List of tafsir works

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Tafsir is a body of commentary and explication, aimed at explaining the meanings of the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. The following is a list of books of tafsir, also known as Qur'anic commentaries.

Classic Arabic

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• Tanwir al-Miqbas ("Tafsir Ibn Abbas") by Abd Allah ibn Abbas (d. 68/687)

• Tafsir al Kabir ("The Great Interpretation") by Muqatil ibn Sulayman (80-150AH). The first "full tafsir" attributed to Muqatil ibn Sulayman ibn Bashir al Balkhi.

• Tafsir Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq by Ja'far al-Sadiq (83-148AH).

• Ma'ani al-Qur'an ("The Meaning of The Qur'an") by Yahya ibn Ziyad al-Farra (207AH).

• Tafsir al-Tabari ("The Al-Tabari Interpretation") by Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838-923CE). Available online.^[1]

• Mafatih Al-Ghayb ("The Keys to Unseen") by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (865-925CE). also known as Tafsir al-Kabir ('The Great Exegesis')

• Nukat al-Qur'an al-Dallah ala al-Bayan by Al-Qassab (d. 360AH/970CE)^[2][3] a commentary primarily from the viewpoint of applied Islamic law.

• Ahkam al-Qur'an ('The Commands of the Quran') by al-Jassas (d. 370AH/981CE). Based on the legal rulings of the Hanafi school of Islamic law. This was published in three volumes and remains popular amongst the Hanafis of India, the Middle East and Turkey.

• Tafsir Furat Kufi (9th-10th Century CE) by Furat Ibn Furat Ibn Ibrahim al-Kufi.

• Tafsir al-Thalabi by Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tha'labi (died 427AH/1035CE). Also known as al-Tafsir al-Kabir ('The Great Commentary').

• Ma'alim al-Tanzil by Hasan bin Mas'ud al-Baghawi (died 510AH/1116CE) also known widely as Tafsir al-Baghawi - A popular tafsir amongst Sunni Muslims, it relies heavily on the Tafsir of al-Tha'labi, whilst placing more emphasis on Prophetic traditions hadith.

• Al-Kashshaaf ('The Revealer') by Al-Zamakhshari (d. 1144CE). Al-Zamakhshari belonged to the Mu'tazili school of theology, but nevertheless this commentary has been popular among scholars down the years, and is usually printed along with Sunni commentaries, pointing out what they consider to be mistakes, made because of the author's Mu'tazili beliefs.

• Ahkam al-Qur'an by Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi (d.543AH/1148CE). The author is also known as 'Qadi ibn al-Arabi' (ibn Arabi, the judge) to distinguish him from the famous Sufi Ibn Arabi. He was a jurist from Andalusia (Muslim Spain) His interpretation has been published in three volumes and contains commentary on the legal rulings of the Qur'an according to the Maliki school.

• Al-Muharrar al-wajiz fī tafsir al-kitab al-aziz ('The Concise Record of the Exegesis of the Noble Book'), commonly known as Tafsir ibn 'Atiyyah after its author, Ibn Atiyyah (d. 541 or 546AH), a Maliki judge from al-Andalus. This Qur'anic commentary is popular in North Africa.

• Zad al-Masir fi Ilm al-Tafsir by the great Hanbali polymath Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597AH).

• Al-Jami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an ("The collection of Qur'anic Injunctions") by al-Qurtubi (1214-1273CE) by the famous Maliki jurist of Cordoba, in Andalusia. This ten-volume tafsir is a commentary on the Qur'anic verses dealing with legal issues. Although the author was a Maliki, he also presents the legal opinions of other major schools of Islamic jurisprudence; thus it is popular with jurists from all of the schools of Islamic law. One volume of this tafsir has been translated into English by Aisha Bewley. Available online.^[4]

• Anwar al-Tanzil' by Abdullah bin Umar al-Baidawi (d. 685AH/1286CE), also famous as Tafsir al-Baidawi - a shortened version of Al-Kashshaf, with Mu'tazili references altered; printed in two volumes.^[5] In Turkey it is often published with marginal notes by a Turkish scholar called 'al-Qunawi' in seven volumes.

• Al-Bahr al-Muhit by Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati (d. 745AH/1344CE) is a linguistic commentary on the Qur'an primarily from the standpoint of Arabic grammar and rhetoric.

• Tafsir ibn Kathir ("The Ibn Kathir Interpretation") by Ibn Kathir (1301-1373CE). A summary of the earlier interpretation by al-Tabari. Available online.^[6]

• Irshad al 'Aql as-Salim ila Mazaya al-Qur'an al-Karim by Abdul Su'sud Al-Imadi (d.911AH/1505CE). Also known as Tafsir Abi Sa'ud.

