Exegesis of the Qur'an

Tafsir (Arabic: تفسير‎, translit. Tafsīr, lit. 'interpretation'‎) is the Arabic word for exegesis, usually of the Quran. An author of tafsir is a mufassir (Arabic: مُفسّر‎‎; plural: مفسّرون). A Quranic tafsir will often explain content and provide places and times, not contained in Quranic verses, as well as give the different views and opinions of scholars on the verse.

The word tafsīr is derived from the Arabic root, F-S-R which means to explain, to expound, to disclose. In Islamic contexts, it is defined as understanding and uncovering the Will of Allah which has been conveyed by the Qur'anic text, by means of the Arabic language and one’s own knowledge. This definition includes;

The first examples of tafsir can be traced back to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As the Qur'an was revealed to him, he recited the verses to his companions, usually explaining their meanings to teach them. This was one of Muhammad's responsibilities. Elements of Muhammad's explanations are:

Although scholars including ibn Taymiyyah claim that Muhammad has commented on the whole of the Qur'an, others including Ghazali cite the limited amount of narratives, thus indicating that he has commented only on a portion of the Qur'an. These interpretations have not been collected independently in a book, rather, they have been recorded in hadith books, under the topic of tafsir, along with other narrations of Muhammad.

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