Atyab al-Nashr fi Tafsir al-Wasaya al-Ashr
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- Editions
- Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah bi-al-Madinah al-Munawwarah
Atyab al-Nashr fi Tafsir al-Wasaya al-Ashr (The Sweetest Fragrance in the Exegesis of the Ten Commandments) is a specialized treatise on Quranic exegesis (tafsir) by Marzouq bin Hiyas al-Zahrani, an assistant professor at the College of Hadith and Islamic Studies at the Islamic University of Madinah . The book provides a detailed analytical commentary on the ten divine commandments outlined in Surat al-An'am (verses 151–153) .
Background and Purpose
The author states that his motivation for composing the work stems from a desire to engage closely with the Quran, observing that these ten commandments form a central axis around which Islamic guidance turns . In his introduction, al-Zahrani characterizes the commandments as foundational pillars for individual, familial, and societal rectitude . He emphasizes that the sequence begins with Islamic monotheism (tawhid), which serves as the indispensable prerequisite for all obligations, acts of worship, and social ethics .
Structure and Content
The treatise begins with an introductory chapter examining the virtues and significance of verses 151–153 of Surat al-An'am, documenting prophetic hadiths and narrations from the Companions, such as the report transmitted from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud concerning the scroll sealed by the Prophet ﷺ .
Following the introductory section, the author arranges the commentary into ten numbered sections corresponding strictly to the sequence of the commandments in the Quranic text :
- The First Commandment: The prohibition of associating partners with Allah (shirk), establishing monotheism as the primary basis of faith .
- The Second Commandment: Duty and excellence (ihsan) toward parents .
- The Third Commandment: The prohibition against killing children out of poverty ( وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُم مِّنْ إِمْلَاقٍ ), balancing parental duties and children's rights .
- The Fourth Commandment: The prohibition against approaching open or concealed indecencies (al-fawahish) .
- The Fifth Commandment: The sanctity of human life and the prohibition of unlawful killing .
- Subsequent Commandments: The remaining sections address the safeguarding of the property of orphans, giving full measure and weight in justice, speaking justly and upholding testimony, fulfilling the covenant of Allah, and adhering strictly to the straight path (al-sirat al-mustaqim) while avoiding divergent sectarian paths .
Method and Sources
Under each commandment, al-Zahrani employs a consistent analytical structure divided into dedicated subsections :
- Contextual Occasion (al-munasabah): Analyzing the structural and thematic connection between successive commandments and their overarching moral objectives .
- Linguistic and Grammatical Analysis (al-bahth al-lughawi): Clarifying uncommon vocabulary (al-mufradat) and addressing grammatical parsing (al-nahw / al-i'rab) .
- Exegetical Commentary: Drawing upon classical exegesis works and citing early authorities such as Abdullah ibn Abbas, Mujahid ibn Jabr, and Sa'id ibn Jubayr, as well as classical scholars including al-Tabari and Ibn Atiyyah .
- Hadith Authentication: Evaluating chains of narration and verifying the strength of cited traditions .
Publication and Related Works
The work was published as an academic research study in the double issue (nos. 69–70) of the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah . In his commentary on Sunan al-Darimi (Sharh Musnad al-Darimi), al-Zahrani notes that he treated these commandments exhaustively in Atyab al-Nashr, while summarizing them in another of his exegetical works, Riyad al-Adhhan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an .
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