• Tafsir al-Jalalayn ('The Commentary of the Two Jalals') by Jalaluddin al-Mahalli (in 1459), and was subsequently completed, in the same style, by his student, the famous Shafi'i scholar Al-Suyuti (d. 911AH/1505CE), who completed it in 1505. This commentary is very popular with Muslims all over the world due to its simplicity. It has also been translated completely by Feras Hamza.^[7]

• Dur al-Manthur ('The Threaded Pearl Concerning Commentary Based on Traditions'), also by Al-Suyuti. This commentary, in Arabic, concentrates on the narratives that have been transmitted relating to each verse and subject in the Qur'an. It has been published in six volumes.

• Ruh al-Bayan by Ismail Hakki Bursevi (d.1725CE).^[8] A ten-volume Arabic work by the founder of the Hakkiyye Jelveti Sufi Order from Turkey.

• Al-bahr al-Muhit ('The Encompassing Ocean') by Ahmad ibn Ajiba (d. 1809CE), generally known as Tafsir ibn Ajibah - a two-volume work by a Moroccan Sheikh of the Darqarwi branch of the Shadhili Order of Sufism.

• Ruh al-Ma'ani fi Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim ('The Spirit of Meanings on the Exegesis of the Sublime Qur'an) by Mahmud Alusi al-Hanafi (d.1270AH/1854CE).

• Bayan al-Sa‘ada (19th century) by Sufi Sultan Alishah.

Modern Tafsīrs

• Tafsir E Ashrafi by Shaykh al-Islām Sayad Muhammad Madani Ashrafi Jilani who are the leading scholar and saints of this age has written a 10 volume Tafsir and its received acclaim by all leading scholars to be the best Tafsir of this time. It has been specifically been praised for being very straight forward and simple but very effective at the same time.

• Tafhim-ul-Quran by Abul A'la Maududi; 19 volumes of tafsir written in 30 years. Available online.^[9]

• Tibyan ul-Quran by Ghulam Rasul Sa'idi widely acknowledged as one of the leading scholars of the Muslim World, he has written a twelve volume commentary of the Qur'an that is written in a scholarly manner and includes references to many classical works of Islam (as well as some modern).

• Fi Zilal al-Quran ('In the Shade of the Quran') by Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966). Many praise it as a modern commentary, but at the same time, many critics including some Sunni scholars say that Qutb had little Islamic knowledge, and wrote his commentary according to his own opinion. It has also been attacked for not following the style of classical commentaries.

• Tafsir ('A Thematic Commentary on the Qur'an') by Mohammed al-Ghazali (1917–1996), a contemporary Egyptian scholar not to be confused with Imam al-Ghazali. This commentary tries to explore the themes that weave through the entire Qur'an as well as the main theme of each chapter.

• Risale-i Nur by Said Nursî (1878-1960) written mainly in Turkish, is a large work, with four main volumes. It consists of extensive exegesis of certain verses and explanation of the fundamentals of how to approach the Qur'an. It especially explains the verses that 21st Century people need most. In other words, it studies the verses about the six articles of belief of Islam such as believing in God and the day of judgment. It also gives logical answers to the questions asked by Atheists. This work is written in a more accessible style to the general public and is translated into 52 languages.^[10][11][12]

• Tafsir al-Mizan by Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei (1904-1981). A twenty volume work using the methodology of explaining the Qur'an by the Qur'an, and compiled by a Shi'a author.

• Tafsir Al-Jufrie Baina Tafwidh Wa Ta'wil by Al-Habib Muhammad Ridwan Al-Jufrie.

• Tafsir Al-shaarawi by Muhammad Metwali Alsharawi (1911–1998), a famous Egyptian scholar.

• Tafsir Shobar (19th century) by Seyyed Abdullah Alavi Hosseini Mosavi.

• Tayseer al-Kareem ar-Rahman fee Tafseer Kalaam al-Mannaan (1344AH/1926CE) by Abdul Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa'dee (1889–1956) which is easy to understand, avoid of redundancies, and only contains opposing views when they are strong and necessary.^[13] Available online.^[14]

"Tafsir Ziya' al-Qur'an"Justice Diya al-'Ummah Hadhrat Shaykh Mawlana Mufti Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (Arabic: شیخ محمد کرم شاہ الأزهري), Sitara-e-Imtiaz, (1918–1998) was an eminent Sheykh (Spiritual Master) of tariqa Chistiyya and an Islamic (Sunni) scholar from Pakistan.

