A tafsir ( ; ) is an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a tafsir is a (; plural: ). A Quranic tafsir attempts to provide education, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding and conviction of God's will in Islam. The idea of the interpretation of the Quran first appears in the Quran itself, commenting on cases where it is clear and others where it is ambiguous..
Principally, a tafsir deals with the issues of linguistics, jurisprudence, and theology. In terms of perspective and approach, tafsir can be broadly divided into two main categories, namely tafsir bi-al-ma'thur (lit. received tafsir), which is transmitted from the early days of Islam through the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his companions, and tafsir bi-al-ra'y (lit. tafsir by opinion), which is arrived through personal reflection or independent rational thinking.
There are different characteristics and traditions for each of the tafsirs representing respective schools and doctrines, such as Sunni Islam, Shia Islam, and Sufism. There are also general distinctions between classic tafsirs compiled by authoritative figures of Muslim scholarship during the formative ages of Islam, and modern tafsir which seeks to address a wider audience, including the common people. (See also: Eisegesis)
Etymology The word is derived from the three-letter Arabic verbal root of F-S-R (, 'interpreted'). In its literal meaning, the word refers to interpreting, explaining, expounding, or disclosing. In Islamic contexts, it is defined as understanding and uncovering God's will which has been conveyed by the Quranic text, by means of the Arabic language and one's own knowledge.Al-Zehebi, Al-Tafsir vel Mufassirun
Quantity According to American scholar Samuel Ross, there are 2,700 Quran commentaries extant in manuscript form, and 300 commentaries have been published. Considering that around 96% of the Arabic-language manuscripts remain unstudied, Ross argues that "by extrapolation there may be thousands of additional commentaries still waiting to be discovered."Samuel J. Ross, "What Were the Most Popular tafsīrs in Islamic History? Part 1: An Assessment of the Manuscript Record and the State of tafsīr Studies", Journal of Qur'anic Studies, Volume 25 Issue 3, Page 1-54,
History
In Islamic tradition, the act of interpreting the Quran started with Muhammad, and after Muhammed died, this authority was transferred to his companions (sahabah) because of their familiarity with the language of the Quran, the social context of its revelation (such as the norms of the Arabs), and Muhammad's way of thinking. At this stage, tafsir was selective and concise regarding its coverage, and only certain words, phrases and verses were explained.
The written commentary tradition on the Quran began at a later time. Some traditions state that the earliest written tafsir was by Mujahid ibn Jabr (d. 722), although this is unlikely and the tafsir that exist in his name were compiled and redacted in later centuries.
The earliest commentary on the Quran that survives today was composed by Muqatil ibn Sulayman in the middle of the 8th century, back when the use of poetry, discussion of variants, and the use of the isnad was still rare in Islamic approaches to the Quran. In contrast to later commentaries, the bulk of Muqatil's commentary is made up of brief glosses on what the Quran says instead of offering detailed narratives. Some evidence suggests that Muqatil's commentary was the first one to explore the entire Quran.
By the time of the next generations ensuing the sahabah, scholars in the age of the successors (tabi'in) started using a wide range of sources for tafsir. The whole of the Quran is interpreted, and narrations are separated from tafsir into separate books and literature. Grammatical explanations and historical data are preserved within these books; personal opinions are recorded, whether accepted or rejected. During this time, a whole range of schools of tafsir came into existence in different scholastic centers, including Mecca, Medina and Iraq. Iraqi schools of tafsir came to be known for an approach relied on personal judgment aside from the transmitted reports, and Jewish apocryphal reports were also widely employed. Notable compilers on this age including Sufyan al-Thawri.
Until this age, tafsir had been transmitted orally and had not been collected independently in a book, rather, they had been gathered by muhaddithun (scholars of hadith) in their hadith books, under the topic of tafsir, along with other narrations of Muhammad.Muhsin Demirci, Tefsir Usulü, 120 This indicates that tafsir, in its formative age, used to be a special domain within hadith. Widening of the scope of tafsir and emergence of mufassirun in the age of the successors lead to the development of an independent discipline of tafsir.
Dating Like hadith, reports in the Islamic exegetical literature are attributed to figures that predate the written tafsir. For historians, this raises methodological questions about how to determine the date of origins of individual exegetical opinions on the Quran. Andreas Görke has proposed several approaches and criteria for dating early tafsir. According to Görke, tafsir should be dated on a case-by-case basis, instead of by grouping entire books of exegesis as collectively authentic or inauthentic. Since first-century exegesis may have circulated orally or in teaching notes before becoming formal commentaries, Görke proposes beginning by looking at individual reports attributed to early figures. He positions this against two extremes: the traditional/sanguine view that early ascriptions are broadly reliable, and the skeptical view that isnads and early attributions are mostly later literary constructions.
