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The Correct Understanding of the
Qur'aan
The Need for Tafseer
"(This is) a Book (the Qur'aan)
which We have sent down to you,
full of blessings that they may
ponder over it's verses, and that
men of understanding may
remember" [Soorah Saad (38): 29]
"With clear signs and Books (We
sent the Messenger). And We have
also sent down unto you (O
Muhammad (sallallahu alaihe wa-
sallam)) the reminder and the
advice (the Qur'aan) , that you may
explain clearly to men what is sent
down to them, and that they may
give thought." [Soorah An-Nahl (16):
44]
Allah, the Most High revealed the
Qur'aan as a Mercy and Blessing for
people, so that they may understand,
contemplate and act upon it. It's
passages contain advice and guidance
for those who believe in Allah and
the Day of Judgment. Hence, a
Believer's success in this life and the
next largely depends on his
understanding and application of the Qur'aan.
One who learns (understands) the
Book of Allaah, implements its
command and avoids its prohibition,and does not transgress its stated limits, the Qur'aan will then be a proof for him on the Day of Resurrection.
As stated by the Prophet of Allah
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam): " The
Qur'aan is a proof on your behalf
or against you. " [Sahih Muslim no.
432]
But understanding the Qur'aan needs
explanation and clarification and
hence the need of Tafseer.
The are four aspects of Tafseer. Ibn
Jarir narrated that Ibn Abbas said:
There are four aspects of Tafseer
[Introduction of Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
1- An aspect known by the Arabs
because of their familiarity with the
language of the Qur'aan.
2 - An aspect of Tafseer, which no
Muslim is excused for ignoring. This
outlines the lawful and the forbidden.
These statements are very clear in
the Qur'aan for e.g. Establish Salaah
(Prayer.
3 - An Aspect of Tafseer known only
to the Scholars, which they deduce
from the Tafseer of the Qur'aan from
the Qur'aan or the Hadeeth.
Meanings that could only be arrived
by sound and great learning.
4 - An Aspect known only to Allah.
This concerns verses that are
Mutashabihat (allegorical) and are
matters of the Ghayb (unseen). Any
human claiming knowledge and
understanding of such verses is
indeed a liar. A good example of
such a verse is the first verse of
Soorah al-Baqarah - Alif-Laam-Miim.
" It is He who has revealed to you
the Qur'aan. Some of its verses are
precise and clear in meaning; they
are the Mother of the Book while
others are allegorical. Those with a
swerving in their hearts pursue the
allegorical, to seek to create
dissension by seeking to explain it.
Yet no one knows their explanation
except Allah. Those who are firmly
grounded in knowledge say: 'We
believe in it, it is all from our
Lord'. But only men of
understanding really take
heed. " [Soorah al-Imran (3):7]
The Correct Method of Tafseer
The word 'Tafseer' comes from the
word fassara, literally meaning
explanation or exposition. However,
in the Islamic terminology this term
is defined as a branch of knowledge
by which the Qur'aan is understood,
its meaning and explanation, and its
point of law and wisdom derived.
Tafseer of the Qur'aan by the
Qur'aan
The highest form of Tafseer is that of the Qur'aan by the Qur'aan, since
one part of the Qur'aan explains the
other. The Qur'aan often alludes to a thing stating it briefly at one place
and then elaborates upon it at
another.
By referring, to the relevant
passages, one will have a clear
understanding of the verses and a
complete view of its themes. There
are many places in the Qur'aan
where questions are asked and
subsequently answered, in other
places general statements are made
and later explained in order to vary
the modes of presentation and
encourage readers and listeners to
reflect more.
For example:
Allah asks: "By at-Taariq. And what
will make you understand what is
at-Taariq ?." [Soorah Taariq (86):1-2]
He then answers in the next verse...
"It is the piercing star
(Venus)." [Soorah at-Taariq (86): 3]
"Verily the Awliya of Allah have
nothing to fear or grieve." [Soorah
Al-Yoonus (10): 62]
The word Awliya has been explained
in the next verse: "Those who
believe and have fear" [Soorah Al-
Yoonus (10): 63]
Hence, before any explanation or
interpretation is sought, the Qur'aan
must be relied upon to explain itself,
for Allah knows best.
Tafseer of the Qur'aan by the
Sunnah
It is very important to refer to the
authentic Sunnah of the Prophet
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) because
the Sunnah explains and elucidates
the Qur'aan, since the Sunnah is also
given to him (sallallahu alaihe wa-
sallam) by through wahy as the
Qur'aan.
On many occasions Prophet
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) has
added further clarification to various
verses of the Qur'aan, for he was
commanded not only to communicate
the words of the Qur'aan but also
explain their meaning.
