What are the tafsir books you advise us to read, especially for students of knowledge?
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The questioner : This questioner is from Dammam. May the Shaykh be honored, he has a second question: What are the tafsir books you advise me to read, especially for students of knowledge? May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Tafsir books, in fact, differ in their approaches.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Tafsir Ibn Kathir is one of the best tafsirs, but may Allah have mercy on him, he does not pay much attention to the Arabic language, meaning eloquence, aspects of grammar, and the like. Tafsir Ibn Jarir, which is also the source of Tafsir Ibn Kathir, is lengthy, and among the reports contained in it are some that are chaff and some that are substantial; it requires a student of knowledge who has knowledge of the narrators and chains of transmission.
There are also good tafsir books, but their methodology in creed is not sound, such as Tafsir al-Zamakhshari. It is good in terms of eloquence and language, but it is not sound in terms of creed. It contains words that pass by a person without him knowing their significance, but if they settle in his heart, he may later realize their significance and have already submitted to them, thereby becoming misguided. Therefore, I see that a student of knowledge should take Tafsir Ibn Kathir as long as he is in the early stages of seeking knowledge, or Tafsir Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him), or Tafsir Abu Bakr al-Jaza'iri. This is what I have looked into, and there may be other tafsirs similar to or better than these, but this is what I have looked into. Then, if Allah grants him extensive knowledge and a strong grasp by which he understands what he could not understand in his days of seeking knowledge, let him review whatever tafsirs are available to him. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Tafsir books, in fact, differ in their approaches.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Tafsir Ibn Kathir is one of the best tafsirs, but may Allah have mercy on him, he does not pay much attention to the Arabic language, meaning eloquence, aspects of grammar, and the like. Tafsir Ibn Jarir, which is also the source of Tafsir Ibn Kathir, is lengthy, and among the reports contained in it are some that are chaff and some that are substantial; it requires a student of knowledge who has knowledge of the narrators and chains of transmission.
There are also good tafsir books, but their methodology in creed is not sound, such as Tafsir al-Zamakhshari. It is good in terms of eloquence and language, but it is not sound in terms of creed. It contains words that pass by a person without him knowing their significance, but if they settle in his heart, he may later realize their significance and have already submitted to them, thereby becoming misguided. Therefore, I see that a student of knowledge should take Tafsir Ibn Kathir as long as he is in the early stages of seeking knowledge, or Tafsir Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him), or Tafsir Abu Bakr al-Jaza'iri. This is what I have looked into, and there may be other tafsirs similar to or better than these, but this is what I have looked into. Then, if Allah grants him extensive knowledge and a strong grasp by which he understands what he could not understand in his days of seeking knowledge, let him review whatever tafsirs are available to him. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.