Surah an-Nur

Introduction

It is Medinan, as Ibn Marduyah narrated from Ibn Abbas and Ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with them. Abu Hayyan reported a consensus on its being Medinan, with the majority not excepting any of its verses. It is related from al-Qurtubi that the verse, "O you who have believed, let those whom your right hands possess..." is Meccan. It consists of sixty-two verses, and it has been said sixty-four verses.

The rationale for its connection to Surah al-Mu’minun is that when He, the Glorified, stated therein: "And they who guard their private parts," He mentioned in this Surah the rulings concerning those who do not guard their private parts—regarding the female and male fornicator, and what is connected to that concerning the matter of accusing chaste women of adultery (qadhf), the story of the slander (al-ifk), the command to lower the gaze (which is a precursor to adultery), and the seeking of permission (isti'dhan), which was only instituted for the sake of the gaze. He also commanded therein the facilitation of marriage as a means of guarding the private parts, commanded those unable to marry to practice chastity, and forbade forcing slave girls into prostitution.

Al-Tabarsi stated regarding this: When He, the Exalted, mentioned in what preceded that He did not create the creation in vain, but rather for [the sake of] commands and prohibitions, He, the Majestic and Exalted, mentioned here a collection of commands and prohibitions. Perhaps the first view is more appropriate.

It has been narrated from Mujahid that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Teach your men Surah al-Ma'idah and teach your women Surah an-Nur." From Harithah ibn Mudhrib, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him, it is said: "Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah the Exalted be pleased with him, wrote to us to teach the women Surah al-Ma'idah, al-Ahzab, and an-Nur."

"Surah" is the predicate of a deleted subject, meaning: "This is a Surah." It is indicated with "this" (hādhihi) to place it in the position of something present and observed. His saying, "We have revealed it," along with what is conjoined to it, are attributes that emphasize the grandeur implied by the indefiniteness of the noun, in terms of the essence being of great stature in its attributes—according to what the Sheikh al-Islam mentioned. The assertion that it is permissible for [the indefiniteness] to signify specification, as a precaution against [the Surah] being something inherent to the Essence of the Almighty, is essentially baseless, as is not hidden.

It is also permitted that "Surah" be a subject with a deleted predicate, meaning: "Among what is recited to you," or "In what We have revealed to you is a Surah which We have revealed..." Some have stated that the intention of this sentence is to express gratitude, praise, and encouragement, not to convey information or its necessary implication (i.e., the listener being aware of the ruling), because all of that is already known. Speech, when intended for such purposes, is considered an "initiation" (inshā’) as chosen in al-Kashf. This is the outward meaning of Imam al-Marzuqi’s words regarding the verse: "My people have killed Umaym, my brother." This is speech expressing grief and lamentation, not an information-bearing report. Others have chosen that the sentence is indeed informative and intended for its meaning, but it is presented for a purpose other than conveying the ruling or its implication. Al-Salkuti followed this, interpreting al-Marzuqi’s words to mean that "information" here implies announcement. A detailed verification of this belongs in its proper place, and the Sheikh al-Islam objected to this view with the arguments he presented. Ibn ‘Atiyyah permitted that "Surah" be the subject and the predicate be His saying: "The adulteress and the adulterer..." but there is far-fetchedness in that. The soundest view is the first one. In my opinion, regarding such sentences, the affirmation is directed toward the restriction. Sheikh Abd al-Qahir mentioned this; here, it is the act of "revealing" and "ordaining" it, and the revelation of clear signs within it, so that the addressees may remember, or so that their remembering may be hoped for. Ponder this.

Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, Mujahid, Isa ibn Umar al-Thaqafi al-Basri, Isa ibn Umar al-Hamdani al-Kufi, Ibn Abi ‘Ablah, Abu Haywah, Mahbub from Abu ‘Amr, and Umm al-Darda’ read "Surah" in the accusative case (nasb), as the object of a deleted verb, meaning: "Recite." Some estimated it as "Recite" (itlu) with a plural pronoun because the subsequent addresses are likewise, but this is not strictly necessary, as the verb contains the meaning of "say," making the speech analogous to His saying: "Say: Obey Allah," and there is no doubt in its permissibility.

