Usool ut Tafsîr

Its Kinds & Principles

Tafsîr (exegesis) of the Qur'ân is the most important science for Muslims. All matters concerning the Islamic way of life are connected to it in one sense or another since the right application of Islam is based on proper understanding of the guidance from Allah. Without tafsîr there would be no right understanding of various passages of the Qur'ân.

Tafsîr & Ta'wil

The word tafsîr is derived from the root 'fassara' - to explain, to expound. It means 'explanation' or 'interpretation'. In technical language the word tafsîr is used for explanation, interpretation and commentary on the Qur'ân, comprising all ways of obtaining knowledge, which contributes to the proper understanding of it, explains its meanings and clarifies its legal implications. The word mufassir (pl. mufassirûn) is the term used for the person doing the tafsîr, i.e. the 'exegete' or 'commentator'.

The word ta'wîl, which is also used in this connection, is derived from the root 'awwala' and also means 'explanation, interpretation' .

In technical language it similarly refers to explanation and interpretation of the Qur'ân.

Tafsîr in the language of the scholars means explanation and clarification. It aims at knowledge and understanding concerning the book of Allah, to explain its meanings, extract its legal rulings and grasp its underlying reasons. Tafsîr explains the 'outer' (zahir) meanings of the Qur'ân. Ta'wîl is considered by some to mean the explanation of the inner and concealed meanings of the Qur'ân, as far as a knowledgeable person can have access to them. Others are of the opinion that there is no difference between tafsîr and ta'wîl.

Why Is It Important?

There are a number of reasons why tafsîr is of great importance, but the basic reason is the following: Allah has sent the Qur'ân as a book of guidance to mankind. Man's purpose is to worship Allah, i.e. to seek His pleasure by living the way of life Allah has invited him to adopt. He can do so within the framework of the guidance that Allah has revealed concerning this, but he can do so only if he properly understands its meanings and implications.

A Warning

Some Muslim scholars have warned against tafsîr. Ahmad b. Hanbal, e.g. has said: 'Three matters have no basis: tafsîr, malâhim (tales of eschatological nature) and maghâzî (tales of the battles)'.

By this is meant that there is much exaggeration and unsound material in these fields, but it does not mean that neither of them ought to be considered. This is clear from another version of the same verdict, in which the word isnad is used for 'basis'.

Basic Conditions

Muslim scholars have laid down certain basic conditions for sound tafsîr. Any tafsîr, which disregards these principles must be viewed with great caution, if not rejected altogether. The most important among these conditions are the following:

The mufassir must:

Grades Of Sources

The best tafsîr is the explanation of the Qur'ân by the Qur'ân.

The next best is the explanation of the Qur'ân by the Prophet Muhammad, who, as Shâfi'î explained, acted according to what he understood from the Qur'ân.

If nothing can be found in the Qur'ân nor in the sunna of the Prophet, one turns to the reports from the sahâba.

If nothing can be found in the Qur'ân, the sunna and the reports from the sahâba, one turns to the reports from the tâbi^cûn.

However, nothing can match the explanation of the Qur'ân by the Qur'ân and the explanation of the Qur'ân by the Prophet.

Kinds Of Tafsîr

Tafsîr may be divided into three basic groups:

Tafsîr bi-l-riwâya

By this is meant all explanations of the Qur'ân which can be traced back through a chain of transmission to a sound source, i.e.:

Naturally, the explanation of the Qur'ân by the Qur'ân and the explanation of the Qur'ân by the Prophet are the two highest sources for tafsîr, which cannot be matched nor superseded by any other source. Next to these rank the explanations by the sahâba, since the sahâba were witnesses to the revelations, were educated and trained by the Prophet himself and were closest to the period of the first Muslim umma. Of course all reports of explanations by the Prophet or by a sahâbi must be sound according to the science of riwâya as in ^culum al-hadîth.

The Qur'ân explained by the Qur'ân: The interpretation of the Qur'ân by the Qur'ân is the highest source of tafsîr. Many of the questions which may arise out of a certain passage of the Qur'ân have their explanation in other parts of the very same book, and often there is no need to turn to any sources other than the word of Allah, which in itself contains tafsîr. To seek to explain an aya from the Qur'ân by referring to another ayâ from the Qur'ân is the first and foremost duty of the mufassir. Only if this does not suffice, he will refer to other sources of tafsîr.