The criteria Görke outlines are cumulative. A report is stronger if it has early or independent attestation in multiple sources, if the material attributed to a figure is internally consistent, if the interpretation is distinctive rather than widely projected onto many authorities, and if later authors preserve it even while rejecting it. He also allows isnads to help, but only secondarily: they should corroborate textual and historical evidence but not serve as the only basis for advancing a dating. Other clues for the date of a tafsir can include datable terminology, historical references, and signs of editorial intrusion. However, these secondary clues are difficult as they are rare or ambiguous when studying short reports. Görke argues that first-century tafsir already included legal reasoning, narrative expansion, biblical material, theological argument, variant readings, and cross-Quranic interpretation.
Exegetical scholarship
An author of a tafsir is called a (; plural: ). Mufassirs are required to master several disciplines such as linguistics, rhetoric, theology and jurisprudence before one can authoritatively interpret the Quran. In order for a commentary to be acceptable, the subjects that the commentator must first know in depth are listed as follows.
Proficiency in the Arabic language and fiqh – known as ilm-ul-balagha, required to understand the syntax and grammar of the Quran, including nuances, expressions, and figurative language Holistic knowledge of the Quran – The primary criteria is understanding and knowing the entire Quran. Knowledge of context – a scholar must understand the historical context and circumstances of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) to interpret the text correctly. Use of traditional sources (Quran and Sunnah) – tafsir al-mathur is the interpretation of the Quran based on higher and reliable authorities, including what the Quran itself says in other passages (intratextual analysis), as well as the Sunnah, or the interpretations that are believed by Muslims to have been passed down in the form of hadith from Muhammad himself or his companions (sahaba), or the generation after that, known as the successors (tabi'un). Reason (Tafsir bi'l-Ra'y) – the independent reasoning of a scholar to understand and interpret the meaning of the Quran, often supported by other Islamic texts or scholarly consensus. Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) – understanding of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and the methodology of legal derivation is needed to avoid misinterpreting legal rulings in the Quran and identify where which verses have been abrogated (naskh) by other verses. Avoiding interpretations that contradict Islamic beliefs – any interpretation of the Quran must be consistent with established Islamic theology (aqidah).
Methods The methodology for the interpretation of the Quran in traditional commentaries can broadly be divided into two: commentary based on using received traditional sources about the context of a statement in the Quran, known as tafsir bi'l-ma'thur ('received tafsir'), also known as tafsir bi'r-riwayah, or commentaries based on independent reasoning, known as tafsir bi'r-ra'y ('tafsir by opinion'), also known as tafsir bi'd-dirayah.
Using traditional sources The approach of commenting on the Quran using traditional sources is known as tafsir bi'l-ma'thur. A more specific strategy, tafsir bi'r-riwayah, connotes using another part of the Quran, or the sayings of Muhammad or his companions (sahabah) specifically. Islamic scholars have widely adopted this method, and it has become the most common one in Quranic exegesis. Some important examples of tafsir bi'r-riwayah are Jami' al-Bayan by al-Tabari and Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim by Ibn Kathir. The sources used for tafsir bi'r-riwāyah can be ordered by the rank of authority, as the Quran, hadiths, the reports by the sahabah and tabi'iun, classical Arabic literature, and Isra'iliyat.
Criticism of non-riwaya method is mostly based on two grounds; for one, Muhammad has condemned those who interpret the Quran from their own point of view,Tirmizi, Tafsir, 1 and for two, most companions of Muhammad have refrained from presenting their own ideas.Taberi, Camiul Beyan, I, 27
Interpretation of the Quran employing other Quranic reference is very common because of the close interrelatedness of the verses of the Quran with one another. The Quranic verses explain and interpret one another, which leads many to believe that it has the highest level of authenticity. Many verses or words in the Quran are explained or further clarified in other verses of the Quran. One example of the hadith which extensively employs this source of method is al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran by Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i. The authoritative source of method second to the Quran is Hadith, by using narratives of Muhammad to interpret the Quran. In this approach the most important external aids used are the collected oral traditions upon which Muslim scholars based Islamic history and law. Authority of this method is considered established by the statement made in the Quran that Muhammad is responsible for explanation and guidance. While some narratives are of revelation origin, others can be the result of reasonings made by Muhammad. One important aspect of these narratives is their origin. Narratives used for tafsir, and in general, must be of authentic origin (sahih). Narratives of such origin are considered requisite for tafsir.
Other source of the interpretation includes the accounts of the companions of Muhammad, or tabi'un, the generation after the sahabah, and Tabi' al-Tabi'in, the generation after the tabi'un. Their authority is based on an account in hadith Sahih Bukhari, according to which Muhammad said: The best people are those living in my generation, then those coming after them (tabi'un), and then those coming after (the third generation).