Allah.com Muhammad.com Prophet Muhammad’s Explanation of the Koran Part One: Al Fatihah With the Introduction to the Explanation The concise explanation reported by Tabari, the Shaykh of all interpreters. The spiritual notations by Habib ibn Ajeebah. Prophet Muhammad’s Explanation of the Koran reported by Habib Muhaddith Talidi via Hafiz Habib Abdullah Al Ghumari. Translated into English by (Anne) Khadeijah Abdullah Darwish Translated into Indonesian and Melayu by Siti Nadriyah. Compiled by Ahmad Darwish and family. Mosque.com (c) 1432-2011 the Darwish family Preface The Unrivaled Word of Allah, Al Koran - the Holy Reading For over fourteen centuries, the Koran has offered and continues to offer spiritual gifts from its glorious unfolding guidance to seekers of the truth. Many verses of the Koran instruct the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, to clarify the Koran to his followers. An example of this instruction is found in the chapter Yunus (Jonah) 10:36 Most of them follow nothing except conjecture. But conjecture does not help against the truth. Allah knows the things they do. @The Holy Koran is sent by the Lord of all the worlds 10:37-40 10:37 This Koran could not have been forged by other than Allah. It confirms what was before it; a distinguishing Book, in which there is no doubt, from the Lord of all the worlds. @Challenge of Allah 10:38-40 10:38 Do they say, 'He has forged it'. Say, 'Compose one chapter like it, and call upon whom you will, other than Allah (to help you), if what you say is true! ' 10:39 They have belied that which they did not understand of its knowledge, nor has its interpretation reached them. Those who were before also belied. But see how was the end of the harm doers. 10:40 Some believe in it, while others do not believe it. Your Lord knows well the corrupters. @Those who are guided and those who are not 10:41-43 10:41 If they belie you, say, 'I have my work, you have your work. You are quit of what I do, and I am quit of what you do.' 10:42 Some of them listen to you. But can you make the deaf hear you, even though they cannot understand? 10:43 Some of them look to you. But can you guide the blind, even though they do not see? @Allah is Just 10:44 10:44 Indeed, Allah does not wrong mankind a thing, but they wrong themselves. @The Day of Judgement 10:45-46 10:45 The Day when He will gather them, (it will be) as though they had lingered but an hour of the Day and they will recognize one another. Lost are those who belied the meeting with their Lord and were not guided. 10:46 Whether We let you see some of that with which We promised them, or We call you to Us, to Us they shall return. Allah is witness of the things they do. @The messengers of Allah and their doubting nations 10:47-53 10:47 Every nation has its Messenger. Then, when their Messenger comes the matter is justly decided between them; they are not wronged. The Prophet’s clarification is found in his authentic sayings (Hadith). Both the Koran and the Hadith constitute the Revelation that Gabriel brought to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him and part of the prophetic statements is what is called the “Divine Quotations” which are sayings of Allah other than those found in the Koran. Though we list all the hadith which were directly addressing the explanation of a particular verse, Al Hamdulillah we also, in our collection of Hadith series we produced all the hadith of the prophet from all references of hadith in excess of 1850 references covering arranging it into 2500 subjects, in one book/booklet at a time, Note: insert dictation here. Muslims now exceed one billion and can be found in practically every country of the world and there is an obligation upon them to invite their non-Muslim neighbors to Islam and live according to the exemplary Islamic code of ethics taught by Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him. Regrettably, this is all too often the reverse, and many mosques have become a nationalistic feud driven exercise and fail in their responsibilities. The best advice that can be offered to a sincere Muslim and non-Muslim seeking the truth and reason for their existence is to immerse themselves in authentic Islamic literature and, by the blessing of Allah, discover that which they seek. If you are a Muslim, there is an obligation upon you to study the Koran and also the life of Prophet Muhammad - the praise and peace be upon him - and to invite others to Islam. The Koran says: "Say (Prophet Muhammad): this is my Path, I call (others) to Allah with sure knowledge, I and whosever follows after me. Exalted is Allah! And I am not among the idolaters." 12:108 Scholars of Islam teach us that mankind today are the nation of Prophet Muhammad. Part of the nation accepted the Prophet whereas other parts are the object of the invitation of Islam by Muslim good neighbors. "O mankind, We have created you male and female, and made you nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Indeed, the noblest among you in the sight of Allah is the most in piety. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (49:13) The outline of the explanation of the Koran and ten of its many objectives: 1. Affirmation of the Oneness of Allah – the Mighty, the Glorified – and the invitation to come and know Him; belief and testifying to this and to worship Him alone; the prohibition of association with Him; elaborating upon His Lordship, His Divinity, His Names and descriptions especially those found in the chapters revealed in Mecca. 