

1:10 but rather offer insights for reciting this surah that, along with the outline, will aid in contemplation and benefit, Allah willing.

1:18 The first reflection concerns the first quarter-rub' of a hizb in the surah,

1:25 from the beginning of the surah up to the end of the eleventh verse.

1:30 We notice that the phrase "and fear Allah" is repeated frequently across these two pages.

1:40 “That which Allah giveth as spoil unto His messenger from the people of the townships, it is for Allah and His messenger and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, that it become not a commodity between the rich among you. And whatsoever the messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is stern in reprisal.” (59:7)

1:46 In the fourth verse: ◁ And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is swift in account. ▷

1:52 In the seventh verse: ◁ And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts. ▷

1:59 In the eighth verse: ◁ And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do. ▷

2:05 And in the eleventh verse: ◁ And fear Allah, and upon Allah let the believers rely. ▷

2:13 We observe, first, that the Noble and Exalted Lord follows the command to maintain piety (taqwa) with a clause,

2:21 and this clause frequently guides to that which aids in attaining piety.

2:30 ◁ And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty. ▷

2:34 Remembering that Allah is severe in penalty increases piety in the heart.

2:38 “They ask thee (O Muhammad) what is made lawful for them. Say: (all) good things are made lawful for you. And those beasts and birds of prey which ye have trained as hounds are trained, ye teach them that which Allah taught you; so eat of that which they catch for you and mention Allah's name upon it, and observe your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is swift to take account.” (5:4)

2:40 “Remember Allah's grace upon you and His covenant by which He bound you when ye said: We hear and we obey; And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! He knoweth what is in the breasts (of men).” (5:7)

2:43 Remembering His knowledge, Glorified and Exalted be He, increases piety, and so on.

2:48 Furthermore, consider another aspect:

2:52 if a great personage among people were to order you once, twice, or thrice,

2:58 even if you felt no shame before him, you would at least fear him—

3:02 you would fear his power and control over you.

3:05 So how is it with the Creator, who has commanded us to observe piety—I do not say merely five times,

3:09 but rather the Qur'an is abounding with this phrase!

3:12 Its repetition should never induce emotional numbness or indifference.

3:17 Instead, every time you hear it, you should bring to mind that the Creator is saying to you:

3:22 "Fear Allah,"

3:24 meaning: "Fear Me."

3:26 Yet He specifically says "fear Allah" to invoke this majestic Name,

3:29 along with all the attributes of majesty and perfection it carries.

3:33 So whenever you hear "and fear Allah," hold yourself accountable:

3:37 Where do we stand in implementing this great command?

3:41 What ought to occupy our time

3:44 is pondering how to truly embody it,

3:47 and striving practically toward that goal

3:49 by performing every commanded deed,

3:52 avoiding every prohibited matter,

3:54 and continuously asking, learning, and applying.

3:57 As for the second reflection,

3:59 it relates to the fact that most of this surah,

4:03 and many of its verses, were revealed late in the Prophetic period.

4:07 We say that many of its verses were revealed late,

4:09 a well-known fact among scholars,

4:11 even if a few of its verses were revealed earlier.

4:14 Despite this, when we look at

4:17 the rulings contained within the surah,

4:20 we find them addressing matters that people might mistakenly view as secondary.

4:25 Yet the detailed exposition of legal rulings in the Qur'an

4:29 serves as proof that the Qur'an encompasses all of life.

4:32 Consider, for example, Almighty Allah's saying:

4:34 “O ye who believe! Strong drink and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed.” (5:90)

4:38 ◁ ...and stone altars and divining arrows... ▷

4:40 Intoxicants are a drink,

4:42 and numerous are the rulings regarding food and drink mentioned in this surah.

4:46 Intoxicants are a beverage, games of chance are amusement,

4:50 gambling is a recreational game—a form of diversion—

4:53 while stone altars and divining arrows

4:55 are tied to corrupt beliefs

4:58 that existed during the pre-Islamic era of ignorance (Jahiliyyah).

5:00 Thus, the rulings of the Sacred Law

5:03 are not restricted to just one facet of life;

5:05 rather, they encompass every single dimension of human life.

