بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
This blog post discusses the concept of tadabbur (contemplation
on the Qur’an) at one level of application by looking at the relationship
between Surah Fatiha and Surah al-Nas. The Qur’an is a linguistic miracle and
this includes many aspects. One of these
is the coherence of the Qur’an, which is a theory that argues that there are
connections between each verse to the one before and after it, as well as the
between each surah to the one before and after it.
This miracle is reinforced by the historical fact that the
order of revelation was different to the order in which the Qur’an is currently
compiled. It is very hard to have coherence in a book when each verse or group
of verses have been revealed in response to different situations and context. Nevertheless,
there comes a point when the coherence is so vast and in so many different
aspects that no human is able to create such a literary piece. Various
classical and authoritative scholars in the field of Qur’anic sciences such as
Zarkashi, Suyuti and Razi argued in support of the view of coherence, which is
evidenced through deep reflection upon the Qur’an.
Surah Fatiha (1) is the first surah of the Qur’an whilst
surah al-Nas (114) is the last surah of the Qur’an, in the compiled order. Yet
when the two surahs are considered side by side, they reveal fascinating links
and lessons. I reveal some of them below, not all, because the ocean of the
Qur’an is vast.
Surah Fatiha
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Surah al-Nas
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Commentary
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Surah Fatiha starts off as praise of Allah Most High and then
linguistically (through a rhetorical method called iltifat) shifts to du’a in
verse 5.
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Surah al-Nas starts off with a command (in the first word “say!”) and
then proceeds to a du’a in verse 1.
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This teaches us the adab of starting off with the praise of Allah
Most High
Both surahs contain du’a.
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Verse 2 describes Allah as the Rabb of the worlds, thus giving a
“macro” level to Allah’s power.
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Verse 1 describes Allah as the Rabb of mankind, thus giving a “micro”
level to Allah’s power.
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The two surahs give contrasting yet illuminating displays of how Allah
Most High cares for both the small and large things, not neglecting anything.
Both surahs contain the word “Rabb”.
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Surah Fatiha mentions the word “Allah” in reference to God.
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Surah al-Nas mentions the word “Ilah” in reference to God.
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Both terms are used to refer to God. There is also a scholarly
opinion that the word “Allah” is linguistically derived from the word
“al-Ilah”.
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Surah Fatiha mentions the phrase “King (Malik) of the Day of
Judgement”.
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Surah al-Nas mentions the phrase “King (Malik) of mankind”.
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Day of Judgement is the day that mankind is judged. It is the day
that all of mankind is moving towards.
Both surahs contain the word “Malik”.
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Surah Fatiha has the du’a of seeking Allah’s aid and to be guided to
the straight path.
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Surah al-Nas has the du’a of seeking refuge in Allah Most High from
Shaytan, the accursed.
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Shaytan is the one who whispers in the hearts of mankind and jinn to
swerve from the straight path. It is only through seeking Allah’s aid that we
can be saved from Shaytan.
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As one can see from the above, there are clear examples of
coherence in the Qur’an. Those who deny such coherence from
modern times do so because of their lack of sufficient
reflection upon the Qur’an, as well as in some cases their anti-intellectual
attitudes.
