The honorable Shaykh, which books of tafsir do you direct the listeners to read, O Shaykh?
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The questioner : The honorable Shaykh, which books of tafsir do you direct the listeners to read, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Books of tafsir are, in reality, numerous and diverse, and the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) each take a different aspect of the Noble Qur'an. Some focus primarily on interpreting the meanings, regardless of grammar, rhetoric, and the like.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Some focus primarily on issues of grammar and rhetoric and the like, and some focus primarily on deriving scientific and practical rulings from the verses. They differ in this, but in my knowledge, one of the best of the tafsirs is the tafsir of Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him). It is a good, Salafi tafsir, but it is noted that he sometimes presents some Isra'iliyyat without verifying them, though this is rare in his work.
Among the excellent tafsirs is the tafsir of the Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him). It is a Salafi tafsir that is easy to understand and beneficial even for the layperson. Among the excellent tafsirs is also the tafsir of al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him), and the tafsir of Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti al-Jakani, especially regarding the latter part of the Qur'an which he covered. Among the excellent tafsirs in terms of rhetoric and Arabic is the tafsir of al-Zamakhshari, but beware of it in matters of creed, for it is of no value.
Among the excellent tafsirs is the tafsir of Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, but it is not beneficial except for the advanced in knowledge. There are other tafsirs that we do not know except through reports about them, but a person must, if he does not understand a verse from the tafsirs, ask the people of knowledge about it, so that he does not interpret the Qur'an in a way other than what Allah the Exalted intended.
The questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Books of tafsir are, in reality, numerous and diverse, and the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) each take a different aspect of the Noble Qur'an. Some focus primarily on interpreting the meanings, regardless of grammar, rhetoric, and the like.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Some focus primarily on issues of grammar and rhetoric and the like, and some focus primarily on deriving scientific and practical rulings from the verses. They differ in this, but in my knowledge, one of the best of the tafsirs is the tafsir of Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him). It is a good, Salafi tafsir, but it is noted that he sometimes presents some Isra'iliyyat without verifying them, though this is rare in his work.
Among the excellent tafsirs is the tafsir of the Shaykh Abd al-Rahman ibn Nasir al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him). It is a Salafi tafsir that is easy to understand and beneficial even for the layperson. Among the excellent tafsirs is also the tafsir of al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him), and the tafsir of Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti al-Jakani, especially regarding the latter part of the Qur'an which he covered. Among the excellent tafsirs in terms of rhetoric and Arabic is the tafsir of al-Zamakhshari, but beware of it in matters of creed, for it is of no value.
Among the excellent tafsirs is the tafsir of Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, but it is not beneficial except for the advanced in knowledge. There are other tafsirs that we do not know except through reports about them, but a person must, if he does not understand a verse from the tafsirs, ask the people of knowledge about it, so that he does not interpret the Qur'an in a way other than what Allah the Exalted intended.
The questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you, O honorable Shaykh.