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Showing posts with label Usul at tafsir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Usul at tafsir. Show all posts
Sunday 20 December 2015
Monday 5 January 2015
Usool At Tafsir - Correct Methods of Interpreting Quran
We are highly priviledge to not only present key books on this important topic of Usool at Tafsir but also a large collection of audio/video lectures.
I will first present the links and then explain what this field of study stands for:
1. Usool At Tafsir Books
2. Usool At Tafsir Multimedia
What is Usool at Tafsir - As a broad subject area:
In the present age where abundance of information on internet is becoming one of the source of misinformation, it is extremely important for all muslims and non-muslims to understand the correct method of interpreting the Quran. Otherwise, anyone can misguide us.
This simple methodology to correctly understand and interpret Quran is called Usool at tafsir.
Why Study this subject:
It is important to study this subject for many reasons, but I will mention only a few:
1. Quran is word of God and He has given us right tools to understand it. If we use, wrong tools and methods, we will surely get His wrath. It is therefore important for all of us to understand this.
2. It is often seen that Orientalists (those who study Islam only to oppose it and to misrepresent it in order to prove that their religion is correct) and the misguided from amongst ourselves pick up verses from Quran in isolation and try to use them for their own purposes. One such example is the ayah which talks about Mushrikeen that they should be killed, where-ever found. Now what these guys don't do is explain the ayah correctly and present its background. It is specifically for those who fought our beloved prophet and his noble companions for years and years and years and were given the message of Islam a number of times. After the conquest of Makkah when muslims entered the holy place victorious, Allah commanded His prophet to give them a time-frame of 4 months to either accept islam or leave the area. If they leave the area, they would be safe. If they accept islam, they would be safe. If not, they should be killed where-ever found. And this command was not for the people who were not given the message of Islam and who did not fight and tyrannize the muslims. They were to be protected by muslims. Now imagine that. In earlier nations, such people immediately received the punishment from Allah either as strong wind that blew them away or fire coming the sky or rain that didn't stop or other means. In this case of Prophet of Mercy, Allah did not punish them immeidately and gave them 4 months instead to protect themselves. Now imagine this. It would be utter stupidity if someone picks this verse in isolation and link Islam with violence. Similarly, it is utter misguidance if anyone can try to justify their claims mis-using this verse.
It is therefore emphasized to understand Quran the way it is supposed to be understood and counter the ignorant, muslims and non-muslims, with knowledge and wisdom. You would always find that misguided people and those who mis-represent the word of Allah would go against these important usul's and methods for correct Quranic interpretation.
3. One big reason for misguidance is when people pick things from Quran at random disregarding the specific context and situations where it can be applied. For example, many misguided people and orientalists quote the verses from Quran that are meant for 'Islamic Governments' and present them as instructions for 'Individual Muslims'. These usuls and methods of Quranic interpretation would arm innocent muslims with lesser knowledge to counter such unethical behavior with reason, rationality and strength of knowledge.
4. One of the miracles of Quran is that it is unchanged since its revelation like no other book in this worlds. This subject (and its broader super-set called Uloom ul Quran) also deal with this methodology of Quranic preservation which a matter of great pride for muslims.
Summary of methods of correct Quranic Interpretation - What you should Question if a strange explanation of some ayah (verse) is presented to you:
It is impossible to summarize these points in a few lines. However, I will try to give you a few pointers to prepare you ask right questions if you are presented by certain point of view about certain verses from Quran.
1. Certain verses of Quran explain certain other verses. This is one primary source of correct interpreation.
2. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace, blessing and Allah's mercy be Upon him) was sent as a teacher to explain Quran to humanity. His blessed words and guidance is another primary source for correctly understanding quran. If someone is presenting an interpretation of Quran which is clearly against the noble and timeless teachings of our beloved prophet (conveyed to us through SAHIH hadiths), that interpretation should be rejected.
3. Explanation of Quran by Companions and Tabioon.
4. Also, correct linguistic meanings according to classical arabic should be kept in mind. Classical arabic is significantly different from day to day "newspaper" arabic which contains a lot of slang. It is therefore required for a person explaining the Quran to be well-verses with classifical arabic and other relevant areas of study.
During the era of the taabi‘oon, many Christians and Jews became Muslim. As a result, some of the taabi‘oon narrated tales from Jewish and Christian sources in their explanations of the Qur’aan. Such narrations became known as Israa’eeleeyaat. In later generations, the books of tafseer became filled with such narrations, many of which could not be traced to any reliable source. . As there is no authenticity for such narratives, they can only be accepted if they compliment what we come to know from Quran and Sunnah and not considered otherwise.
