MA'ARIFUL QUR'AN – AN EXCELLENT TAFSEER

THAT IS IDEAL FOR REVERTS

Ma’ariful Qur’an is one of the best modern-day Tafseers available in English especially for reverts who are seeking the truth about the religion and want to know more about the Qur'an. 

It was originally written in Urdu by Shaykh Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi but has since been translated into several languages. It runs to eight volumes in English.

The eighth English edition - which I am quoting - was published in Karachi in 2008, by Mataba-e-Darul-Uloom. It was translated by Maulana Ahmed Khalil Aziz and revised by Maulana Muhammad Taqi Usmani.

Shaykh Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi comes from the Usmani family of Deoband, India. The family is famous in the Muslim world and held in the utmost respect. There is a Wikipedia page about him which to the best of my knowledge is accurate. The link is Wikipedia Muhammad Shafi Deoband.

I have also saved a copy of the page on quran-e-hakim.net. The link is Muhammad Shafi page.

Shaykh Maulana Muhammad Taqi Usmani is the son of Shaykh Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi. He has his own website. The link is Muhammad Taqi Usmani. There is also a Wikipedia page about Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Usmani. The link is Wikipedia Shaykh Taqi Usmani.

USMANI FAMILY

So there is no confusion, readers should know there is another Tafseer by a member of the Usmani family, which is famous on the Sub-continent. It is called Tafseer-e-Usmani and was co-authored by Shabbir Ahmad Usmani. There is a Wikipedia page about him. The link is Wikipedia Shabbir Ahmad Usmani.

It has been translated into English and is available in a three-volume set. I have a set but rarely use it, preferring instead Ma'ariful Qur'an. 

I’ve selected several passages below so reverts can see just how much a good Tafseer like this  can help them understand the religion and appreciate its beauty and the depth of  knowledge it contains - a depth that worthless wretches like me can never hope to plumb.

Readers need to understand that all they know is all that Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) has taught them. We are like the angels (alayhim as-salam - may the peace of Allah be upon them) who Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) quotes in Surah Al-Baqarah Ayah 32 (Chapter 2 verse 32) as saying 'We have no knowledge except what You have taught us . . .'

To view the complete Ayah (verse) go to Quran.com. The link is baqarah32quran.com.

quran.com is a well-known website that gives the original Qur'anic text in Arabic with an English translation.

Or, if you prefer, read a word by word translation on the Quranic Arabic Corpus. The link is arabiccorpusbaqarah32.

All we can do is beg our beloved Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) to guide us rightly about His book and increase us in knowledge. 

DUAS (SUPPLICATIONS) BEGGING ALLAH TO INCREASE YOU IN KNOWLEDGE

There are Duas (suplications) you can make to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) asking Him to increase you in knowledge.

But, probably the best if you  want Him to increase you in knowledge about the Holy Qur'an is from Surah Ta-ha Ayah 114 (Chapter 20 verse 114 of the  Holy Qur'an).

The complete Ayah can be viewed at quran.com or if you wish on the Quranic Arabic Corpus. 

I have not attempted to publish the Ayah here because Arabic does not publish well on this system when it is inserted between paragraphs, but if you are a revert to Islam who has not yet learned Arabic then you can make the Dua in English.

However, it is better to say it in Arabic and a transliteration of the relevant words appears below. They are:

Rabbi zid'ni ilma ('My Lord! Increase me in knowledge).

And for those keen to learn Arabic the breakdown of the words is:

Rabbi - my Lord. The word Rabb means 'Lord' in Arabic and the addition of the letter 'i' is for the personal pronoun 'my'  (if you wish to be pedantic 'my' is called the 'dependent possessive').

zid'ni. 'Zid' in Arabic means 'increase' and the addition  of the 'ni' means 'me'.

ilma. In Arabic 'ilma' means knowledge. If you look at the word for word translation on Quranic Arabic Corpus you will see that the word is transliterated as 'il'man' with an 'n' on the end. This is because the Arabic carries a tanwin (nunation) at the end so that it reads 'il'man'.

However, because it is at the end of a sentence the 'n' is not pronounced.

Believe you me if you just recite 'Rabbi zid'ni ilma' Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) will be well aware of what you are saying and Insha-Allah most receptive. 

Just remember, if you are new to Islam and you want to make the Dua it is important to obseve the etiquette that Muslims are expected to follow when supplicating Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High). See my page 'How to make DUA'.

And, on the subject of Arabic if you are a revert to Islam and have not yet learned to recite the Qur'an in Arabic then I urge you to do so as swiftly as possible. It is most important.

Remember! The Qur'an is only the Qur'an in Arabic. See my page: Qur'an is only in Arabic. 

To view my talk about the Tafseer go to YouTube and search for 'MAARIFUL QUR'AN - AN EXCELLENT TAFSEER FOR REVERTS'.

EXCERPT FROM MA'ARIFUL QUR'AN VOLUME EIGHT PAGES 224-228:

SURAH AN-NAJM AYAT 33-38 (THE STAR, CHAPTER 53 VERSES 33-38)

We begin with the translation of the relevant Ayat in Surah An-Najm. Obviously it is the translation used in Ma'ariful Qur'an.

"Did you see the one who turned away, [33]

"and gave a little, and stopped? [34]

"Does he have knowledge of the Unseen whereby he sees (what he believes)? [35]

"Has he not been told of what was (revealed) in the scriptures of Musa [36]

"and of Ibrahim who fulfilled (his covenant)? [37]

"(It was) that no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of the other, [38]"

Surah An-Najm: 53 33-38

In Ayah 37 Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) describes Ibrahim ('Alayhi as-Salam) as one who fulfilled his covenant and in one passage which appears below the words al-ladhi waffa (the one who fulfilled) are referred to as a title.

