IS it not the case that the messenger’s job was not just to deliver the Qur’an like a postman but his duty was also to explain and give commentary of the divine message? In many Quranic verses it is stated that he gives the knowledge of the Book. Is the knowledge and Tafsir (Exegesis) of the Book of Allah that the messenger gave contained in the books of traditions?
It is correct to say that the messenger’s duty was not restricted to reciting the Qur’an to his people since he was, in the words of the Qur’an, intended to give them the knowledge of the Book.( 2:129) However, books of traditions attributed to the messenger – and upheld by various sects – do not contain explanations of every verse of the Qur’an. What we see in such compilations are often paradoxical reports limited tocertain verses only. No book of ‘traditions’ contains a complete commentary on the Qur’an from Surah Al-Fatiha to Surah An-Naas.
This begs the inevitable question: how did the messenger confer the knowledge of the Book of Allah on his audience? And where can we find those explanations?
The Qur’an provides us with an adequate answer. Allah tells us that His Book has been kept free from exegesis by suggesting that it has to be taken as its own commentary.
The Qur’an is not a book on a specific topic divided neatly into chapters. Rather, it is discursive which means that themes are spread out recurrently across it. For instance, divorce is first dealt with in Surah Al-Baqara,, Surah Al Nisa, Surah Al Ahzaab and finally in Sura At Tal’aaq which is the sixty fifth chapter of the Qur’an.
Consequently, knowledge of any given Qur’anic subject is arrived at by a process of aggregation. Verses are seen to explain and complement each other.
Repetition is of the essence. In fact, repetition and recurrence are a crucial part of Quran’ic exegesis or <Tasreef ul Ayaat>. It is in this way that the Book of Allah provides its own explanation.
See how We repeat the verses that they may understand. (6:65)
And certainly We have repeated for mankind in this Quran, every kind of similitude, but the majority of mankind do not consent to aught but denying. (17:89)
Topics are repeated and so memorialized and what is opaque or not quite clear in one passage is made manifest in another. One verse sheds light on another. Furthermore we are told that the messenger of Allah explained the Qur’an by the Qur’an itself:
And thus do We repeat the verses and that they may say: You have read; and that We may make it clear to a people who know. (6:108)
It would appear that the messenger’s lectures on the Qur’an too were based on <tasreef_ul_ayat>( i.e. repetition of ayaat) and that this was how he explained different topics. The messenger gave Dars ul Qur-an in this way and the Qur’an was clarified by the Qur’an itself. This is further supported in Surah Al-Furqan, where a certain objection of the disbelievers is identified:
The disbelievers say: Why is not the Qur’an revealed to him all at once? Thus (is it revealed gradually) that We may strengthen thy heart thereby and We have rehearsed it to thee in slow well-arranged stages gradually. And no example do they bring to thee but We bring to thee the truth and the best explanation. (25:32-33)
The above verses address a matter of great importance. The objection of the disbelievers – about the Qur’an not being revealed all at once – is instantly countered with a reasoned defense of a ‘staggered’ revelation. The reasons offered are as follows.
(1) In this way, the messenger’s heart might be strengthened: Thus (is it revealed gradually) that We may strengthen thy heart thereby and We have rehearsed it to thee in slow well-arranged stages gradually. The messenger was enjoined to be steadfast to the revelation of the Qur’anic verses.
(2) The arguments put forward by the unbelievers could be adequately answered by Haqq, i.e. Qur’anic truth. As the Qur’an says, And no example do they bring to thee but We bring to thee the truth..
(3) The third reason offered for a ‘gradual’ revelation is that it would allow the Qur’an to provide <Ahsan_ul_Tafsir>, i.e. the best explanation or exegesis of Allah’s Book. <Wa la_ yatu_naka bimasalin il la_ jina_ka bil haq qi wa ahsana tafsira>
And no example do they bring to thee but We bring to thee the truth and the best ‘Tafsir’ (exegesis) (25:33)
Thus Allah revealed verses which provided Tafsir of other verses themselves. What was ambiguous was clarified in stages by virtue of the gradual descent of the Qur’an. An exegetical method presented itself. Tafsir of the Qur’an was offered by the Qur’an itself and oral ‘traditions’ and compilations were not called for.
