Asalaamu alaikum G-l
Alhamdulillah wasallalahu wasallim ala Nabiyyina Muhammad, and below is a
concise introduction to the fundamentals of tafseer as performed by scholars
of the Qur'aan.
How Tafseer is Performed?
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah
An Introduction to the Principles of Tafseer
© 1993 al-Hidaayah
If you ask what is the best method of tafseer, the answer is that the
best way is to explain the Qur’aan through the Qur’aan. For, what
the Qur’aan alludes to at one place is explained at the other, and
what it says in brief on one occasion is elaborated upon at the other.
But if this does not help you, you should turn to the sunnah, because
the sunnah explains and elucidates the Qur’aan. Imaam Abu `Abd
Allaah Muhammad ibn Idrees al-Shaafi`ee has said: "All that the Prophet,
peace be upon him, has said is what he has derived from the Qur’aan."
Allaah has said: "We have sent down to you the book in truth that you may
judge between me, as Allaah guides you; so don’t be an advocate for those
who betray their trust." [al-Qur’aan, 4:105]
"We have sent down to you the message that you may explain clearly to people
what has been sent to them, and that they think over it." [16:44]
"We sent down the Book to you for the express purpose that you should make
clear to them those things in which they differ, and that it should be a
guide and a mercy to those who believe." [16:64]
This is why the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "Know that I
have been given the Qur’aan and something like it" [Ahmad, Musnad, Vol. IV
131; Abu Dawood, Sunan, Sunnah, 5], namely the Sunnah. In fact, the Sunnah,
too has been given to him through wahy (revelation) as the Qur’aan, except
that it has not been recited to him as the Qur’aan. Imaam al-Shaafi`ee and
other scholars have
advanced a number of arguments in support of this point; but this is
not the place to quote them. [For discussion see al-Shaafi`ee, al-Risaalah]
In order to understand the Qur’aan, you should first look to the
Qur’aan itself. If that does not help, then turn to the Sunnah. The
Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) sent Mu`aadh (radiyallaahu `anhu) to
Yemen and asked him: "How will you judge the cases (that come to you)?" He
replied: "I will judge according to the Book of Allaah". "But if you do not
get anything there, what will you do?", the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa
sallam) asked. He said: "I will refer to the sunnah of the Prophet
(sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam)". "But if you do not get it even there, what
will you do?", the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) asked again. He
replied: "I will exercise my judgment." Hearing this the Prophet
(sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) patted Mu`aadh (radiyallaahu `anhu) on the
shoulder and said: "Praise be to Allaah who has guided the Messenger of His
Messenger to what pleases His Messenger." This hadeeth has been reported in
the Musnad and Sunan collections of hadeeth with a good isnaad. [Ahmad,
Musnad V:230, 236, 242; al-Daarimee, Sunan, Muqaddimah, 30; al-Tirmidhee,
Sunan, Ahkaam, 3; Abu Dawood, Sunan, Adhiyah, 11.]
When you do not get any help from the Qur’aan or the Sunnah, turn
to the words of the companions. For they know the Qur'’an better:
they have witnessed its revelation, and passed through the situations
in which it was revealed: and know it and understand it fully. This is
particularly true of the scholars and leaders such as the four
righteous caliphs and `Abdullaah ibn Mas`ood. Imaam Abu Ja`far
Muhammad ibn Jareer al-Tabaree reports: Abu Kurayb narrated to
us, saying: Jaabir ibn Nooh informed us that: al-A`mash informed us
from Abu Duhaa: from Masrooq that `Abdullaah ibn Mas`ood said:
"By the one besides whom there none has the right to be worshipped, there is
no verse in the Qur’aan about which I do not know in whose case and at what
place was it revealed. If I were aware that anyone knew the Qur’aan more
than me, and I could reach him, I would certainly have gone to see him."
[Ibn al-Atheer, Jaami` al-Usool fee Ahaadeeth ar-Rasool, 1392/1972, Vol. IX
p.48.] Al-A`mash has also reported through Abu Waa`il that ibn Mas`ood said:
"When anyone of us learned ten verses of the Qur’aan, he did not proceed
further unless he had known what they meant and what action they demanded."
Another great scholar is `Abdullaah ibn `Abbaas (radiyallaahu `anhumaa), the
nephew of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) and the commentator of
the Qur’aan. He attained that stature in virtue of the Prophet’s prayer: "O
Allaah! Give him knowledge of Islaam and teach him the meaning of the
Qur’aan." [Ahmad, Musnad, Vol. 1: 266, 314, 328, 335].
Muhammad ibn Bashshaar narrated to us, that Wakee` informed us,
that Sufyaan informed us from al-A`mash: from Musim (ibn Sabeeh
Abee Duhaa) from Masrooq: that `Abdullaah ibn Mas`ood (radiyallaahu
`anhumaa) said: "What a good interpreter of the
Qur’aan Ibn `Abbaas is!" Ibn Jareer has also reported this hadeeth through
Yahyaa ibn Dawood, from Ishaaq al-Azraq, from Sufyaan,
from al-A`mash, from Muslim ibn Sabeeh Abee Duhaa, from al-Masrooq with
slightly different words: "What a good interpreter
Ibn `Abbaas is of the Qur’aan!" He has also reported the same
words through Bundar, from Ja`far ibn `Awn from al-A`mash. These
words are, therefore, the actual words of Ibn Mas`ood (radiyallahau
`anhumaa) which he said about Ibn `Abbaas (radiyallaahu `anhumaa). Ibn
Mas`ood (radiyallaahu `anhumaa) died, most probably, in 33 A.H. Ibn `Abbaas
(radiyallaahu `anhumaa) lived for thirty six years after him, and added a
lot to the treasury of Islaamic knowledge.
Al-A`mash quotes from Abu Waa`il that Ibn `Abbaas (radiyallaahu `anhumaa)
was appointed leader of the Hajj by `Alee (radiyallaahu `anhu); he delivered
a sermon and read from Soorah al-Baqarah, or Soorah al-Noor according to
another report, and explained it in such a way that had the Romans, Turks
and the Dalamites heard it, they would have embraced Islaam. This is the
reason why most of what Ismaa`eel ibn `Abd al-Rahmaan Suddee has written in
tafseer consists of the explanations of these two scholars: Ibn Mas`ood and
Ibn `Abbaas (radiyallaahu `anhum).
May Allah increase us in beneficial knowledge and dress us in the robe of
taqwaa. Allahumma salli wasallim ala Nabiyyina Muhammad. Wasalaam.
Modou Mbye
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