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Tafsir
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==Principles== There are several frames of reference in which ''tafsir'' can be categorized. The main issue of framing constitutes its methodology. ''Tafsir'' can be broadly divided into two categories from the viewpoint of methodology employed in order to approach the interpretation. These categories are called ''tafsīr bi'l-ma'thūr'' ({{langx|ar|التفسير بالمأثور|lit=received tafsir}}, also known as ''tafsīr bi'r-riwāyah'' ({{langx|ar|تفسير بالرواية}})) and ''tafsīr bi'r-ra'y'' ({{langx|ar|التفسير بالرأي|lit=tafsir by opinion}}, also known as ''tafsīr bi'd-dirayah'' {{langx|ar|تفسير بالدراية}}).<ref name="Jo" /> ===''Tafsir bi'l-Ma'thur'' (or ''Tafsir bi'r-Riwayah'')=== ''Tafsir bi'l-ma'thur'', or commonly known as ''Tafsir bi'r-riwāyah'', is the method of commenting on the Quran using traditional sources. ''Tafsir bi'r-riwāyah'' connotes ''tafsir'' using another portion of the Quran, or sayings of Muhammad, or saying of his companions.<ref name=Yusuf-28>{{cite book|last1=Yusuf|first1=Badmas 'Lanre|title=Sayyid Qutb: A Study of His Tafsir|year=2009|publisher=The Other Press|page=28|isbn=9789675062278|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gz0_Kw2AlfMC&q=tafsir&pg=PA28|access-date=18 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316180710/https://books.google.com/books?id=Gz0_Kw2AlfMC&pg=PA28&dq=tafsir&hl=en&sa=X&ei=pu6SVNy2AtbdsASLuILoDw&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBTgK#v=onepage&q=tafsir&f=false|archive-date=16 March 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> This classical ''tafsir'' method is agreed upon by all scholars, and is the most used method throughout history, partly because other methods have been criticized. 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,<ref name=":0">Tirmizi, Tafsir, 1</ref> and for two, most companions of Muhammad have refrained from presenting their own ideas.<ref>Taberi, Camiul Beyan, I, 27</ref> Some important examples of ''tafsir bi'r-riwāyah'' are ''[[Tafsir al-Tabari|Jāmiʿ al-Bayān]]'' by [[al-Tabari]] and ''[[Tafsir ibn Kathir|Tafseer al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓeem]]'' 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 [[Companions of the Prophet|''sahabah'']] and [[Tabi'un|''tabi'iun'']], classical Arabic literature, and [[Isra'iliyat]]. [[File:Osmar Schindler David und Goliath.jpg|thumb|''David and Goliath'' (1888) by [[Osmar Schindler]], commentators transferred stories from Jewish history, mixed with legends, to Islamic culture, such as the details of the story of [[Jalut]], briefly touched upon in verses 247-252 of [[Al-Baqara]].]] The most authoritative source of the interpretation is the Quran itself. 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 ''[[Tafsir al-Mizan|Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an]]'' by [[Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i]]. The authoritative source of method second to the Quran is Hadith, by using [[hadith|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/quran/016.qmt.html#016.064|title=Cmje|access-date=2010-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022172353/http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/quran/016.qmt.html#016.064|archive-date=2010-10-22|url-status=live}}</ref> While some narratives are of revelation origin, others can be the result of reasonings made by Muhammad.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.icsfp.com/de/Contents.aspx?AID=5596 |title=Sources of Prophet Muhammad's Knowledge |access-date=2010-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713001850/http://www.icsfp.com/de/Contents.aspx?AID=5596 |archive-date=2011-07-13 |url-status=live }}</ref> One important aspect of these narratives is their origin. Narratives used for ''tafsir'', and in general, must be of authentic origin (''[[Hadith terminology|sahih]]''). Narratives of such origin are considered requisite for ''tafsir''. Other source of the interpretation includes the accounts of ''[[Ṣaḥābah]]'', companions of Muhammad, or ''[[tabi‘un]]'', the generation after sahabah, and ''[[Tabi‘ al-Tabi‘in]]'', the generation after tabi'un. Their authority is based on an account in hadith ''[[Sahih Bukhari]]'', which accordingly, Muhammad said:<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=48&translator=1&start=10&number=814 | title=The Hadith Book (48. Witnesses): nr. 819 | publisher=Search Truth | access-date=2013-07-21 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414194632/http://searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=48&translator=1&start=10&number=814 | archive-date=2015-04-14 | url-status=live }}</ref> <blockquote>The best people are those living in my generation, then those coming after them ([[Tabi‘un|Tābi‘un]]), and then those coming after (the third generation).</blockquote> If nothing is found in the Quran or the Hadīth, the commentator has recourse to what the Ṣaḥābah reported about various verses. These are generally considered above personal opinion, because these people grew up with everyday interaction with Muhammad, and had often asked about the meanings of verses or circumstances of their revelation; and they were very knowledgeable in both Arabic literature and Islamic thought. Another non-scripture based source of the interpretation is classical [[Arabic literature]]. Classical [[Arabic poetry]] and the text of the Quran are two resources which can be used as foundational reference in ascertaining the meaning and signification of the remaining literal and figurative diction of the Quran and its style of expression.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-mawrid.org/pages/articles_english_detail.php?rid=17&cid=82|title=Al-Mawrid<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=2009-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613091103/http://al-mawrid.org/pages/articles_english_detail.php?rid=17&cid=82|archive-date=2010-06-13|url-status=live}}</ref> Using Arabic poetry for defining words is a long used practice, and very few scholars have not used this source.