al-Fawz al-Kabir fi Usul al-Tafsir
- Author died
- 1176 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Ṣaḥwah
al-Fawz al-Kabir fi Usul al-Tafsir (The Great Triumph in the Principles of Quranic Exegesis) is a treatise on the methodology and core sciences of Quranic interpretation by the Indian scholar Wali Allah al-Dahlawi (d. 1176 AH / 1762 CE) . Originally written in Persian, it was subsequently translated into Arabic and became a widely studied manual on exegesis and Quranic sciences .
Structure and Content
The author organized the work into five main chapters (abwab) :
- The Five Sciences: Addresses the five fundamental categories of knowledge explicitly presented in the Quran: legal rulings (ilm al-ahkam), polemical disputation (ilm al-jadal) with four deviant groups (Jews, Christians, polytheists, and hypocrites), reminding of God's blessings (al-tadhkir bi-ala' Allah), reminding of God's historical interventions and previous nations (al-tadhkir bi-ayyam Allah), and reminding of death and the afterlife (al-tadhkir bi-al-mawt wa-ma ba'd al-mawt) . The text also explains the interpretation of the disjointed letters (al-huruf al-muqatta'at) .
- Obscurities in Quranic Arrangement: Discusses reasons why the structural order and style of the Quran may seem obscure to later generations and clarifies them . It includes discussions on abrogation (al-naskh), defining how the early generations understood abrogation broadly and addressing divergent interpretations .
- Subtleties of Quranic Composition: Examines rhetorical nuances (lata'if) and the distinctive stylistic characteristics of the Quran .
- Exegetical Approaches and Early Disagreements: Analyzes the methods of exegesis (manahij al-tafsir) and explores the nature and causes of disagreements among the Companions and Successors .
- Rare Vocabulary and Occasions of Revelation: Outlines obscure words (gharib al-Qur'an) and occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) that an exegete must master . This fifth chapter was also titled Fath al-Khabir, focusing on the rare vocabulary and meanings transmitted on the authority of Abd Allah ibn Abbas .
Method and Scope
The treatise emphasizes that the Quran presents its sciences in the customary manner of the early Arabs rather than through the technical, systematized terminology of later jurists, logicians, or rhetoricians . It sets guidelines for interpreting the text, warns against unwarranted speculation and extremism in exegesis, and addresses both the explicit literal senses (zahr) and deeper reflections (batn) of Quranic themes .
Transmission and Printings
Manuscripts of the Persian original are held in repositories such as the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library in Bankipore . The book was studied and taught in major scholarly circles, including at the Sacred Mosque in Mecca . It was published in Egypt in 1295 AH, and in Delhi in 1296 AH and 1344 AH . Arabic translations were later prepared and printed, notably the translation by Salman al-Husayni al-Nadwi published in Cairo and Beirut .
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