The First Observation:

Alteration of the shaykh’s method of interpreting the verses. The shaykh—may Allah have mercy upon him—would sometimes cite the verses; when relating a story, he would sometimes write, “and so on to the end of the story”; and at other times, he would include words within the course of his commentary without intending them as a quotation of the verse. The correctors altered this by reproducing the verses in full, changing his wording, crossing it out in the manuscript, and substituting the verse or verses for it.

Examples include the following:

The shaykh—may Allah have mercy upon him—related the story of Qarun as follows: “Indeed, Qarun was one of the people of Moses, but he tyrannized them,” and so on to the end of the story. The correctors crossed out his words, “to the end of the story,” and reproduced the verses in full. They appear in the margin of the copy in a corrector’s handwriting.

The same occurred when he related the story of Lot in Sūrat al-Ankabūt. He cited the verses from the words of Allah Most High, “And Lot, when he said to his people,” through His words, “He said, ‘My Lord, support me against the people who spread corruption.’” They then supplied the remainder of the verses through His words, “We certainly left of it a clear sign for people who understand.” These appear in the margin of the copy in a corrector’s handwriting.

The Second Observation:

Alteration of the book’s division. The shaykh divided the tafsīr into eight parts in one copy and nine in the other. The copy used by the Salafi Press consisted of eight parts, the first of which ended with the conclusion of the commentary on the words of Allah Most High, “To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills, and Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful,” in Sūrat Āl Imrān (129). They instead ended the first part at the conclusion of the commentary on Sūrat Āl Imrān and wrote at its end: “The first volume of Taysīr al-Rahīm al-Rahmān fī Tafsīr al-Quran has been completed, based on the copy of its author, the eminent scholar Shaykh Abd al-Rahmān ibn Nāsir al-Sa‘dī. It will be followed by the second volume, which begins with the commentary on Sūrat al-Nisā. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.” (1) The matter is not as they stated, however; the copy on which they relied is divided differently from what they described.

The Third Observation:

Additions. Those responsible for this edition made additions to the tafsīr. Although they were minor, they were not identified either in the introduction or where they occurred. These include:

1. They added the number identifying each part of the Noble Quran before it began. Thus, before the third part, they placed the heading “Part Three” (2) in the middle of the page, and did the same with the fourth part. Nothing of the sort appears in the handwritten copy, and they did not indicate that it was not part of the shaykh’s words—may Allah have mercy upon him.

2. They added the phrase “The words of Allah Most High” or “Allah Most High says” in numerous places. One example is their addition of it at the beginning of Sūrat al-Nisā, even though the shaykh’s customary practice—may Allah have mercy upon him—was to begin by citing the verses being interpreted immediately after the basmala (the formula “In the name of Allah…”). (3)

3. They added the words “from their homes” in the commentary on the words of Allah Most High, “And when We took your covenant: You shall not shed one another’s blood, nor expel one another from your homes”—to the end of the verse. The shaykh had written: “Thus, it was made obligatory upon them that none should shed another’s blood or expel one another; and if they found one of their people a prisoner, they were obliged to ransom him.” They inserted the phrase “from their homes,” so that the text read