al-Tafsir al-Mawdui lil-Quran al-Karim wa Namadhij Minhu
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- Editions
- Islamic University of Madinah
al-Tafsir al-Mawdui lil-Quran al-Karim wa Namadhij Minhu (Thematic Exegesis of the Holy Quran and Sample Models of It) is a treatise on Quranic studies by Ahmad bin Abdullah al-Zahrani, published by the Deanship of Scientific Research at the Islamic University of Madinah (1423 AH / 2002 CE) . The work outlines the theoretical foundations, historical lineage, and methodology of thematic Quranic exegesis (al-tafsir al-mawdui), accompanied by applied interpretive models .
Concept and Benefits
The author begins by defining exegesis (tafsir) linguistically as unveiling, exposition, and clarification, citing Ibn Faris's Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lughah and the al-Qamus al-Muhit, and technically—drawing upon Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi—as the noble science through which the Book of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is understood .
Thematic exegesis is defined as isolating Quranic verses that share a common subject and unified objective for integrated study and elaboration after gathering them together—regardless of differences in phrasing or locations across the scripture—while accounting for chronological sequence of revelation, occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul), the Prophetic Sunnah, and statements of early Muslim scholars (al-salaf al-salih) .
The author enumerates several benefits of thematic interpretation, including:
- Explaining the Quran through the Quran itself by contextualizing absolute statements with qualified ones and general statements with specific ones .
- Discerning the divine guidance, legislation, and literary styles embedded across varied topics .
- Facilitating character building and increasing faith .
- Refuting polemical doubts and heresies by addressing topics comprehensively from all angles .
- Resolving apparent contradictions between verses through sound reconciliation .
Historical Origins
Al-Zahrani contests the claim made by certain contemporary writers that thematic exegesis was unknown to classical scholars . He argues that while the exact technical nomenclature emerged later, the substantive methodology was practiced by early authorities . He identifies Muqatil ibn Sulayman (d. 150 AH) as an early pioneer through his work Tafsir al-Khamsimi'at Ayah fi al-Amr wa al-Nahy wa al-Halal wa al-Haram, which organized verses thematically along juristic headings (faith, prayer, zakat, fasting, pilgrimage, grievances, inheritance, usury, marriage, divorce, and jihad) . He also links thematic interpretation to the classical genre of al-Wujuh wa al-Naza'ir (Quranic homonyms and synonyms), surveying treatises authored by Muqatil, Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Zarkashi, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, and Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali .
Methodological Approaches
The treatise classifies thematic exegesis into two principal research approaches:
- Surah-level thematic study: Examining an entire chapter as an organic unit unified around a central purpose and core message . Al-Zahrani illustrates this using Surat al-Munafiqun, showing how its sub-themes systematically expose the hypocrisy, deceit, false oaths, and cowardice of hypocrites while warning believers against falling into their traits .
- Quran-wide thematic study: Collecting and examining all relevant verses on a single topic across the entire Quranic corpus .
For conducting Quran-wide thematic studies, the book specifies six methodological steps:
- Selecting the research topic .
- Gathering all relevant Quranic verses .
- Arranging the collected verses according to chronology and occasions of revelation .
- Providing an exhaustive exposition that clarifies meanings, links components, and addresses abrogating/abrogated (nasikh wa mansukh) or general/specific relationships .
- Utilizing authentic Hadith traditions to clarify ambiguous passages and specify general texts .
- Relying on the understanding of early Muslim scholars (al-salaf al-salih) rather than ungrounded personal reasoning .
Applied Models
In the practical section, the book provides applied exegesis focusing on creedal topics (al-Aqa'id fi al-Quran al-Karim) . Al-Zahrani highlights the six articles of faith and analyzes them systematically by examining what each pillar entails and its practical fruits in the life of a believer . Applying this framework to belief in the angels (al-Iman bi al-Mala'ikah), the work discusses their nature, Quranic textual proofs, and specific names mentioned in revelation—such as Jibril (and his designations as al-Ruh al-Amin and Ruh al-Qudus) and Mikal—along with their divinely assigned roles .
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