Allah entrusted him the job of
explaining the Qur'aan. He said: "You
should explain to people what has
been sent down to them." [Soorah
an-Nahl (16): 44]
"Verily We have revealed the
Reminder (Qur'aan) to you (O
Muhammad (sallallahu alaihe wa-
sallam)) so that you may explain to
the people what has been revealed
to them." [Soorah an-Nahl (16):44]
Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam) is the most
knowledgeable of all in regards to
the intended meaning of Allah
because revelation of the Qur'aan
includes its meaning, as Allah says:
"Verily, collecting the Qur'aan and
reciting it to you is Our
responsibility, so if We read it to
you, listen to it. Then, We will
explain it." [Soorah al-Qiyaamah
(75):19]
The second part of Allah's promise to
explain the Qur'aan: "Verily, We will
explain it" represents the Sunnah
since it is based on guidance from
Allah. Thus, Prophet (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam) said:
"Know that I have been given the
Qur'aan and something like it
(namely the sunnah)." [Ahmad vol.4
no.131: Sunan Abu Dawood]
And Allah said about him: "Indeed,
he does not speak out of desire
but verily it is a revelation sent
down to him" [Sooarh An-Najm (53):
3-4]
Consequently, no other human
interpretation can be given
precedence over that of the Prophet.
The Sahabah (radiyallahu anhum)
understood this clearly and always
turned to the Prophet for clarification
whenever they were in doubt about
the meaning of any of the Qur'aanic
passages. In fact, most of the fine
details of Salaah, Zakaah, Sawm,
Hajj, inheritance laws, etc. were
explained either by the Prophet's
statements or practical
demonstrations (the Sunnah).
Thus, the Prophet's explanations of
Qur'aanic passages are refereed to as
the Tafseer of the Qur'aan by the
Sunnah. Some examples...
"For those who have done
righteous deeds is the reward of
Paradise and more." [Soorah Yoonus
(10): 26]
Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam)
explained 'more' to mean looking at
the Face of Allah the Most High, he
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said:
"When those deserving of Paradise
would enter Paradise, the Blessed
and the Exalted would ask:
'Do you wish Me to give you anything
more?' They would say: Have You not
brightened our faces? Have You not
made us enter Paradise and saved us
from Fire? He (the narrator) said: (He
Allah) would lift the veil, and of
things given to them nothing would
be dearer to them than the sight of
their Lord, the Mighty and the
Glorious." [Saheeh Muslim number
347]
"(Remember) the day when the
shin shall be uncovered (Day of
Resurrection) and they shall be
called to prostrate (to Allah), but
they shall not be able to
prostrate." [Soorah Al-Qalam (68)]
The afore-mentioned verse is
explained by the following Hadeeth:
"Allah will then uncover His Shin
whereupon every believer will
prostrate before Him and there will
remain those who used to prostrate
before Him just for showing off and
for gaining good reputation. These
people will try to prostrate but their
backs will be rigid (firm) like one
piece of a wood (and they will not be
able to prostrate" [Saheeh Al-Bukhari
vol.9.no. 532B]
Narrated Abdullah (radhiallahu anhu):
"When the Verse: "It is those who
believe (in Allaah) and confuse not
their belief with Thulm (wrong) , for
them only there is security and
they are the guided ones ." (Soorah
Al-Anam (6): 82) was revealed, it
became very hard on the companions
of the Prophet and they said. "Who
among us has not confused his belief
with Thulm (wrong, oppression)?"
On that, Prophet (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam) said, "This is not meant
(by the Verse). Don't you listen to
Luqman's statement: 'Verily! Joining
others in worship with Allah is a
great Thulm indeed." [(31): 13]
[Saheeh Bukharee v.9. no. 53]
Tafseer of the Qur'aan by Aathaar
Tafseer of the companions is
extremely important since they
accompanied and learned from the
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam).
They have witnessed its revelation,
and passed through the situations in
which it was revealed, knew and
understood it completely.
Allah made following of the Sahabah
(radhiallahu anhu) a condition for us,
in understanding the matters of
belief, when He says: "And if they
believe as you believe then they
are rightly guided, but if they turn
away, then they are only in
opposition." [Soorah al-Baqarah (2):
137]
This is because it is not possible to
understand the Qur'aan and the
Sunnah completely, unless we refer
back to the understanding of the
Sahabah, for they were the ones who
learnt the religion directly from the
Prophet. If this principle is ignored
then this will give rise to a number of
different contradictory interpretations
of the Qur'aan.
Accordingly if one understands the
Qur'aan in a different way - from
how the Sahabah understood, then it
is not possible for him believe as
they believed; as Allah has ordered
us in Soorah al-Baqarah (verse 137,
mentioned above) and cannot be
rightly guided.
Tafseer of the Successors (at-
Taabi'een) and their Successors
(Tabaa at-Taabieen)
After the Qur'aan, the Sunnah and
the Tafseer of the Sahabah, the
Tafseer of the successors is
considered as a valid source. It is
because they took it from the
Companions who took it from the
Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam). Sheikh ul-Islaam, Ibn
Taimeeyah explains why the Tafseer
done by the best generations after
the Sahabah (companions) are more
closer to the truth than the Tafseer
by the later generations. He says that
they are free from the defects found
in the later generations, which are as
follows...
a. Their expositions have not been
influenced by foreign ideas.
b. They have not been affected by
the political and theological disputes
that marred the Tafseer of the later
generations.
c. They are for sure, the best and
purest expositions in the letter and
spirit of the Qur'aan.
However, their expositions carry
authority only when they are all in
agreement. Where they differ, no one
view is binding over and above
another, or for that matter binding
over the following generations.
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