Tafsirs written in languages other than Arabic

English

• The English Commentary of the Holy Quran in 5 Volumes and 3000+ pages by Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad .Complete Commentary ^[15]

• Maariful Quran by Muhammad Shafi Usmani. Translated from Urdu to English. Fully available online.^[16]

• Tafhim-ul-Quran by Abul A'la Maududi. One of the popular modern exegeses translated from Urdu by Zafar Ishaq Ansari. Tafhim is a combination of orthodox and modernist interpretation and has influenced modern Islamic thought very deeply. Available online.^[9]

• Tafsir Ishraq Al-Ma'ani by Syed Iqbal Zaheer.

• Israr-ut-Tanzeel by Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan.^[17]

• Translation and Tafsir by Prof.Dr.S.M.Afzal Rahman

• Tafseer-e-Usmani by Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, Translated by Maulana Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed.^[18]

• Quran with English Translation by Molana Abdul Majid Darayabadi

• Quranic English Commentary by Ghulam Fareed Ahmed Sum Qadiyani

• Translation by Molvi Sher Ali

Persian

• Tafsir-e Tabari: a 10th-century translation of the Tafsir al-Tabari in Persian
• Kashf al-Israr wa 'Eddat al-Abrar: an 11th-century tafsir in Persian by one of the students of Abu Ismail Abdullah al-Ansari
• Tafsir Nasafi: a 12th-century tafsir in Persian by Najm al-Din Abu Hafs al-Nasafi
• Tafsir Nemooneh by Naser Makarem Shirazi
• Tasneem Tafsir by Abdollah Javadi-Amoli
• Tafsir Noor by contemporary scholar Mohsen Qara'ati
• Tafsir Meshkat by contemporary scholar Mohammadali Ansari
• Tarjomane Foraghan by Mohammad Sadeqi Tehrani
• Tafsir al-Mizan by Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei. Translated from Arabic to Persian by Translated from Urdu to English
• Partoie Az Qur'an by Mahmoud Taleghani
• Tafsir Rahnama (1976–present) by Akbar H. Rafsanjani.
• Translation by Hazrat Shah Walliullah Muhadis Dehalvi

Bahasa Indonesia

• Tafsir Al Azhar by Hamka.
• tafsir al Misbah by Quraish Shihab,Prof

Malay

• Tafsir At Tibyan by Abdul Hadi Awang.

Bengali

• Ma'ariful Qur'an translated into Bengali by Maulana Muhiuddin Khan.^[19]

• Tafheemul Quran by Abul A'la Maududi. Translated from Urdu by Abdul Mannan Talib. Available online.^[20]

• Tafsirul Quran by Hazrat Allamah Delwar Hossain Sayeedi. Available online

• Tafsire Nurul Quran by Maulana Muhammad Aminul Islam

• Tafsirul Quran by Dr. Muhammad Asadullah Al-Ghalib

Gujarati

• Tafsir-e-Ashrafi ('Sayyid ut-Tafsir') has been completed by Shaykh al-Islām Wal Muslimeen Grand Mufti of India Hazrat Alaama Sayed Muhammad Madani Miya Ashrafi al-Jilani was originally handwritten in Urdu by this great scholar but due to the extreme popularity of this commentary was urgently translated to Gujarati to appeal to the mass audience of India.

Sindhi

• Tafsir Al-Maqam Al-Mahmud by Ubaidullah Sindhi.
• Tafsir Surah Saba by Ghulam Mustafa Qasmi.
• A commentary by Akhand Aziz Ullah.
• A commentary by Allama Muhammad Idrees Dahiri in 8 volumes.
• Tafsir Riyaz-ul-Quran by Prof. (Retd.) Mir Muhammad Soomro.
• Badee Ut Tafaseer by Shaikh Arab Wal Ajam Allama Abu Muhammad Badee ud Din Shah Rashdi in 11 volumes up to chapter Ibrahim.

Turkish

• Risale-i Nur Külliyatı by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi. Published in 13 volumes, it remains one of the most popular commentaries in Turkish.^[21]

• Elmalılı Tefsir by Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi. Published in 10 volumes, it remains one of the most popular commentaries in Turkish.^[22]

• Büyük Kur'an Tefsiri by Konyalı M.Vehbi. A voluminous commentary written in simple Turkish. Its original title was Hulasatül Beyan fi Tefsiril Kuran.^[23]

• Kur'ân-ı Kerîm'in Türkçe Meâl-i Âlisi ve Tefsiri by Ömer Nasuhi Bilmen. An eight-volume commentary, written in the first half of the Twentieth Century. The language used is Ottoman Turkish, which might be difficult for modern Turks to understand.^[24]

• Ruhu’l-Furkan Tefsiri by Mahmut Ustaosmanoğlu. It is not completed yet and is expected to be finished with 57 volumes.^[25]

Uzbek

• Tafsir-i Hilal by Mufti Muhammad-Sadiq Muhammad Yusuf.Published in 2003 in 6 volumes.

