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 "The Graceful Commentary on the Book of Introductory Profiles of the Noble Qur'an's Surahs"

0:37 By Dr. Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Aziz Ibn Umar Nasif, may Allah preserve him.

0:43 Surah As-Sajdah.

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

0:50 We continue with our graceful commentary on the introductory profiles,

0:53 and we are now with Surah As-Sajdah.

0:56 I have three points to pause and reflect upon regarding it.

0:57 The first pause is to highlight several matters.

1:02 In fact, I committed myself in the book to including only what I deemed established as authentic (sahih) or acceptable (hasan).

1:10 Even though weak reports concerning many of the issues presented in this book

1:14 are considered acceptable to cite by many scholars,

1:18 I nevertheless preferred that the book adhere strictly to this standard.

1:21 Therefore, you find among the names of the Surah a narration from some of the Tabi'un;

1:26 in truth, I did not intend to include it,

1:28 yet it appears here.

1:31 The fact is, it ought to be deleted.

1:33 An oversight simply occurred in this regard.

1:36 I should only have noted that Al-Munjiyah was given this name because

1:42 it was described as such by some of the Tabi'un.

1:44 I said "it was reported" (wurida), and using this word was deliberate,

1:47 so that it is understood that it requires further verification.

1:50 Therefore, while still on this same point,

1:53 I point out that among the Surah's virtues is what was reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah.

1:57 In fact, it is definitively established from Abu Hurayrah, as it is in Sahih al-Bukhari.

2:00 Thus, the appropriate word here is "it is established" (thabata).

2:03 Likewise, concerning what follows: "and it was reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

2:06 would not sleep until he recited

2:08 Alif-Lam-Mim Tanzil al-Sajdah."

2:10 All of these should use the expression "it is established."

2:12 An oversight occurred at times due to a lack of focus;

2:16 with a lapse in concentration, the word "established" sometimes gets replaced by "reported" or the like.

2:20 So this will be corrected, and I ask Allah to make that easy in the second edition.

2:24 Furthermore, among the virtues of the Surah, as is evident

2:27 and well known, is that it is recited during the Fajr prayer

2:30 on Friday, along with Surah Al-Insan.

2:34 This is even more well known than reciting it every night along with Surah Al-Mulk.

2:39 The Prophet, peace be upon him, would not sleep until he recited

2:42 As-Sajdah and Al-Mulk.

2:45 This encourages us to give it great care and attention.

2:47 Here, I would like to highlight something:

2:49 whenever it is established in the Sunnah to recite something at a specific time or place,

2:52 be eager to observe it, for it possesses a spiritual light

2:55 recognized by whoever strives to follow the Sunnah in such matters.

2:59 There is no need for me to turn to what is merely permissible,

3:01 such as reciting another surah,

3:03 when this particular surah exists, which the Prophet, peace be upon him, recited.

3:06 Why should I abandon the Sunnah for something else?

3:09 Am I claiming it is prohibited? No, I am not saying that,

3:12 nor am I anyone of authority to say so, nor does fiqh rule that doing so is forbidden

3:15 or disliked.

3:17 But why should a person abandon what is superior?

3:19 The superior choice is always to follow the Sunnah.

3:21 Occasionally, it may be for educational purposes

3:23 that one deviates from the Sunnah on rare occasions.

3:25 But as for deliberately seeking variation

3:27 in a matter where the Prophet, peace be upon him, recited

3:29 something established,

3:31 there is no doubt that adhering to it is best.

3:33 It contains a light known only to those who have experienced it.

3:35 Strive to follow the Sunnah in your recitation,

3:38 and in the designated places where

3:40 specific surahs are recited, and the like,

3:42 for in that lies immense good.

3:44 I recall someone mentioning:

3:46 "I used to recite Surah Al-A'la every night

3:48 in the Witr prayer,

3:50 in the two rak'ahs before the Witr.

3:52 Sometimes I would become lazy about it,

3:54 or I would want to recite

3:56 from where I had reached in my regular Qur'anic portion (wird).

3:58 Yet when I recited, I did not feel the presence of my heart,

4:00 whereas whenever I recited this particular surah,

4:02 I sensed its profound awe and reverence in this prayer."

4:04 Indeed, there is wisdom and profound secrets behind it;

4:06 we comprehend some, while much remains hidden from us.

