{"id":7825,"date":"2010-07-13T01:04:27","date_gmt":"2010-07-13T01:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/?p=7825"},"modified":"2012-06-08T01:09:01","modified_gmt":"2012-06-08T01:09:01","slug":"7825","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/","title":{"rendered":"The Correct Methodology of Tafseer"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Qur\u2019aan is the last book of divine revelation sent to man, and Allaah has\u00a0promised to protect it from any distortion or loss. He said in the Qur\u2019aan:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cVerily, I have revealed the Reminder (Qur\u2019aan) and verily I will\u00a0preserve it.\u201d {15:9}<\/strong><\/p>\n

Its written and recited forms have been preserved without even the slightest\u00a0change for over fourteen hundred years.However, Allaah\u2019s protection of the Qur\u2019aan did not stop\u00a0there; He also safeguarded the original meaning. If the protection of the Qur\u2019aan\u2019s\u00a0meaning had not taken place, deviants would have turned the Book of Allaah into\u00a0a jumble of symbols, riddles and codes open to a multiplicity of interpretations,\u00a0and its original meaning would have been lost. The following steps have been deduced by orthodox scholars as being the necessary conditions for making correct tafseer of the Qur\u2019aan:<\/p>\n

1. Tafseer of Qur\u2019aan by Qur\u2019aan:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Before seeking an explanation or interpretation elsewhere, the Qur\u2019aan must be relied upon to explain itself, for Allaah knows best what He intended.<\/p>\n

For example,\u00a0<\/strong>Ibn Mas\u2018ood related that when the following verse was\u00a0revealed:<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who believe and do not obscure their faith with transgression\u00a0(thulm), for them there is security, and they are rightly guided,\u201d
\n<\/strong>
\nsome of the companions became distressed, because the general linguistic\u00a0meaning of thulm covers any kind of wrong, major or minor, and none of them\u00a0were free from error. However, when they approached the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) about it, he\u00a0replied,<\/p>\n

\u201c It is not as you all think. It is no more than what Luqmaan said to his\u00a0son, \u2018Verily, shirk (associating partners with God) is the greatest form\u00a0of thulm.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thus the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)\u00a0clarified for them that the broader meaning of thulm was not\u00a0intended in the first verse; rather it was used to refer to shirk. In this incident, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)\u00a0explained the Qur\u2019aan by the Qur\u2019aan, demonstrating the first step in the divinely ordained method of understanding and interpretation of the Qur\u2019aan that was established for all generations of Muslims\u00a0until the Day of Resurrection.<\/p>\n

2. Tafseer of Qur\u2019aan by the Sunnah:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

On many occasions, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)\u00a0added further clarification to various\u00a0verses of the Qur\u2019aan. Allaah had entrusted the job of explaining the Qur\u2019aan to\u00a0the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). This trust was expressed in the Qur\u2019aan in no uncertain terms,<\/p>\n

\u201cI have revealed the Reminder (Qur\u2019aan) to you (O Muhammad) so\u00a0that you may explain to the people what has been revealed to them.\u201d
\n<\/strong>
\nThe sahaabah understood this clearly and always turned to the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)\u00a0for\u00a0clarification whenever they were in doubt about the meaning of any of the\u00a0Qur\u2019aanic passages. In fact, most of the fine details of salaah, zakaah, sawm,\u00a0hajj, inheritance laws, etc. were explained either by the Prophet\u2019s statements or\u00a0practical demonstrations and applications (the Sunnah). Thus, the Prophet\u2019s\u00a0explanations of Qur\u2019aanic passages are referred to as the tafseer of the Qur\u2019aan by\u00a0the Sunnah. For example, in Soorah al-Faatihah, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)\u00a0explained that\u00a0\u201cal-maghdoobi \u2018alayhim\u201d (those on whom is Allaah\u2019s anger) are the Jews, and \u201cad-daalleen\u201d (those astray) are the Christians.<\/p>\n

Tafseer of Qur\u2019aan by Aathaar:<\/span>
\n<\/strong>
\nWhenever the sahaabah could not find the tafseer of a passage in the Qur\u2019aan\u00a0itself or in the Sunnah, they would use their own reasoning based on their\u00a0knowledge of the contexts of the verses and the intricacies of the Arabic language\u00a0in which the Qur\u2019aan was revealed. For example, when Ibn \u2018Abbaas was questioned about the verse:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their\u00a0chastity and to only reveal from their adornment that which\u00a0(normally) appears,\u201d
\n<\/strong>
\nhe replied, \u201cIt refers to the face and hands.\u201d On another occasion, after reciting\u00a0the verse,<\/p>\n

Tafseer of Qur\u2019aan by Language:<\/span>
\n<\/strong>
\nWith the passage of time, words took on new meanings and old meanings\u00a0became lost, foreign words entered into the language, and vast sections of\u00a0vocabulary fell into disuse. This natural process necessitated the explanation of\u00a0some of the Qur\u2019aanic words according to their literal and grammatical meanings.\u00a0For example,<\/strong>\u00a0Yusuf Ali translates the word \u201cburooj\u201d used in the 85th soorah as \u201cthe Zodiacal signs,\u201d while Pickthall translates it as \u201cMansions of the Stars,\u201d but says in his introduction to the soorah that it \u201cis applied to the signs of the zodiac.\u201d Thus, according to them, Allaah is making an oath by the zodiacal signs. Some English-speaking Muslims have taken this to be indirect support for astrology. However, \u201cburooj\u201d originally only meant \u201cstar con-figuration,\u201d and it was not until later times that it was used to refer to the imaginary figures of the zodiac that pagan Babylonians and Greeks superimposed on them. Astrology has been forbidden by the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)\u00a0in no uncertain terms, as it falls under the\u00a0general prohibition on visiting fortunetellers. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)\u00a0said,<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever…visits a fortuneteller [and believes in what he says] 87 has disbelieved\u00a0in what was revealed to Muhammad.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tafseer of Qur\u2019aan by Opinion:<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
\n

