Part of The Gentle Commentary (series completed)
· Lesson 99 of 117
The nice comment on the book of cards identifying the surahs of the Holy Qur’an | D. Muhammad Nassif | Surah An-Nahl
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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A Gentle Commentary
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on the Book: "Identification Cards
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for the Surahs of the Noble Mus-haf"
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by Dr. Muhammad ibn Abdul-Aziz ibn Umar Nasif,
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may Allah preserve him.
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Surah an-Nahl.
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings
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be upon the Messenger of Allah.
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We continue with our gentle commentary,
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examining Surah an-Nahl,
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and with it I have three main points to make.
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The first point pertains
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to what is called
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the chronological order of the surah's revelation.
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As I have often remarked before,
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the more precise designation
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would be "the chronology of the surah's revelation,"
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so that it encompasses both the sequential order of its descent
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and everything related
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to its precise historical
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context.
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He states that it is counted as the seventy-first;
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I will read the text directly here
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due to several observations I wish to raise.
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It is counted as the seventy-first
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according to the well-known transmission.
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You will find in some books that it is listed as the seventy-second,
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but that is an error.
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I found it given as the seventy-second in certain works,
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such as the Tafsir of Ibn Ashur—
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Sayyid at-Tahir ibn Ashur—
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where it is repeatedly called the seventy-second;
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yet this is clearly questionable,
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and it is not a mere matter of legitimate difference
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in verse-counting or numbering systems.
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I point this out because I have noticed contemporary researchers
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in rhetoric
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relying upon it.
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The reality is that
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this numbering
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and this ordering found across various books,
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whether in the work of Sayyid Ibn Ashur
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or others,
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is derived from a report transmitted on the authority of Jabir ibn Zayd,
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which I mentioned at the very beginning of this series.
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This report
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was only transmitted with a full chain of narration
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by Abu Amr ad-Dani
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in his book *Al-Bayan
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fi Addi Ayi al-Qur'an*,
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and later books simply quoted from him;
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as-Suyuti quoted from him,
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and Jabiri versified the report,
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among others.
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Al-Jabiri composed a didactic poem in which he versified
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the order of the surahs based on this transmission,
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but they made an error in the count;
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they did not strictly follow the text
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of Abu Amr ad-Dani,
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and confusion occurred in the tallying.
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For that reason, I reviewed the narration of Abu Amr directly
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and adopted it consistently from the beginning of the book
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to its end,
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and I hope that no unintentional mistake
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has occurred here.
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As for the correct origin, the count
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derived here is indeed the seventy-first.
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He noted: "And there occurs within it..."—
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meaning, within the well-known narration—
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a detailed breakdown not found regarding other surahs.
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It states: "Then an-Nahl, forty verses of which are Meccan,
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and the remainder are Medinan"—
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meaning forty verses were revealed in Mecca
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and the rest in Medina, according to the view of Jabir ibn Zayd.
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He says: "It was revealed after al-Anbiya'
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and before as-Sajdah."
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This is also derived from the narration of Jabir ibn Zayd,
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not verbatim, but in its intended meaning.
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He also states: "And within it is that which was revealed before the verse of al-An'am,"
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because we observe that he cites
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the statement:
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From this we understand that
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this particular verse of Surah an-Nahl
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was revealed after that corresponding verse
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from Surah al-An'am.
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If you return to Surah al-An'am, you will find
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internal evidence indicating a later period
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of revelation for it, meaning that an-Nahl—
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or at least certain parts of Surah an-Nahl,
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to be more precise—would be even later.
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He says:
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"And that is supported by what was narrated regarding the story
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of the conversion to Islam of Uthman ibn Maz'un,
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may Allah be pleased with him."
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This pertains to the verse: "Indeed, Allah orders justice
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and good conduct..." regarding which
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it was reported
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that Uthman ibn Maz'un accepted Islam upon hearing it.
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However, this narration contains weakness;
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that is why I said "as was narrated," and it is recorded in the *Musnad*,
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where the editor of the *Musnad* graded it as weak.
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Then he says:
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"As for what was previously mentioned regarding the Medinan verses among them..."
