The 10 mabādī of ʿilm uṣūl al-tafsīr

Compiled by: Harun Verstaen

Introduction
I used several resources to compile this short article which resources will be provided in the
footnotes.1 One treatise I’d like to mention in particular is the nice and small treatise Mabādī
ʿilm uṣūl al-tafsīr by the Indonesian scholar al-Ḥājj Muḥammad ʿAbduh Pabbajah (d. 2009;
raḥimahullah), published in 1398 AH/1977.2

1. Definition
Uṣūl is the plural of the singular aṣl which can mean:
- root;
- fundamental;
- principle;
- foundation.
Tafsīr means explanation or commentary and here it means explanation of, or commentary
on, the Qur’an specifically. It can also mean interpretation and exegesis.
The word aṣl is used when referring to a principle of law or a law. Technically uṣūl al-tafsīr
can be defined as follows: those principles or laws upon which the science of tafsir is
founded. Therefore the following definition of uṣūl al-tafsīr can be given:
“The science of the principles of tafsīr is the science in which the laws or rules of tafsir and
valuable aspects on the commentaries of the mufassirīn3 are discussed.”4
The science of uṣūl al-tafsīr is part of the sciences (ʿulūm) of the Qur’an and a subcategory of
it. The basic difference between these two sciences has been described as follows by Bilal
Philips5 in his book Usool al-Tafseer which I will reproduce here. He said uṣūl al-tafsīr (lit.: the
fundamental principles of Qur’anic interpretation) essentially refers to the branches of
knowledge which are necessary to provide an accurate interpretation of the Qur’anic text,
such as Arabic grammar and syntax, Arabic literature and Qur’anic sciences. Uṣūl al-tafsīr

1
See as well: http://www.nebrasselhaq.com/2010-06-14-20-22-38/item/1816-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%AD-
%D8%A3%D8%B5%D9%88%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%91%D9%81%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B1-1-
%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%91%D9%85%D8%A9
2
This treatise can be downloaded here: https://archive.org/details/mabadiushultafsir
3
The Qur’anic commentators.
4
Mufti Muhammad Ameen Palanpuri, Khairul Katheer, p. 92.
5
A remark needs to be made here regarding him. When one reads his work be careful and always double check
his statements and references against the known and authoritative sources because his reliability is
questionable.
addresses the actual step-by-step methodology of interpreting the Qur’an to ensure that
interpretations are not merely the result of human whims and fancies.6 According to Bilal
Philips the more commonly used term ʿulūm al-Qur’an, refers to all the fields of knowledge
which serve to elucidate the Qur’an or which are derived from it. Included among them are
the sciences of tafsīr (exegesis), qirā’āt (the canonical recitations of the Qur’an), al-rasm al-
ʿUthmānī (the ʿUthmani script), ʿijāz al-Qur’an (miraculous aspects of the Qur’an), asbāb al-
nuzūl (reasons for revelation), al-nāsikh wa’l-mansūkh (abrogating and abrogated verses of
the Qur’an), ʿirāb al-Qur’an (Qur’anic grammar), gharīb al-Qur’an (unusual Qur’anic terms),
religious rulings and Arabic language and literature.7
As one can see there is a great overlap between these two sciences but the science of ʿulūm
al-Qur’an is more general then the science of uṣūl al-tafsīr.
Some scholars have equated uṣūl al-tafsīr with ʿulūm al-Qur’an but this is not correct
because the ʿulūm al-Qur’an also include topics that have very little or nothing to do with
tafsīr, such as the compilation of the Qur’an and the development of the script of the
Qur’an.8

2. Subject
Its subject matter is to explain the principles and etiquettes of tafsīr but in the end it is the
same as that of ʿilm al-tafsīr, i.e. the words of the Qur’an as far as the purpose of Allah taʿāla
is concerned.9

3. Fruit
It aids one in gaining the correct understanding of the Noble Qur’an and practicing upon it,
thereby achieving success in both worlds.10

4. Merit
It is the most honourable science of all sciences because it is related to the speech of Allah
ʿazza wa jalla.

6
Bilal Philips, Usool al-Tafseer, p. 13.
7
Ibid, p. 14.
8
Yasir Qadhi, An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’an, p. 18.
9
Mufti Muhammad Ameen Palanpuri, Khairul Katheer, pag. 92
10
Ibid, pag. 93
5. Ascription
It belongs to the sciences of the Qur’an specifically and generally it is seen as part of the
sciences of the sharīʿah.

6. Founder
It is not known who exactly the founder of this science is. In reality it cannot be said with
absolute certainty who founded the science. Shaykh al-Ḥājj Muḥammad ʿAbduh Pabbajah
mentions shaykh ul-islam Jalāl ul-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Bulqinī (d. 824 AH) in his treatise (p.
5). He doesn’t mention a work of his in this regard though.
Perhaps one of the first scholars to write a separate treatise on this science was Ibn
Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH) with his masterwork Muqaddimah.

7. Name
It is called the science (ʿilm) of uṣūl al-tafsīr, the principles or fundamentals of Qur’anic
exegesis. Other names are:
- qawāʿid al-tafsīr, and
- qānūn al-ta’wīl.

8. Sources
The Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) the statements of the
Ṣaḥāba and the Tabiʿīn, the sciences of the Arabic language, like adab (literature), and the
science of the qirā’āt of the Qur’an.

9. Ruling of the Lawgiver

It is wujūb al-kifā’ī for the people of every city or the masses (al-ʿumūm) and wujūb al-ʿaynī
for every mufassir who writes or teaches.

10. Issues
Some of the most important issues of this science are:
- the definition of the Qur’an;
- the revelation of the Qur’an;
- the reasons for revelation of the Qur’an;
- al-nāsikh wa’l-mansūkh;
- types of tafsīr;
- the differences between the mufassirīn.
And other issues.

Important books
- Al-Fawz al-Kabīr fī Uṣūl al-Tafsīr by Shāh Waliullah al-Dihlawī;
- Muqaddimah fī Uṣūl al-Tafsīr by Ibn Taymiyyah;
- al-Takmīl fī Uṣūl al-Ta’wīl by Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Farahī;
- Mabādī fī Uṣūl al-Tafsīr by Muḥammad Akram al-Nadwī;
- al-Qawāʿid al-Ḥisān li Tafsīr al-Qur’ān by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Nāṣir al-Saʿdī;
- Uṣūl fī al-Tafsīr and sharḥ by Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn;
- al-Taqrīr ʿalā Naẓm Uṣūl al-Tafsīr by Ṣāliḥ al-Asmarī;
- Fuṣūl fī Uṣūl al-Tafsīr by Musāʿad b. Sulaymān al-Ṭayyār;
- Principles of Quranic Exegesis (English) by Usama al-Azhari;
- Uṣūl al-Tafsīr (English) by Recep Dogan.