2. Demonstration of the power of His creating, and the innovation and fine detailing of all that He created, all of which are in themselves proof of His Oneness; the life after death which is subject to the recompense of earthly deeds. 3. Addressing death, and the life in between in the tomb. The Resurrection and signs of its imminent arrival; the assembling; the appointment; the affairs of the Day of Judgement; the accounting; the bridge over Hell to Paradise; recompensing mankind; Paradise and Hell with their descriptions and the pleasure or chastisement Allah has prepared for their inhabitants. 4. Presenting the Straight Path; the straight methodology of Allah that mentions the high code of ethics that purify the soul, light the heart, and help on the Straight Path, while also demonstrating the failure of its opposite characteristics which are neither good in Religion nor for humanity, and are not those of an upright nature. 5. Enumerating those who received the favors of Allah among the prophets, the sincere, martyrs defending their faith, good people, learned men, believers, mentioning their characteristics and affairs, and the nearness of their station. 6. Presenting disbelief and the unbelievers, the transgressor and the harm-doer, the uncivilized and the hypocrite, illustrating their demise in this life and how Allah, the Mighty, the Glorified, deals with them in the Hereafter. 7. Presenting the prophets with their nation, and how Allah gave the prophets victory over their enemy. Demonstrating the position of the prophets, their dialogs and debates. Their stories amount to one-third of the Koran. 8. Demonstrating the jurisprudence of worship, business transaction, injury, major penalty, inheritance, marriage and family, defense, prophetic biographies, political and institutions, government, system of ruling and international relationships. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, prophesied the coming of Imam Shafi’i and told his Companions that a knowledgeable man of Koraysh who would fill the plains of the earth with knowledge. Imam Shafi’i was a genius and surpassed his teacher Imam Malik in his collection of prophetic sayings (hadith). To illustrate this, Imam Malik’s book ‘Muwatta’ reports 700 hadith, whereas Imam Shafi’i, reports over 5200 statements of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and his Companions in his book ‘Al Umm’ (the Mother of Knowledge) and also lists all the verses relating to jurisprudence in the Koran. Imam Shafi’i had a great impact on the Hanafi and Maliki schools of jurisprudence, which brought about their incorporation of more hadith. It can be said that Imam Shafi’i put these schools in check to qualify each paragraph of jurisprudence with its basis in the Koran. Imam Shafi’i was rightly given the title of “The Champion of the Sunnah”. All the scholars of hadith such as Hafiz ibn Hajjar and Imam Nawawi followed Imam Shafi’i in his school or Jurisprudence. 9. Mentioning knowledge and scientific facts. The Unseen pertaining to both the past and future as well as many scientific facts which are not yet transparent to humanity. 10. The Koran has knowledge and secrets that have yet to be revealed to humans. Foreword to the Knowledge of the Koran "Praise belongs to Allah who has sent down the Book to His worshiper (Prophet Muhammad) and has not made any crookedness in it" 18:1 "Blessed is He who has sent down the Criterion to His worshiper (Prophet Muhammad), that he is a warner to all mankind;" 25:1 "Say, 'Praise be to Allah who has not taken a son; who has no associate in the Kingdom; nor out of humility any guardian.' And exalt Him repeatedly with exaltations." 17:111 "Praise be to Allah, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth! And the praise belongs to Him in the Everlasting Life. He is the Wise, the Knower." 34:1 Veneration and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, grandson of Abdul Muttalib and a descendant of the children of Hashim. Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, is the best of all mankind and the most noble of all the Messengers. He is pure in his essence and guides to purity. Praise and peace be upon his family, the good, the pure, and his Companions who excelled and those who followed them. The Koran is the speech of Allah, the Holy Reading revealed to Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, and is a source of great happiness, pride and a reminder for people. It is our refuge and path to our salvation and happiness. It is the source of our Religion. It is the constitution of our system to govern in which the law of governing is detailed, coupled to which is its preciseness of speech. The Koran contains many facets of knowledge that no other book has ever gathered. It is unique and contains knowledge of the truth, Divinity, worship and morality, social order, anti-criminal and civil law, war to peace, business transactions, human rights, and international relationships. The Koran was revealed in pure Arabic which is the most advanced and expressive language of the world. During the Prophetic era, when the Arabs heard a verse or a chapter of the Koran they understood it, its meaning and explanation. 