Clear and Unclear Verses of Quran - Essay Example

How Does Al-Tabari Interpret 3:7 of the Qur’an that Refers to Clear and Unclear Verses Introduction Tafsir is generally considered a literary genre, related to the comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Qur’an, which is possessed of “definable formal characteristics” (Calder 101; Bin Haji Ishak 495). According to Calder, the formal structure is represented by the canon and segmentation, i.e. “the presence of the complete canonical text… segmented for the purposes of comment, and dealt with in canonical order”, along with “lemma and comment” (101); on the other hand, as a term, tafsir – along with ta’wil (as related to the hidden meanings) – refers to the elucidation of the meanings of the Qur’an (Bin Haji Ishak 495). As stated by Haleem, the “internal relationships between material in different parts of the Qur’an”, or, in other words, an explanation of the different parts of the Qur’an by one another, is believed to be the most correct method of tafsir, which, in turn, appears a key tool of Quranic exegesis (73). Thus, whether general statements, admonitions or instructions are being given a more detailed explanation in another Quranic text, or certain verses are being properly understood in the light of other verses, or suras, the tafsir is considered by many Islamic scholars the most correct mode, or methodology, of Quranic interpretation (Bin Haji Ishak 495). This paper is intended to examine al-Tabari’s interpretation of the Qur’an, in particular 3:7 (Surah Al ‘Imran, verse 7), concerning the clear and unclear verses of the book. 2. Al-Tabari’s Commentary on the Qur’an – Methodology and Sources Tafsir-bil-mathur represents a methodology based on the commentary of the Quran by the Quran, by the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, and by the Companions (Bin Haji Ishak 495). One of the best-known tafsir-bil-mathur is the work of al-Tabari, namely his substantial, twelve-volume commentary on the Quran, widely known as Tafsir al-Tabari (Bin Haji Ishak 495). Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari is an early Islamic scholar, whose area of expertise included Muslim history, hadith, and Islamic law (sharia); in his voluminous commentary on the Qur’an, which is considered the earliest most reliable exegetical work from orthodox Sunni authority, he offered a perspective based on the presumption that the first four generations’ interpretations of the Qur’an should be regarded as the most correct ones (Oxford Islamic Studies Online n.p.; Lala 17). Thus, according to al-Tabari’s point of view, the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (Sahabah) have had undoubted pre-eminence in the interpretation of the Qur’an, insofar as they were in closest contact with divine revelation (Bin Haji Ishak 495); therefore, later accounts are well-grounded in the profundity of “their understanding of the divine text” (Lala 17). Accordingly, the leading sources of al-Tabari’s exegesis appear as follows: Ibn Abbas – the most important figure – Ibn Mas’ud, along with the “rightly guided” caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, as well as Abd Allah bin Umar, Zayd bin Thabit, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, al-Dahhak, al-Suddi, Qatada, one of Muhammad’s wives, Aishah, etc. (Bin Haji Ishak 495; Lala 17). 3. Abu Jafar Al-Tarabi on the Interpretation of the Qur’an 3:7 Surah 3, Al ‘Imran, verse 7, states – “It is He who revealed the book to you; in it are the clear verses – they are the mother (foundation) of the book – and the others are the unclear verses” (The Qur’an 3:7). According to al-Tabari, the interpretation of that passage is as follows – it is God who has revealed to Muhammad the book, i.e. the Qur’an, in which the clear verses – those with explanation – are “the source of grounding the book”, containing the religious duties of the Muslim community and serving as the Muslims’ place of refuge from “whatever frightens …them of the requirements of Islam” (Rippin and Knappert 43). The other verses, i.e. those having differing meanings, are considered “unclear ones in recitation” (Rippin and Knappert 43). In accordance with his overall perspective on the Qur’an’s interpretation, al-Tabari draws heavily on the Companions of the Prophet in regard to that passage – having stated that the clear verses are the verses from the Qur’an 6:151 and 17:23-39, i.e. those stipulating the “permitted and the forbidden, the penalties and the responsibilities, what one believes in and what one does”, Ibn Abbas passed his understanding of the issue on the next generations of