al-Dakhil fi Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat Hassan
al-Dakhil fi Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim (Extraneous Material in the Exegesis of the Noble Quran) is a specialized work on Quranic sciences and principles of exegesis (usul al-tafsir) by the Egyptian scholar Abd al-Wahhab Abd al-Wahhab Fayid (d. 1420 AH), an assistant professor of Tafsir at the Faculty of Usul al-Din at al-Azhar University . Completed in Cairo in 1398 AH / 1978 CE, the book examines spurious and ungrounded interpretations that infiltrated the corpus of Quranic exegesis .
Concept and Purpose
The author defines al-dakhil (extraneous or interpolated material) in exegesis as any interpretation lacking firm foundations in religion, including readings that contradict the spirit of the Quran or sound reason, derive from flawed understanding, or originate from foreign thought imported into Islam . Fayid considers the critical study of al-dakhil to be an essential branch of Quranic sciences historically rooted in usul al-tafsir, identifying Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH) as one of the earliest scholars to lay down its foundational rules in his Muqaddimah fi Usul al-Tafsir (Introduction to the Principles of Exegesis) .
The work aims to distinguish between authentic exegesis (al-asil)—which rests on established principles and sound transmissions from the Quran, the Sunnah, the Companions, the Successors, and sound linguistic reasoning—and extraneous interpretations that entered the literature across Islamic history .
Structure and Contents
The work addresses historical categories of al-dakhil across multiple volumes:
- Volume One: Focuses on distinguishing the authentic foundations of exegesis from spurious elements, detailing how extraneous narrations began infiltrating commentary during early Islamic centuries . It provides an extensive treatment of Isra'iliyyat (Judeo-Christian narrative lore transmitted through early reports) as the primary category of al-dakhil in classical exegesis .
- Volume Two: Treats other pre-modern and doctrinal forms of al-dakhil, including fabricated and weak hadiths, esoteric (Batini) interpretations, mystical excesses (shatahat al-mutasawwifah), linguistic innovations, and sectarian distortions such as those of the Babi, Baha'i, and Qadiani (Ahmadiyya) movements .
In the conclusion of the second volume, the author noted his intention to devote a third volume specifically to modern forms of al-dakhil, focusing on the unorthodox interpretations and intellectual excesses of contemporary commentators .
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