Tafsir Ibn Juzayy
Ogier Dudley
This extract from the work in progress consists of all the entries for the letter Alif. I am following the Penrice Dictionary and Glossary of the Qur'an, revising it against Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon, and other sources. The file here is in a PDF form, and you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read it.
This is Imam as-Suyuti's own introduction to his book on the Rijal or narrators of Imam Malik's Muwatta (the narration of Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi). See also Rijal: the narrators of the Muwatta Imam Muhammad by Ta-Ha Publishing Ltd.
"The author was born in 693 AH. His name was Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad, called al-Qasim, ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi, i.e. from the Arab tribe of Kalb, may Allah be pleased with him and make him contented, and make the Garden his shelter. He was al-Gharnati (from Granada in Andalusia, Spain) and thus European. Ibn Juzayy wrote widely on all the sciences of his day: hadith, fiqh, Qur'anic recitations and tafsir. He died fighting as a shaheed in the Battle of Tareef in the year 741 AH."
(from the introduction to "The Sciences of Tafsir")
The book includes his outline of all of the sciences of commentary on the Qur'an, and his commentary on the isti'adhah, the basmalah, the Fatihah, the last ten surahs of Qur'an from Surat al-Fil to the end, and the first ayat of Surat al-Baqarah.
The following file is PDF - Portable Document Format. I have used this format since it allows me to publish a document with a mix of English and Arabic in it. The book was written and the layout done with Nisus Writer on a Macintosh, but PDF is readable on almost any computer.
The Sciences of Tafsir. This latter contains almost the entire first introduction on the sciences necessary for tafsir, the commentary on the seeking refuge, the basmalah, the last ten surahs, the Fatihah and on the first ayat of Surat al-Baqarah, with a considerable amount of explanatory notes and footnotes. This book is shortly to be issued as an e-book on this site insha'Allah.
If we examine first the 'aqidahs which are acknowledged, such as those of at-Tahawi, an-Nasafi, or Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani (in his Risalah and the Kitab al-Jami') we find that none of them mention the Mahdi as a fundamental part of the 'aqidah of Islam, whereas all do indeed mention the return of 'Isa, peace be upon him, and the descent of the Dajjal, except in the Risalah, whose 'aqidah is brief.
When we turn to the works of ahadith, we find that Malik in Muwatta, and al-Bukhari mention nothing of the Mahdi at all, although Muslim does mention a hadith that in later times there will be an unnamed noble and generous khalifah. It is inconceivable for these great Imams to have neglected something which is a fundamental pillar of the 'aqidah.
The significance of this section is not to deny that there may be at some point in the future of Islam a great rightly-guided Khalifah, but that it is not a fundamental part of the 'aqidah and that it is a deviation of Islam to 'wait for the Mahdi' in order to establish Islam, wage jihad or restore the Khalifate.
In the later part of this section Ibn Khaldun devotes some space to Sufi writings on the Mahdi, and on some of the historical personages particularly in North Africa who rose in revolt proclaiming themselves to be Mahdis. Ibn Khaldun writes that if there is to be a Mahdi he will have to appear according to the dynamics of political power outlined in the Muqaddimah, and not as in the apocalyptic fantasies of some sources.
This section is by no means the last word on this matter, and Ibn Khaldun's chapter has met with criticism from other hadith scholars throughout the ages, but that is also of the nature of these sciences, since there are few scholars who have escaped criticism for some position they have taken. Some of the criticisms made of him are utterly baseless, such as that he was not a scholar of hadith. This is blatantly untrue since he was educated thoroughly in hadith and indeed later in Cairo taught both fiqh and hadith, and numbered among his pupils the great Ibn Hajar (not necessarily in the science of hadith) who is unquestionably one of the greatest authorities on the subject.
However, this chapter has particular interest for us because of the huge significance that the prophetic ahadith on the Mahdi are given in the time in which we live, and as a corrective to the transformation of the Mahdi into "al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar" (the Awaited Mahdi) whom one of our acquaintance wittily renamed "al-Mahdi al-Muntadhir" (the Waiting Mahdi).
