Brief Introduction to "Quran Tafsir" What it is and Why We Need it We start with the word "Quran"
The word "Quran" in Arabic means "Recitation" (not written word). Too many people today are telling us what the Quran of Allah is and what it means.
All too often we are hearing from both Muslims and Non-Muslims; 'The Quran says this-or-that and the Quran means so-and-so' without giving reference to their actual source for meaning and understanding.
Many misconceptions, misquotes, misunderstandings and misrepresentations are tossed around in the media, news and public discussions about Islam and what it teaches.
The solution is to go back to the original source in the original language as understood by the people who first heard the Quran from the lips of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, along with his own definitions and explanations.
The good news is the Quran exists today in its entirety, exactly as it at the time of the prophet, peace be upon him.
The prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, heard the words directly from the Angel Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic) and these words were memorized by Muhammad, peace be upon him, and then recited to his companions, who then memorized and passed on these same words to their followers and this has continued to this very day.
The first word Angel Gabriel spoke to Muhammad, peace be upon him, was "Iqra", which comes from the same root for Quran, and it was a command to "Recite!" (Many people, even Muslims today think this word meant 'read', but it is incorrect because the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was not able to read or write). Immediately we see the importance of going back to the most authentic and original source - the Quran in Arabic - to better understand the meanings.
The Word TAFSIR is an Arabic word تفسير which is derived from the root 'Fassara' . Someone who writes Tafsir is a 'Mufassir...". IBN KATHIR - Famous Mufassir (commentator of Quran) مفسر . Well known and respected for his keen memory and a highly regarded scholar of Tafsir (commentary) - Born 1302 AD. Memorized entire Quran, word-for-word along and memorized huge number of sayings and teachings (Hadith) of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, along with sayings and commentary about Quran from Muhammad's companions, may Allah be pleased with them. The Tafsir of Ibn Kathir is of the most respected and accepted explanations for the Quran and is the most widely used explanations in Arabic used today. The difficulty of translating Quran to English is quite another problem and not one to be taken lightly nor is it for the average translators to decide what is meant by the words of Almighty God.
While we agree it is impossible to bring the exact meaning of everything from Quran to English, it is our intention to bring about a better understanding for non-Arab speakers at least a basic understanding of the meaning of the Quran for the English speaking readers.
This site presents the work of scholarly experts of Arabic, English, Hadith and Tafsir, together with the Guidance of Almighty God - the Explanation of God's Words in simple English.
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