Tafsir Ayat min al-Quran al-Karim (Matbu within Muallafat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, al-Juz al-Khamis)
- Author died
- 1206 AH
- Editions
- Jumʻat al-Imām Muḥammad ibn Saʻūd
Tafsir Ayat min al-Quran al-Karim (تفسير آيات من القرآن الكريم, Interpretation of Verses from the Noble Qur’an) is an exegetical work by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1115–1206 AH / 1703–1792 CE) gathering his commentaries, reflections, and thematic deductions on select chapters and passages of the Qur’an .
Title and Attribution
In manuscript copies and historical accounts, the work is known under several titles . It was frequently titled Istinbat al-Quran (استنباط القرآن, Deductions from the Qur’an), which is the designation found on manuscript copies in Riyadh and used by scholars such as Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd al-Latif Al al-Shaykh . Other attested variants include Istinbat min al-Quran (used by Ahmad ibn Hajar Al Bu Tami), al-Istinbat (cited by Ismail ibn Muhammad al-Ansari), and Masa'il istanbataha al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab min al-Quran .
Early Najdi chroniclers documented the author's exegetical writings: Husayn ibn Ghannam noted in Rawdat al-Afkar that the author penned numerous deductions and issues on many surahs, including Surah Yusuf, Surah al-Hijr, Surah al-Zumar, and Surah al-Nahl . Similarly, Uthman ibn Bishr recorded in Unwan al-Majd that the author's commentary on the Qur’an filled more than a volume . Some treatises within the collection were composed in response to specific inquiries; for instance, the commentary on Surah al-Fatihah was written while he was in al-Uyaynah after the ruler Abd al-Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Sa'ud requested an exposition of the chapter .
Scope and Methodology
The work does not form an exhaustive, sequential commentary covering the entire Qur’an from beginning to end; rather, it comprises focused expositions on selected surahs, passages, and specific verses . The chapters treated include al-Fatihah, Hud, Yusuf, al-Nahl, al-Kahf, al-Zumar, al-Hujurat, al-Muddaththir, al-Alaq, al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, and al-Nas, alongside miscellaneous inquiries on specific verses .
The author's methodology centers on:
- Concise Verse Referencing: He generally cites only opening words or alludes to a passage (e.g., "ومن قوله كذا") before analyzing its meaning, rather than quoting full passages verbatim in the main text .
- Thematic and Practical Deduction (Istinbat): Extracting legal, moral, and spiritual lessons, emphasizing internal devotion, presence of heart during worship, and the importance of understanding the words of prayer .
- Theological Principles: Clarifying distinctions between divine lordship (rububiyyah) and divine servanthood/worship (uluhiyyah), and framing Qur'anic narratives to emphasize monotheism .
Transmission and Modern Edition
Portions of the commentary were transmitted and published within historical chronicles and compendia, notably Ibn Ghannam's Tarikh Najd (or Rawdat al-Afkar) and the tenth volume of the compilation al-Durar al-Saniyyah .
The standard critical text was prepared by Dr. Muhammad Biltaji and published as part of the collected works project (Mu'allafat al-Shaykh al-Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, published by Matabi' al-Riyadh, completed in Rabi' al-Thani 1398 AH) . The edition was established using two primary complete manuscripts:
- A manuscript titled Istinbat al-Quran (MS 516/86) held at al-Maktaba al-Sa'udiyya in Dukhna, Riyadh .
- A manuscript copied by Ali ibn Salman, completed in Jumada al-Ula 1276 AH, preserved in the library of Abd al-Rahman ibn Sahman, chief judge of al-Dalam .
The editor supplemented these with additional manuscript fragments, supplied the full text of Qur'anic verses where the author had abbreviated them, provided hadith documentation (takhrij), added lexical explanations, and supplied biographical notices for authorities quoted in the commentary .
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