Tafsir al-Mizan is an erudite but challenging work. This PowerPopint consists of two sections: (a) an overview of the life of the author, 'Allamah Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i, and (b) an overview of the structure and style of Tafsir al-Mizan, with examples.
Presented at QConference, September 2016, by the Tawheed Institute in Australia which is translating Tafsir al-Mizan in its entirety.
VIdeo should be available shortly via the Tawheed Institute.
Large file size is due to the embedded video clip and embedded fonts.
Recommended supplementary material: (a) Article on 'Allamah Tabataba'i by Hamid Algar, and (b) Shining Sun, trans. Tawus Raja.
2. 1. A brief overview of the life of‘Allamah
Tabataba’i
2. A brief history of Tafsir al-Mizan
3. The style of Tafsir al-Mizan
4. Facets and features of Tafsir al-Mizan
5. What should you bring with you to Tafsir
al-Mizan?
Today’s discussion
3. • Born nearTabriz in 1904
• Lost his father at age 5 and his mother at age 9
• Studied Qur’an and Persian texts; then, after 10
years,Arabic grammar, syntax, and rhetoric
• His early studies
• Learned horsemanship, swimming,
mountaineering, hunting, and marksmanship
‘Allamah Muhammad HusaynTabataba’i
Early life
4. • In 1925, he went with his brother to continue his
studies in al-Najaf al-Ashraf
• Studied fiqh and philosophy, as well as traditional
subjects such as astronomy
• Gained a special appreciation for tafsir
• Focused on spiritual development and the spiritual
path
To the centre of learning
5. • In 1935, he and his brother returned toTabriz due
to financial reasons
• He spent the next decade working on the family
farm and with minimal involvement in scholarly
activities
• DuringWWII, the Soviet Union invaded Iran, and
‘AllamahTabataba’i left for Qom
• He had many students there and did much of his
work there, including Tafsir al-Mizan
• Felt responsible to stand against materialistic and
other modern ideologies through teaching
philosophy
Leaving Najaf
6. • Began Tafsir al-Mizan in 1954 and completed it on 23
Ramadan in 1972
• Worked every day except for Ashura
• Used to meet with the French orientalist Henry Corbin in
Tehran
• Passed away in 1981
• He was never heard to utter the pronoun “I” and would
not allow people to kiss his hand
• Lived a very simple lifestyle
• He sat on the ground at the same level as his students
“He was a mirror for the spirits of the ma‘sumin who had
attained a degree of detachment from this world that
allowed him to directly observe the forms of the unseen.”
Life in Qom
9. • Interpretation of verses by other verses
• Survey of previous tafasir
• Philosophical, sociological, historical, and scientific
discussions
• Scientific discussions or a scientific tafsir?
• Separation of approaches
“We take from the Quran; we do not impose on it.”
“We will discuss in this manner [of using the Qur’an to interpret the
Qur’an], what Allah the Almighty has helped us to understand of these
blessed verses. Within the confines of these discussions we have avoided
basing arguments on philosophical theories, scientific hypotheses, or
mystical insights.”
“The Book of Allah - by which you see, and by
which you speak, and by which you hear. Some
parts of it speak of other parts, and some parts
of it bear witness to other parts. It is consistent
about Allah, and does not divert its follower
from Allah.” – Nahj al-Balaghah
Features of al-Mizan
10. • Every surah has a specific theme or
purpose
• Beginning with general discussion of
surah, and then groups of verses
• Literal meaning and grammatical
discussions
• Other Qur’anic verses
• Hadith
• Supplementary discussions
Structure of Tasfir al-Mizan
11. From the Preface
The people of tradition explained the Qur’an with the traditions ascribed to the companions and their disciples.They
went ahead so long as there was a tradition to lead them on, and stopped when they could not find any such tradition.
They thought it to be the only safe method.
But they were mistaken.Allah has not said in His Book that rational proof had no validity. How could He say so when
the authenticity of the Book itself depended on rational proof? He has called us to meditate on the Qur’anic verses in
order to remove any apparent discrepancy in them.Allah has revealed the Qur’an as a guidance, and has made it a
light and an explanation of everything.Why should a light seek brightness from others' light?Why should guidance be
led by others' guidance?Why should "an explanation of everything" be explained by others' words?
The seed of sectarian differences was sown in academic theories or, more often than not, in blind following and
national or tribal prejudice.There are two ways of explaining a verse. One may say: "What does the Qur’an say?" Or
one may say: "How can this verse be explained, so as to fit on my belief? "The difference between the two approaches
is quite clear.The former forgets every pre-conceived idea and goes where the Qur’an leads.The latter has already
decided what to believe and cuts the Qur’anic verses to fit that body; such an exegesis is no exegesis at all.
12. In recent times, a new method of. exegesis has become fashionable. Some people, supposedly Muslims, who were
deeply influenced by the natural sciences (which are based on observations and tests) and the social ones (that rely
on induction), followed the materialists of Europe or the pragmatists. Under the influence of those anti-Islamic
theories, they declared that the religion's realities cannot go against scientific knowledge; one should not believe
except that which is perceived by any one, of the five senses; nothing exists except the matter and its properties….
All of the [above] suffer from a most serious defect:They impose the results of academic or philosophic arguments
on the Qur'anic meanings - they make the Qur’an conform with an extraneous idea.