Al-Zamakhshari permitted it to be in the accusative as an incitement (ighra’), meaning: "Take this Surah." Abu Hayyan rejected this, arguing that the particle of incitement cannot be deleted due to its weakness in governing, as its governance is by analogy to the verb. Ibn Malik’s speech implies its permissibility, and he claimed it is the view of Sibawayh, though this is subject to debate. Many others permitted it being a case of "preoccupation" (ishtighal), and this is apparent according to the view of those who do not require the validity of the nominative case for the beginning of the sentence in the case of preoccupation. As for those who do require it, it is not apparent, because "Surah" is indefinite and lacks a license for it to be made the subject in the nominative. Perhaps those who require this and argue for the accusative via preoccupation here, treat the indefinite noun as described by what the tanwin (indefiniteness marker) indicates, as if it were said: "A great Surah."

Al-Farra’ said: The accusative of "Surah" is as a state (hal) from the accusative pronoun in "We have revealed it." A state from a pronoun may precede it. Perhaps the pronoun here refers to the rulings understood from the speech, as if it were said: "We have revealed the rulings as a Surah," i.e., in the state of being a Surah among the Surahs of the Qur’an. This is the view taken in al-Bahr. It might also be said that the pronoun refers to the Surah existing in knowledge without regard to its restriction by an attribute, and the mentioned "Surah" is described by what its tanwin indicates, as if it were said: "We have revealed the Surah while it is a great Surah." It is not hidden that all of this is an affectation with no necessity, given the existence of the view that is free of dust.

His saying, "And We have ordained it," is either by assuming a deleted noun, i.e., "We have ordained its rulings," or by considering the metaphor in the attribution, where that which belongs to the signified is attributed to the signifier due to an association between them that resembles containment. It is possible, though remote, that there is "usage" (istikhdam) in the speech, where "Surah" is meant in its literal sense, while its pronoun refers to its metaphorical meaning—the rulings signified by it. "Ordaining" (fard) in its origin is the cutting of a solid thing and having an effect upon it; the intent here is the obligation in the most perfect manner, as if it were said: "We have made the rulings within it absolutely obligatory." There is in mentioning this a "brilliance of beginning" (bara’at istihlal), as has been said.

Abdullah, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, Mujahid, Qatadah, Abu ‘Amr, and Ibn Kathir read "Wa faradnaha" with a doubled 'ra' to emphasize the obligation and to indicate the increased necessity, or the multiplicity of the ordinances and their frequency, or the large number of those upon whom they are imposed from the predecessors and the successors. In the Shahabiyyah glosses, "faradnaha" has been interpreted as "fassalnaha" (We have detailed it), and what was mentioned also applies to this.

"And We have revealed in it clear signs" — this may refer to the signs upon which the ordained rulings are hung, and the meaning of "containment" here is evident. The meaning of them being "clear" is the clarity of their indication of their rulings, not their meanings absolutely, for it is like most verses in that regard. Repeating "We have revealed," alongside the revelation of the Surah necessitating the revelation of the verses, highlights the perfection of care regarding its affair. It is also possible that it refers to the collection of the Surah's verses, and "containment" then is in view of the whole including each of its parts. The meaning of them being "clear" is that there is no ambiguity in them necessitating interpretation, unlike some other verses. Repeating "We have revealed," despite it being clear that the revelation of all verses is the same as the revelation of the Surah, is due to its independent, elegant title, which calls for the specification of its revelation in mention to show its importance and elevate its status, like His saying: "And We saved them from a harsh punishment" after His saying: "We saved Hud and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us." The first possibility is more apparent.

The Imam said: The Almighty mentioned at the beginning of the Surah types of rulings and limits, and at the end of it the proofs of Monotheism. So His saying "We have ordained it" is an indication of the rulings established at first, and His saying "And We have revealed in it clear signs" is an indication of what was clarified of the proofs of Monotheism. This is supported by His saying: "So that you may remember" (for the rulings were not known such that they could remember them). This is, in my view, a sound perspective. Yes, it has been said that the support he mentioned is open to debate, since one who holds the first possibility can say: The intent of "remembering" is its ultimate goal, which is avoiding the forbidden by acting according to those verses. One might say that this necessitates committing to a metaphor regarding "remembering," unlike what the Imam mentioned, for "remembering" according to him is in its direct, understood sense, and this level is sufficient for it to be a support. The origin of "tadhakkarun" is "tatadhakkarun," with one of the two 'ta's deleted; and it has been read with the second one assimilated into the 'dhal'.