4:08 It is sufficient for us that the Bringer of Glad Tidings,

4:10 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

4:12 recited it on this occasion.

4:14 Then I move on,

4:17 in my third pause,

4:19 to the chronology of the Surah's revelation.

4:21 It is counted as the seventy-second surah

4:23 according to the well-known view, revealed after Surah An-Nahl

4:25 and before Surah Nuh.

4:27 A report has been narrated that may indicate it was—

4:29 the more precise

4:31 phrasing to write

4:33 is: "A report has been narrated that may indicate

4:35 that part of it..."

4:37 A report has been narrated that may indicate it was

4:39 prior to the incident of the Night Journey (al-Isra).

4:41 This is a subtle scholarly issue.

4:43 Some of the salaf (early generations)

4:45 interpreted the words of Allah the Exalted:

4:47 "And We certainly gave Moses the Scripture..."

4:49 “We verily gave Moses the Scripture; so be not ye in doubt of his receiving it; and We appointed it a guidance for the Children of Israel.” (32:23)

4:51 as referring to the Night of al-Isra,

4:53 so it served as a promise to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

4:55 that he would meet Moses

4:57 on the Night of al-Isra,

4:59 and indeed, he met him, peace be upon him.

5:02 From this, I transition

5:04 to another matter, which is that

5:06 a comprehensive survey of all the reports

5:08 and traditions

5:10 found in the Prophetic biography (Seerah),

5:12 in the books of Tafsir,

5:14 and in other sources wherein

5:16 a verse is cited as evidence,

5:18 could unveil many critical insights for us

5:20 regarding the chronology of revelation.

5:22 Thus, this matter requires an extensive, meticulous survey

5:24 and demands a major

5:26 academic project sponsored by a university, for instance.

5:28 I would suggest

5:30 that this be carried out

5:32 by starting with the book

5:34 *Al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir*

5:36 by Ibn Ashur, for he

5:38 pays an unmatched degree of attention to this subject, unlike

5:40 any other exegete within the scope of my reading.

5:42 He gives exceptional attention to the chronology

5:44 of revelation, and scrutinizes

5:46 many verses

5:48 with invaluable, precise analyses.

5:50 If these detailed remarks were compiled—and they are numerous—

5:52 a single doctoral dissertation would not suffice for them;

5:54 rather, even studying just

5:57 some of the long surahs, such as Al-Baqarah, might well suffice

5:59 for a master's thesis.

6:01 The meticulous care of Ibn Ashur

6:03 is truly immense.

6:05 These discussions need compilation

6:07 and thorough, deliberate study.

6:09 One should not merely settle

6:11 for what he mentions, may Allah have mercy on him, at the beginning

6:13 of each surah, for there he offers only a summary;

6:15 rather, when examining the individual verses, he scrutinizes them deeply,

6:17 remarking: "Perhaps it was revealed concerning such-and-such,"

6:19 or "Perhaps it was revealed prior to such-and-such, because it contains

6:21 this and that."

6:23 I believe that if his work were thoroughly studied,

6:25 we would also derive a comprehensive methodology

6:27 for determining the chronology of revelation.

6:29 Even though the chronology of revelation

6:31 has been treated in a fine, dedicated book,

6:33 it remains primarily theoretical

6:35 and concise; it is entitled

6:37 *Ilm Tarikh Nuzul*

6:39 *Ayat al-Qur'an al-Karim wa Suwarih* (The Science of the Chronology of the Revelation of the Qur'an's Verses and Surahs),

6:41 co-authored by Dr. Ahmad

6:43 Khalid Shukri and Mr.

6:45 Imran Samih Nazzal,

6:47 if my pronunciation of the name is correct,

6:50 and published in Jordan.

6:52 This book provides a sound theoretical framework,

6:54 but Ibn Ashur

6:56 applied this methodology extensively throughout his work.

6:58 Therefore, it truly deserves,

7:00 as I mentioned, to be adopted as an academic project

7:02 spanning several theses,

7:04 to comprehensively survey everything written by

7:06 the erudite scholar, may Allah have mercy on him,

7:08 on this subject.

7:10 I shall limit myself to this amount.

7:12 May Allah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.

7:14 And all praise is due to Allah, the 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-Sajdah

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