الأساس فی التفسیر: منہج واصطلاحات کا تجزیاتی مطالعہ

Al-Asas fi Tafsir: An Analytical Study of Methodology and Terminology

Abstract

The Quranic text has unity and coherence among its Ayyats and Surahs. Muslim commentators have different views about the unity and coherence of the Quran. Some commentators have a view that Surahs the Quran contains a variety of topics revealed on different oceans in twenty-three years of the prophethood of the holy prophet and are not necessarily related to a single theme. While others believe that the Quranic text has a coherence with the notion of the central theme of Surahs. Saeed Hawa is one of those scholars who has a special view about the coherence of the Quran, which he presented in his commentary on the Quran with a special methodology of analysis of textual relation (Munasbah) among the Surahs of the Holy Quran. With his methodology and special terminologies like Al-Qism (القسم), Al-Maqtah (المقطع), Al-Majmoah (المجموعہ), Al-Fiqrah (الفقرہ), etc. He has explained the coherence of the Quranic text. He used these terminologies in his magnum opus commentary of the Quran “Al-Asaas Fil Altafseer (الاساس فی التفسیر)”. According to his view, Surah Fatiha is the central theme of the Quran and the remaining Surahs of the Quran are its explanation and are beautifully well-knitted with it. He has explained his idea of coherence of the Quran in his commentary with a clear and complete approach. He used the two methodologies of the commentary of the Quran Tafsir Bil Mathur (تفسیر بالماثور) and Tafseer Bil-Ra’y (تفسیر بالراے) to elaborate his idea of coherence of the Quran.