Urdu

• Kanzul Iman by Imam-e-Ahlesunnat Mujaddid e Deen O Millat (Shah Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi)
• Tafsir Tafheem ul Quran by Allama Abul Ala Maudoodi.
• Tafsir-e-Usmani by Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani.

• Bayan ul Quran by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi.
• Matalib ul Furqan by Ghulam Ahmad Parvez
• Mafhoom ul Quran by Ghulam Ahmad Parvez
• Taddabur e Quran by Amin Ahsan Islahi
• Maariful Quran by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Uthmani.

• Maariful Quran by Allama Muhammad Idris Kandhelwi.

• Tafseer Jawahir ul Quran by Shaikhul Quran Maulana Ghulamullah Khan.
• Tafhim-ul-Quran by Abul A'la Maududi

• Tafsir Ahsanul Bayan by Hafiz Saluhuddin Yusuf. The interpretation is not long but efficient, and stress is on monotheism.

• Tafsir Urwa-Tul-Wusqa 8 volumes. Also translated into English ("Towards Understanding the Qur'an"), and Malayalam.^[26]

• Fuyuooz-ul-Quran ('Benevolences of Quran')(two volumes), by Syed Hamid Hasan Bilgrami.

• Tibyān al-Qur'ān (twelve volumes) by 'Allamah Ghulam Rasul Sa'idi.

• Diya' al-Qur'an (five volumes) by Pir Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari.

• Nur al-'Irfan by Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na'imi. This is a short work, often printed in the margin of Kanz al-Iman (see above).

• Tafsir al-Qur'an by Mufti Sayyid Na'im al-Din Muradabadi.

• Tafsir Ya'ayyuhalladina Amanu( two Volumes) by Allamah Syed Sa'adat 'Ali Qadari.

• Tafsir Na'imi (30 volumes) by Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na'imi.
• Tafsir e Nurul Irfan by Mufti Ahmed Yar Khan Na'imi
• Khazaain-ul-Irfan by Maulana Naeem-ud-Deen Muradabadi

• Tafsir ul Hasanat by Allama Abul Hasnat Syed Ahmed Shah

• Tafsir e Nabawi by Maulana Nabi Baksh Halwai

• Tafsir e Fayuzur Rahman Ruhul Bayan Translated by Mufti Faiz Ahmed Owaisi

• Tafsir Zia-ul-Quran by Pir Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari

• Taleem ul Quran Tafseer by Prof.Dr.S.M.Afzal Rahman (single volume)

• Tafsir Qasas-ul-Quran by Maulana Hifz-ul-Rehman Seoharvi

• Tafseer-i-Mehmood by Imam-i-Inqilab Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi

• Tibyan-ul-Quran by Allama Ghulam Rasool Saeedi

• Tafsir e Mazharul Quran by Mufti Azam Mazharullah Dehalwi

• Tafsir e Siddiqui by Maulvi Abdul Qadeer Siddiqui Qadri

• Allama Azad Subhani(1897-1964) wrote Tafsir e Rabbani Mukaddama

• Hakim Molana Noor ud din Bhervi " Al Haqaqal Furqan"

• Mirza Basheer ud din Mehmood Ahmed " Tafseer e Kabeer"

• Quranic Translation by Shah Rafi ud din Dehalvi

• Quranic Translation by Noor Muhammad Naqash bandi

• Tafseer e Quran by Allam Abaidullah Sindhi

• Quran with Urdu Translation by Mirza Tahir Ahmed

Malayalam

• A commentary by Muhammad Amani Maulavi in four volumes.
• Translation of thafheemul quraan by sayyid Abul aala maududi in six volumes.
• Translation of Tharjumanul quraan-quraan bhashyam- in single volume
• Quraan lalithasaram
• Amrithavani-in poetic form
• translation of fee dilalil quraan by shaheed sayyid qutub
• many other

Somali

• by Cumar Faruuq in Somali online in audio format.^[27]

• by Maxamed Cumar Dirir in Somali in audio format.^[28]

Pashto

• Kashaful Qur'an by Hafiz Mohmmad Idris Toru in Two Volumes. Volume 1 contains 15 parts which was published in 1959 and volume 2 published after his death in 1965.

• Tafseer Darmungwi translation is done by mulana of village darmung or Darbang situated near peshawer.

• Tafseer ul-Qur'an karim by Abu Zakariya Abdus Salam Rustami from Peshawar.

See also

• Qur'an
• Tafsir
• List of Islamic texts

Notes