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.

0:30 A Gentle Commentary

0:32 on the book "Introductory Cards

0:35 to the Surahs of the Noble Qur'an"

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

0:42 may Allah preserve him.

0:44 Surah al-Mu'minun.

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

0:48 All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,

0:50 and peace and blessings be upon the seal of the prophets and messengers,

0:55 and upon his family and all his companions.

0:58 We continue with our gentle commentary on the introductory cards,

1:02 and with Surah al-Mu'minun.

1:06 I have three reflections regarding it.

1:08 The first reflection concerns the placement of the surah.

1:12 He said regarding its correlation to Surah al-Hajj,

1:17 which is the surah immediately preceding it,

1:19 that toward the end of the former it says: "that you may succeed,"

1:24 “O ye who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good, that haply ye may prosper.” (22:77)

1:26 "and do good, that you may succeed,"

1:29 while the beginning of this surah states: "Certainly will the believers succeed."

1:33 I have paused here specifically to point out

1:37 that in discussing thematic links between surahs,

1:41 even the slightest connection is sufficient,

1:44 and this is not meant to be exclusive;

1:46 there could very well be other connections,

1:48 and in most cases, multiple correlations exist.

1:52 At the end of the former surah, He says: "that you may succeed,"

1:55 and here He clarifies who the successful are,

1:59 or rather, who those who have succeeded are,

2:01 if we wish to be precise in our wording.

2:03 This represents a form of correlation,

2:06 which shows you that a correlation is not required

2:10 to be purely conceptual and subtle;

2:13 rather, it can be verbal, just like this example.

2:17 The second reflection

2:20 is that with this surah,

2:21 if we look at its central theme,

2:23 which is apparent from its opening

2:26 and from the motifs recurring throughout it,

2:28 its theme is strengthening faith

2:30 and clarifying the qualities of its people.

2:33 Consequently, it is appropriate

2:37 that in studying the qualities of the believers in the surah,

2:40 one should not merely look at its opening;

2:43 rather, examine the entire surah for the qualities of the believers

2:47 and for what renews faith.

2:48 How could one not, when this is the very name of the surah?

2:51 If you have a surah named al-Mu'minun (The Believers)—

2:54 in the Qur'an there is a surah called al-Mu'minun—

2:57 and you wish to learn about faith,

2:59 it is inconceivable that it would be absent from your research

3:01 among the sources you consult.

3:04 Rather, it is essential to return to it.

3:06 The same applies to surahs named after the names of Allah:

3:11 how can you understand the name of Allah al-A'la (the Most High)

3:13 without referring to Surah al-A'la?

3:16 Or the name of Allah ar-Rahman (the Entirely Merciful),

3:17 without reading Surah ar-Rahman?

3:19 These are the fundamental sources

3:21 for researching faith:

3:24 returning to the Qur'an, and specifically to Surah al-Mu'minun.

3:27 Naturally, other surahs also discuss faith,

3:30 but this surah is named "The Believers."

3:32 Therefore, attention should be paid to the title

3:35 and to seeking its manifestations throughout the surah.

3:39 At the beginning of the surah are their qualities,

3:42 and in the middle of the surah there is also reference to them:

3:46 "Indeed, they who are of apprehension of their Lord fearful..." through the verses,

3:49 and at the end of the surah is a clarification of their destiny

3:52 and the destiny of those who used to mock them.

3:54 All of this is beneficial regarding faith,

3:57 alongside other themes that stimulate the innate disposition (fitrah)

4:02 in the hearts of the disbelievers so that they might believe—

4:05 through warnings and through the call that seeks to stimulate the intellect,

4:13 that provokes intellectual reflection:

4:15 "Say, 'To whom belongs the earth and whoever is in it, if you should know?' They will say, 'To Allah...'" through the verses.

4:18 The point is that faith and everything pertaining to it

4:22 are prominent in this surah,

4:24 so one should be keen to search for it

4:28 and not settle only for the qualities mentioned at the beginning,

4:30 even though they are truly magnificent qualities:

4:33 "Certainly will the believers have succeeded: they who are during their prayer humbly submissive..."

4:36 As for the third reflection,

4:38 it is a link between two matters recurring across many surahs.

4:43 You will notice in the chronological order of revelation,

4:45 which is effectively dating the surah,

4:47 he noted that it contains such warnings to the polytheists

4:51 as to indicate a later period of revelation.

4:53 Now, if you look at the sections of the surah,

4:57 you will find warnings in them.

5:02 In the second part of the surah,

5:05 there are two warnings to the deniers:

5:08 “Till when We grasp their luxurious ones with the punishment, behold! they supplicate.” (23:64)

5:10 "...they cry out for help" in verse sixty-four;

5:13 then a few verses later in verse seventy-six:

5:15 "And We had already seized them with agony,

5:17 but they did not submit to their Lord, nor will they supplicate humbly."

5:19 “Until, when We open for them the gate of extreme punishment, behold! they are aghast thereat.” (23:77)

5:21 “Until, when We open for them the gate of extreme punishment, behold! they are aghast thereat.” (23:77)

5:23 “Until, when We open for them the gate of extreme punishment, behold! they are aghast thereat.” (23:77)

5:24 Then comes a third warning involving death,

5:27 which you will find in the final lines

5:28 of the sections of the surah:

5:29 a third warning involving death:

5:31 "Until, when death comes to one of them,

5:32 he says, 'My Lord, send me back...'"

5:34 Then a fourth warning involving the Last Day:

5:36 "So when the Horn is blown,

5:38 “And when the trumpet is blown there will be no kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another.” (23:101)

5:40 nor will they ask about one another."

5:41 What do we infer from these warnings?

5:43 We infer that they suggest

5:46 a later revelation,

5:48 because intense warning

5:50 is predominantly expected to occur

5:52 at an advanced stage

5:54 of the Meccan period,

5:55 even if only relatively speaking;

5:57 it is not among the earliest revelations

5:59 to contain such detailed exposition

6:01 in threatening punishment.

6:03 And Allah knows best.

6:04 May peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,

6:06 and upon his family and all his companions,

6:08 and all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

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

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