Can a person explain Quran according to his or her own understanding?
Opinions based on a careful study of the first four steps can be considered valid as long as they do not contradict any of those steps. Likewise, the application of obvious meanings of the Qur’aan to existing situations and the formation of conclusions based on their similarities are also allowed, as long as such interpretations do not clash with authentic classical explanations. But, free interpretation based on philosophical, scientific, or sectarian ideas is totally forbidden. The Prophet (r) was reported to have said,
“Opinion-based argument about the Qur’aan is kufr.” He repeated it three times, then said, “What you know of it, act upon; and what you are ignorant of, refer it to one who knows.”
We can see from the above-mentioned hadeeth that the Prophet (r) sternly warned his companions and later generations of Muslims about interpretations of the Qur’aan based on speculation and unsubstantiated opinions. The reason is that the Qur’aan 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’aan as they wished, its value would be totally destroyed, and Islaam itself would be undermined from its base. Thus, the only acceptable tafseer is that which adheres to the following sequence: tafseer of Qur’aan by the Qur’aan, 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
contradict any of them.
Look at this beautiful method of correct interpretation! It is a very solid tool to counter those who temper with the meaning of Quran based on their own desire to fulfil their own agendas.
Complementary Studies:
In addition to Usool at Tafsir, It is also highly recommended to study usool at Tafsir which deals with preservation of hadith, categorization of ahadith (sahih, zaeef, mudhou, hasan etc.), continuity in the chain of narrations and their detailed analysis (locations of narration transmitters, their charecter and tonnes of other factors) and other relevant areas. This is another beautiful tool to dis-arm those who try to misrepresent and misinterpret islam to mis-guide masses.
How should one study the tafsir:
If a person cannot master these fields, he or she should atleast know their basic introduction to avoid getting mis-guided. The next step then is to select a tafsir based on correct sources e.g. Tafsir Ibn Kathir etc.
A must read book:
If you can't read anything else, read atleast these two books by Dr. Bilal Philips:
1. Usool at tafsir
2. Usool al Hadith
I hope this brief description of Usool At Tafsir would be helpful not only to muslims or new muslims but also to those who do not yet belong to this beautiful family of believers and are on their journey to search the truth.
_______________________
All praise is due to Allah , Lord of the worlds - The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. It is You we worship and You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path - The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.
I will first present the links and then explain what this field of study stands for:
1. Usool At Tafsir Books
2. Usool At Tafsir Multimedia
What is Usool at Tafsir - As a broad subject area:
In the present age where abundance of information on internet is becoming one of the source of misinformation, it is extremely important for all muslims and non-muslims to understand the correct method of interpreting the Quran. Otherwise, anyone can misguide us.
This simple methodology to correctly understand and interpret Quran is called Usool at tafsir.
Why Study this subject:
It is important to study this subject for many reasons, but I will mention only a few:
1. Quran is word of God and He has given us right tools to understand it. If we use, wrong tools and methods, we will surely get His wrath. It is therefore important for all of us to understand this.
2. It is often seen that Orientalists (those who study Islam only to oppose it and to misrepresent it in order to prove that their religion is correct) and the misguided from amongst ourselves pick up verses from Quran in isolation and try to use them for their own purposes. One such example is the ayah which talks about Mushrikeen that they should be killed, where-ever found. Now what these guys don't do is explain the ayah correctly and present its background. It is specifically for those who fought our beloved prophet and his noble companions for years and years and years and were given the message of Islam a number of times. After the conquest of Makkah when muslims entered the holy place victorious, Allah commanded His prophet to give them a time-frame of 4 months to either accept islam or leave the area. If they leave the area, they would be safe. If they accept islam, they would be safe. If not, they should be killed where-ever found. And this command was not for the people who were not given the message of Islam and who did not fight and tyrannize the muslims. They were to be protected by muslims. Now imagine that. In earlier nations, such people immediately received the punishment from Allah either as strong wind that blew them away or fire coming the sky or rain that didn't stop or other means. In this case of Prophet of Mercy, Allah did not punish them immeidately and gave them 4 months instead to protect themselves. Now imagine this. It would be utter stupidity if someone picks this verse in isolation and link Islam with violence. Similarly, it is utter misguidance if anyone can try to justify their claims mis-using this verse.
It is therefore emphasized to understand Quran the way it is supposed to be understood and counter the ignorant, muslims and non-muslims, with knowledge and wisdom. You would always find that misguided people and those who mis-represent the word of Allah would go against these important usul's and methods for correct Quranic interpretation.
