Exegesis (Tafsir) of the Quran Is the Most Important Science for the Muslims – Part Two
By
Prof Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi
February 7,
2021
Early
Development
During the
lifetime of the Prophet (SAW), his companions used to ask him questions
relating to the interpretation of the Qur'an and the different aspects of the
injunctions contained in it. The prophet (SAW) used to explain to them the
revelation. The authority to explain was granted to the Prophet(SAW) by Allah
(SWT) Himself as laid down in the Qur'an, "We have sent down unto thee
(also) the Message; that thou mayest explain clearly to men what is sent for
them, and that they may give thought" (16:44). Therefore, Muslim scholars
state that the things said by the Prophet (SAW) in explanation or to which he
gave silent approval was committed to memory by the companions. Being men of
great learning many of them had not only memorised the Qur'an but also had full
knowledge of when, where and why verses of the Qur'an were revealed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also
Read: Exegesis
(Tafsir) of the Quran Is the Most Important Science for the Muslims – Part One
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are
numerous examples of explanation of the Qur'an by the Prophet (SAW), 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'an. Suyuti has given a long list
of explanations of the Qur'an by the Prophet (SAW) surah by surah. Here one
example may suffice: And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appears
to you distinct from its black thread. . . [Q2:187].Narrated 'Adi b. Hatim: I
said: 'O God'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'.
Next, after
explanation of the Qur'an by the Prophet (SAW) himself, ranks the explanation
of the Qur'an by the Sahabah. After the death the Prophet (SAW), the companions
taught others the Qur'an and its interpretation. Scholars recognise that the
pious Caliphs (Khulafa Rashidun), the rightly guided, were Mufassirin of the
Qur’an. AS we know, the following were best known for their knowledge of and
contribution to the field of Tafsir: Abu Bakr (RA), ‘Umar (RA), ‘Uthman (RA)
Ali (RA), 'All, although much has been reported from them regarding Tafsir.
Apart from the pious Caliphs (RA) ,the names of Ibn Mas'ud(RA) , Ibn 'Abbas(RA)
, 'UbayIbnKa'b(RA), Zayd Ibn Thabit(RA) , Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (RA), 'Abdullah
Ibn Zubair (RA) are very important. Thus from the Prophet's time the following
were the recognised scholars of the Qur'anic Tafsir:
Abdullah
Ibn Abbas (RA) (d. 687), Abdullah Ibn
Mas'ud (RA) (d. 653), Ubayy Ibn Ka'b (RA) (d. 640 AD), Zayd Ibn Thabit (RA) (d.
665), Abu Musa al-Ashari (RA) (d. 664) and Abdullah Ibn Zubayr (RA) (d. 692).
It is generally stated that in the subsequent period after Prophet Muhammad
(SAW), three schools were established to explain the Qur'an: The Meccan School
led by Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA), the Madinan School led by Ubayy Ibn Ka'b (RA)
and the Iraqi school led by Abdullah IbnMas’ud (RA). It is believed that within
a half century after Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) death three main schools of
Qur'anic Tafsir had developed in Makkah, Madinah and Iraq.
The Makkan
group is said to have been taught by Ibn Abbas (RA). The best known of the
group among learners are Mujahid (d.722), Ata (d. 732) and Ikrimah (d. 729).
Among all the Companions of the Prophet (SAW), Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas (RA) (d.
68/687) is considered to be the most knowledgeable in Tafsir. He has been
called 'Tarjuman al-Qur’an', the interpreter of the Qur'an. He was very close
to the Prophet (SAW), as he was the cousin of the Prophet (SAW), and his
maternal aunt Maimuna (AS) was one of the Prophet's wives.
Thus Ibn
Abbas (RA) learnt much about the revelation. It is said that he saw the Angel
Gabriel twice. Apart from his detailed knowledge of everything concerning
Tafsir, he is also given the credit for having emphasized one of the basic
principles of 'ilm al-Tafsir which has remained important to this day, namely,
that the meaning of words, especially of unusual words in the Qur'an ought to
be traced back to their usage in the language of pre-Islamic poetry. While
Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA) who is reputed to be the first exegete in the history
of Islam, in the light of the traditions it would seem that Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud
(RA) had also the reputation in teaching the Qur'an.
The Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) recognised the efforts of Abdullah Ibn Masud’s (RA) learning of
the Qur'an, so much so that he recommended others to learn from him. Ali Ibn
Abi Talib (RA) said about his scholarship, "He knows the Qur'an and the
Sunnah and his knowledge is the best."Many of the companions of the
Prophet taught the Qur'an and its exegesis to the next generation of Muslims,
Tabi’in. The conversion of many people from different faiths and walks of life
made it imperative that the Tabi’in should not only treasure the existing
information but also build on it a body of learning known as Ulum al-Qur'an.
