Adwa al-Bayan fi Idah al-Quran bil-Quran
- Author died
- 1393 AH
- Editions
- t Ataat al-Ilm · Dar al-Fikr
Adwa al-Bayan fi Idah al-Quran bil-Quran (The Lights of Clarification on Explaining the Quran through the Quran) is a multi-volume work of Quranic exegesis (tafsir) by the Mauritanian scholar Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti (1325–1393 AH / 1907–1973 CE), dedicated primarily to interpreting Quranic verses through other verses and deducing legal rulings .
Purpose and methodology
The work is constructed around the principle of tafsir al-Quran bil-Quran (explaining the Quran by the Quran), which scholarly consensus regards as the highest form of exegesis . In the introduction to the book, al-Shinqiti outlined more than twenty distinct categories and methods through which verses clarify one another . Rather than offering a verse-by-verse commentary across the entire text of the Quran, the author selectively engaged verses that find elaboration elsewhere in scripture, deliberately omitting passages that did not fall under this comparative interpretive framework .
When addressing legal verses (ayat al-ahkam), al-Shinqiti expanded deeply into jurisprudence (fiqh) and legal theory (usul al-fiqh), weighing differing juristic positions, assessing textual evidence, and applying interpretive preference rules—chiefly prioritizing legal opinions substantiated by corroborating Quranic verses . In matters of creed, he affirmed the divine names and attributes on their literal meaning without figurative interpretation (ta'wil), generalizing Malik ibn Anas's formula regarding divine ascendancy (istiwa) across all attributes . He also utilized formalized logic and the rules of scholarly debate (adab al-bahth wal-munazarah) to support scriptural positions .
Scope and completion
Al-Shinqiti authored the exegesis from Surah al-Fatihah up to the final verse of Surah al-Mujadilah ( أُوْلَئِكَ حِزْبُ اللَّهِ أَلَا إِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ), spanning the first seven volumes of the standard edition, before his death in 1393 AH .
His student Atiyyah Muhammad Salim completed the remainder of the Quran from Surah al-Hashr to Surah al-Nas in two supplementary volumes (volumes eight and nine) . Other close students, including Muhammad al-Amin ibn al-Husayn al-Shinqiti and Muhammad ibn Sidi ibn Habib al-Shinqiti, assisted in transcribing, collating, and reviewing the draft during the author's lifetime and during the subsequent completion .
Reception
Adwa al-Bayan is widely categorized among modern scholars both as a leading work of tradition-based exegesis (tafsir bil-ma'thur) and as a core text of legal exegesis (tafsir al-ahkam) . Commentators have praised its rigorous linguistic and legal verifications, though some noted that its dense excursions into usul al-fiqh, grammar, and morphology can make parts of the text read like specialized treatises of legal theory rather than standard exegesis .
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