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Introduction
Praise belongs to Allah, the Mighty, Giver of Gifts, King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the One Who sent the book down upon His slave, as a guidance and a reminder to those of understanding. Within it He placed the furthest limit of wisdom, decisive discourse, useful sciences, and conclusiveproofs. He singled out for it the most astonishing of every astonishing wonder of exalted qualities,concealed subtleties, clear indications and divine secrets. He made it at the highest level of elucidationso that it is impossible for men and jinn [to imitate]. Scholars who are masters of language recognisethe eloquence, skill, composition, syntax and abundant goodness it contains.He made its memorisation in the breasts easy and guaranteed its protection from being exchangedor altered, so that it has not changed, and will not, during the entire length of time and the courseof epochs. He made it a distinct speech and a just judgement, a clear sign and an enduring miracle, which was testified to by whoever witnessed the revelation as well as whoever was absent, and by itthe argument on behalf of the penitent believer, and the proof against the doubting disbeliever willbe established.He guides people by the judgements He lays down in it, makes clear the halal and the haram andteaches the rites of Islam. He alternates the mention of prohibitions, commands, exhortations,restrictions, good news of reward and warning of punishment.He makes the people of the Qur’an the people of Allah and His choicest friends. He singles themout from among His slaves, and makes them inherit the Garden and a beautiful place of return. Soglory be to our Generous Master Who singled us out with His Book, and honoured us with Hisaddress. What an abundant blessing, and far-reaching proof. May Allah the Generous help us toundertake the duty of showing gratitude for it, fulfilling its right, and recognising its rank. My success is only by Allah, He is my Lord, there is no god but Him, upon Him I depend and to HimI turn in repentance.The blessings of Allah, His peace, His greetings, His blessings, and His honouring be upon the one who guided us to Allah, conveyed to us the message of Allah, brought us the Vast Qur’an and the wise ayat, struggled for the sake of Allah truly, and taught, counselled and explained until the proof  was established, the goal of the pilgrimage came in sight, the right direction was clearly distinct1from deviance, the path of the truth and the correct became evident, and the darknesses of doubt
 
Introduction
and uncertainty were dispelled. That was our lord and master Muhammad, the unlettered prophet,the Qurashi, the Hashimi, the one chosen from the quintessence of the best, the one singled outfrom the purest of lineages, and noblest of noble descents, whom Allah aided with evident miracles,overpowering troops, and sharp wrathful swords.He united in him the nobility of this world and the next world, and made him a leader for those whose extremities are whitened [from
wudu’ 
] and whose faces are bright. He is the first who willintercede on the Day of Reckoning, and the first who will enter the Garden and knock on the door.May Allah bless him, his pure family, and his honoured companions, the best family and companions, with a pure abundant blessing whose measure cannot be taken by number or reckoning, and whichneither the tongues of the eloquent nor the pens of writers will even approach describing.The above is from the Introduction which Ibn Juzayy wrote to his own tafsir. He was born in 693 AH. Hisname was Abu
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 Abdullah Muhammad, called al-Qasim, ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi(from the Arab tribe of Kalb), may Allah be pleased with him and make him contented, and make theGarden his shelter. He was al-Gharnati (from Granada in Andalusia, Spain) and thus European. Ibn Juzayy  wrote widely on all the sciences of his day: hadith, fiqh, Qur’anic recitations and tafsir. He died as a shaheedin the Battle of Tareef in the year 741 AH, may Allah be pleased with him.
The Sciences of Tafsir
The knowledge of the tremendous Qur’an is the most exalted of sciences in rank, the most majesticof them in significance, the vastest of them in reward, and the noblest of them in remembrance. Allah blessed me by occupying me in service of the Qur’an, in learning and teaching it. He mademe fall in love with its meanings and with acquiring its sciences. I discovered what commentary the
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ulama, may Allah be pleased with them, had compiled of compositions of different descriptionsand distinct classes on the Qur’an.There are those who prefer summarisation, and of them there are those who go to great lengthsuntil they increase greatly the number of books. There are those who speak about one type of science rather than any other. Tthere are those who depend on transmitting the sayings of people.Tthere are those who depend on insight, verification and exactness. Each travels the path he does,and takes the way he is pleased with, and Allah promises each the best.2I desired to travel on their path, and to join the development of their group. So I composed this
 
Commentary on al-Fil to al-Fatihah
book in commentary on the Tremendous Qur’an, and every science that is connected to it. I haveadopted a useful course since I have made it both comprehensive and concise, by which I intendfour things which contain four benefits.The first benefit:The gathering together of much science in a book of small volume in order to make things easier forstudents, and to bring things nearer for the eager. This book encompasses that which lengthy collections of knowledge contain, but after condensing and clarifying it and revising its sectionalarrangements, and omitting its filler [material] and its excess. I have placed the desired quintessenceof every one of the different sorts of science of Qur’an in it, without either excess or neglect, ratherthan the avoidable trivialities. Moreover I resolved on succinctness of expression, exaggerated concision,and avoidance of lengthiness and repetition.Second benefit:The mention of wonderful points and amazing benefits, which are rarely found in books, becausethey are one of my concerns (literally, “The daughters of my breast”), the springs of my remembrance(dhikr) and a part of that which I took from my shaykhs, may Allah be pleased with them, or fromthat which I received of rare elegances occurring in unusual manuscripts.Third benefit:The clarification of problems, either by resolving tightly locked, knotty problems, or by a goodexpression or the elimination of possible meanings and the explanation of general concepts.Fourth benefit:Verification of both the defective and sound sayings of the commentators, and distinguishing [theview] which is weightier from that which is of less consequence. That is because people’s statementsare in degrees:
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there is that which is sound upon which one can rely;
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the false to which oneshould not turn;
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and there is that which may be thought either sound or corrupt.These possibilities [of soundness and falsehood] may be equal or different. The difference may belittle or a lot. I have given these divisions different expressions by which you will know every degree3and each statement.
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The least of them is that about which I make clear that it is either a mistake
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