Tafsir al-Manar

Tafsir al-Manar (Arabic: تفسير المنار), formally titled Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Hakim (تفسير القرآن الحكيم, "Exegesis of the Wise Quran"), is a twentieth-century exegesis of the Quran authored primarily by the Islamic reformist scholar Muhammad Rashid Rida (d. 1354 AH / 1935 CE), incorporating the lectures and thought of his mentor Muhammad Abduh (d. 1323 AH / 1905 CE) Istinbatat Muhammad Rashi…+1.

Origin and Composition

The idea for the exegesis originated following Rashid Rida's arrival in Cairo from Syria in Rajab 1315 AH (1897 CE) Ilm al-Tafsir Kayfa Nasha…+1. Having been influenced by the reformist periodical al-Urwa al-Wuthqa, Rida urged Abduh to author a comprehensive exegesis oriented toward modern social and religious reform Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1. Abduh declined to write a written commentary directly but agreed to deliver public exegesis lectures at al-Azhar Mosque, beginning at the start of Muharram 1317 AH Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1.

During the lectures, Rida recorded notes, expanded them from memory, and edited them into continuous prose Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1. After submitting the manuscripts to Abduh for review and minor revisions, Rida began serializing the commentary in his periodical Majallat al-Manar starting from its third volume in Muharram 1318 AH Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1.

Abduh's lectures continued until mid-Muharram 1323 AH, concluding at Surah al-Nisa' verse 125 (or verse 126 in other counts), which constitutes the exegesis's first five volumes Ittijahat al-Tafsir fi al…+1. Following Abduh's death that year, Rida assumed sole authorship and continued writing the exegesis for over thirty years Ara Muhammad Rashid Rida …+1. Rida's portion reached Surah Yusuf, stopping either at verse 52 according to some printings or at verse 101 ( رَبِّ قَدْ آتَيْتَنِي مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمْتَنِي مِنْ تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ ) before his death in 1354 AH Istinbatat Muhammad Rashi…+1. The work was published in twelve volumes, and the remainder of Surah Yusuf was subsequently completed by the Syrian scholar Muhammad Bahjat al-Baytar Istinbatat Muhammad Rashi…+1.

Method and Structure

The exegesis characterizes its own orientation as a traditional, modern civic, instructional, social, and political work combining authentic transmitted traditions (sahih al-ma'thur) and sound reason (sarih al-ma'qul) Istinbatat Muhammad Rashi…. Its central focus is elucidating the guidance (hidaya) of the Quran for individual and social life rather than delving into excessive grammatical minutiae, scholastic disputations, or sectarian polemics Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1.

The methodology is defined by several features:

• Avoidance of extraneous lore: Rejecting unverified biblical and folklore additions (Isra'iliyyat), fabricated hadiths, and speculative mystical interpretations Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1.
• Societal laws and reform: Emphasizing universal divine patterns in human civilizations and sociology (sunan Allah fi al-ijtima'), and treating Quranic injunctions as solutions to contemporary political, economic, and moral ailments Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1.
• Apologetic engagement: Defending Islamic teachings against Western materialist philosophy, Christian missionary polemics, and orientalist critiques, as well as refuting sects such as the Baha'is and Qadianis al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…+1.
• Shift in Rida's independent section: While maintaining Abduh's overarching reformist orientation, Rida acknowledged departing from his teacher's brevity by expanding extensively into authentic hadith citations, linguistic cross-referencing between chapters, legal disagreements among jurists, and lengthy contextual digressions Fi Ulum al-Quran Dirasat …+1.

Reception and Critique

The exegesis exerted a profound influence across the Islamic world. The hadith scholar Ahmad Muhammad Shakir praised it as an exceptional exegesis in clarifying the guidance of the Quran and addressing modern political and social challenges from the Quran and Sunnah without blind imitation (taqlid) Istinbatat Muhammad Rashi…. Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani commended Rashid Rida for propagating a text-grounded reformist approach through the periodical and its commentary Majallat al-Bayan.

Conversely, critics noted several shortcomings in the work, principally Rida's frequent and extensive digressions into contemporary affairs, a sharp polemical tone against ideological opponents, and instances where sound hadiths were rejected or subjected to rationalist reinterpretation al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….