Sharh Muqaddimat al-Tafsir li-Salih Al al-Shaykh
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- Sharh Muqaddimat al-Tafsir li-Salih Al al-Shaykh
Sharh Muqaddimat al-Tafsir (Commentary on the Introduction to the Principles of Quranic Exegesis) is an explanatory work by Salih Al al-Shaykh commenting on Ibn Taymiyyah's treatise on the principles and methodologies of Quranic interpretation, Muqaddimah fi Usul al-Tafsir .
Background and Delivery
The work originated as a series of recorded audio lectures presented through Tasjilat al-Rayah al-Islamiyyah in Riyadh . Salih Al al-Shaykh commenced delivering the commentary on 24 Rabiʿ al-Thani 1414 AH and concluded the primary course on 22 Shawwal of the same year . Three chapters of the treatise remained uncompleted at that time; he delivered lectures covering those final sections and concluded the commentary on 12 Muharram 1424 AH . Transcriptions of these lectures were subsequently compiled and published .
Content and Method
The commentary opens with an introductory lecture entitled Madaris al-Tafsir ("Schools of Exegesis"), establishing foundational concepts regarding early Quranic interpretation . In this introduction, the author discusses the Prophet's clarification of the meanings of the Quran according to the companions' needs, noting that the Quran was revealed in clear Arabic . He identifies the four companions from whom the bulk of exegetical traditions are narrated: Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, and Ali ibn Abi Talib . He also highlights essential sources of interpretation relied upon by the early generations, including interpreting the Quran through other Quranic verses, referring to the Sunnah, and understanding the linguistic idioms, customs, and religious circumstances of contemporary groups such as polytheists, Jews, and Christians .
In the main body, the commentary systematically covers the core themes of Ibn Taymiyyah's treatise: the Prophet's transmission of both the words and meanings of the Quran to his companions, the nature of differences among early authorities—classifying them primarily as differences of variety (ikhtilaf tanawwu') rather than contradiction (ikhtilaf tadadd)—the reasons behind exegesis based on transmitted reports versus rational deduction, the ideal hierarchical methodology for interpreting the Quran, and the rules governing interpretation based on opinion (tafsir bi-l-ra'y) .
Reception
The commentary has been utilized and cited by contemporary scholars of Quranic sciences; Musa'id al-Tayyar noted consulting Salih Al al-Shaykh's explanation alongside other contemporary commentaries when preparing his own analytical study on Ibn Taymiyyah's Muqaddimah .
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