Fakhr al-Din Razi's Tafsir, The Great Exegesis, also known as Mafatih al-Ghayb, is one of the great classics of Arabic and Islamic scholarship. Written in the twelfth century, this commentary on the Qur'an has remained until today an indispensable reference work. The Great Exegesis is a compendium not only of Qur'anic sciences and meanings, but also Arabic linguistics, comparative jurisprudence, Aristotelian and Islamic philosophy, dialectic theology and the spirituality of Sufism.
The present volume is the first ever translation into English from The Great Exegesis and focuses on the first chapter of the Qur'an, the Fatiha. This scholarly yet accessible translation gives readers a thorough understanding of the most commonly recited chapter of the Qur'an; it also opens up for readers a window into the thought and practice of one of Islam's greatest theologians. This volume includes a foreword by Professor M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, King Fahd Professor of Islamic Studies, University of London.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements
Foreword: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem
Translator's Introduction
Introduction
Book I: Sciences Derived from the Isti'adha
Part One: Literary Aspects of the Isti'adha
Chapter One: The Word (Kalima) and its Like
Chapter Two: Sounds, Letters and their Rulings
Chapter Three: Nouns, Verbs and Particles
Chapter Four: Various Categorisations of the Noun
Chapter Five: Rulings Concerning Genus Nouns and Derived Nouns
Chapter Six: Inflected and Uninflected Nouns
Chapter Seven: Inflection of Verbs
Part Two: Narrated and Rational Exegesis of the Isti'adha
Chapter Eight: Juristic Issues Connected to the Isti'adha
Chapter Nine: Rational Enquiries Concerning the Isti'adha
Chapter Ten: Spiritual Allusions of the Isti'adha
Chapter Eleven: Further Enquiries Associated with the Isti'adha
Book II: The Basmala
Chapter One: Introductory Enquiries
Chapter Two: Concerning the Recitation and Writing of the Basmala
Chapter Three: Concerning the Name (Ism)
Chapter Four: Names Denoting Actual Attributes
Chapter Five: Names Denoting Relative Attributes
Chapter Six: Names Denoting Eliminative Attributes
Chapter Seven: Names Denoting Combinations of Actual and Relative Attributes
Chapter Eight: Remaining Issues Pertaining to Divine Names
Chapter Nine: The Name Allah
Chapter Ten: The Names al-Rahman and al-Rahim
Chapter Eleven: Spiritual Allusions of the Basmala
Book III: The Fatiha
Chapter One: Names of this Sura
Chapter Two: Virtues of this Sura
Chapter Three: Rational Wisdoms Derived from this Sura
Chapter Four: Juristic Issues Connected to this Sura
Chapter Five: Exegesis of Surat al-Fatiha [Verse by Verse]
Chapter Six: Exegesis of Surat al-Fatiha as a Whole
Appendix: Persons Cited in the Text
Bibliography
Index
About the Author :
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 1210) was a leading Islamic scholar of the twelfth century. He was a prolific author on theology and jurisprudence but is best known for his commentary on the Qur'an, The Great Exegesis.
Sohaib Saeed is director of the Centre for Advanced Study of the Quran and its Interpretation (CASQI). He is a graduate of philosophy (University of Edinburgh) and Islamic theology (Al-Azhar), with specialism in Qur'anic studies. He took his PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Review :
'Razi's Tafsir is a monument to Islam's great tradition of learning and an incredibly rich pathway into it. Making it accessible to an English-speaking audience, by a translator who is a scholar himself, is a great contribution that will be appreciated by many for many years to come.'
'Dr. Sohaib Saeed offers us a meticulous and readable translation of a masterpiece of Qur'anic exegesis by the great Muslim intellectual Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, whose goal was to illuminate every possible shade of meaning of the Muslim Revelation, from moral-ethical and legal, to rational and allegorical-mystical, not to mention linguistic, grammatical and historical. A must-read for every serious student and connoisseur of the Qur'an.'
