Interpretation of the Great Qur'an, Interpretation of Ibn Katheer, Department of Interpretation of the Holy Qur'an

Interpretation of the Great Qur’an, known as “Tafsir Ibn Katheer”, by Imam Imad al-Din Abi al-Fida Ismail ibn Katheer al-Qurashi al-Dimashqi, known as Ibn Katheer (d. 774 AH), is one of the most famous Islamic books specialized in the science of interpretation of the Noble Qur’an, and it is considered one of the most famous books written on the subject of interpretation by tradition. Or the interpretation of the Qur’an by the Qur’an, so it depends on the interpretation of the Qur’an by the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet, as well as mentioning the hadiths and effects attributed to their owners, and the sayings of the Companions and followers. He takes care of the hadiths of the Prophet, and is famous for being almost devoid of Israeli women, and some put him after the interpretation of al-Tabari in the same position, and others prefer him over him.

He is Imad al-Din Abu al-Fida Ismail bin Omar bin Katheer bin Dhu’ al-Qurashi al-Basrawy, then al-Dimashqi, a modernist, interpreter and jurist. He was born in Majdal in the works of Damascus in the year 701 AH, and his father died in the year 703 AH, then he moved to Damascus with his brother Kamal al-Din in the year 707 AH after The death of his father, memorizing the Noble Qur’an and completing its memorization in the year 711 AH, reading the readings and collecting the interpretation, memorizing the text of “Al-Tanbih” in Shafi’i jurisprudence in the year 718 AH, memorizing Mukhtar Ibn Al-Hajib, and understanding it with the two sheikhs Burhan Al-Din Al-Fazari and Kamal Al-Din Ibn Qadi Shahba, he heard the hadith From Ibn al-Shahna, Ibn al-Zarrad, Ishaq al-Amidi, Ibn Asakir, al-Mazi, and Ibn al-Ridha, he began to explain Sahih al-Bukhari and necessary al-Mizzi, and read to him Tahdheeb al-Kamal, and he married him to his daughter, and the companion of Ibn Taymiyyah, and I had many scientific schools in that era, including: Dar Al-Hadith Al-Ashrafiyyah, Al-Salhiyyah School, Al-Najibiya School, Al-Tankaziyyah School, and Al-Nuriyyah Al-Kubra School. He died in Sha’ban in the year 774 AH, and he was harmed at the end of his life. He was buried next to Ibn Taymiyyah in the Sufi cemetery outside Bab Al-Nasr from Damascus. He has several classifications, the most famous of which are: Tafsir The Great Qur’an, the Beginning and the End, the Shafi’i classes, the relentless motive, an explanation of the abbreviation of sciences Hadith, the biography of the Prophet, and he has a treatise on jihad, and he initiated a large book of rulings and did not complete it, and he has an explanation of Sahih al-Bukhari, which is missing.

He says in his introduction

The most correct way in that is to explain the Qur’an with the Qur’an, so what is more beautiful in one place has been explained in another place. They are more knowledgeable about that, because of what they witnessed from the evidence and the conditions that are specific to them, and because of their complete understanding, correct knowledge, and righteous deeds, especially their scholars and elders, such as the four imams, the rightly guided caliphs, the guided imams, and Abdullah bin Masoud, may God be pleased with him.

If you did not find the explanation in the Qur’an or in the Sunnah, nor did you find it on the authority of the Companions, then many of the imams in this regard referred to the sayings of the followers, such as Mujahid bin Jabr, because he was a verse in the interpretation, and for this reason Sufyan al-Thawri used to say: “If the interpretation comes to you from Mujahid, then it will suffice for you.” And such as Saeed bin Jubair, Ikrimah, the mawla of Ibn Abbas, Ata bin Abi Rabah, Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Masruq bin Al-Ajda, Saeed bin Al-Musayyib, Abi Al-Aliyah, Al-Rabi bin Anas, Qatadah, Al-Dahhak bin Muzahim, and others from the followers and their followers and after them, so remember their sayings in the verse, and it falls In their expressions there is a difference in expressions, and those who do not have knowledge think that they are different, so he narrates them as sayings and it is not like that, for among them are those who express the thing in its context or in its counterpart, and among them are those who stipulate the same thing, and all have one meaning in many places, so let the understanding mind understand that, and God is the Guide.

His approach to interpretation is:

Clarifying the meaning: Interpretation of the verse in an easy way, and in a brief manner, that clarifies the general meaning.

Interpretation of the Qur’an by the Qur’an: Interpretation of the verse by another verse, if any; Until the meaning becomes clear, and the intent appears, and Ibn Katheer may mention several verses in the interpretation of the first verse, as if he combines similar and similar verses in meaning, and united in the subject, so the proportionate verses come in one place.

Narrating hadiths: If he did not find anything to explain in the Qur’an, he interpreted it with the hadiths of the Prophet.

Interpretation by the sayings of the Companions: Ibn Katheer adds in the interpretation of the verse what he received from the sayings of the Companions in the interpretation of this verse, according to the qualifications they possess.

Mentioning the sayings of the followers and the followers of the followers: He mentions the sayings of the followers, the followers of the followers, and those who follow them among the scholars of the predecessors, especially the people of the first centuries.