Examples

A case in point is the detailed explanation of 5:2 by 5:4, concerning permissible and prohibited meat. Another example of explanation of one aya in the Qur'ân by another concerns a question which might arise from Sura 44: 3. It is explained in Sura 97: 1:

'We sent it down during a blessed night' (44: 3).

Which night is this blessed night, in which the Qur'ân was sent down?

'We have indeed revealed this in the lailatal-qadr' (97: 1).

A third example is the explanation of Sura 2:37 by Sura 7:23.

'Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord turned towards him, for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful' (2:37).

These 'words of inspiration' are explained by the Qur'ân as follows:

'Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls. If Thou forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Thy mercy, we shall certainly be lost' (7: 23).

The Qur'ân explained by the Prophet: There are numerous examples of explanation of the Qur'ân by the Prophet, who either himself asked the Angel Gabriel for explanation of matters not clear to him, or who was asked by the Companions about the Qur'ân. Suyûtî has given a long list of explanations of the Qur'ân by the Prophet sura by sura.

Here one example may suffice:

'And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread. . .' (2: 187).

Narrated 'Adi b. Hâtim: I said: 'O Allah's Apostle! What is the meaning of the white thread distinct from the black thread? Are these two threads?' He said: 'You are not intelligent, if you watch the two threads'. He then added, 'No, it is the darkness of the night and the whiteness of the day'.

Tafsîr by Sahâba

Next, after explanation of the Qur'ân by the Qur'ân and of the Qur'ân by the Prophet himself, ranks the explanation of the Qur'ân by the sahâba. Among them, the following were best known for their knowledge of and contribution to the field of tafsîr: Abû Bakr, ^cUmar, ^cUthmân, ^cAlî (not much has been reported from them), Ibn Mas'ûd, Ibn ^cAbbâs, 'Ubay b. Ka'b, Zaid b. Thâbit, Abû Mûsâ al-Ash'arî, ^cAbdullâh b. Zubair.

Ibn ^cAbbâs: Abdullah b. ^cAbbâs (d. 68/687) is considered to be the most knowledgeable of the Companions in tafsîr. He has been called 'tarjumân al-Qur'ân', the interpreter of the Qur'ân. Since he was related to the Prophet, being his cousin, and his maternal aunt Maimuna being one of the Prophet's wives, he was very close to the Prophet Muhammad and learnt much about the revelation. It is said that he saw the Angel Gabriel twice. Apart from his detailed knowledge of everything concerning tafsîr, he is also given the credit for having emphasised one of the basic principles of ^cilm al-tafsîr which has remained important to this day, namely, that the meaning of words, especially of unusual words in the Qur'ân ought to be traced back to their usage in the language of pre-Islamic poetry. There is a long list of such explanations quoted by Suyûtî.

Example

The following is an example of tafsîr from a sahaba, namely Ibn ^cAbbâs, confirmed by ^cUmar:

'So celebrate the praises of your Lord, and ask for His forgiveness. Verily! He is the one who accepts the repentance and forgives' (110: 3).

Narrated Ibn ^cAbbâs: ^cUmar used to make me sit with the elderly men who had fought in the battle of Badr. Some of them felt it (did not like that) and said to ^cUmar: 'Why do you bring in this boy to sit with us, while we have sons like him?'

^cUmar replied 'Because of what you know of his position' (i.e., his religious knowledge).

One day ^cUmar called me and made me sit in the gathering of those people, and I think that he called me just to show them (my religious knowledge). ^cUmar then asked them in my presence: 'What do you say about the interpretation of the statement of Allah'.

'When comes help of Allah, and the conquest . . .' (110: 1).

Some of them said: 'We are ordered to praise Allah and ask for His forgiveness, when Allah's help and the conquest (of Makka) comes to us'. Some others kept quiet and did not say anything. On that ^cUmar asked me: 'Do you say the same, O Ibn ^cAbbâs?' I replied: 'No'. He said: 'What do you say then?' I replied: 'That is the sign of the death of Allah's apostle which Allah informed him of Allah said:

'(O Muhammad) when comes the help of Allah (to you against your enemies) and the conquest (of Makka) (which is the sign of your death) - you should celebrate the praises of your Lord and ask for His forgiveness, and He is the One who accepts the repentance and forgives' (110:1-3). On that ^cUmar said: 'I do not know anything about it other than what you have said'.