1. Explanation of the Koran given by Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him: The Koran came with new legislation. It is the complete Book of guidance for all mankind. It was sent down when the Arabs, descendants of Abraham, were illiterate, then Allah, the Most High, explained its meaning to them through His Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. Allah says, "(We sent prophets) with clear signs and the Psalms. And We sent down to you the Remembrance so that you can make clear to people what has been sent down to them, in order that they reflect." 16:44 "We have not revealed to you (Prophet Muhammad) the Book except that you may clarify for them that upon which they differ, and as guidance and mercy to a nation who believe."16:64 The explanation of the Koran is found in the virtue of the Prophet’s sayings of which over 1300 hadith relate to its explanation and are Al Hamdulillah, recorded in this book. This is supported in the Prophet’s saying: "Pay attention, indeed I have been given the Koran and twice more of its size." "Twice more of its size" refers to the statements of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and each of its facets. This authentic hadith is reported by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood in "Sunnah" and Tirmidhi in his book “Knowledge” (Ilm). The Prophet’s entire life style was a reflection of the Koran in which there was guidance for all with its fine detailing. Everything he said or did which was related to his personal life or matters is considered as an explanation of the Koran either as a whole or in detail. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, clarified all matters so there could be no misunderstanding. He also detailed what is summarized in the Koran and through the application of what is general to special cases and so forth. He would explain to his Companions each phrase of the Koran in conjunction with its meaning and supportive action. It is through such course of action that he clarified the entire Koran. Imam Shafi'i, may Allah is pleased with him, said, ‘Each saying of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, is an explanation of the Koran and the sayings of the scholars is an explanation of the prophetic way (sunnah).’ Abu Abdul Rahman As-Sulami, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Reciters of the Koran such as Othman Affan's son, 'Abdullah Masood's son and others, may Allah be pleased with them, reported that they learned the Koran directly from the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. He taught them a set of approximately ten verses at a time and from his teaching they also learned not only the depth of its science, but also its practice. After its learning and understanding had been accomplished the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, would then proceed to the next set of verses. Othman and Abdullah said, "We have studied the Koran and its knowledge and put it into practice." (Ref: Jarir's son, Kathir's son) The Beginning of the Explanation of the Koran: Muhaddith, Shaykh Talidi spoke of his method of approach to his great work saying, "I have, by the blessing and help of Allah, the Most High, researched and gathered the authentic prophetic sayings relating to the explanation of the Koran. I extracted these explanations from the references of authentic hadith and the prophetic way collection coupled to the outstanding references of the Sunnah of the Prophet. Al Hamdulillah, this work is the first explanation based only on authentic hadiths and excludes all other lesser ranks of hadith. Previous books were found to have included weak hadiths. We understand from Imam Ahmad that there are three types of references to be avoided: (1) the explanation of the Koran expounded by lesser scholars that contain a mixture of both authentic and false hadith for which there is no chain of transmitters. (2) the books recording stories of bravery that do not have authentic chains of transmitters. (3) the history books of warfare that do not have authentic chains of transmitters. It was this statement by Imam Ahmad that prompted At-Tabari to compile an outstanding explanation of the Koran which, remains to this day, the leading reference. 2. Explanation according to scholars: Linguistically, "explanation" is the clarification and revealing of what is desired from the words that are subject for explanation. In definition, it is the science of what becomes known and understood from the Book of Allah revealed to our Master, Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, through the clarification of its meaning, extracting its rules, wisdom and its outsource from the science of the language of jurisprudence, conjunctions, grammar, literature, principals of jurisprudence, method of recitation, reason for its Revelation and the superseding of the jurisprudence ruling of verses. A brief definition is that it is the uncovering of the deeper meaning of the words of the Koran and the explanation of words beyond its surface understanding. 