Tafsir

Tafsir (Arabic: تفسير, romanized: tafsīr [tafˈsiːr]; English: explanation) is a way of explaining the Quran. A person who writes a tafsir is called a mufassir (Arabic: مُفسّر; plural: Arabic: مفسّرون, romanized: mufassirūn). A tafsir helps people understand God's message in the Quran better.

The idea of explaining the Quran is found in the Quran itself. It talks about parts that are easy to understand and parts that are not.

A tafsir looks at linguistics, jurisprudence, and theology. There are two main types: tafsir bi-al-ma'thur, which comes from early Islam through the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions, and tafsir bi-al-ra'y, which comes from personal thought or independent rational thinking.

Different groups, like Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, and Sufism, have their own traditions for tafsirs. There are older tafsirs written by early Muslim scholars and newer ones meant for everyone. Many tafsirs still wait to be found and studied.

Etymology

The word tafsīr comes from an Arabic word meaning "to explain." In Islam, tafsīr helps us understand the messages of God in the Quran. It shows us what the Quran teaches using the Arabic language and our own thoughts.

Qualifications for the interpreter

See also: Quranic hermeneutics and Hikmah

A person who writes a tafsir—an explanation of the Quran—is called a mufassir. Before they can explain the Quran, they need to know many important subjects very well. These include understanding the Arabic language, how to speak clearly and persuade others rhetoric, beliefs about God and religion theology, and how to decide what is right and wrong in Islam jurisprudence.

Here are the main things a mufassir must know:

1. Being very good at Arabic – This helps understand the Quran’s words and sentences.
2. Knowing the whole Quran – The most important thing is to understand all of the Quran.
3. Understanding when and why each part was written – This helps explain the Quran correctly.
4. Using trusted sources – This includes the Quran itself and stories about what Muhammad said and did, called the Sunnah.
5. Using careful thinking – Scholars can use their own ideas but should check with other Islamic writings.
6. Knowing Islamic law – This helps explain the rules in the Quran.
7. Sticking to Islamic beliefs – Any explanation must match what Muslims believe.

History

See also: List of tafsir works

After the time of Muhammad, his close followers started explaining the Quran. They knew the language and culture of the Quran well, which helped them share its meanings.

Later, people began writing down these explanations. One of the earliest writers was Muqatil ibn Sulayman in the 700s. His work was simple, with short explanations of the Quran's words and phrases.

As time passed, more scholars wrote about the Quran. They used many sources and shared their own ideas. Different places, like Mecca, Medina, and Iraq, had their own ways of explaining the Quran. These writings helped people understand the Quran better and became a special area of study.

Methods

There are two main ways people explain the Quran.

One way uses stories and teachings from long ago. This is called tafsīr bi'l-ma'thūr. Important books like Jāmiʿ al-Bayān by al-Tabari and Tafseer al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓeem by ibn Kathir use this style. These stories come from the Quran, tales told by the Prophet Muhammad, or his close friends. They help explain the meanings of the Quran.

The other way is called tafsīr bi'r-ra'y. This uses a person's own thinking to explain the Quran. It looks at the words and history around the verses. Books like Anwar al-Tanzil by al-Baydawi and Mafatih al-Ghayb by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi use this style. Scholars also think about the goals of the Quran and the world around them when they explain it.

Denominations

Islamic theology has many schools and branches, and each school explains the Quran in its own way.

Sunni

The time of Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was an important time for Sunni explanations of the Quran. Important works include Tafsir al-Thalabi and Tafsir al-Tabari. Tafsir al-Tabari is a key explanation work in Sunni Islam. It covers the whole Quran and includes different views, which Tabari tries to bring together or supports what he thinks is right. Both language and religious topics are discussed.

Shi'ite

Explanations by Shia Muslims cover similar topics as Sunnis and use similar methods, but they focus on beliefs special to Shia Islam. These include the idea of imamate, giving more attention to verses about leadership after Muhammad, starting with Ali, and trusting interpretations linked to The Twelve Imams.^{[citation needed]} Some Shia explanations are also influenced by Mu'tazili ideas, especially on religious topics. Important Shia explanation works include Al-Tibbyan Fi Tafsir al-Quran by Shaykh Tusi and Majma al-Bayan lif'ulum al-Quran by Shaykh Tabarsi.

Sufi

Main article: Esoteric interpretation of the Quran

This is a way of explaining the Quran that includes hidden or mystic meanings. These meanings usually do not change the regular explanations but talk about deeper levels of meaning in the Quran. Hidden meanings are found mainly in Sufism and in the teachings of Shi'a Imams and the Isma'ili sect.

Quranist

Quranists believe only in the Quran and reject other traditions. Turkish Islamic theologian Yaşar Nuri Öztürk published a major explanation work called Kur'an'daki Islam in 1992. Other authors like Edip Yüksel, Layth Saleh al-Shaiban, and Martha Schulte-Nafeh wrote Quran: A Reformist Translation, and Ghulam Ahmed Perwez wrote Mafhoom-ul-Quran, translated as Exposition of the Holy Quran.

Tafsīr-ilmī (scientific interpretation)

Some people think the Quran encourages scientific study. Starting in the 1970s and 80s, the idea that the Quran contains scientific facts discovered later became popular. Supporters say the Quran includes miracles like relativity, quantum mechanics, Big Bang theory, black holes, pulsars, genetics, embryology, modern geology, thermodynamics, the laser, and hydrogen fuel cells. Critics say these verses have mistakes and are not scientific. Both Muslims and non-Muslims discuss whether there are truly "scientific miracles" in the Quran.