Exegesis of Verses from Surat al-Bayyinah

After this brief statement, which I hope Allah the Exalted will make me the first to benefit from, and that He will benefit me and you with what He has taught us, we will then speak briefly about Surat al-Bayyinah, as we have reached it. Allah Mighty and Majestic says: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. We have previously discussed the Basmala extensively in this gathering and others, and clarified that the Basmala is a verse from the Book of Allah, spoken by Allah as He spoke the Qur'an, Exalted and Majestic is He. However, it is an independent verse; it is not counted as part of the verse of the surah that follows it, nor of the surahs that precede it. Rather, it is independent, and the surahs begin with it from Surat al-Fatihah to (Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind) , except for Surat al-Bara'ah, for it is not established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he began Surat al-Bara'ah with the Basmala. For this reason, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) omitted it, but out of caution and fear that it might be an independent surah, they placed a separator between it and Surat al-Anfal.