Tafsīr, derived from the root fesr, which means “to explain, to declare” in the dictionary, means “to explain, to reveal, to remove the obscurity in the word or word”. For the interpretation of the Qur’ân al-kerîm, the words fesr and tafsir in the same sense are used, but tafsir has become widespread. It has also been suggested that the word tafsir is maklûb and comes from the root of sefr, which has similar meanings with fesr. It is known that the word sefr is used in the meanings of “the lifting of the veil over something and its becoming clear, the illumination of something closed”, such as a woman’s revealing her face, the revealing of the head with the removal of the turban on the head, and the brightness of the morning. “sefer”, which reveals the inner face and nature of the human being, also comes from this root (al-Jawharī, al-Ṣıḥâḥ, “sfr” md.; Râgıb al-Isfahânî, al-Mufredât, “sfr” md. Khalid b. ‘Uthman al-Sabt, I, 25-29). The plural of tafsīrāt, which means “to declare”, is tafsīrāt, and the name given to the works written in this field is tafsīr. It is possible to define tafsir by bringing together various definitions as follows: “The science that teaches the explanation of the meanings of the Qur’an and the deduction of judgements from it by making use of linguistic sciences such as syllabary, grammar, and rhetoric; Qur’anic sciences such as the occurrence, nāsih-mensuh, muhkem-mutashābih; sciences of narration such as hadith and history; and methodological sciences such as logic and the method of jurisprudence” (see also Zarqashī, I, 104-105). This definition excludes the interpretation of other works and emphasises that tafsīr must have a basis and that the person who will do the work of tafsīr must have knowledge in many fields, especially language and Qur’anic sciences. It is also possible to briefly define tafsir as “a branch of science that helps to find Allah’s intention in the Qur’an to the extent of human’s power”. Abū Hayyān al-Andalusī’s definition as “Tafsīr is the branch of science that talks about the manner of uttering the words of the Qur’ān, the meanings and judgements of the words in the form of mufr and composition, and the meanings that emerge when they are in composition” (al-Baḥr al-muḥīṭ, I, 121) both draws attention to the relationship of tafsīr with linguistic sciences and states that its purpose is to reveal the meaning in words and sentences. According to al-Jurjānī, tafsīr is the explanation of the meaning of the verse, the parables related to it, and the reason for its revelation with words that clearly indicate the meaning (al-Taʿrīfāt, “al-taṣfīr” md.). The commentator Ibn ʿAqīla writes that Imam Māturīdī said, “Tafsīr is to declare with certainty what is meant by the words of the Qurʾān and to bear witness before God that this is the meaning He intended by the words. If a proof is presented that states this meaning with certainty, it is a true tafsir, otherwise it is tafsir by rationalisation, which is forbidden.” Here, the idea that tafsir and tafsir are subjected to a fine distinction and that there is a possibility in tafsir, unlike tafsir, there is certainty in tafsir.

Apart from tafsir, words such as “te’vil, tebyin, beyan, tâlim, tafsil, tasrif, i’rab, şerh, tavzih” are also used for the interpretation of the Qur’ân al-kerîm. The root of the concept of ta’wil is “awl”, which means “the end point of something, the result of a word, the end of a work, the interpretation of a dream”. As a term, ta’wil means “to explain Allah’s intention that is not clear in the Qur’anic word by deducing it from the possible meanings of the relevant word in a way that is in accordance with the flow of the word, the Book and the Sunnah”. The word (M. F. ʿAbd al-Bābāqī, al-Muʿjam, “awl” md.), which occurs in various parts of the Qurʾān, is used in Āl al-Imrān sūrah (3/7) in the context of explaining mutashābih verses in a way that prepares the ground for the term. The word ta’wil, which is mostly used in the parable of Joseph in the sense of “interpretation of the dream” (Joseph 12/6, 21, 36, 37, 44, 45, 100, 101), confirms the meaning of the term. In the story of the Prophet Moses and Khidr, the word ta’wil is used in relation to the explanation of the inner side of the events (al-Kahf 18/78, 82; see also TE’VIL). The root “declaration”, which occurs in various forms and meanings in the Qur’an, is used in some places for the explanation of the Qur’an. In the Qiyāma sūrah, the word “declaration” is used in the Qiyāma sūrah when addressing the Prophet, who was trying to memorise the Qur’an quickly, by saying, “Then its explanation belongs to us” (al-Qiyāma 75/19). It is also stated in the Qur’an that the duty of explaining (tebyin) the Qur’an belongs to the Messenger of Allah. In Surat al-Nahl (16/44, 64; see also al-Ma’idah 5/15, 19; Ibrâhîm 14/4; al-Zuhruf 43/63), the Messenger of Allah is given the duty of declaring the revealed Qur’an and explaining it in a way to resolve matters of dispute. These words are also used to indicate that the Qur’an is explained by the Qur’an (cf. al-Baqara 2/187, 242, 266; al-Ma’idah 5/89; al-An’am 6/105; al-Nūr 24/58, 61).