This was the manner in which Allah gave the Tafsir of His Book to the messenger and the messenger in turn conveyed it to his audience. The messenger did not give any separate book of Tafsir to the Ummah as the Tafsir of the Qur’an that he imparted to the Ummah was contained within the pages of the Qur’an itself.
The Qur’an’s system of thematic repetition aside, we are also instructed to reflect on Allah’s Book since the message of the Qur’an becomes apparent to those who strive to comprehend its meaning and conduct research in it.
The Qur’anic verses will be rendered plain for those who give their understanding free rein and try to unlock the meaning of the divine message.
Thus do We make the verses distinct for a people who reflect. (10:24)
Indeed We have made the verses distinct for a people who will utilize their understanding. (6:98)
A Book We have revealed to you abounding in good that they may ponder over its verses, and that those endowed with understanding may be mindful. (38:29)
The Book is meant for those who are thoughtful and able to understand its benefits. There is a hint that the moral path – or guidance – is not easily found. A focused mind and rationality are called for in establishing a relationship with the Qur’an. It is only with the help of these that practical solutions to the problems of living are likely to present themselves.
Light is shed in two further verses on the importance of <Tasreef ul Ayat> for an understanding of the Qur’an and its mnemonic echoes which are there for its furtherance.
See how We repeat the verses that they may understand. (6:65)
See how We repeat the verses, yet they turn away (from the truth rendered by recurrence of ayat) (6:46)
Allah Himself – the pronominal ‘we’ of these verses – is the Mufasir or commentator of the Qur’an. But He is also its teacher. Consider:
Ar-Rahmaan (The Beneficent) It is He who teaches the Qur’an. (55:1-2)
Allah assumes responsibility not just for the revelation, compilation and protection of the Book but also its explanation.
Do not move your tongue with this (Qur’an) to make haste with it. Surely on Us (devolves) the collecting of it and the reciting of it. Therefore when We have recited it, follow its recitation. Again on Us (devolves) the explaining of it. (75:16-19)
Indeed it is Allah who provides the Tafsir of His own Book by <Tasreef ul Ayat>, that is, through a repetition of verses.
We will now examine how both Allah and His messenger might seem to conduct Tafsir of Qur’anic subjects
EXAMPLE OF TAFSIR PROVIDED BY ALLAH IN THE QUR’AN ITSELF, AND GIVEN BY THE PROPHET TO THE UMMAH
As has been suggested earlier, the Qur’an is autonomous. It clarifies its own concepts and operates as its own best Tafsir.
In Surah Al-Baqara, at the very start of the Qur’an, it is said that Allah’s Book is a guidance for Mutaqeen (those who guard against harmful actions).
That is The Book, there is no perplexity in it, guidance for the ‘Mutaqeen’ (2:2)
But who are the ‘Mutaqeen’? What are their qualities? The answers to these questions are given at different junctures where we see Tafsir typically in evidence in the Qur’an.
And hasten to the protection given from your Sustainer against the consequences of faults; and a Garden, the extensiveness of which is (as) the heavens and the earth, it is prepared for the ‘Mutaqeen’. (They are) those who spend in ease as well as in straitened conditions, and those who restrain (their) anger and pardon men; and Allah loves the doers of good (to others).And those who when they commit an indecency or do injustice to their souls remember (the law of) Allah and seek protection from the consequences of their faults – and who can give protection from the consequences of faults but Allah? – and (who) do not knowingly persist in what they have done. (3:133-135)
The ‘Mutaqeen’ are those who are somehow naturally in tune with life and distinguished by qualities of peacefulness and restraint. They are imbued with a sort of intrinsic moral instinct which allows them to ‘seek protection from the consequences of their faults.