Another short example is:

Narrated 'Atâ': When Ibn ^cAbbâs heard:

'Have you not seen those who have changed the favour of Allah into disbelief?' (14: 28).

He said: 'Those were the disbelieving pagans of Makka.'

Tafsîr by Tabi^cûn

There are many more persons from among the tabi^cûn known for their preoccupation with tafsîr, because many more people had embraced Islam and the need for knowledge about the Qur'ân had increased manifold. Also, the Prophet himself and many of his Companions were no longer available to give this guidance, and therefore greater efforts had to be made to satisfy this need for proper understanding of the book of Allah.

Of the mufassirûn from among the tabi^cûn one distinguishes three groups, according to their origin and area of activity:

The Makkan Group: According to many scholars, this group of mufassirun from among the tabi^cûn are the most knowledgeable in tafsîr, because they learnt about it from ^cAbdullâh b. ^cAbbâs. They are many in number, and among the best known out of many others are Mujâhid (d.104/722), ^cAtâ' (d.114/732) and ^cIkrima (d.107H).

Mujâhid, the best known among them, is reported to have gone through the Qur'ân thrice with Ibn ^cAbbâs and to have asked him about the 'when' and 'how' of each verse that had been revealed.

A complete book of tafsîr by Mujâhid has been published. It is based on a manuscript from the 6th Hijra century and is edited by Surtî.

Example

Humaid b. Qais Makki reported: I was with Mujâhid and we were circumambulating the house (Ka'ba). A man came and asked whether the fasts of penalty of an oath should be observed continuously or severally. Humaid replied that if he liked he could observe them severally too! But Mujâhid said: Not severally, for the reading of ^cUbayy b. Ka^cb is thalâthi ayyâmin mutatâbi'ât, i.e. to fast three days continuously'.

The Madinan Group: The mufassirûn among the tabi^cûn from Madina had many Companions as their teachers, among the best known being ^cUbay b. Ka^cb. The following are some of the well-known Qur'ân exegetes among them: Muhammad b. Ka^cb al-Qarzî (d.117/735), Abu-l 'Allîya al-Riyahî (d.90/ 708) and Zaid b. Aslam (d.130/747).

The Iraq Group: There were also many mufassirûn among the tabi^cûn in Iraq. Their principal teacher was Ibn Mas'ûd. Their main centres were Basra and Kufa. The best known among them are: Al-Hasan al-Basri (d.121/738), Masrûq b. al-'Ajda' (d.63/682) and Ibrâhîm al-Nakha'î (d.95/713).

Summary

Nothing can excel the tafsîr of the Qur'ân by the Qur'ân. This is followed by sound reports about the Prophet's explanation of the revelation.

Whatever is sound and genuine in the explanation of the Qur'ân by the sahâba and the tabi^cûn may not be rejected, but the following principles are to be observed:

Tafsîr bi'l-ra'y

The second kind of tafsîr, after tafsîr bi'l-riwâya, is the so-called tafsîr bi'l-ra'y. It is not based directly on transmission of knowledge by the predecessors, but on the use of reason and ijtihâd.

Tafsîr bil-ra'y does not mean 'interpretation by mere opinion', but deriving an opinion through ijtihâd based on sound sources. While the former has been condemned already in the hadith, the latter is recommendable, when used in its proper place as sound ijtihâd, and was also approved by the Prophet, e.g. when he sent Mu'âdh bin Jabal to Yemen.

Tafsîr bi'l-ra'y on the other hand has been declared harâm on the basis of the following hadîth:

'From Ibn ^cAbbâs: Allah's messenger said: "He who says (something) concerning the Qur'ân without knowledge, he has taken his seat of fire"'.

However this hadîth has been explained in two ways:

The obvious meaning of the hadîth is that one should not say something about the Qur'ân without having the proper knowledge, the sources of which have already been explained.