3. The great need for Muslims to learn the Prophet’s explanation of the Koran: In each era there will always be a need for the Koran to be explained. Muslims are obliged to learn, memorize its words and understand their meaning and indications. This command is obligatory upon all Muslims and therefore it is a necessity for the Islamic world to have experts in the science of the explanation of the Koran. There is no doubt that understanding the Book of Allah, guides us in our daily life, and that when a person recites the Koran, it helps him/her to contemplate which is an important achievement in itself. Whosoever does not pay attention to this will not savor the delicacy of its tasting found in its promise, advice, messages and stories. Among its effects is that it strengthens one's belief by calling on the Names of Allah, with His attributes as well as the precious certain proof of His Oneness. It increases one's love of Allah, the Most High, it strengthens and gives confidence, causes one to weep through fear of Him on account of His Greatness and Exaltedness. It distances oneself from a life of neglect and encourages the doing of good deeds in preparation for the Day of Judgement. Such fruits will not be able to be savored except by those who contemplate on the greatness of the Koran. Allah says, "It is a Blessed Book that We have sent down to you (Prophet Muhammad), so that those possessed with minds might ponder its verses and remember." 38:29 and "Will they not then contemplate on the Koran? Or are there locks upon their hearts!" 47:24 4. Four Categories of Explanation Scholars mention four categories of explanation: 1. Verses that can be understood by both layman and scholar. There are some verses that can be understood by both layman and scholar alike such as the words of Allah relating to the hypocrites: "When it is said to them, 'Do not corrupt in the land,' they reply, 'We are only reformers.' But it is they who are the evildoers, though they do not sense it." 2:11-12 The preceding verse is very clear. It is not obscure. Likewise, His words relating to believers: "Prosperous are the believers who are humble in their prayers." 23:1-2 The meaning of this verse can be understood by everyone, no matter whether they are an expert in the science of Religion or an ordinary person. Again, there are examples that refer to the Laws of Allah, religious obligations and the proof of His Oneness. One is able to understand the meaning of the Oneness of Allah, the Speech of Allah, and the Most High in the verse: "Therefore, know that there is no god except Allah and ask for forgiveness of your sins and for the believers, men and women. Allah knows your going to and fro, and your lodging." 47:19 One understands that Allah, Exalted is He, the Glorified, has no partner, He is alone. The words "no" and “except” need no clarification. So the meaning of the preceding verse is understood by everyone. There are many examples such as in the sayings of Allah: "and to establish the prayer, and fear Him. Before Him you shall all be assembled." 6:72 "Establish your prayers, pay the obligatory charity, and bow with those who bow." 2:43 "The month of Ramadan is the month in which the Koran was sent down, a guidance for people, and clear verses of guidance and the criterion. Therefore, whoever of you witnesses the month, let him fast. But he who is ill, or on a journey shall (fast) a similar number (of days) later on. Allah wants ease for you and does not want hardship for you. And that you fulfill the number of days and exalt Allah who has guided you in order that you be thankful." 2:185 "Then, let the pilgrims accomplish their acts of cleansing, and let them fulfill their vows, and circumambulate the Ancient House." 22:29 "Believers, fear Allah. Let every soul look to what it has forwarded for the future, and fear Allah, for Allah is Aware of the things you do." 59:18 It is very clear that the word "do" which appears in the preceding verses means there is an obligation to do something. "Forbidden to you are your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your paternal aunts and maternal aunts, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your mothers who have given suck to you, your suckling sisters, your wives mothers, and your stepdaughters who are in your care from your wives with whom you have lain, but if you have never lain with them it is no fault in you. (Also forbidden to you) are the wives of your sons who are of your loins, and to take to you two sisters together unless it is a thing of the past. Allah is the Forgiver and the Most Merciful." 4:23 The preceding verses are clear and need no clarification. 2. Proficiency in the Arabic language This is the explanation of those proficient in the Arabic language in which they weigh the expression and composition of meanings and its indications. It includes the grammar, junctions, literature and usages, because the Koran was revealed in the purity of the Arabic tongue and delivers richer usages of the Arabic language all of which are coupled to the prophetic sayings to bring new guiding instructions. 3. That which comes from diverse Islamic study focuses: The third way is that which addresses different Islamic study focuses. For example, the principals of jurisprudence, principals of faith and so forth and qualify them in the verses of their specialty. The verses relating to such enable one to acquire a greater perfection of the understanding of the Koran. 4. That which is known only by Allah: The fourth explanation is the meaning known only to Allah, such as the secrets of His Book, reference to Himself, His unseen knowledge which He kept for Himself all of which we are unaware. It also includes the mystical letters that open several of the chapters of the Koran and descriptive verses that bear the obscurities of striking similarities to the creation such as: "the Merciful willed to the Throne." 