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Sunni: Shi'a: Tafsir al-Mizan |
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| Sunni tafsir | |
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Tafsir al-Baghawi |
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| Shi'a tafsir | |
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Al-Mizan Fi Tafsir al-Quran |
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| Ahmadiyya tafsir | |
| Sufi tafsir | |
| Mu'tazili tafsir | |
| Terms | |
In the Shade of the Qur'an or Fi Zilal al-Qur'an[p][n] (Arabic: في ظِلالِ القرآن, fī ẓilāl al-qur'ān) is a highly influential commentary of the Qur'an, written during 1951-1965 by Sayyid Qutb[a] (1906-1966), a leader within the Muslim Brotherhood. Most of the original 30 volumes (114 Surahs) were written (or re-written) while in prison following an attempted assassination of Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1954.[1] The book outlines Qutb's vision of an Islamic state and society. It is considered by some to be a comprehensive and far-reaching tafsir (commentary) that takes a clear and lucid interpretation of the Qur'an. However, it has also been criticized by some modernists and traditional Ulema alike, as an extended personal opinion or essay rather than a well-evidenced textual commentary, and for not adhering to the traditional structure for a tafsir. It has much influence throughout the Islamic world, especially amongst the ordinary lay practitioners of Islam in the Arab world.
The work extends to 30 volumes and has been translated into several languages, including English, French, German, Urdu, Turkish, Indonesian, Persian and Bengali. The full set of volumes covers the entire Qur'an.[1]
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From a social and political standpoint, some of the more important conclusions Qutb drew in his interpretation include:
Allah wishes human life to be elevated, happy, based on pure motives and characterised by mutual compassion, brotherhood and purity of hearts and behaviour.[2]
Tyrants are always ready to commit any crime, without hesitation, in order to retain power....That is tyranny: ignorant and stupid, but at the same time arrogant and conceited. [3]
The Children of Israel suffered persecution on a similar scale by Pharaoh and his clique, as stated in Sūrah 28, The Story, in which we read: “Pharaoh made himself a tyrant in the land. He divided his people into casts, one group of which he persecuted, putting their sons to death and sparing only their daughters. Truly, he was an evildoer.” (28: 4). This is characteristic of tyranny everywhere, in all periods of history. It still resorts today to the same methods it employed centuries ago. [4]
The war the Jews began to wage against Islam and Muslims in those early days has raged on to the present. The form and appearance may have changed, but the nature and means remains the same.
The Muslim world has often faced problems as a result of Jewish conspiracies ever since the early days of Islam. ...
History has recorded the wicked opposition of the Jews to Islam right from its first day in Medina. Their scheming against Islam has continued since then to the present moment, and they continue to be its leaders, nursing their wicked grudges and always resorting to treacherous schemes to undermine Islam.[6]
Qutb explicitly warns against applying the expressions of tolerance and forgiveness in the Qur'an towards Jews, and maintains the sins of the Bani Qurayza have permanent effects on all Jews everywhere. Or as one author puts it, "In Qutb's interpretation, the sins and crimes of the Medina Jews in the seventh century have a cosmic, eternal quality -- rather like the sins and crimes of the Jerusalem Jews in some of the traditional interpretations of the Gospels." [7]
[a] - The author name "Sayyid Qutb" is pronounced as "Sah-yeed Kuh-tabh".[8]
[p] - The work is also called "Fi Dhilal al-Quran".
[p] - The title "Fi Zilal al-Qur-an" is pronounced as "Fee Zhuh-lahl ahl-Kour-ahn".
[s] - The major sources for Fi Zilal al-Qur-an are: [1]