TAFSIR – تفسير ‎

 

Literally: An explaination. An expounding. Making known a hidden thing. Discovering the meaning of a difficult passage. Expounding a hidden meaning.

As an Islamic Term: An Islamic ‘Ilm that expounds, discloses and explains the hidden meanings of the Qur’an; the books written in this field are also called tafsir.

As a term of ‘Ilm of Hadith: The hadiths that explain the âyahs are also called tafsir.

There are two types of tafsir: The first is a tafsir of the passages, words and letters of the âyahs, while the other explains and proves the meaning and the haqiqahs of the âyahs.

 

 

Tafsir is of two kinds:

The first kind: These are the known tafsirs in which, the meaning of the passages, words and sentences are expounded, explained and proven.

As for the second kind of tafsir: It is to expound, prove and explain with powerful proofs the haqiqahs of the Qur'an regarding îmân. This type of tafsir is of great importance. The tafsir of the first known kind may sometimes refer to this aspect in brief form. The Risale-i Nur however; is a ma’nawî tafsir that takes directly this second kind as its basis, silencing obstinate philosophers in peerless fashion.

 Biography (750)

 

If you say: While the whole Qur'an is one of the dharûriyyah of religion, there have been differences of opinion over its meanings?

You would be told: In every word of the Qur'an there are three propositions:

The First: This is Allah's Word.

The Second: The meaning intended by Allah with that word is the haqq.

It is kufr to deny these two.

The Third: The meaning intended by Allah is this.

If the word of the Qur’an is muhkamât or its tafsir was made by the Qur’an, it is wâjib to have îmân in it as soon as one is informed about it and to deny it is kufr.

If the word of the Qur’an is an âyah that has another possible meaning, a denial of it, which relies on an interpretation that is not based on personal whims, is not kufr. The disagreement of mufassirîn is in this part of the Qur’an.

Mutawâtir Hadiths are the same as âyahs in this regard. However, where there is a denial of the first proposition in connection with Hadiths, these rules should be considered carefully.

 Signs of Miraculousness-Sixth Âyah (137)

 

First Subtle Point: The idea expressed as "The mysteries of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm are not known; mufassirs have not understood its haqiqah." has two aspects. And those who say it are two groups.

The First is the people of haqq and the meticulous ‘ulamâ. They say: "The Qur'an is an unending and inexhaustible treasury. Together with submitting to its nass and muhkamât and accepting them, each age receives its share from the hidden haqiqahs of the Qur'an, in the form of complements; it does not harm the hidden share of another." Yes, it means that more haqiqahs of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm unfold as time passes. It is not — Hâsha and Kallâ!1 — to cause doubt concerning the explicit haqiqahs of the Qur'an, which the Salaf as-Sâlihîn have expounded. Because having îmân in them is a necessity.

They are nass, definite, fundamental and pillars. Through the decree عَرَبِىٌّ مُبِينٌ 2, the Qur’an informs that its meaning is clear. From beginning to end, the address of Allah revolves around those meanings, corroborates them and causes them to reach the degree of being evident. Not to accept those meanings, which are nass, suggests — Hâsha summa hâsha!3 — denying Janâb-i Haqq and insulting Hazrat Prophet's understanding. It means that those nass meanings have been taken from the source of Prophethood by continuous links like a chain. Ibn Jarir al-Tabarî, through continuous links like a chain with authentic transmissions, related all the meanings of the Qur'an to the source of Prophethood and wrote his significant and great tafsir in that way.

The Second Group are either foolish friends who cause harm and make matters worse, or they are enemies cunning as the shaytan who want to oppose the ordinances of Islam and haqiqahs of îmân. They want to find a way into the fortified Surahs of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, which, in your words, are each like steel strongholds. People like that spread about ideas like the above in order, Hâsha!, to create doubts about the haqiqahs of îmân and the Qur'an.

 The Twenty-Ninth Letter-First Section-First Subtle Point