20:5. It is an essential obligation upon every Muslim to believe it the way Allah meant without imagining or investigating how, or its reality. The same obligation is applicable to His characteristics, attributes and actions mentioned in the Koran that make some people suppose there is a striking similarity to that of His creation for example "hand, right, right-hand, feet, hearing, seeing, speech, self, laughter, pleasure and anger" and so forth. In reference, that Allah has no location and the impossibility of describing Him with a direction Imam Shafi’i said that Allah is above, above what they imagine. This elite statement of Imam Shafi’i that Allah has no location was made in reference to a people who would emerge and associate a place in the creation for Allah. These people have emerged and are spreading from the Najd in Saudi Arabia. They attribute idol-like characteristics, dimensions, and physic to Allah and spread their false reports of faith throughout the world that destabilize the national security of societies. These people subject society to the fanatic jihad of the sword, which is translated into explosive belts, suicidal attacks on Muslims and their peace loving neighbors of other faiths thereby depriving them of their rights in Islam. 5. What should not be explained except through the authentic prophetic sayings: It is necessary to know things related to the Koran. However, one should not delve into the words of logic (kalam) except from those who heard them directly either from the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, or from his Companions who witnessed the Revelation then taught what they had seen and heard directly from the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, then passed down to us verbatim. Included are the reasons for the sending down of verses or chapters in the Koran, the abrogated sciences, various modes of recitation, the stories of the prophets and bygone nations, worldly events, the affairs on the Day of Judgement, the life in the tomb, the Resurrection and Day of Recompense, Paradise and Hell etc. The explanation of all such matters have their foundation based on having been heard directly from the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, via his authentic sayings, and the forbidding of words without a strong proof. 6. The Traditional Sources of the Explanation: The traditional sources for the explanation of the Koran are three. 1. The noble Koran is the most authentic and highest of all spiritual sources. When the Koran speaks briefly in one verse, it gives details in another. Whenever a word needs explanation, its explanation is found in another verse, and whatever is general is specified in another area and so forth. From this, it is understood that the honorable Koran is the foundation of its source of explanation. Amongst the beauties of the Koran is when one finds a verse whose meaning is obscure being clarified in another verse. When one comes across a sentence that is unclear, it becomes clear in another sentence and so on. The largest discussion is found in the explanation of Kathir's son that is an abridgement of Jarir’s son of At-Tabari. 2. The hadith of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, presents a larger explanation of the Koran. There are many volumes, books and cassettes conveying the hadith of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, which give interesting and detailed explanations. One must bear in mind that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, explained the meaning of the Koran to his Companions together with its vocabulary usage or tribal locale vocabulary. 3. The sayings of the eminent Companions in particular those of the four Caliphs, Abbas' son, Masood's son, Omar's son, Ubayy Ka'bs son and their peers, may Allah be pleased with them, who actually witnessed the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, receiving the Revelation. It is because of this that their explanation is followed on account of two reasons: 3.1 Their hearing of the Prophet's explanation and what they witnessed of the Revelation and its proofs qualifies their explanation as being as valid as the hadith of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. They are by default proof of the explanation. 3.2 Because they were purebred Arabs, and elite, they understood the Koran with its linguistic structure, and again, it is for this reason they are also a proof of its explanation. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, supplicated for Abbas' son saying, "O Allah, make him deep in the knowledge of the Religion and teach him its explanation." (Ref. Imam Ahmad, Bukhari. Muslim's narration reads, "O Allah, teach him wisdom" and "teach him the Book.") With such a solid foundation nothing can equal their explanation. Imam Bukhari, in his famous reference of hadith, relied in his chapter "The Explanation of the Koran" on the narration via Ali, Abi Talha's son who received the explanation via the student of Kasim Muhammad's son and Mujahid. Mujahid said, "I read the Koran in front of Abbas' son three times. After each verse he would stop to explain its meaning." As for Imam Ali, may Allah honor his face, who became the foremost of the Companions of the explanation of the Koran, he passed its knowledge on to Abbas' son. This was because Ali did not focus solely on the explanation of the Koran, whereas