Ibn Uthaymin
Tafsir al-Uthaymin: al-Naml
- Author died
- 1421 AH
- Editions
- Muʼassasat al-Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʻUthaymīn al-Khayrīyah
Tafsir al-Uthaymin: al-Naml is an exegetical commentary on Surat al-Naml by the Saudi Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin (d. 1421 AH / 2001 CE), transcribed from his audio-recorded lectures .
Origin and Composition
The work originated from daily morning study circles that al-Uthaymin conducted during summer breaks at his grand mosque in Unayzah . These sessions formed part of an extensive commentary series that commenced with Surat al-Nur and progressed continuously through subsequent surahs until reaching verse 45 of Surat al-Zukhruf: وَاسْأَلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رُسُلِنَا أَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ دُونِ الرَّحْمَنِ آلِهَةً يُعْبَدُونَ ("And ask those We sent before you of Our messengers; have We made besides the Most Merciful deities to be worshipped?") .
During these lectures, al-Uthaymin used Tafsir al-Jalalayn, authored jointly by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli (d. 864 AH / 1459 CE) and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE), as the primary text read in the presence of his students .
Method and Content
In his commentary, al-Uthaymin systematically reads the Quranic verses along with the concise remarks of Tafsir al-Jalalayn, expanding upon them with detailed explanations and theological, legal, and linguistic analyses .
A prominent feature of his method is the systematic extraction of interpretive points and practical benefits (fawa'id) from each verse . When discussing the opening disconnected letters of the surah (Ta-Sin), he addresses the view of al-Jalalayn that God alone knows their meaning, while noting the preferred view that these letters have no intrinsic lexical meaning in Arabic but serve to highlight the miraculous nature of the Quran, demonstrating that it is composed of the same letters used in human speech yet remains inimitable . Throughout the narrative sections of the surah—such as the accounts of the prophets Musa, Dawud, Sulayman, Salih, and Lut—he discusses the rhetoric, linguistic structures, and jurisprudential and moral rulings derived from the text .
Publication
The audio recordings were transcribed and prepared for publication by the Scientific Department at the Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin Charitable Foundation (مؤسسة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين الخيرية), which completed its editorial work in Jumada al-Akhirah 1436 AH (April 2015 CE) in accordance with the author's established rules and guidelines .
Answer updated