Surely the ‘Mutaqeen’ will be in the midst of Garden and springs, taking joy in the things which their Sustainer gives them, because before that they lived a good life.(further details given about them) They were in the habit of sleeping but little by night. And in the hours of early dawn they were found seeking protection from the consequences of faults. And in their wealth was the right of him who asked and also of those who were prevented (from asking).” (51:159)
The ‘Mutaqeen’ are further seen as focused on the moral path and replete with fellow-feeling. Their ‘goodness’ has to do not just with what they have from nature but with a strict spiritual regimen. In other words, goodness is not spontaneous but ‘achieved’ or the product of conscious moral endeavor.
Surely those who guard (al lazina attaqau), when a visitation from the Shaitan afflicts them, they remind themselves (of the divine laws), then lo! they see (the right way). (7:201)
The ‘Mutaqeen’ are also vigilant or on guard against error and sin. They are not exempt from wrong but are equipped with the power to convert their ill into good. That is because they are imbued with moral ‘sight’ and can act in keeping with it and the divine laws.
Warding off evil or keeping it at bay is something another Surah likewise highlights.
He it is Who made the sun a shining brightness and the moon a light, and ordained for it mansions that you might know the computation of years and the reckoning. Allah did not create it but with truth; He makes the signs manifest for a people who have knowledge. Most surely in the variation of the night and the day, and what Allah has created in the heavens and the earth, there are signs for a people who guard <qaum in yataqoon>. (10:5-6)
TAFSEEL (DETAILS) OF ANNOYANCE IMPARTED TO MOSES BY HIS PEOPLE
Other examples of Tafsir of the Qur’an – by the Qur’an – are worth noting. These may be said to contain Tafseel or specific details.
O you who believe! Be not like those who annoyed Moses, but Allah cleared him of what they said, and he was worthy of regard with Allah. (33:69)
The above verse draws an analogy between believers of the time of the messenger and those who ‘annoyed Moses’. Who were these people? They were the Jews who should rightly have been grateful to Moses for freeing them from Pharaoh’s bondage but, instead, made a habit of complaining.
They said: ‘We have had (nothing but) trouble both before and after thou came to us. (7:129)
They received heavenly sustenance in the form of <Man wa salwa>, but expressed dissatisfaction even over that.
O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always).. (2:61)
While passing through a habitation they saw some people serving idols, and asked Moses, a messenger of God who had always taught them not to bow down before anyone except Allah, that:
.. O Moses! Make for us a god as they have (their) gods He said: Surely you are a people acting ignorantly (7:138)
When Moses absented himself for communion with Allah, his people started worshiping the calf. (see 20:86). When they were told to conduct themselves with propriety on entering a city, they deliberately acted insolently (see 2:58-59). And when Moses directed them to have belief in Allah, they responded with defiance.
O Moses! We will not believe in you until we see Allah manifestly.. (2:55)
When God instructed them through Moses to slaughter a calf in order to purify them after their idol- worship, they made excuses, details of which are given in (2:67-71). Moses pleaded with them to enter the Holy land that they had been promised but they again began to prevaricate.
..go therefore you and your Sustainer, then fight you both surely we will here sit down. (5:24)
Such was the insolence displayed by the people of Moses that he was hard put to it to contain his displeasure.
And when Moses said to his people: O my people! why do you annoy me? And you know indeed that I am Allah’s messenger to you..(61:5)
And he implored God to come to his aid.
He said: My Sustainer! Surely I have no control (upon any) but my own self and my brother; therefore make a separation between us and the nation of transgressors.(5:25)
So we see that that the believers were instructed by the Prophet through precept and example, by Tafsir and Tafseel, against a Mosaic backdrop.