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When the reader encounters "what was previously mentioned" here,
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they might not know where it was stated.
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It refers to the top of the page,
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where they stated at the head of the page—
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in the header inscription—
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"Meccan by consensus, with the exception of verse number
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110." That is what is meant.
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Thus, the cross-reference is not
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to something established within the body of the page
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itself, but rather to what was placed
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in the page header, which a reader might easily overlook;
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hence, it was necessary
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to draw attention to this.
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Then he mentions that the revelation of the final
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three verses of the surah was repeated,
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namely: "And if you punish [an enemy, punish them with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed]..."
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and there is a well-known scholarly discussion regarding them,
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detailed in connection with the historical period
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during which the surah was revealed.
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The second point
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concerns naming the surah
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"Surah an-Ni'am" (The Chapter of Blessings).
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In truth,
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most surah titles
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were transmitted from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and from the Companions in this book,
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alongside titles established through other authorities, including this name.
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In determining these, as I mentioned before, I relied
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upon al-Biqa'i.
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Mentioning the name *an-Ni'am*
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is reported from some of the Tabi'un,
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and
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it is supported by the overarching theme of the surah
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or the central objective
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of a major portion of it.
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This brings us directly to our third point,
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which is that
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when we examine the thematic divisions
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of the surah, we find
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that in this book,
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it is divided into two parts: the first covers the theoretical foundation
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for entering Islam,
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while the second covers the practical implementation
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of living Islam.
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What is titled the "theoretical foundation"
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spans from verse 1
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to verse 89—
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which constitutes the greater part of the surah.
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It consists entirely of
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verses that recount the blessings of Allah, Glorified
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and Exalted is He,
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and it is for this reason that those who designated it
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called it by this name.
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Countless blessings are enumerated, and toward the conclusion
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of those verses, He states:
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“And Allah hath given you, of that which He hath created, shelter from the sun; and hath given you places of refuge in the mountains, and hath given you coats to ward off the heat from you, and coats (of armour) to save you from your own foolhardiness. Thus doth He perfect His favour unto you, in order that ye may surrender (unto Him).” (16:81)
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"...that you may submit to Him."
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So the theoretical foundation,
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I say, of Islam is to constantly remember
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the blessings of Allah.
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These present days remind us that our homes are a profound blessing,
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especially with this lockdown that has occurred,
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and Allah says in the surah:
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"And Allah has made for you from your homes a place of rest."
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Truly has Allah spoken, Glorified and Exalted is He.
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Sometimes we take a blessing for granted—
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such as the simple blessing of leaving the house,
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which we only truly recognized once we were deprived of it.
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We used to go out whenever we pleased,
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by night or by day—praise be to Allah, our land is safe—
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going out at any hour,
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coming and going as we wished.
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Now the situation has changed.
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Recognizing these blessings compels
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full submission to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He;
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that is the theoretical foundation.
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As for the second part of the surah,
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from verse 90 to verse 128—
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which is naturally a much smaller section—
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it provides a practical exposition:
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once I embrace Islam, how ought I to act?
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Within it lies a verse containing a comprehensive summary:
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"Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives,
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and He forbids immorality and bad conduct
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and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded."
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I strongly urge you to revisit these verses,
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as well as the verses immediately following them,
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which highlight the pitfalls
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of stumbling,
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relapse, backsliding,
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and
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the breach of covenants
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that a human being
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is susceptible to falling into.
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This section also contains
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a discussion on the proper etiquette of engaging with the Qur'an,
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which is the Qur'an itself,
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the path to knowing
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the deeds that
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we ought to perform once we enter Islam.
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That is to say, the practical implementation of Islam,
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or the practical demonstration of entering Islam,
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is found only within the Qur'an.
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And the greatest distractor from the Qur'an
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is Satan;
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hence, "So when you recite the Qur'an, seek refuge with Allah from Satan the outcast"
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came within this very
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context.
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I conclude with this, asking Allah for success,
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and I ask Allah
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to grant me and all of you
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an understanding of His Book and the ability to act upon it.
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May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
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and upon all his family and Companions.