Tafsir al-Uthaymin: al-Zukhruf
- Author died
- 1421 AH
- Editions
- Mu’assasat al-Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn al-Khayriyyah
Tafsir al-Uthaymin: al-Zukhruf (تفسير العثيمين: الزخرف) is an exegesis of Surat al-Zukhruf by the Saudi Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin (d. 1421 AH / 2001 CE), transcribed from his audio-recorded teaching sessions .
Origin and Scope
The material originated from daily morning lecture circles held by al-Uthaymin in his grand mosque in Unaizah during summer vacations . This commentary was part of a sequential audio-recorded series spanning from Surat al-Nur up to 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?"), where the recorded series terminates .
In conducting these lessons, the author utilized the text of Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli (and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti) before his students, reading and commenting beyond its concise remarks . The book was prepared and published in a single volume by the Scientific Department of the Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin Charitable Foundation in Jumada al-Akhirah 1436 AH .
Method and Structure
Al-Uthaymin opens the work with introductory principles, defining the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah regarding the Qur'an as the literal speech of God, explaining the foundational rules of interpretation—prioritizing the Qur'an itself, then the prophetic Sunnah, the sayings of the Companions, and the interpretations of major Successors like Mujahid ibn Jabr—and condemning arbitrary interpretation based on personal opinion (tafsir bi-l-ra'y) . He also addresses topics including the occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul), the legal maxim that considerations rely on generality of phrasing rather than specificity of cause, and rulings related to touching and reciting the Qur'an .
The exegesis proceeds verse by verse up through verse 45, analyzing linguistic, rhetorical, and grammatical aspects alongside theological themes such as tawhid al-rububiyyah and tawhid al-uluhiyyah, the divine names and attributes, and the reality of the afterlife . After explaining each passage or group of verses, the commentary provides a dedicated list of extracted doctrinal, legal, and practical benefits (fawa'id) .
Answer updated