Reading al-Razi's Tafsir for Students of Knowledge
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, do you advise students of knowledge to read al-Razi's Tafsir, and have you read it all?
The Shaykh:
We do not advise reading it as a lifelong commitment, but we advise reading it to understand what those who claim they did not know the statements of the theologians (mutakallimun) say, in order to refute them and expose the misguidance they hold. As for reading it for the sake of reading, that does not benefit Muslims.
The questioner:
Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh:
From it. This error is by al-Zamakhshari. And this is al-Zamakhshari's Tafsir. I testify that the fourth book, meaning in a way that contradicts the Sunnah. Yes.
The questioner:
He asks: Have you read it?
The Shaykh:
But the student of knowledge who wants to engage in independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) reads in al-Zamakhshari, and reads in most of these books, in order to know the linguistic issues and doubts contained in them, so as to warn against them and refute them. I read in it sometimes, I read in it sometimes, but the reality is that it is not a source of comfort for a person when he reads in it; rather, the comfort of a person comes from reading what he needs, or reading for his children.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
Honorable Shaykh, do you advise students of knowledge to read al-Razi's Tafsir, and have you read it all?
The Shaykh:
We do not advise reading it as a lifelong commitment, but we advise reading it to understand what those who claim they did not know the statements of the theologians (mutakallimun) say, in order to refute them and expose the misguidance they hold. As for reading it for the sake of reading, that does not benefit Muslims.
The questioner:
Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh:
From it. This error is by al-Zamakhshari. And this is al-Zamakhshari's Tafsir. I testify that the fourth book, meaning in a way that contradicts the Sunnah. Yes.
The questioner:
He asks: Have you read it?
The Shaykh:
But the student of knowledge who wants to engage in independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) reads in al-Zamakhshari, and reads in most of these books, in order to know the linguistic issues and doubts contained in them, so as to warn against them and refute them. I read in it sometimes, I read in it sometimes, but the reality is that it is not a source of comfort for a person when he reads in it; rather, the comfort of a person comes from reading what he needs, or reading for his children.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you
Source
شرح الكافية الشافية في الانتصار للفرقة الناجية [ القصيدة النونية ] [ صالح الفوزان ]، فصل : في بيان شروط كفاية النصين والاستغناء بالوحيين — islamhouse.com (1:01:27)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.