Tafseer of the Salaf
Creator: Imam Ibn Taymiyyah
Date: 2006-05-07
Format: text
Identifier: http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=30
Language: en
Publisher: Al-Hidaayah
Source: An Introduction to the Principles of Tafseer
Subject: quran
Title: Tafseer of the Salaf
Created on: Sun May 07 20:10:22 -0400 2006
Updated on: Mon Sep 25 13:29:29 -0400 2006
Version: 3
Abstract: ... allaahu `alayhi wa sallam) and did not proceed further unless they had understood whatever ideas and regulations those verses contained. They used to say: "We learned the text of the Qur'aan and studied its ideas and injunctions all together." This explains why they spent such a long time in learning a chapter (soorah). Anas (radiyallaahu `anhu) has said: "We used to hold in great esteem the one who learned the two soorahs of the Qur'aan: al-Baqarah and Aali-Imraan". Ibn `Umar (radiyallaahu `anhu) spent many years, and according to Maalik, a complete eight years, in learning these soorahs. In fact, the companions were submitting to the command of Allaah: "This is a blessed Book; We have revealed it to you so that you contemplate over it," [38:29] and "Don't they contemplate over the Qur'aan!", [47:24] and, "Have they not pondered over (Allaah's) words!". [23:68] Obviously, you cannot contemplate words unless you understand their meaning. That is why Allaah has said: "We have revealed it as an Arabic Qur'aan so that you comprehend it", [12:22] and to comprehend the Qur'aan means to understand its meaning. Everyone knows that a book is meant for understanding, not just for reading. This is all the more true of the Qur'aan. No one ever reads a book on a subject: medicine, mathematics or any other, without trying to understand it. The same is true of the Qur'aan, on which rests our well-being and happiness, our religion and life. This is why the companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) differed little in their exegesis of the Qur'aan. Their successors (al-Tabi'een) have differed comparatively more; however their differences, as compared to those of the latter generations, are negligible. As a rule, the better a generation, the more profound is its understanding and knowledge of the Qur'aan, and the greater is the agreement of its scholars on ... [Full Article...]
