al-Burhan fi Ulum al-Quran lil-Imam al-Hufi - Surat Yusuf
- Author died
- 430 AH
- Editions
- Ibrahim Anani Atiyyah Anani
Al-Burhan fi Ulum al-Quran lil-Imam al-Hufi – Surat Yusuf (Arabic: البرهان في علوم القرآن للإمام الحوفي - سورة يوسف) is an academic study and critical edition of the exegesis of Surah Yusuf from the encyclopedic Quranic commentary of Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Sa'id al-Hufi (d. 430 AH / 1039 CE) . The text was edited by Ibrahim 'Inani 'Atiyyah 'Inani as a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Islamic Sciences at Al-Madinah International University in Malaysia during the academic year 1436 AH / 2015 CE, supervised by al-Sayyid Sayyid Ahmad Najm .
Background and Scholarly Debate
The classification and nature of al-Hufi's parent work have been subjects of debate among Quranic scholars :
- Muhammad Abd al-Azim al-Zurqani argued in Manahil al-Irfan that al-Hufi was the first scholar to author a dedicated work under the title al-Burhan fi Ulum al-Quran, structured by distributing various Quranic sciences across the order of the verses rather than compiling topical chapters together . This position was followed by scholars such as Manna' al-Qattan and Muhammad al-Sabbagh .
- Conversely, modern researchers such as Muhammad Abu Shahba, Fahd al-Rumi, and Hasan al-Itr—preceded by classical authors including Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti—countered that the work is fundamentally a comprehensive commentary (tafsir) rather than an independent compendium of the discipline of ulum al-Quran .
Bibliographical records describe the work under varying forms: Hajji Khalifa recorded it in Kashf al-Zunun as al-Burhan fi Tafsir al-Quran in ten volumes, noting its coverage of grammar (i'rab), rare vocabulary (gharib), and exegesis . In modern collections, fifteen non-consecutive, unarranged manuscript volumes of the work have been identified at the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya) .
Structure and Method
In commenting on Surah Yusuf, al-Hufi follows a structured segment-by-segment methodology across specific headings :
- Text Citation (al-Qawl fi qawlihi): Quotes the relevant passage or verse of the surah .
- Syntax and Grammar (al-Qawl fi al-i'rab): Analyzes the grammatical structure, parsing, and linguistic aspects of the words .
- Quranic Deductions: Outlines contextual derivations and interpretive benefits drawn directly from the text .
- Variant Readings (al-Qawl fi al-qira'ah): Details the canonical variants among the Seven Readers and provides their grammatical and linguistic justifications .
- Meaning and Exegesis (al-Qawl fi al-ma'na wa-l-tafsir): Explains the overall meaning using traditional transmission and rational reflection, addressing legal rulings and aspects of abrogation (al-nasikh wa-l-mansukh) .
- Pauses and Endings (al-Qawl fi al-waqf wa-l-tamam): Identifies where recitation stops are permissible or obligatory using technical categories such as complete stop (al-waqf al-tamm) and sufficient stop (al-waqf al-kafi) .
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