Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim wa Irabuhu wa Bayanuhu - al-Durra
- Author died
- 1428 AH
- Editions
- Dār Ibn Kathīr
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim wa Irabuhu wa Bayanuhu (Arabic: تفسير القرآن الكريم وإعرابه وبيانه, lit. 'Interpretation of the Noble Quran, Its Grammatical Parsing, and Its Elucidation') is a multi-volume contemporary Quranic commentary and grammatical parsing work by the Syrian grammarian and exegete Muhammad Ali Taha al-Durra (d. 1428 AH / 2007 CE) .
Background and Impetus
In his introduction, al-Durra noted that classical scholars of Quranic syntax—such as Abu al-Baqa al-Ukbari and Makki ibn Abi Talib—had focused primarily on resolving obscure, difficult, or complex constructions rather than providing an exhaustive grammatical analysis of the entire Quran . Al-Durra conceived the project of a comprehensive, verse-by-verse parsing after the Egyptian scholar Muhammad Muhyi al-Din Abd al-Hamid requested that he parse all Quranic verses cited by Ibn Hisham in Mughni al-Labib; al-Durra recognized that parsing those citations would practically require parsing the full Quran .
Method and Sources
The work is arranged according to the standard order of the Quranic text. For each passage, al-Durra cites the verse, clarifies its general and difficult vocabulary, and provides a full grammatical parsing (iʿrāb) of its words and clauses . He frequently appends supplementary observations, rhetorical remarks—such as instances of grammatical shift (iltifāt)—and relevant legal rulings .
In structuring his commentary, al-Durra adopted several specific guidelines:
- He maintained conciseness in grammatical and morphological analysis to prevent excessive length, while expanding more broadly on lexical explanation and exegesis to benefit both general readers and specialists .
- He parsed and explained the formula for seeking refuge (istiʿādha) and the basmala only once at the beginning of the work .
- To avoid repetition, he cross-referenced previously parsed or later occurring verses for recurring grammatical structures and morphological rules .
- He incorporated canonical variant readings (qirāʾāt) alongside the grammatical implications arising from each reading .
- On theological passages regarding divine attributes, he employed figurative interpretation (taʾwīl) aligned with the Ash'ari school, as in his commentary on verses concerning God's istiwāʾ (establishment), hand (al-yad), and love .
Al-Durra drew his exegetical and grammatical material from classical commentaries, including Tafsir al-Khazin, al-Zamakhshari's al-Kashshaf, al-Baydawi's Anwar al-Tanzil, al-Nasafi's Madarik al-Tanzil, Tafsir al-Jalalayn alongside Sulayman al-Jamal's supercommentary, as well as the grammatical treatises of al-Ukbari and Makki ibn Abi Talib and his own earlier works on Arabic syntax .
Reception and Editions
The commentary is widely utilized by contemporary students of Islamic sciences and Arabic grammar, often cited alongside Muhyi al-Din al-Darwish's Iʿrab al-Quran wa Bayanuh as one of the standard modern reference works on Quranic syntax due to its accessibility and comprehensive scope .
The work was published in Damascus and Beirut by Dar al-Hikma (1402 AH / 1982 CE) and later issued in a ten-volume edition by Dar Ibn Kathir (1430 AH / 2008–2009 CE) . The Dar Ibn Kathir edition underwent editorial revision by Ahmad al-Sayyid, Akram al-Bushi, and Yusuf Badiwi, with verification of poetic meters and vocalization by Mu'adh Zughbiya . It has also appeared in a sixteen-volume format .
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