The Madinan
group had the best known teachers such as Ubay b. Ka’b (RA). This group had
some well known Muffasirin for example; Muhammad b. Kab al-Qarzi (d. 735), Abul
AlliyaalRiyahi (d. 708) and Zaid b. Aslam (d. 747).The Iraqi group who followed
IbnMasud (RA) had centres in Basra and Kufa. The best known among the teachers
in tafsir were Al-HasanalBasri (d. 738), Masruq (d. 682) and Ibrahim al-Nakhai
(d. 713). There are many more persons from among the Tabi’in known for their
preoccupation with Tafsir, because many more people had embraced Islam and the
need for knowledge about the Qur'an 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.
According
to many scholars, this group of mufassirun from among the tabi’un are the most
knowledgeable in Tafsir, because they learnt about it from 'Abdullah b. 'Abbas
(RA). They are many in number, and among the best known out of many others are
Mujahid (d.104/722), 'Ata'
(d.114/732)
and 'Ikrima (d.107H). Mujahid, the best known among them, is reported to have
gone through the Qur'an thrice with Ibn 'Abbas (RA) and to have asked him about
the 'when' and 'how' of each verse that had been revealed.
The
mufassirun among the tabi’un from Madinah had many Companions as their
teachers, among the best known being 'Ubay b. Ka'b (RA). The following are some
of the well known Qur'an exegetes among them: Muhammad b. Ka'b al-Qarzi
(d.117/735), Abu al-'Alliya al-Riyahi (d.90/708) and Zayd b. Aslam (d.130/747).
There were
also many Mufassirun among the tabi’un in Iraq. Their principal teacher
was IbnMas'ud (RA). Their main centers were Basra and Kufa. The best known
among them are: Al-Hasan al-Basri (d.121/738), Masruq b. al-'Ajda' (d.63/682)
and Ibrahim al-Nakha'i.(D.95/713).
The
methodology adopted by the early commentators was based more on transmission,
Riwayat. Numerous books have been written by Muslim scholars on the subject of
tafsir. The oldest text available is attributed to Ibn 'Abbas (RA) (d.68/687)
although some doubt its authenticity. Other old books of Tafsir, still
available to us, include the works of Zayd Ibn 'Ali (d.122/740) and Mujahid,
the famous tabi`i (d.104/722).However it is generally accepted that the magnum
opus among the early books of Tafsir, which have come down to us is the Tafsir
al-Tabari.
This book
was written by IbnJarir al-Tabari (d-310/922) under the title jami al-bayan
fiTafsir al-Qur’an. It belongs to the most famous books in Tafsir and is
perhaps the most voluminous work we have on the subject. It belongs to the
class of Tafsir bi al-riwayah and is based on the reports from the Prophet
(SAW), the sahabah and the tabi’un, giving the various chains of transmission
and evaluating them. However, it also contains reports that are not sound,
without clearly indicating this, including so-called isra'iliyat. Tabari also
says in some places that one cannot know about certain things and that not to
know about them does not do any harm. In spite of all this the book is
nevertheless one of the most important works in Tafsir referred to by almost
every subsequent scholar. It has been printed twice in Egypt (in 1903 and 1911)
in 30 volumes, while a third edition begun in 1954 has reached volume 15.
Tafsir al Tha'alabi: by Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Tha'alabi al-Nisaburi (d.383/993)
under the title Al-Kashf wa-al-bayan `an Tafsir al-Qur’an with some Sanad
and some unsound tales and stories. Tafsir al-Baghawl: by Hasan Ibn Mas'ud
al-Baghawi (d.510/1116) under the title Ma'alim Al-Tanzil being an
abridgement of Tha`alabi with its weaknesses but with more emphasis on
soundness of hadith.
In the
period following the above, others like al-Suddi (d. 745) and Sulayman (d. 767)
came forward in this field and some of their work survives in the collections
of Hadith and recent versions attributed to them. A complete book of tafsir by
Mujahid (d. 935) is available which is based on a manuscript from the 13th
century AD. However the oldest work of Tafsir extant today is of Al-Tabari (d.
922 AD).
(To be
continued...)
-----
Prof
Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi is Head, Department of Religious Studies, Central
University of Kashmir. Former Director, Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic
Studies, University of Kashmir Srinagar.
Original
Headline: The Quran and its interpretation: An introduction – II
Source: The Rising Kashmir
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/exegesis-(tafsir)-quran-most-important/d/124265
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism