Studying Tafseer: Where Do You Begin?
It is very important for anyone who wants to study Tafseer seriously to first develop a strong foundation in Uloom ul Quran, the Usool of Tafseer, and the general sciences connected to the Quran. A student should not only read these subjects, but should also learn how to look up discussions in the earlier books, trace the statements of the scholars, and know where to find the relevant material in the classical sources.
One issue we sometimes see is that a student begins studying Tafseer without having studied the sciences of the Quran. They may not have heard of important istilahaat (technical terms), or may not understand the technical discussions that appear in the books of Tafseer. This can become a major difficulty later, because Tafseer is not an isolated subject. It is connected to many other sciences, and one discussion often leads into another.
For example, when studying Tafseer, questions naturally arise regarding Wahy. What is Wahy? What are its different forms? How did revelation come to the Prophet ﷺ? How was the Quran taught to the Companions? Was the Quran written down during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ? Who were the scribes who wrote it? How did the Companions preserve it both orally and in writing? Who gathered the Quran after the Prophet ﷺ? How was it gathered during the time of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, and how was it later standardised during the time of Uthman رضي الله عنه? Which Companions were involved, and what was the nature of the Mushafs that were sent to the different regions?
Once you begin looking into these questions, you naturally enter the discussion of the Seven Ahruf. What exactly are the Seven Ahruf? What did the scholars say regarding their meaning? Were there different forms of recitation? How were they taught and transmitted? What is the relationship between the Seven Ahruf and the Qiraat? Are the Seven Ahruf the same thing as the Seven Qiraat? What exactly did the Uthmani Mushafs accommodate? Did the written script contain all the different readings, and in what way? How were the Qiraat subsequently transmitted and documented?
Then further questions arise regarding the history of the written Mushaf itself. When were dots introduced? When were the vowel marks introduced? How did the system of Tajweed terminology and written rules develop? What did the early scholars write about pronunciation, articulation points and the correct recitation of the Quran? How did the sciences of Qiraat and Tajweed develop over the centuries?
One thing leads to another.
This is why Uloom ul Quran is such an important field. It brings together many different discussions relating to the Quran: revelation, compilation, preservation, transmission, Makki and Madani revelation, Asbab al Nuzool, Nasikh and Mansukh, the Seven Ahruf, Qiraat, the written Mushaf, the linguistic sciences, the miraculous nature of the Quran, and many other topics.
Among the earlier works in this field are:
فنون الأفنان في عيون علوم القرآن
جمال القراء وكمال الإقراء
المرشد الوجيز إلى علوم تتعلق بالكتاب العزيز
There are also a number of important later works, including:
البرهان في علوم القرآن
مواقع العلوم في مواقع النجوم
الإتقان في علوم القرآن
الزيادة والإحسان في علوم القرآن
These books are very useful for seeing the breadth of the subject and for understanding how the scholars organised the various sciences connected to the Quran.
The writings and lessons of Shaykh Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahib are also extremely useful in this area.
After establishing a foundation in Uloom ul Quran, the student can then properly approach the Usool of Tafseer.
This includes studying matters such as the Ahkaam of the Quran, Ghareeb ul Quran, Asbab al Nuzool, Makki and Madani, Nasikh and Mansukh, the general and specific wording of the Quran, the linguistic meanings of words, and the various sciences that assist a person in understanding the Book of Allah.
It is also important to learn the different methods of Tafseer. How did the scholars explain the Quran? What does it mean to interpret the Quran through the Quran itself? What is the role of the Sunnah? What is the importance of the statements of the Sahabah and Tabiun? How are Arabic language, grammar, rhetoric and context used in Tafseer? What are the principles that determine whether an interpretation is sound or not?
A student should also understand the principles of Tafseer and the reasons why the Mufassireen sometimes differed with one another. Not every difference in Tafseer is the same. Sometimes the difference is simply a difference of wording or expression. Sometimes two interpretations can both be correct. At other times, there may be a genuine difference of opinion based on different evidence, different understandings of the Arabic language, different reports from the Salaf, or different principles of interpretation.
Understanding the reasons behind these differences is extremely important. Otherwise, a student may open two books of Tafseer, see two different explanations and immediately think that the scholars are contradicting one another, when in reality the discussion may be much more nuanced.
There are a number of useful works in Usool ul Tafseer. One well known work is the Muqaddimah of Ibn Taymiyyah. Another useful contemporary work is Fusool fi Usool al Tafseer by Shaykh Musaid al Tayyar. Shaykh Musaid has also produced a large amount of valuable work on the sciences of the Quran and the methodology of Tafseer.
Another very important area for a serious student is to learn the history and development of Tafseer.
You should know the different eras of the Mufassireen and understand which works appeared in which centuries. You should know the early Tafseer literature, the works of the Sahabah and Tabiun, the early compilations, the major classical Tafseers, and then the later works and their different approaches.
For example, a student should gradually become familiar with works such as the Tafseers of al Tabari, al Baghawi, Ibn Abi Hatim, al Zamakhshari, Ibn Atiyyah, al Razi, al Qurtubi, al Shawkani, Ibn Juzay, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Aashur, al Tha’labi, Abu Hayyan, al Nasafi, al Baydawi and others, whilst also understanding that these works have different methodologies and areas of emphasis.
The purpose is not simply to collect the names of Tafseer books. Rather, the student should develop an understanding of how Tafseer developed as a discipline, how the scholars approached the Quran, what sources they relied upon, what terminology they used, and why later works sometimes differ in structure and methodology from earlier works.
It is also important to learn how to research within these books. A student should know how to find a particular discussion, compare different explanations, identify the source of a quotation, trace a statement back to an earlier scholar, and distinguish between what is actually established from the Salaf and what may have been mentioned by later scholars.
This is especially important today, when it is very easy to come across a quotation, translation or explanation online without knowing where it came from. A student of Tafseer should gradually develop the ability to go back to the original sources rather than simply relying on secondary material.
Ultimately, the study of Tafseer is much broader than simply opening a Tafseer and reading the explanation beneath each verse. There is a whole body of knowledge behind it.
The stronger the student’s foundation in Uloom ul Quran, Usool ul Tafseer, Arabic language, Qiraat, Asbab al Nuzool, the methodology of the Mufassireen and the history of Tafseer, the better equipped they will be to understand the Quran and the discussions of the scholars.
It also gives the student the ability to deal with questions, and objections, including those arising from an apparent meaning or implication of a verse. Instead of simply searching for an answer, the student begins to understand why the answer is given, which principles are being used, what the earlier scholars said, and how the different sciences come together.
This is why a proper study of Tafseer requires patience and a gradual progression. There is a lot to cover, but once the foundations are established, the different subjects begin to connect with one another.
One discussion leads to another, and eventually the student begins to appreciate how the various sciences of the Quran work together to help us understand and explain the Book of Allah correctly.