<ref>Muhsin Demirci, Tefsir Tarihi, 128</ref> Less authoritative source of the interpretation is ''[[Isra'iliyat]]'', which is the body of narratives originating from [[Judeo-Christian]] traditions, rather than from other well-accepted sources. The Isra'iliyat are mostly non-[[biblical]] explanatory stories and traditions (Hebrew: ''midrashim'') giving extra information or interpretation about events or individuals recorded in the Hebrew scriptures. Scholars starting with the Sahabah have studied narrative accounts of other [[Abrahamic religion]]s to further explain and clarify verses, especially parables, in the Quran. While some may be accurate, these narratives are not subject to hadith authenticity criteria, and are generally not favored for use. ===''Tafsir bi'r-Ra'y'' (or ''Tafsir bi'd-dirayah'')=== ''Tafsir bi'r-ra'y'', or commonly known as ''tafsir bi-al-diraya'', is the method of using one's independent rational reasoning and mind (''[[ijtihad]]'') to form an opinion-oriented interpretation. The most distinctive feature of ''tafsir bi-al-diraya'' is the inclusion of the opinions of the commentator, thus forming the more objective view on Quranic verses. The relative paucity of traditional sources is also a practical reason why the scope of the methodology is augmented. This is considered sanctioned by the Quran itself,<ref name="Jo" /> as written in the surah [[Sad (surah)|Sad]] verse 29: {{blockquote|˹This is˺ a blessed Book which We have revealed to you ˹O Prophet˺ so that they may contemplate its verses, and people of reason may be mindful.|{{qref|38|29|b=y}}}} This method is not interpretation by mere opinion however, but rather opinions must be based on the main sources. Performing Quranic interpretation using solely one's own opinion is believed to be prohibited by some Muslims. This is based on an authenticated hadith of Muhammad which states "He who says (something) concerning the Qur'ân without knowledge, he has taken his seat of fire".<ref name=":0"/> However, this hadith can alternatively be interpreted to refer to the importance of first properly studying and learning the Quran before attempting to teach or preach it to others. Accordingly, the method of independent reasoning (''ijtihad'') has several qualifications and conditions that need to be satisfied. Due to the nature of orientation toward opinions, this method is rejected by certain scholars such as [[Ibn Taymiyyah]],<ref name="Jo" /> and prohibited by [[Wahhabi]] Islamic doctrine.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} Some important examples of such ''tafsirs'' include ''[[Tafsir al-Baydawi|Anwar al-Tanzil]]'' by [[al-Baydawi]] and ''[[Tafsir al-Kabir (al-Razi)|Mafatih al-Ghayb]]'' by [[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi]]. Some parameters used by these scholars including linguistic resources, historical sources, methodological concepts such as ''maqasid'' or socio-cultural environment taken into consideration. In terms of linguistic resources, literary elements of the [[Arabic language]], including [[morphology (linguistics)|morphology]], eloquence, syntax are an integral part of ''tafsir'', as they constitute the basis of understanding and interpretation. Arabic has a systematic way of shaping words so one can know the meaning by knowing the root and the form the word was coined from. If any word can be given a meaning that is compatible with the rules of grammar, Quranic text can be interpreted that way. In terms of historical resources, scholars may choose to interpret verses according to external factors, including their historical context and their place of revelation. Historical context (''[[Asbab al-nuzul]]'') is particularly important to interpret verses according to how the Quran was revealed, when and under which circumstances, and much commentary was dedicated to history. The early ''tafsirs'' are considered to be some of the best sources for [[Islamic history]]. Classification of the place of revelation, whether it was revealed in [[Mecca]] or [[Medina]], is important as well. This is because in general [[Meccan surah|Meccan verse]]s tend to have an ''[[iman (concept)|iman]]'' (loosely translated as ''faith'') nature that includes believing in Allah, Muhammad, and the [[Islamic eschatology|day of judgment]], whether it be theological foundations or basic faith principles. On the other hand, [[Medinan surah|Medinan verse]]s constitute legislation, social obligations, and constitution of a state. On the more conceptual level, the idea of ''[[maqasid]]'' (goals or purpose) can be taken into account. Verses may be interpreted to preserve the general goals of [[shariah]], which may be considered simply as bringing happiness to a person in this life and the hereafter. That way, any interpretation that threatens to compromise the preservation of religion, life, lineage, intellect or property may be discarded or ruled otherwise in order to secure these goals. Further, the socio-cultural environment may also taken into consideration. This includes understanding and interpreting the Quran while taking into account the cultural and social environment to which it has been revealed; or according to the scholars' own time. Often than not, the distinction can be made between the '''amm'' (general) verses that aimed at universal conditions for Muslims, and ''khass'' (specific) verses that applied to specific conditions, time or need.<ref name="Jo" /> This is considered an integral part of analyzing the universality of the Quran. Scholars usually do not favor to confine verses to a single time interval, but rather interpret according to the needs of their time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.academia.edu/11796656 |title=The Role of Reading Motivation and Interest in Reading Engagement of Quranic Exegesis Readers |access-date=2016-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190118225733/http://www.academia.edu/11796656/THE_ROLE_OF_READING_MOTIVATION_AND_INTEREST_IN_READING_ENGAGEMENT_OF_QURANIC_EXEGESIS_READERS |archive-date=2019-01-18 |url-status=live |last1=Zayed |first1=Tareq M. }}</ref>
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