Opinions based on a careful study of the first four steps can be considered\u00a0valid as long as they do not contradict any of those steps. Likewise, the\u00a0application of obvious meanings of the Qur\u2019aan to existing situations and the\u00a0formation of conclusions based on their similarities are also allowed, as long as\u00a0such interpretations do not clash with authentic classical explanations. But, \u00a0free\u00a0interpretation based on philosophical, scientific, or sectarian ideas is totally\u00a0forbidden. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)\u00a0was reported to have said,<\/p>\n

\u201cOpinion-based argument about the Qur\u2019aan is kufr.\u201d He repeated it three times,\u00a0then said, \u201cWhat you know of it, act upon; and what you are ignorant of, refer it\u00a0to one who knows.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

We can see from the above-mentioned hadeeth that the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)\u00a0sternly\u00a0warned his companions and later generations of Muslims about interpretations of\u00a0the Qur\u2019aan based on speculation and unsubstantiated opinions. The reason is that\u00a0the Qur\u2019aan is the foundation of Islaam and, as such, it had to remain pure and untampered with. If free rein was given to any and everyone to interpret the Qur\u2019aan as they wished, its value would be totally destroyed, and Islaam itself.would be undermined from its base.<\/p>\n

Thus, the only acceptable tafseer is that which adheres to the following sequence: tafseer of Qur\u2019aan by the Qur\u2019aan, then by the Sunnah, then by the sayings of the sahaabah, then by language, and finally by opinion, as long as it is based on the preceding four methods and does not\u00a0contradict any of them.<\/p>\n

(Taken from the \u00a0Usool At Tafseer course offered by IOU.)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Qur\u2019aan is the last book of divine revelation sent to man, and Allaah has\u00a0promised to protect it from any distortion or loss. He said in the Qur\u2019aan: \u201cVerily, I have revealed the Reminder (Qur\u2019aan) and verily I will\u00a0preserve it.\u201d {15:9} Its written and recited forms have been preserved without even the slightest\u00a0change for over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13,12,15,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Correct Methodology of Tafseer - Quran Learning Pen<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Correct Methodology of Tafseer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Qur\u2019aan is the last book of divine revelation sent to man, and Allaah has\u00a0promised to protect it from any distortion or loss. He said in the Qur\u2019aan: \u201cVerily, I have revealed the Reminder (Qur\u2019aan) and verily I will\u00a0preserve it.\u201d {15:9} Its written and recited forms have been preserved without even the slightest\u00a0change for over […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Quran Learning Pen\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-07-13T01:04:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-06-08T01:09:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/17356107_8e370bd3f8-300x225.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"hamzaa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"hamzaa\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/\",\"name\":\"The Correct Methodology of Tafseer - Quran Learning Pen\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-07-13T01:04:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-06-08T01:09:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c47e3f7545e50f26eba2b5f8e566997e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Correct Methodology of Tafseer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/\",\"name\":\"Quran Learning Pen\",\"description\":\"Amazing technology to read, learn, understand and memorise Quran\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c47e3f7545e50f26eba2b5f8e566997e\",\"name\":\"hamzaa\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16cc0644a5c657a5787aaf0cfe25a7fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16cc0644a5c657a5787aaf0cfe25a7fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"hamzaa\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/author\/hamzaa\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Correct Methodology of Tafseer - Quran Learning Pen","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Correct Methodology of Tafseer","og_description":"The Qur\u2019aan is the last book of divine revelation sent to man, and Allaah has\u00a0promised to protect it from any distortion or loss. He said in the Qur\u2019aan: \u201cVerily, I have revealed the Reminder (Qur\u2019aan) and verily I will\u00a0preserve it.\u201d {15:9} Its written and recited forms have been preserved without even the slightest\u00a0change for over […]","og_url":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/","og_site_name":"Quran Learning Pen","article_published_time":"2010-07-13T01:04:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2012-06-08T01:09:01+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/17356107_8e370bd3f8-300x225.jpg"}],"author":"hamzaa","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"hamzaa","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/","url":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/","name":"The Correct Methodology of Tafseer - Quran Learning Pen","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2010-07-13T01:04:27+00:00","dateModified":"2012-06-08T01:09:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c47e3f7545e50f26eba2b5f8e566997e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/7825\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Correct Methodology of Tafseer"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/","name":"Quran Learning Pen","description":"Amazing technology to read, learn, understand and memorise Quran","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c47e3f7545e50f26eba2b5f8e566997e","name":"hamzaa","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16cc0644a5c657a5787aaf0cfe25a7fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16cc0644a5c657a5787aaf0cfe25a7fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"hamzaa"},"url":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/author\/hamzaa\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7825"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7825"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7828,"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7825\/revisions\/7828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quranlearningpen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}