Advice on Reading Tafsir Books That Deviate in Creed

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, we find that ta'wil (figurative interpretation) and its narratives have appeared in many books of tafsir and other books by responsible scholars. So what is the advice in this matter so that students do not be misled by scholars in this regard?

Answer:
The advice in this matter is that you study the correct creed so that when you read these tafsirs, you benefit from the knowledge in them and are wary of the errors in them. It is obligatory that you study the correct creed and understand it first. As for the person who does not understand the correct creed and has not studied it, he should avoid these books and not read in them. He should read in reliable books, such as the tafsir of Ibn Jarir, the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, the tafsir of Ibn Sa'di, and the tafsir of al-Baghawi, which was authored by the people of the Sunnah and the community, because they are safe and contain no pitfalls regarding the attributes. As for the person whom Allah has blessed with knowledge of the creed and who understands it completely, there is no harm in his reading in other tafsir books to benefit from the knowledge in them, such as the tafsir of al-Razi, the tafsir of al-Zamakhshari, the tafsir of al-Nasafi, the tafsir of al-Baydawi, and al-Jalalayn. He benefits from the knowledge in them and leaves the errors in them. Even the late al-Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted a lot of the words of the people of ta'wil and did not comment on them. So *Fath al-Qadir* is filled with the words of the people of ta'wil, and he did not comment on that because he was merely a transmitter. It is like the tafsirs that it is not fitting for a beginner to read in until he learns the creed and understands it well.