The Glorious Quran by Al-Tabari - Essay Example

of the of the 4th November AL-TABARI Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari has been distinguished in history as the person who collected and accumulated a vast quantity of material to interpret the Quran. This endeavor is present in the form of his book “Jami’al bayan an ta’wil ay al-Quran” (Publications ). Al-Tabari, believed to be alive during 839 – 923 AD, begin his life in Amul, Tabaristan situated in northern Persia. He studied in Baghdad and eventually settled there even though he also embarked on a number of travels to Syria, Egypt, and his birthplace. His life was dedicated to scholarly pursuits specifically researching and collecting Muslim traditions from the earlier generations. Although traditionally inclined in his theological outlook; he established his own school of law when it came to jurisprudence. It did not garner much appeal and soon fell into obscurity. His book on world history, however, did not face the same fate. In fact, the book titled “Tareekh al rusul wa muluk” (Publications ) along with his other major works have kept his name alive to this day. His other great work is his commentary i.e. Tafseer/Exegesis of the Quran. It is a concise guide to understand the holy book interspersed with not only his own opinions but also interpretations of preceding opinions. Although, quite an esteemed collection comprising of a total 30 volumes in print; it is still not as widely Many exegetes preceded him but his significance in the field of Qur’anic exegesis is due to his efforts on obtaining genuine chain of transmitters (isnad) to maintain honest citations of Ahadith in support of his interpretations. This concern for accuracy cemented his legitimacy among the later generations while his peers were rejected during scrutiny for employing unreliable sources of information. AL-TABARI’S Interpretation of the Ayah 3:7 Al-Tabari’s unsophisticated and simplistically self-conscious approach towards interpretation made his opinion the focus of a debate regarding clear and unclear verses mentioned in the Qur’an during Surah Al-Imran, Ayah 7. It is quoted: “It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise (clear) - they are the mother (foundation) of the Book - and others unspecific (unclear). As for those, in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific (unclear), seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah. But those, firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding” (Publications ) To this day, the interpretation that had once sparked discourse and debate among many a scholar, continues to raise discussions so as to distinguish and determine how the Qur’an divides itself into ‘clear’ and ‘unclear’. The surmise of his interpretation is as follows: In the context of the passage, “It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book”, ‘He’ is a reference to Allah or God, the creator from whom nothing is hidden or ambiguous. It means Allah has sent the book i.e. the Qur’an. This passage of ayah further elaborates, “in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the mother of the Book - and others unspecific” (Publications ). It mean that the ayahs are found within this same book and they are either clearly precise (muhkam) or otherwise unclear and unspecific (mutashabih). Understanding Clear Verses (Muh’kamaat) According to Al-Tabari, the word ‘clear’ here has been attributed a number of interpretations. One such being, the obvious clarification of instructions mentioned in the ayahs for categories of the permitted and the forbidden, the reward and the punishment, the promise and the threat, deeds commanded and those prohibited, the sermons and admonitions, the details and the examples and other matters addressed to the ummah by the agency of the Prophet (SAW). As per this particular verse, Allah referred to these muhkam ayahs as “the mother of the Book” (Publications ). It means such verses are the foundation or the source of the book and they contain all the significant laws and duties that this religion calls for including the penalties and the responsibilities bequeathed to the followers in this world and the hereafter. It is known per Arab tradition that the olden people used to refer to a majority of a portion as “mother”. The person holding the bulk of the responsibility in a circle was called ‘mother’, so was the banner that gathered groups of people to flock to them during a battle. Therefore they may have been labeled as such because these ayahs comprise a large portion of the Qur’an or that just like a mother, certain ayahs of this book are a refuge for all the souls that need its guidance in dire circumstances. The term “Mother of the Book” is used in singular instead of a plural even though the ayahs it encompasses, in essence, are multiple. The ayahs are referred to as ‘they’ however, because all the clear verses are intended inclusion yet each verse among them is not a mother of the book. If that were the case then all verses would have been recognized as the mothers of the book by making it plural. A set of ayahs addressed in the singular sense, is an aspect of the Qur’an that employs this style of narration as a grammatical complement for ‘they’. Understanding Unclear Verses (Mutasha’bihaat) With regards to the unclear verses, these are interpreted as being unclear in recitation having dissimilarities in meaning. For example, in verses, 2:25, it’s said: “they will be given that which resembles it” (Publications ) , i.e. things that have a resemblance but differ in actual substance. Variations in Interpretation of Clear and Unclear Verses A number of other interpreters displayed discord with this explanation. They believe in other possibilities for the understanding of clear and unclear verses (Publications ): 1) Some people say that the clear verses are those whose ruling is firmly established and they are valid in legal ruling i.e. the abrogator verses. In contrast, unclear verses are that who’s meaning is left behind or abandoned i.e. they have been abrogated. The testimonies of people that support this view are the following: Yaqub ibn Ibrahim told me that Hisham told him that Al-Awaam informed him on the authority of someone from Ibn Abbas about him stating with regards to these verses: In it are the clear verses, that these are three verses from the Qur’an, first being 6:151- “Come, I will recite what your Rabb has forbidden to you” and so on for three verses. The other is in Quran 17:23 - Your Rabb has decreed to you that: You shall worship none but Him