3. One big reason for misguidance is when people pick things from Quran at random disregarding the specific context and situations where it can be applied. For example, many misguided people and orientalists quote the verses from Quran that are meant for 'Islamic Governments' and present them as instructions for 'Individual Muslims'. These usuls and methods of Quranic interpretation would arm innocent muslims with lesser knowledge to counter such unethical behavior with reason, rationality and strength of knowledge.
4. One of the miracles of Quran is that it is unchanged since its revelation like no other book in this worlds. This subject (and its broader super-set called Uloom ul Quran) also deal with this methodology of Quranic preservation which a matter of great pride for muslims.
Summary of methods of correct Quranic Interpretation - What you should Question if a strange explanation of some ayah (verse) is presented to you:
It is impossible to summarize these points in a few lines. However, I will try to give you a few pointers to prepare you ask right questions if you are presented by certain point of view about certain verses from Quran.
1. Certain verses of Quran explain certain other verses. This is one primary source of correct interpreation.
2. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace, blessing and Allah's mercy be Upon him) was sent as a teacher to explain Quran to humanity. His blessed words and guidance is another primary source for correctly understanding quran. If someone is presenting an interpretation of Quran which is clearly against the noble and timeless teachings of our beloved prophet (conveyed to us through SAHIH hadiths), that interpretation should be rejected.
3. Explanation of Quran by Companions and Tabioon.
4. Also, correct linguistic meanings according to classical arabic should be kept in mind. Classical arabic is significantly different from day to day "newspaper" arabic which contains a lot of slang. It is therefore required for a person explaining the Quran to be well-verses with classifical arabic and other relevant areas of study.
During the era of the taabi‘oon, many Christians and Jews became Muslim. As a result, some of the taabi‘oon narrated tales from Jewish and Christian sources in their explanations of the Qur’aan. Such narrations became known as Israa’eeleeyaat. In later generations, the books of tafseer became filled with such narrations, many of which could not be traced to any reliable source. . As there is no authenticity for such narratives, they can only be accepted if they compliment what we come to know from Quran and Sunnah and not considered otherwise.
Can a person explain Quran according to his or her own understanding?
Opinions based on a careful study of the first four steps can be considered valid as long as they do not contradict any of those steps. Likewise, the application of obvious meanings of the Qur’aan to existing situations and the formation of conclusions based on their similarities are also allowed, as long as such interpretations do not clash with authentic classical explanations. But, free interpretation based on philosophical, scientific, or sectarian ideas is totally forbidden. The Prophet (r) was reported to have said,
“Opinion-based argument about the Qur’aan is kufr.” He repeated it three times, then said, “What you know of it, act upon; and what you are ignorant of, refer it to one who knows.”
We can see from the above-mentioned hadeeth that the Prophet (r) sternly warned his companions and later generations of Muslims about interpretations of the Qur’aan based on speculation and unsubstantiated opinions. The reason is that the Qur’aan 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’aan as they wished, its value would be totally destroyed, and Islaam itself would be undermined from its base. Thus, the only acceptable tafseer is that which adheres to the following sequence: tafseer of Qur’aan by the Qur’aan, 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
contradict any of them.
Look at this beautiful method of correct interpretation! It is a very solid tool to counter those who temper with the meaning of Quran based on their own desire to fulfil their own agendas.
Complementary Studies:
In addition to Usool at Tafsir, It is also highly recommended to study usool at Tafsir which deals with preservation of hadith, categorization of ahadith (sahih, zaeef, mudhou, hasan etc.), continuity in the chain of narrations and their detailed analysis (locations of narration transmitters, their charecter and tonnes of other factors) and other relevant areas. This is another beautiful tool to dis-arm those who try to misrepresent and misinterpret islam to mis-guide masses.
How should one study the tafsir:
If a person cannot master these fields, he or she should atleast know their basic introduction to avoid getting mis-guided. The next step then is to select a tafsir based on correct sources e.g. Tafsir Ibn Kathir etc.
A must read book:
If you can't read anything else, read atleast these two books by Dr. Bilal Philips:
1. Usool at tafsir
2. Usool al Hadith
I hope this brief description of Usool At Tafsir would be helpful not only to muslims or new muslims but also to those who do not yet belong to this beautiful family of believers and are on their journey to search the truth.
_______________________
All praise is due to Allah , Lord of the worlds - The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. It is You we worship and You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path - The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray.
Ameen.
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