al-Tafsir al-Hadith
- Author died
- 1404 AH
- Editions
- Dar Ihya' al-Kutub al-'Arabiyyah
al-Tafsir al-Hadith (The Modern Exegesis) is a comprehensive Quranic commentary by the Palestinian historian and author Muhammad Izzat Darwaza (1305–1404 AH / 1887–1984 CE), distinguished by its arrangement of the chapters according to their chronological order of revelation ().
Background and Purpose
Darwaza conceived the idea of writing a complete commentary after completing three earlier thematic studies on the Quran: Asr al-Nabi wa-bi'atuhu qabl al-bi'tha (The Era of the Prophet and His Milieu Before the Mission), Sirat al-Rasul: Suwar muqtabasa min al-Qur'an (The Biography of the Messenger: Images Drawn from the Holy Quran), and al-Dustur al-Qur'ani fi shu'un al-hayat (The Quranic Constitution in the Affairs of Life) (). His stated motivation was to present the Quran in a modern style and arrangement accessible to contemporary youth who felt alienated by classical commentaries, thereby enabling readers to follow the stages of revelation and the chronological unfolding of the Prophet's biography ().
Before proceeding with this arrangement, Darwaza sought religious verdicts to affirm that organizing a commentary by order of revelation did not compromise the sanctity of the standard Uthmanic codex (al-mushaf), receiving supportive rulings from scholars including the Mufti of Damascus, Abu al-Yusr Abidin, the Mufti of Jordan, Abd Allah al-Qalqili, and the hadith scholar Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda, who distinguished the order of recitation in the mushaf from scholarly works of exegesis (). His book al-Qur'an al-majid served as a general introduction to the commentary ().
Structure and Methodology
The work encompasses the entire Quran, beginning with Surah al-Fatihah and then proceeding chronologically through the Meccan suras starting with Surah al-Alaq, followed by al-Qalam and al-Muzzammil, before moving to the Medinan suras beginning with Surah al-Baqarah and al-Anfal (). While arranging the suras by revelation sequence, Darwaza avoided breaking up individual suras, interpreting each sura as an integrated whole regardless of minor internal chronological variations in the revelation of its verses ().
Darwaza's exegetical method involves several key features:
- Dividing passages into complete thematic and semantic units that form cohesive statements ().
- Explaining unusual or rare vocabulary briefly, avoiding excessive linguistic, grammatical, or rhetorical digressions unless essential ().
- Providing an overall summary of the passage's meaning and discussing the occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) alongside legal and moral implications ().
- Interpreting the Quran through the Quran itself by cross-referencing related verses across different chapters ().
- Critiquing the uncritical inclusion of biblical legends (Isra'iliyyat) and scrutinizing reported narrations regarding revelation circumstances ().
- Rejecting scientific exegesis (al-tafsir al-ilmi) that extracts modern technical theories from Quranic words, maintaining that the scripture was addressed to its original listeners in their own language and that such readings overburden the text ().
Reception and Criticism
The commentary received commendation from several contemporary scholars and publications, including reviews by Muhammad Bahjat al-Bitar in the journal of the Arab Scientific Academy in Damascus, Mustafa al-Siba'i in the journal Hadarat al-Islam, the journal al-Mu'allim al-Arabi, and Professor Ismail Poonawala (). Al-Bitar commended Darwaza's thematic integration of verses and his rational and textual critique of transmitted reports ().
Conversely, the work drew substantial criticism from other modern scholars. Critics, such as Mustafa Muslim and Arafa ibn Tantawi, argued that departing from the traditional mushaf arrangement violated established scholarly consensus, deeming his justifications inadequate for resolving youth alienation (). Scholar Fadl Hasan Abbas argued that despite Darwaza's theoretical objections to classical commentators, his practical application still incorporated numerous Isra'iliyyat without sufficient vetting against Islamic theology, and reduced verses on the natural cosmos to mere homilies ().
Publication History
The commentary's first edition was published in Cairo by Isa al-Babi al-Halabi in 1964 (with parts also dated to 1383 AH / 1963 CE by Dar Ihya' al-Kutub al-Arabiyya) (). A revised and corrected second edition based on the author's personal copy was published in 2000 CE by Dar al-Gharb al-Islami in Beirut, comprising twelve parts bound into six volumes ().
Answer updated