Two Kinds of tafsîr bi'l-ra'y: In view of this, it is obvious that tafsîr bi'l-ra'y should not be rejected in toto, but is acceptable if based on sound ijtihad. Scholars have therefore grouped tafsîr bi'l-ra'y into two kinds:

Sahâba or tabi^cûn shun mere opinion: While the tafsîr bi'l-ra'y based on sound sources was accepted, it is reported that from the outset the sahâba had refused to involve themselves in giving explanations based on mere opinion:

It is reported that a man asked Ibn ^cAbbâs about the day (mentioned in the Qur'ân) which measures 50 years, and Ibn ^cAbbâs replied: 'They are 2 days which Allah has mentioned in His book, and Allah knows best about them', and he disliked that he should say concerning the book of Allah, what he did not know.

The same attitude is also found among the tabi^cûn:

'We used to ask Sa^cîd b. al-Musayyib about halâl and harâm, and he was the most learned man, but when we asked him about tafsîr of a verse of the Qur'ân, he kept silent, as though he did not hear.'

Summary

Some scholars have said that tafsîr bi'l-ra'y is not allowed. since it cannot be traced back to the Prophet or his Companions directly. Others, who form the majority, say that it is permissible under the conditions described briefly above, because it is done by ijtihâd, based on sound sources, which is a permissible means of obtaining knowledge.

Tafsîr bi-l-ishâra

By this is meant the interpretation of the Qur'ân beyond its outer meanings, and the people practising it concern themselves with meanings attached to verses of the Qur'ân, which are not visible to anyone, but only to him whose heart Allah has opened. This kind of tafsîr is often found with mystically-inclined authors. While it must not be denied that Allah guides to the understanding of the Qur'ân whom He pleases and as He wills, it has to be said that tafsîr bi-l-ishâra is not a matter of science and scientific principles, which may be acquired and then used, as are the other branches of ^culum al-Qur'ân and of tafsîr. Some scholars have therefore rejected it from the viewpoint of general acceptability and said it is based on mere opinion. However Ibn al-Qayyim is reported to have said that results achieved by tafsîr bi-l-ishâra are permissible and constitute good findings, if the following four principles are jointly applied:

Differences In Tafsîr

In some cases the mufassirûn do not agree on the interpretation of a given verse from the Qur'ân. There are a number of reasons for this, the most important ones are the following:

Disregard for isnad.

Use of unsound materials, such as isrâ'îlîyât.

Conscious misrepresentation, based on a pre-conceived belief or other ulterior motives.

Genuine mistake in comprehension.

Interpretation based on unconscious preconceived notion.

Multiplicity of meanings in the revelation from Allah.

The main cause however is, in the view of Ibn Taimîya, that the people introduced false innovation (bid'a) and 'twisted the speech (of God) from its actual position, and interpreted the speech of Allah and His apostle(s) other than it is meant, and explained it other than it should be explained'.

Isrâ'îlîyât

This word, meaning 'of Jewish origin' refers to explanations derived from non-Muslim sources and especially from the Jewish tradition, but also including other ahl al-kitâb in general. Such material was used very little by the sahâba, but more by the tabi^cûn and even more by later generations. There are many aspects of the Qur'ân which can be explained by referring to such sources, when there is common ground between the Qur'ân and the other traditions. However, the information taken from such sources must be used with great caution and cannot be considered sound according to the standards of 'ilm al-hadîth, unless traced back to the Prophet himself and his Companions. The Prophet has already cautioned Muslims against this source of knowledge:

Narrated Abû Huraira: The people of the scripture (Jews) used to recite the Torah in Hebrew and they used to explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. On that Allah's apostle said: 'Do not believe the people of the scripture or disbelieve them, but say: "We believe in Allah and what is revealed to us"' (2: 136).

Similarly Ibn Mas'ûd, the well-known Companion, is reported to have said: 'Do not ask the ahl al-kitab about anything (in tafsîr), for they cannot guide you and are themselves in error....'

Hence one distinguishes three kinds of the so-called isrâ'îlîyât:

Summary

A concise but useful summary of the vast field of tafsîr can be found in the following words said to be from Ibn ^cAbbâs:

'Tafsîr has four aspects:

the aspect the Arabs knew because of its language,

tafsîr, for ignorance of which no one will be excused,

tafsîr, which the scholars know,

tafsîr, which no one knows except Allah'.

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