What one Arabic tafsir would you recommend that a person read at least once in a life time? What four Arabic Tafsirs would you recommend for a student of knowledge to have? And could you list them in order of priority. And if there is one or two more that you would please list.
This research discussed the impact of Quranic context and a concern of its sigmficance into Ibn juzayy al-kalbi exegesis which named (Altashil lieulum altafsir). He is one of interpreters who gave the sigmficance of context a special concern as one of exegesis (Tafsir) foundations. The research also shows adefinition of context both in language and terminology, then it displays the importance of context on exploring meaning.the placements were inductive which Ibn juzayy rely on context sigmficance according to what fall under context sigmficance of the assets of his own.
Sadly, Quranic studies in general, and tafsir in particular, are often the weakest parts of the curricula of Islamic schools, institutes and universities. What follows is a suggestion on how to study this noble science.
The objective at this stage is to study completely an abridged and easy tafsir that gives one a general understanding of the Quran. This is a vital stage as it introduces the science of tafsir to the beginner. It must be emphasised that the book one chooses must be studied cover to cover, without getting preoccupied with the troublesome aspects (variant readings, conflicting interpretations, linguistics, etc.) of each ayah.
Tafsir al-Muyasir, al-Muntakhab fi Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim, and the recently published al-Mukhtasar fi al-Tafsir by Markaz al-Tafsir all give the general meaning of each ayah, without explaining each and every word. At first glance, this might seem to be a deficiency, as one would expect to have each word explained, but these works serve as excellent starting points in getting the gist of an ayah before further and deeper investigations. A student should be able to explain the general meaning of each ayah. A committee of scholars worked for years on each of these and one engaged with tafsir can really appreciate the efforts, as they present the most accurate interpretation of each ayah summarised in contemporary Arabic.
It is important at this stage to be consistent. One should plan well and designate a set amount to study each week, sticking to it till one completes the task. A manageable amount is to read half a juz a week, or the tafsir of about a page from the Mushaf al-Madinah a day. In this manner, one will have completed the basic tafsir of the Quran in approximately one year.
This level is the beginning of specialization. One moves beyond having a general picture about each ayah that presents only one meaning and moves towards exegetical methodology (usul al-tafsir) and the various statements of the exegetes (aqwal al-mufassirin).
Tafsir Ibn Juzayy is another excellent intermediate work, which may compliment reading Zad al-Masir. It is notable for its focus on definitions and the branches of learning that lead out from the Quran.
At this stage one starts to address the issue of preponderance (tarjih) with the aim that the student should know which view is most correct about what is said about each ayah, as well as the strongest non-preponderant views, as these have the possibility of also being correct. One should research issues in the major references and practically apply the methodologies, focusing on the specialised features which distinguish each exegete, be that language, fiqh, variant readings, etc.
When he speaks of the legal implication of verses and sentences, Ibn Atiyyah does not confine himself to the Maliki madhab, nor does he always support the views of the madhab. He analyzes the evidence supporting each view and gives preponderance to views that have solid evidence.
Wa alaykum salam. The levels are roughly the same, though the ulum al-hadith curriculum takes longer and has more levels. One should progress through the levels so that one does not end up, for example, at the advanced stage in tafsir but the intermediate stage in hadith.
Perhaps a translated tafsir can help in this regard, but then the student is inevitably stumped at the grammatical discussions that arise therein. How would you deal with these? I really would like to know your solution.
I do take onboard your point about teaching English speakers, even those who know Arabic. Translation does have a role to play for anyone doing L2 to L1 work. This is especially true in that they will need to learn how to explain the meanings of the Quran to English speakers themselves, in sha Allah. I do see your point.
2) You mentioned briefly the importance of Usool al-Tafsir beginning at the intermediate level. How would you incorporate the study of Usool al-Tafsir into this curriculum, and what are some texts that you would use? In my limited exposure, I have noticed a wide variety of content and organization in works focusing on Usool al-Tafsir, so I would be interested in your thoughts on these questions.
Assalamualikum brother
although I am beginner and want to read tafsir ul jalalain as you said its quite complicated for beginners but I was can it be possible with its sharah as its available in urdu language in which famous one is kamalain and jamalain so what you advise me ?
جزاك الله خيرا