interpreters, like al-Awwam, Ali ibn Abi Talha, Hisham, Ya’qub ibn Ibrahim, Mu’awiya ibn Salih, Abu Salih, etc. (Rippin and Knappert 44). Thus, the clear verses are understood as valid ones, in the legal sense, namely the “abrogator verses or those whose ruling is firmly established” (Rippin and Knappert 43). The unclear verses, in turn, are considered to be “those whose ruling has been left behind”, or the abrogated verses; and once again the authority of Ibn Abbas is confirmed as the foremost in the interpretation of the Qur’an – “the others are unclear verses, that they are the abrogated verses… of the category of those which precede and those which come after, parables and stories and what on believes in but does not have to act upon” (Rippin and Knappert 44). Another interpretation of that passage, which stems from Mujahid – though listed behind Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas’ud in al-Tabari’s textual sources – is also pointed out by al-Tabari, defining the clear verses as “what is found of the categories of permitted and forbidden”, while the unclear verses appear “those which are equivalent to them… which confirm the others”; this interpretation is further substantiated in the Qur’an 2:26, 6:125, and 47:17 (Rippin and Knappert 44). An interpretation, whose originator is thought to have been Muhammad ibn Ja’far ibn al-Zubayr, considers the clear verses to be the ones that contain the proof of God, the protection of the believers, and “the rejection of the particular and the hidden”; hence they describe the eternal truth without “alteration or distortion” (Rippin and Knappert 44). The unclear verses on the other hand, according to this opinion, are those “embracing alteration, distortion, and interpretation”, being used by God to “put the believers to the test”; the actual difference between the clear and unclear verses, however, is that the clear ones could not be “changed to something hidden nor can they be distorted away from the truth” (Rippin and Knappert 45). 4. Conclusion All in all, in his interpretation of the Qur’an 3:7, Abu Jafar al-Tabari has employed an exegetical method that primarily relies on the authority of the Companions of the Prophet, which is grounded in the proximity of their knowledge to Muhammad’s lifespan and preaching, hence the profundity of their understanding of the divine text (Lala 17-18). Thus, al-Tabari’s exegetical method could be considered a historical one – the Qur’an itself is a divine revelation, which had been given to the Messenger, who, in turn, made it known to his Companions and the rest of his compatriots. Therefore, the interpretations provided by the Prophet’s Companions, who have heard directly from the Messenger, are logically considered the most reliable sources of interpretation; which opinion is echoed by other Islamic scholars, like Ibn Kathir (Lala 17-18). Despite some prima facie differences from what is defined as “the pre-Tabari period” in Quranic interpretation, i.e. interpretation by the Qur’an itself, by the Sunnah, by the interpretations of the Prophet’s Companions and the Successors of the Companions, al-Tabari’s methodology fits sufficiently the concept of tafsir bil al-mathur, which could be used to denote “the encyclopedic tradition in Sunni Qur’anic interpretation” (Bin Haji Ishak 495-496). Works Cited Calder, Norman. “Tafsir from Tabari to Ibn Kathir: Problems in the Description of a Genre, Illustrated with Reference to the Story of Abraham”. Approaches to the Qur’an. Eds. G. R. Hawting and Abdul-Kader A. Shareef. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 1993. Print Haleem, Abdel M. A. S. “Context and Internal Relationships: Keys to Quranic Exegesis”. Approaches to the Qur’an. Eds. G. R. Hawting and Abdul-Kader A. Shareef. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 1993. Print Lala, Ismail. “An Analysis of the Sources of Interpretation in the Commentaries of Al-Tabari, Al-Zamakhshari, Al-Razi, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Kathir”. Centre of Quranic Research International Journal (n.d.): 17 – 48. Web. 24 October 2014. Mohd. Shuhaimi Bin Haji Ishak. “Qur’anic Exegesis of Tafsir Bil Mathur”. IPEDR Vol.10 (2011): 495 – 497. Web. 23 October 2014. Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Al-Tabari, Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Jarir. Oxford University Press, 2014. Web. 22 October 2014. Rippin, Andrew and Jan Knappert. “Scripture, Its Value and Interpretation”. Textual Sources for the Study of Islam. Ed. and trans. Andrew Rippin and Jan Knappert. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1990. Print Read More