Shaykh al-Islam said:

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

O Lord, facilitate and aid by Your mercy.

All praise belongs to Allah; we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils within ourselves and from our bad deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead astray, and whomever He leaves to stray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.

To proceed: Some brothers have asked me to compose for them an introduction that sets out comprehensive principles to assist in understanding the Quran, recognizing its exegesis and meanings, distinguishing—among what is reported, whether transmitted or reasoned—between truth and the various kinds of falsehood, and pointing out the criterion that decisively separates competing statements. Indeed, the written works on tafsir are filled with both the worthless and the worthwhile, blatant falsehood and manifest truth.

Knowledge is either an authenticated narration from one who is infallible, or a statement supported by an established proof. Whatever falls outside these two categories is either spurious and rejected, or suspended—its worth unknown, neither confirmed nor dismissed.

The community stands in pressing need of understanding the Quran: the firm rope of Allah, the wise reminder, the straight path. Desires cannot divert it, tongues cannot confuse it, it does not wear out through constant repetition, its wonders never cease, and scholars never feel sated of it. Whoever speaks according to it speaks truth; whoever acts by it receives reward; and whoever judges by it exercises justice.