What is your opinion of the tafsir book titled Ruh al-Ma'ani by al-Alusi?
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The questioner : What is your opinion of the tafsir book "Ruh al-Ma'ani" by al-Alusi?
The Shaykh : I believe that this book, meaning this tafsir book, is very beneficial, were it not for the fact that it contains some Sufism in a specific chapter. After he interprets the verses according to the method followed by scholars of tafsir, he says, "A chapter on indication," and then he presents Sufi interpretations. We would have preferred it not to have this, especially since he is a distinguished, learned man. He has a strong inclination toward the Salafi methodology and is far removed from much of what some later mufassirun got involved in, namely falling into figurative interpretation of the verses of attributes and believing in some religious innovations and superstitions. His tafsir is purified from such matters. He is a great scholar, and this tafsir of his testifies to that, were it not for his inclination toward some Sufism. Perhaps what led him to that was that he lived in a time when Sufism and the orders and the like had prevailed. In any case, if the student of knowledge is concerned with studying this tafsir and benefiting from it, and he stays away from that specific chapter or section where he deals with interpretation through Sufi indications, then there is much good in it, if Allah wills. Yes.
The Shaykh : I believe that this book, meaning this tafsir book, is very beneficial, were it not for the fact that it contains some Sufism in a specific chapter. After he interprets the verses according to the method followed by scholars of tafsir, he says, "A chapter on indication," and then he presents Sufi interpretations. We would have preferred it not to have this, especially since he is a distinguished, learned man. He has a strong inclination toward the Salafi methodology and is far removed from much of what some later mufassirun got involved in, namely falling into figurative interpretation of the verses of attributes and believing in some religious innovations and superstitions. His tafsir is purified from such matters. He is a great scholar, and this tafsir of his testifies to that, were it not for his inclination toward some Sufism. Perhaps what led him to that was that he lived in a time when Sufism and the orders and the like had prevailed. In any case, if the student of knowledge is concerned with studying this tafsir and benefiting from it, and he stays away from that specific chapter or section where he deals with interpretation through Sufi indications, then there is much good in it, if Allah wills. Yes.