Principles of Tafseer - Abdur-Rahmaan al-Sa'dee

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The first Principle - How to study Tafseer



One should know that this Glorious Qur’aan Allaah revealed for the guidance of mankind upon the right path and to the correct actions, and in every time it would guide to the most upright and just way, just as Allaah says in the Qur’aan in Soorah israah



“[17:9] Verily, this Qur'an guides to that which is most just and right”



So it is upon mankind to attain the meanings of Allaahs Speech just as the Companions used to. If they would read ten verses of the Qur’aan or more or even less, they would not move on until they knew what those verses contained with regards to issues of Eemaan, knowledge (of the past and so on), and actions, then they would apply what they learnt upon their current lives. They would believe the stories mentioned in the Qur’aan and submit themselves to its orders and prohibitions. They used to bring themselves to account saying

"Are we establishing what Allaah has ordered or not?”.

They would try and use the Qur’aan to find a means to preserve the benefits they had and increase it where possible, and they would use it to stay away from harmful things in life. They used to seek guidance by the sciences in it, and acquire and take on the manners mentioned inside it knowing that this is a speech from the Knower of the unseen and seen, directed to them, requiring them to know what is in it and act upon what it orders.



So whoever walks the path that those before us walked, and made ijtihaad upon the contemplation of the speech of Allaah, the greatest door of tafseer will open up to him, and his knowledge of tafseer will gain in strength, and he will increase in foresight.

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The Second Principle -That which should be taken into consideration is the general meaning and not the specific reason [the Aayah was revealed]




This is an extremely beneficial principle [of tafseer]. By one taking it into consideration [when reading tafseer], an abundant amount of khair [good] and knowledge can be gained, and by neglecting this principle a lot of benefit from the Qur’aan would be lost.



The ulamaa of Usool al Fiqh [the later scholars who research the differences of the early scholars and choose the correct opinions] have all agreed upon this general principle, so once you comply with and abide by this principle it will become clear to you that the stories that the ulamaa of Tafseer mention as a reason why an Aayah was revealed is only a [living] example of the meaning of that Aayah and not meant to restrict that Aayah to that event. So when they say “This Aayah was revealed due to this and that” what they mean is that this event enters into the general meaning of that Aayah and is a part of the general meaning, because the Qur’aan was revealed for the guidance of the whole of this Ummah, the first part of it and the last. Allaah ordered us to think and contemplate upon His book, so if we contemplated upon the general meanings of the Qur’aan, and we have understood that its meanings contain many things, how can we reject some of its meanings whilst accepting some!? 

Because of this, ibn Mas’ood رضي الله عنه said:


“If you hear Allaah say “Oh you who believe’ then listen closely (pay attention) because it is either khair (good) that Allaah is ordering or evil that He is forbidding.”



So whenever you come across information about Allaah, either of perfection that He deserves, or any aspect of deficiency that He is free from, then affirm that perfection that He Himself affirmed and exalt Him from that imperfection that He negated.
 The same applies if you come across information about His messengers, His Books, the Last Day, all the affairs of the past and future. Have a firm belief without any type of doubt that it is true without explaining it away with metaphors, rather, it (the Qur’aan) is the most truthful thing you can ever read (or hear), as Allaah says in the Qur’aan:



“And who is more Truthfull in speech?!”
Soorah an Nisaa 122



So if He orders you with something then look into its meaning, and [contemplate] on what enters into it and what is excluded from it, and know that this order is directed at the whole Ummah. The same applies for things that He forbade from. So because of this, knowing what Allaah revealed to His messenger is the foundation to all good and success, and ignorance of it is the beginning of all evil and failure.



So consideration of this principle [upon studying the Qur’aan] is the biggest help upon knowing the boundaries of what Allaah revealed to His messenger. The Qur’aan has compiled the most greatest, beneficial and truthful of connotations, in the best and clearest of words, just as Allaah said in the Qur’aan:



“And no example or similitude do they bring (to oppose or to find fault in you or in this Qur'an), but We reveal to you the truth (against that similitude or example), and the better explanation thereof.”



Ie clarifying it, and explaining it




Below are a few examples of the above principle. I added these examples myself and are not from the original book written by Imaam as Si’dee.



First example:


It is mentioned in some weak narrations that the Yahood used to make agreements with the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم and the he صلى الله عليه و سلم would agree with the hope that they would come to Islaam. So Allaah revealed “And they will never be happy with you until you follow their religion”.



As I meantioned before, this narration is weak, however the point of mentioning it here is to relate it to the previous principle. So assuming that the story was true, when we read this Aayah, the story and we remember the above principle, we realise a few things.

Firstly, that this Aayah is not restricted to that particular even so that we cant use it in our time. Some of us may have heard some people say,

“This Aayah is referring to the yahood, or referring to so and so, it does not refer to us”,

however, as we have just learned, the point is the general meaning taken from the Aayah and not the specific reason that the Aayah was revealed.



Example two:


Allaah says in the Qur’aan:


“Woe to those who write the book with their own hands then they say “This is from Allaah!” to earn from it a small price, so Woe to them for what they used to write and woe to them due to what they used to earn.”



Ibn Abbaas said in a narration recorded by Imaam Bukhaaree in his book “the creation of people’s actions’


“This Aayah was revealed about the People of the Book”



Now if we use the above principle, we have benefited from this Aayah by knowing that fabricating revelation and claiming that it is from Allaah is an action of the People of the Book, and that Allaah criticised them for what they did. We have learnt that they will receive punishment for what they did and we have gained an understanding of how serious this crime is. But can we say that it is only specific for the People of the Book and that if any Muslim today does the same that he will not receive the same punishment? No, because the point is the general meaning contained in the Aayah ie anyone who authors a book and claims that it is from Allaah. It is not restricted to the event that caused the Aayah to be revealed.



Another example taken from the saying of Allaah:


“If you ask them (about this), they declare: "We were only talking idly and joking." Say: "Was it at Allah, and His Ayat and His Messenger that you were mocking?" Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had believed.”



It was mentioned in a saheeh narration that a man during the time the Muslims were about to fight the Battle of Tubook, said

“I have not seen anyone more involved in the dunyah, more untruthful, and more cowardice during battle than our rectors (referring to the sahaabah)”.

So a man who was there stood and said

“You liar, rather you are a Munaafiq! I am going to tell the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه و سلم of what you said”.

So that man went to the Messenger of Allaah but found that Allaah had already informed the Messenger of Allaah of what happened. The narrator of this story, Abdullah ibn Umar said “I saw that same man (ie the munaafiq) hanging from reins of the Messenger of Allaah’s Camel, having the stones cause him distress (as he was being dragged) saying “Oh Messenger of Allaah, we were only talking idly and joking!” but the Messenger of Allaah just recited

“Was it at Allah, and His Ayat and His Messenger that you were mocking?”



So as you can see from this story that this Aayah was revealed with regards to a specific situation, and from that situation we gain a greater understanding of what was meant by the Aayah, but we know that it is not restricted to that situation. Rather it is general to everyone who makes a mockery out of anything related to Islaam. That is why the Ulamaah have mentioned that making mockery out of anything related to Islaam, like the beard or the hijaab, is disbelief based on this Aayah.



So to conclude, the point behind each Aayah is the general meaning a not the specific situation that it was revealed about.