Tafsîr — the science of Qur’anic commentary and exegesis — holds a central place in the Islamic sciences. Here you will find our articles devoted to this discipline, from its foundations to its spiritual readings. For a historical overview, see also our feature: History and Science of Tafsîr.
Summary. — A hadith reported by al-Bukhârî and Muslim states that the Qur’an “was sent down according to seven aḥruf.” Twelve centuries of exegesis have failed to establish what that word denotes: Ibn Ḥibbân already counted thirty-five opinions, all of… Read More »The Seven Aḥruf of the Qur’an (al-aḥruf al-sabʿa): Anatomy of an Exegetical Puzzle
Summary. — The Qur’an calls Muhammad “the ummī prophet,” a word usually translated as “illiterate.” This article argues that the question “could the Prophet read?” is wrongly framed. On the one hand, ummī first carries a scriptural rather than a… Read More »Was the Prophet Illiterate? What Ummī Really Means
Abstract. — The Muslim tradition ordinarily answers without hesitation the question of the first revelation: it would be the opening of Sūrat al-ʿAlaq, “Read, in the name of your Lord.” An examination of the sources shows, however, that the question… Read More »The First Revealed Sura: An Inquiry into a Problem in the Qur’anic Sciences
What does the Qur’an aim at? The maqâsid al-Qur’ân (its higher purposes) according to the classical approach (al-Ghazâlî, Ibn ʿÂshûr) and the Sufi approach.
What is a Sufi tafsîr? Allusive reading, zâhir and bâtin, three degrees of interpretation: how Sufism reads the Qur’an from within.
