Abridged principles of Qur’anic exegesis drawn from Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah’s “Introduction to the Principles of Tafsir”
Knowledge is of two kinds: either a verified report transmitted from one who is protected from error, or a statement founded upon clear, demonstrable proof. Whatever lies outside these two is either forged and therefore to be rejected, or it remains undecided—its authenticity unconfirmed and its falsehood unproven.
One must understand that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—explained to his Companions the meanings of the Qur’an just as he conveyed its words. The Almighty says, “so that you may clarify to mankind what has been revealed to them” (Qur’an 16:44); this covers both the wording and the meaning.
Consequently, disagreement among the Companions over Qur’anic interpretation was exceedingly rare. Although differences are somewhat more frequent among the Successors, they are still few compared with those who came later. The nobler the generation, the greater its unity, harmony, knowledge, and clarity.
The early Muslims (al-salaf) differed little in tafsir, and their divergences in legal rulings were greater than their divergences in exegesis. Moreover, most of the sound differences reported from them amount to a diversity of expression rather than outright contradiction. This diversity takes two forms:
- Each scholar may convey the intended meaning with wording unlike that of his colleague, highlighting a facet of the same referent distinct from the facet mentioned by the other. This resembles equivalent names that lie midway between pure synonyms and entirely different terms.
Indeed, every one of Allah’s Names indicates His very essence and the attribute inherent in that Name, and by necessary implication it also points to the attribute conveyed by another of His Names. This is the foundational rule regarding Allah’s Names and Attributes.