al-Taliq ala Tafsir al-Jalalayn - Abd al-Karim al-Khudayr
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- al-Taliq ala Tafsir al-Jalalayn - Abd al-Karim al-Khudayr
al-Taliq ala Tafsir al-Jalalayn (Commentary on Tafsir al-Jalalayn) is an exegesis work by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Karim al-Khudayr, comprising transcribed lectures that comment on the classical Quranic commentary Tafsir al-Jalalayn authored by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli (d. 864 AH / 1459 CE) and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE).
Background and Scope
The work originated as recorded lessons delivered by al-Khudayr, which were later transcribed from his official website and organized into twenty-seven numbered lectures. Rather than delivering an unbound, open-ended commentary (tafsir mursal), al-Khudayr selected Tafsir al-Jalalayn as a base text to structure his teaching on selected portions of the Quran, notably Surah al-Fatihah and the shorter surahs from the Mufassal section, such as Surah Qaf, Surah al-Dhariyat, Surah al-Rahman, and Surah al-Waqi'ah. He noted that tethering exegesis sessions to a concise, dense primer ensures discipline, prevents disproportionate focus on certain verses over others, and allows students to complete defined sections within fixed timeframes.
Methodology and Content
In the introductory portions, al-Khudayr addresses foundational concepts in Quranic exegesis, defining tafsir and ta'wil, exploring the linguistic and legal rulings regarding the seekings of refuge (isti'adhah) and the Basmalah, and outlining the composition of Tafsir al-Jalalayn. He explains that al-Mahalli authored the second half of the commentary from Surah al-Kahf to Surah al-Nas before composing the exegesis of al-Fatihah and passing away, after which al-Suyuti completed the remainder from Surah al-Baqarah to Surah al-Isra using the same concise format. He also cites the historical observation noted in bibliographical works that the word count of Tafsir al-Jalalayn closely mirrors the word count of the Quranic text up to Surah al-Muzzammil.
Throughout the commentary, al-Khudayr elucidates the terse expressions of both original authors, examines grammatical analyses (i'rab), and addresses theological points. He systematically highlights theological departures from the Salafi creed, such as figurative interpretations (ta'wil) of divine attributes found in the original text, explaining the underlying linguistic and doctrinal contexts.
Al-Khudayr characterizes Tafsir al-Jalalayn as a dense text akin to legal primers (mutun), best suited for students aiming to establish a rigorous scholarly grounding (ta'sil) under the guidance of an instructor, while recommending simpler exegeses—such as those by Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di or Faysal ibn Mubarak's Tawfiq al-Rahman—for beginners. When discussing printed editions and marginalia, he identifies the two-volume edition prepared by Ahmad Shakir as the finest, praises the edition by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, and describes Hashiyat al-Jamal by Sulayman al-Jamal as the foremost supercommentary on the work.
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