..Be not like those who annoyed Moses (33:69)
The account in the Qur’an of the journey to the Promised Land is vivid and detailed in the manner in which it traces the troubled relationship between Moses and his people. Their churlish waywardness and incredulity point to the fraught path of religion in general and of the Prophet Mohammad himself at the time of the inception of Islam. As against this, an altogether different version of the ‘vexation’ of Moses is offered by a book of ‘tradition’
The account in Sahih Al-Bukhar is as follows:
It has been narrated to me by Ishaq bin Ibraheem, as Ruh bin Ubadah told us, from Auf who was informed by Al Hasan, Muhammad and Khilas, that he narrated from Abu Hurraira who said that, Allah’s Apostle said, “(The Prophet) Moses was a shy person and used to cover his body completely because of his extensive shyness. One of the children of Israel hurt him by saying, ‘He covers his body in this way only because of some defect in his skin, either leprosy or scrotal hernia, or he has some other defect.’ Allah wished to clear Moses of what they said about him, so one day while Moses was in seclusion, he took off his clothes and put them on a stone and started taking a bath. When he had finished the bath, he moved towards his clothes so as to take them, but the stone took his clothes and fled; Moses picked up his stick and ran after the stone saying, ‘O stone! Give me my garment!’ Till he reached a group of Bani Israel who saw him naked then, and found him the best of what Allah had created, and Allah cleared him of what they had accused him of. The stone stopped there and Moses took and put his garment on and started hitting the stone with his stick. By Allah, the stone still has some traces of the hitting, three, four or five marks. This was what Allah refers to in His Saying: “O you who believe! Be you not like those Who annoyed Moses, But Allah proved his innocence of that which they alleged, And he was honorable In Allah’s Sight.”33/69- (Sahih Bukhari Volume 4 Hadith 616)
There is a stark contrast between this quite grotesque account and the ‘cumulative’ picture of Moses in the Qur’an. The apparent ‘humiliation’ of Moses by the Children of Israel Moses is clearly a fabrication. The story has been cunningly attributed to the Prophet to give it the color of truth. Unfortunately for us, this has enabled it to make its way into the Islamic canon. The exegetical method of the Prophet is before us. As we have seen, he largely worked within the confines of the Book itself, using verse after verse to explain a spiritual or moral principle.
Those who sincerely engage with the Qur’an will doubtless be able to see the mutuality of different passages and discover for themselves that the Book of Allah is autonomous and does not depend on external sources for its exegesis.
While modern day translations of the Qur’an are often colored, to their detriment, by ‘traditional’ thinking, there are scholars who also concede the validity of the Qur’an’s own ‘internal’ Tafsir.
It would help to consider what the Islamic scholar, Allama Abdullah Yusuf Ali has to say at the conclusion of the preface to his translation and commentary of the Qur’an:
It has been said that the Qur’an is its own best commentary. As we proceed with the study of the Book, we find how true this is. A careful comparison and collation of passages from the Qur’an removes many difficulties. Use a good concordance, such as the one I have named among the Works of reference, and you will find that one passage throws light on another. The Holy Qur’an- Translation and commentary by A. Yusuf Ali, pp xi
Another well-known translator of the Qur’an, Muhammad Asad similarly acknowledges, in the Foreword to his translation, that the Qur’an provides its own Tafsr.
The Qur’an must not be viewed as a compilation of individual injunctions and exhortations but as one integral whole: that is, as an exposition of an ethical doctrine in which every verse and sentence has an intimate bearing on other verses and sentences, all of them clarifying and amplifying one another. Consequently, its real meaning can be grasped only if we correlate every one of its statements with what has been stated elsewhere in its passages, and try to explain its ideas by means of frequent cross references, always subordinating the particular to the general and the incidental to the intrinsic. Whenever this rule is faithfully followed, we realize that the Qur’an is – in the words of Muhammed Abduh- “its own best commentary”. The Message of THE QUR-AN by Muhammad Asad, pp vii