5:08 “O ye who believe! Strong drink and games of chance and idols and divining arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed.” (5:90)

5:11 ◁ ...and stone altars and divining arrows... ▷

5:13 ◁ ...are but definement from the work of Satan, so avoid it... ▷

5:15 Here, a critic might object, saying:

5:18 "Have you inserted religion into everything, even into play?"

5:21 The answer comes at the very end of this magnificent surah,

5:25 in a conclusion linked to the entire surah,

5:29 as several scholars have pointed out.

5:31 The Exalted Lord says in the final verse of the surah:

5:34 “Unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is therein, and He is Able to do all things.” (5:120)

5:39 ◁ ...and He is over all things competent. ▷

5:42 Reflect upon this verse:

5:44 it connects to every single ruling mentioned in the surah.

5:47 Whenever you encounter someone objecting

5:49 to any legal ruling in this surah

5:52 or to the rulings of the Sacred Law in general—

5:54 asking why it even interferes in people's play, asserting that

5:56 they must govern themselves by divine law

5:58 even in their play, entertainment, food,

6:01 drink, and all their circumstances—

6:04 know that the Sacred Law must possess supreme authority.

6:08 The command that governs even permissible acts

6:12 is a legal ruling. What reinforces this principle in human souls

6:17 “Unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is therein, and He is Able to do all things.” (5:120)

6:20 is that He alone possesses the absolute right

6:23 to declare this lawful and that unlawful,

6:26 this prohibited and that excused, and so forth.

6:30 He said: ◁ ...and He is over all things competent. ▷

6:33 The sovereignty is His sovereignty, so He decrees whatever He wills,

6:36 and absolute power belongs to Him.

6:41 We are entirely in His grasp, whether we obey Him or disobey Him.

6:44 How beautiful a verse this is

6:46 with which the surah concludes and to which all its rulings are tied!

6:50 So whenever you learn a legal ruling and wish

6:55 to find the inner strength to carry it out or abstain from it,

6:59 hold fast to this verse:

7:01 “Unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is therein, and He is Able to do all things.” (5:120)

7:03 ◁ ...and He is over all things competent. ▷

7:05 Perhaps this verse reminds you of the end of Surah al-Baqarah:

7:08 ◁ To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth... ▷

7:10 “Unto Allah (belongeth) whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He will and He will punish whom He will. Allah is Able to do all things.” (2:284)

7:13 ◁ ...He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills, ▷

7:16 ◁ ...and Allah is over all things competent. ▷

7:18 Notice the striking similarity!

7:19 That surah was filled with legal rulings,

7:22 and this surah is likewise.

7:23 This brings us to the third reflection,

7:26 which is to ponder the very first sentence of the surah—

7:30 “O ye who believe! Fulfil your indentures. The beast of cattle is made lawful unto you (for food) except that which is announced unto you (herein), game being unlawful when ye are on the pilgrimage. Lo! Allah ordaineth that which pleaseth Him.” (5:1)

7:34 alongside the verse just before the final verse,

7:37 namely Allah's saying: ◁ Allah will say, "This is the Day when their truthfulness will benefit the truthful." ▷

7:44 If you fulfill your covenants

7:46 and follow Allah's commands detailed in this surah,

7:51 then rejoice! For on the Day of Resurrection, matters will be exactly as Allah promised:

7:57 “Allah saith: This is a day in which their truthfulness profiteth the truthful, for theirs are Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they are secure for ever, Allah taking pleasure in them and they in Him. That is the great triumph.” (5:119)

8:03 ◁ They will have gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, ▷

8:08 ◁ Allah being pleased with them and they with Him. ▷

8:10 ◁ That is the great attainment. ▷

8:12 Therefore, these two verses should be kept in mind throughout the recitation of the entire surah.

8:20 Whoever is able—and it is not overly difficult,

8:23 though success is granted only to those whom Allah enables—

8:25 whoever can stand in night prayer reciting this surah,

8:28 completing it entirely in a single night,

8:30 or at least reciting it in one sitting, even during the day,

8:34 many of its profound meanings will be unveiled to them.

8:37 The connection between its beginning and its end will become clear,

8:41 as will the link between all its verses and its beginning,

8:44 and the link between all its verses and its conclusion.

8:47 I ask Allah to grant benefit to me and to you through the Magnificent Qur'an,

8:50 and to make this surah a proof for us, not against us.

8:53 May Allah send peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad,

8:55 and upon his family and all his Companions.

8:57 Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

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

Transcript