As we mentioned in the beginning, the Qur’an introduces itself as the guidance for the worlds (3:96); the manifest
light (4:174), and the explanation of every thing (16:89). But these people, contrary to those Qur’anic declarations,
make it to be guided by extraneous factors, to be illuminated by some outside theories, and to be explained by
something other than itself.What is that "something else"?What authority has it got? And if there is any difference
in various explanations of a verse and indeed there are most serious differences - which mediator should the Qur’an
refer to?
From the Preface
14. َين ِرِشَبُم َينِيِبَّنال ُ َّاَّلل َثَعَبَف ًةَد ِاح َو ًةَّمُأ ُاسَّنال َانَكَحْالِب َابَتِكْال ُمُهَعَم َلَزْنَأ َو َين ِِرذْنُم َوِقَْنيَب َمُكْحَيِل
وُأ َِينذَّال ََّّلِإ ِهيِف َفَلَتْاخ اَم َو ۚ ِهيِف واُفَلَتْاخ اَميِف ِاسَّنالَب َُاتنِيَبْال ُمُهْتَءاَج اَم ِدْعَب ْنِم ُهوُتًيْغْمُهَنْيَب ا
“And people were one ummah. SoAllah sent prophets, giving good news and
warning.AndAllah sent them with the book in truth, to judge between people in
what they differed.And they only differed after clarification came to them – out of
hatred between them.” (2:213)
‘Allamah cites…
• For one person: Surely, Ibrahim was an ummah obedient toAllah.
• For time: ...And remembered after a long time (ummatin)
• For religion: Surely your ummah is one ummah, and I am your Lord, so fear Me.
‘Allamah says…
• Ummah is derived from amma ("having an aim") and thus is used for a group of
people which has a single aim, goal, and ambition which unites them and makes them
one people.
Example:What does ummah mean?
16. Who built the barrier, and where?
• NorthernAsia – supported by the OldTestament
• From the Caucasus raidingAssyria – does not match
Qur’an
• Alexander the Great built a barrier against them? – not
recorded in history
• Cyrus the Great built a barrier against them
• A king of Yemen – historically inconsistent
• A member of a pre-human race
• Mangug and Manjug are the Chinese words for them
[Dhu al-Qarnayn] reached a place
between the two mountains and found a
people who could hardly understand a
word.They said: O Dhu al-Qarnayn!
Gog and Magog are making mischief in
the land….[He said]:“I will make a
fortified barrier between you and them.
Bring me blocks of iron.”When he had
filled up the space between the two
mountain sides, he said,“Blow.”When he
had made it as fire, he said,“Bring me
molten brass to pour over it.”
Historical discussions
17. Concerning Do they not then see thatWe come to the land and shrink its sides?, Majmaʿ al-Bayan says:“It has been
interpreted that it is through the death of scholars.”This is also narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (A):“The shrinking of
the land is through the passing of its scholar.”
How does ‘Allamah use hadith?
Imam al-Sadiq (A) said:When Abraham was thrown in the fire, Gabriel met him in mid-air while he was swooping
down. He told him,“O Abraham, do you need anything?” He replied, “Not from you!” Author’s comment:The
story of his being thrown with a catapult appears in a number of Sunni and Shiʿa narrations. Similarly, Gabriel’s
question, “Do you need anything?” and his reply “Not from you” are narrated by both sects.
The Prophet (S) was once passing by Abu Sufyan and Abu Jahl while they were talking.When Abu Jahl saw him, he
laughed and said to Abu Sufyan,“This is Banu ʿAbd Manaf’s prophet!”Abu Sufyan became angry and said,“What do
you see wrong with Banu ʿAbd Manaf having a prophet?”When the Prophet (S) heard this he went to them, rebuked
and threatened Abu Jahl and told him:“I can see that you will not stop [your defiance] until you are struck by what
struck your uncle.” Then he said to Abu Sufyan,“As for you, you only said what you said out of tribal fanaticism.”
Thereafter, this verse was revealed:And when those who disbelieve see you, they do not take you but for mockery
(21:36). Author’s comment: This story does not fit the verse so well.
18. • Patience
• Clear idea of what you are looking for
• A dictionary
• Background knowledge for grammatical sections
• Awareness of the works cited
• An appreciation for‘Allamah’s era and audience
What should you bring with you to Tafsir al-Mizan?
Some suggestions…
Editor's Notes
3/7 at 22:28
Twentieth century exegeses are rarely without consideration of experiential experimental science;. Tto a certain extent, some scientific dimension or other has found itself in them. Al-Mizan is no exception to this.
However, al-Mizan cannot be called a ‘scientific’ translation as commonly understood (i.e. where the interpretation of verses is based on scientific principles and achievements). This is because ‘Allamah Tabataba’i is an opponent of the overindulgent tendencies of scientific interpretations. He considered the sphere of the Qur’an to be greater than this because scientific opinions and theories are always subject to change or revocation.
As such, he was critical of the efforts of those such as Shaykh Tantawi and Muhammed Muhammad ‘Abduh who compared verses to scientific theories and interpreted verses based on the findings of social or natural science. ‘Allamah Tabataba’i believed that the Qur’an was not without reference to science or consideration of natural and social realities and that Qur’anic verses contained implicit references to nature such as the sun, earth, plants, animals and human biology. However, there was no need to completely focus on science in the interpretation of these verses, but to rely instead only on the indisputable facts and realities. .