The phrase “yuallimu’l-kitāba” (he teaches them the Book) in the Qur’an (al-Baqarah 2/129; al-Al-i Imrān 3/164; al-Jum’a 62/2) implies that the Prophet had the duty of teaching the revelation revealed to him. Although “i’rab” literally means “the analysis of a sentence in terms of language”, in the early periods this word meant “expressing something correctly, understanding and explaining”. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Learn the Qur’an and search for its strange words” (Hakim, II, 439; Süyûtî, II, 1194); the Prophet Abu Bakr said, “It is more pleasing to me to learn a verse of the Qur’an than to memorise a verse”; the Prophet Umar said, “It is more pleasing to me to learn a verse of the Qur’an than to memorise a verse of the Qur’an”; the Prophet Umar said, “It is more pleasing to me to learn a verse of the Qur’an than to memorise a verse of the Qur’an”. ‘Umar said, “Whoever reads and recites the Qur’an will be given the reward of a martyr in the sight of Allah” (Qurtubi, I, 23; Süyûtî, II, 1195); ‘Abdullah b. ‘Umar said, “Whoever reads and recites the Qur’an will be given twenty good deeds for each letter” (Qurtubi, I, 23; Ibrâhim Abdullah Rufayda, I, 99). It is also clear that the verbs “fussilat” (we explain in a wide range [Hûd 11/1]) and “nusarrifu” (we express and explain in various ways [al-An’âm 6/105]) refer to the exegesis of the Qur’an. Although the words “commentary” and “tawzih” are generally used to explain information or words, they are not found in the Qur’an or other religious sources in the sense of “interpretation of the Qur’an”. Although not directly related to tafsir, there are many words in the Qur’an related to understanding and comprehension, which are considered the stages of tafsir. It is possible to categorise them under the titles of “contemplation” (al-Baqarah 2/219, 266), “tedabbür” (al-Nisā 4/82), “taakkul” (al-Baqarah 2/44, 75, 242), “tezekkür” (al-Baqarah 2/221) and “tafakkuh” (al-An’am 6/65). Although the term “hermeneutics” (Fr. herméneutique), which has been proposed by some for the understanding and interpretation of sacred texts and especially the Qur’an, has gained a limited place among the intellectuals in the Islamic world, it cannot be said that it meets one or both of the concepts of tafsir or te’vil. Although “semantics” (Fr. sémantique), which is based on the principles developed in the West and translated as “science of meaning” in Turkish, has a place today especially in the method of thematic exegesis or in the study of Qur’anic concepts, it is not considered a new method due to the existence of branches such as “fiqh al-lugha” in Islamic sciences. If these methods of understanding are applied without ignoring the fact that the Qur’an is a book of divine origin, useful results can be obtained.

The word tafsir in the sense of interpretation of the Qur’an has been used since the early periods. Tafsir, which is mentioned in the Qurʾān in the meaning of “explanation” in Furqān sūrah (25/33), is found in many narrations in hadith sources (Wensinck, al-Muʿjam, “fsr” md.). The Companions also used the word tafsir for the interpretation of the Qur’an and the Torah. When mentioning the verse on riba, Hazrat ‘Umar stated that the Messenger of Allah passed away without interpreting this verse (Ibn Māja, “Ticārāt”, 58). Abū Hurayrah includes the word tafsīr when he says that the Ahl al-Bayt recited the Torah in Hebrew and explained it in Arabic for Muslims (Bukhārī, “Tafsīr”, 2/11, “Iʿtiṣām”, 25, “Tawḥīd”, 51). According to a narration from Ibn ‘Abbas, the Messenger of Allah used to comment on matters of faith to a group of people who came to him (Muslim, “Îmân”, 23; for similar narrations, see. Al-Nasā’i, “Iman”, 25, “Ashriba”, 54; Abu Dāwūd, “Ashriba”, 7). The word tafsir was also used for the books written for the interpretation of the Qur’an starting from the tâbiîn period. As seen in the works of Imam Māturīdī and al-Tabarī, the word ta’wil was preferred as the name for some commentaries written in the third (IXth) century.

Author: ABDULHAMİT BİRIŞIK