Before we proceed further, reverts need to know that the main title for Hazrat Ibrahim ('Alayhi as-Salam) is Khalilullah (Friend of Allah) because of his unwavering faith and submission. The word Hazrat is an Arabic honorific added before a person's name to show respect. 

In his Tafseer the Shaykh comments on pages  227 -228 of Volume 8:

"Special Characteristic of Ibrahim ('Alayhi as-Salam): fulfillment of Covenant

"Holy Prophet Ibrahim ('Alayhi as-Salam) had a covenant with Allah that he will obey Him and convey His Message to all the people. He fulfilled faithfully the covenant: He obeyed Allah and delivered His Message to His creatures.

"As a result, he was made to pass through severe trials and tribulations. This is the interpretation placed upon the expression waffa (fulfilled) by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir and others.

"Several narratives describe particular works of Holy Prophet Ibrahim ('Alayhi as-Salam) as a purport of the expression waffa, but the two versions are not contradictory, because fufillment of covenant is general. It comprehends acting upon all the Divine injunctions, obeying Allah in all actions, fulfilling the duties of Prophethood and messenger-ship and reforming the creation of Allah.

"Let us consider the narrative which Ibn Abi Hatim has reported on the authority of Sayyidna Abu 'Umamah (Radi Allahu Ta’ala’anhu – may Allah be pleased with him). that the Holy Prophet (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited the verse 37, and asked: Do you know what is the meaning of waffa (fulfilled)?

"Sayyidna Abu 'Umamah (Radi Allahu Ta’ala’anhu – may Allah be pleased with him). replied: Allah and His Rasul know best. The Holy Prophet (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:

"He fulfilled the day's work by starting it with the performance of four rak'at [that is, salat-ul-ishraq]."

"This is supported by the Tradition recorded in Tirmidhi on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Dharr (Radi Allahu Ta’ala’anhu – may Allah be pleased with him), according to whom the Holy Prophet (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "0 Son of 'Adam! Perform four rak'a of prayer in the early part of the day, I shall take of you in all your affairs till the end of the day."

"Ibn Abi Hatim reports another Tradition from Sayyidna Mu'adh Ibn Anas (Radi Allahu Ta’ala’anhu – may Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Do you know why Allah gave Ibrahim ('Alayhi as-Salam) the title of al-ladhi waffa (the one who fulfilled)? Then, he said, 'Because he used to recite the following dhikr every morning and evening:"

Because I'm having technical difficulties publishing Arabic when it needs to be inserted between paragraphs I am not going to try to reproduce the dhikr here, but it is Ayat 17-18 of Surah Rum (Chapter 30 verses 17-18 of the Holy Qur'an). See my page Surah Rum 17-19. The Arabic text is from quran.com and the translation is by Dr Mustafa Khattab. 

EXCERPT FROM MA'ARIFUL QUR'AN VOLUME SIX PAGES 726-729:

SURAH RUM AYAT 17-18 (THE ROMANS, CHAPTER 30 VERSES 17-18)

We begin with the translation of the relevant Ayat in Surah Rum. Obviously it is the translation used in Ma'ariful Qur'an.

"So, proclaim Allah's purity when you see the evening and when you see the morning. [I7]

"And to Him be praise in the heavens and the earth, and in the afternoon and when you enter the time of Zuhr (soon after the decline of the sun towards West). [18]

Shaykh Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi then comments on pages 728 and 729:

"Special Note

"This verse is the dhikr of Sayyidna Ibrahim ('Alayhi as-Salam), which earned him the title of   al-ladhi waffa (And Ibrahim who fulfilled his covenant - 53:37).

"Sayyidna Ibrahim ('Alayhi as-Salam) used to recite these words in the morning and evening.

"It is reported from Sayyidna Mu'adh Ibn 'Anas (Radi Allahu Ta’ala’anhu – may Allah be pleased with him)  with authentic proofs that the reason behind awarding the title of 'fulfilling his covenant' to Sayyidna Ibrahim ('Alayhi as-Salam) was his recitation of this prayer.

"Abu Dawud, Tabarani and Ibn-us-Sunni have reported on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas (Radi Allahu Ta’ala’anhu – may Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said about these two verses:"

Once again, because I am having technical difficulties publishing the Quranic text when it needs to be inserted on a page I have not published it here but on a separate page. There are actually three Ayat, not two. They are Ayat 17-19 of Surah Rum (Chapter 30 verses 17-19 of the Holy Qur'an). 

You can read them on my page Surah Rum 17-19. The Arabic text is from quran.com and the translation is by Dr Mustafa Khattab. 

"So, proclaim Allah's purity when you see the evening and when you see the morning. [17}

"And to Him be praise in the heavens and the earth, and in the afternoon and when you enter the time of Zuhur (soon after the decline of the sun towards West). [18]

"He brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living, and gives life to the land after it is dead. And in similar way you will be brought out. [19]

Rasoolullah (sall-Allahu alayhi wa-sallam - may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is reported to have said: "That whoever will recite them in the morning, all shortcomings in his acts during the day will be repaired; and whoever will recite these verses in the evening all shortcomings in his actions during the night will be repaired. (Ruh)"

TO BE CONTINUED

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WEBCOPY 22 FEB 26 - 1

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WEBCOPY 23 FEB 26 - 1ST

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