until the end of the passage (Ayah 39) (Publications ) Al-Mutthana told me that Abu Salih told him that Mua’wiya ibn Salih told him on the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talha from Ibn Abbas who said concerning the verses: It is He who has sent down to you, the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise (clear) - they are the mother (foundation) of the Book (Publications ) that the clear verses are the abrogators and those which set out the permitted and the forbidden, the penalties and the responsibilities, what one believes in and what one does. And he said regarding the others are unspecific (unclear) (Publications ) that they are abrogated verses, verses of the category of those which precede and those which come after, parables and stories and what one believes in but does not have to act upon. Muhammad ibn Sa’ad told me that his father told him that his uncle narrated to him that his father had reported on the authority of his father from Ibn Abbas who said concerning: It is He who has sent down to you to the others are unspecific (unclear) (Publications ), that the clear verses are those which are the mother of the book that is the abrogators to which one has an obligation and upon which one must act whereas the unclear verses are those which have no obligation attached. 2) The second set of opinions say that the clear verses are those in which God has firmly established the explanation of the categories of permitted and forbidden while the unclear verses are those which are similar to them in meaning (ashbaha) but differ in their wording. Among those who say that, are the following: Muhammad ibn Amr told me that Abu Asim told him on the authority of Isa from Ibn Abi Najih from Mujahid concerning the statement of God, In it are the clear verses, that it is what is found in the categories of permitted and forbidden. Those which are equivalent to them are the unclear verses which confirm the others. Examples are to be found in the Qur’an 2:26 - He does not deem them misguided thereby unless they are disobedient, which is like 6:125 – Therefore God places abomination on those who do not believe which is like 47: 17 - Those who are guided He increases in guidance and gives them their God-fearingness. (Publications ) 3) There are still others that say that clear verses are those which can bear only one interpretation while the unclear verses are those which have many interpretations. Among those that support this interpretation are the following: Abu Hamid told me that Salama told him on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ishaaq who said that Muhammad ibn Ja’far ibn al-Zubair told him concerning, It is He who has sent down to you, the Book; in it are verses that are clear (Publications ), that in them is the proof of the Lord and the protection of the believers and the rejection of the particular and the hidden, there is no alteration or distortion in what they describe. Regarding, the others are unclear, that is in confirming they embrace distortion, alteration or interpretation. God puts the believers to test with them just as he puts them to test with the permitted and the forbidden but the clear verses cannot be changed to something hidden nor can they be distorted away from the truth. 4) Some others say that the meaning of clear verses is those verses in the Qur’an in which God gives rulings and the stories of the communities and their Prophets whom God sent to them. They are distinguished by the explanation given to Muhammad (SAW) and his followers. The unclear verses are those which resemble the stories repeated in various surahs. Stories which agree in wording yet differ in meaning and also those which differ in wording but agree in meaning. Among such people are: Yunus told me that Ibn Wahb informed him that Ibn Zayd recited from Qur’an 11:1, Alif, Lam, Ra. [This is] a Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from one who is Wise and Acquainted (Publications ), and then mentioned an account of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the next twenty four verses of this surah and recited twenty four more about Noah (AS). Then he recited from the Qur’an, 11: 49 – This is from the tidings of the unseen. He began again from verse 50 and kept on going until verse 90 of the same surah: And seek forgiveness (Publications ) from your Lord, at which he stopped. He mentioned Salih, Ibrahim, Lot and Shu’ayb had excelled at it. This is the explanation of, whose verses give clear rulings and then are set forth in detail (Publications ). He said, the unclear verses are found in the mention of Moses in many places and they are unclear yet they all have the same meaning and resemble one another. Included here are the Quranic passages such as 23:27 - take into it, 11:40 - embark therein, 28:32 - insert your hand, 27:12 - enter your hand, 20:20 - a serpent running, 7:107 - a serpent plainly visible. Then Hud is mentioned for the next 10 verses and Salih for eight followed by another eight verses for Ibrahim, Lot for eight as well and Shu’ayb for thirteen. Moses has four verses. All this is done for the Prophets and their people in this surah. This is finally concluded at verse 100 where it is said: That is from the tiding of the cities (Publications ). We tell it to you. Some of them are standing others are destroyed. He said concerning the unclear verses of the Qur’an; Whoever God rejects thereby with trials and tribulations will say, why is it that it cannot be so? (Publications ) 5) Then there are others that say the clear verses are those of which the learned class are aware of with regards to their interpretation and they understand its meaning and explanation while the un-clear verses are those which no one can use their knowledge to understand such that God has exclusive possession of their meaning. Its meaning is kept hidden from all creation. Such information includes the time of return for Jesus, the time when the sun will appear from the west, the hour of resurrection, the end of the world etc.Some among these people say that God also referred to the disconnected letters that precede a number of surahs (such as Alif Lam Meem, Ya Seen or Alif lam Meem Ra) to be the unclear verses under discussion. It is because they appear unclear in their purpose yet coincide with the numerical value of the letters. Their mystery is also introduced by God as a challenge to non-believers who have been unable to decipher them since their revelation. Work Cited Publications, H. The Glorious Quran: English Translation. Hamdaan PublicationsPrint. Read More