Abbas' son and Masood's son did, may Allah be pleased with them. Therefore, the three fountainheads – the explanation of the Koran, the Prophetic sayings and the explanation reported from the Companions – are the primary source of the explanation. The Companions passed their knowledge of the explanation on to the next generation. The next generation did not explain the Koran from any other source, may Allah be pleased with them. 7. History of the explanation of the Koran: During the time of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, his Companions and the generation who followed them memorized the sayings of the Prophet, Later, Omar the son of Abdul Aziz and his father, who were rulers, ordered the official gathering of all the written collections of hadith. It is only in this day and age that we learn that although Abu Hurayrah reported over 5,000 prophetic sayings, 46 of them were reported exclusively by him. This means that the prophetic sayings were reported by many Companions, which we can for the sake of clarity break the hadith collection into two: (1) The core recorded in the time of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, without repetition. (2) The largest collection which has between 5 and 10 repeats of the same statement of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, but from different sets of transmitters. The effort to record all these repeats with its downstream transmitter growth took many years because there are approximately 700 volumes of prophetic sayings. However, the famous 6 and famous 9 books of hadith contain most of the hadith and there are only 12% repeats amongst them. It was upon the death of some of the Companions and those who followed that the decision was taken that those who had received the knowledge of the explanation should write it down. This course of action protected its knowledge from loss, kept it intact and thereafter transmitted to the succeeding and future generations without loss. It is because of this protective course of action that many transmissions of the same hadith have different chains of narrators. The major references of prophetic quotations contain dedicated chapters collecting the explanation of the Prophet of the Koran. The transmitters of the science of the explanation are well known and when these major early prophetic saying references were archived and recorded, many chapters were dedicated to the prophetic explanation of the Koran. Amongst the leading collections are those of Imam Nisaa'i, and Tirmidhi. The first scholars to write down these explanations for posterity were Abdur Razzaq Al San'ani, Jarir’s son of At-Tabari, Abi Hatim's son and people of a similar caliber. Thereafter came Bagawi, the reviver of the prophetic way, followed by Kathir's son and at a later date by Imam As-Suyuti. On account of the diligence and devotion of these scholars three centuries after the advent of Islam, the transmission of the explanation of the Koran has remained pristine in its authenticity. Thereafter, these collections were followed by compilers who decided to omit the chain of narrators. Amongst these collections is the "Explanation of the Koran" by Nasafi, "The Ruling" of Qurtubi, "The Keys of the Unseen" by Ar Razi, "The Core of the Explanation" by Khazin, "The Ocean" by Al Hayan, and "The Spirit of Clarity" by Alusi as well as others. 8. The Best Explanation Reference to suffice one's needs: People seeking a better, more perfected understanding of the Speech of Allah, the High asked which of the explanations are best. We ask Allah to bless this work to be the best, most complete and most concentrated explanation of the Koran. Prior to this explanation, the best work on this subject was that of Muhammad, Jarir At-Tabari's son although it is the abridgement of ibn Kathir. Concerning this reference Imam Nawawi said, "There is no reference to equal his commentary." As-Suyuti endorsed this saying, "He is a great commentator and the best." Asfaroyini Abu Hamid later commented, "If a person were to travel to China and reach it, he would not find his equal." The explanation of Kathir's son is, in terms of the collection of prophetic sayings, better than that of Jarir's son in his critique and abridgement from the point of view of collecting the aggregated sayings of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, from the Companions, and relating them to their original source. Many elite scholars acknowledge the higher rank of this reference. Such scholars include As-Suyuti, and Zarqani in his book "The Explanation of Divine Gifts", and Kitani in his notebook "The Message of Amazement". In his book “The Scattered Diamonds”, Hafiz Suytui embarked upon the explanation of the Koran listing the chains of narrators to the hadith. However, he did not continue with the same policy, rather he abridged his work and elected to omit the chains of narrators. His book remains unfinished. Had he kept his original policy in which the chains of narrators were listed, his book would have been the best gatherer in its rank. The following are among the best books of the explanation of the Koran and suffice the seeker. The Advanced Level: 1. The Explanation of Kathir's son - the benefits of which have already been mentioned. 2. For linguistic purposes Razi's Explanation is excellent. It extracts its diamonds and is highly beneficial and intriguing linguistically. It is also excellent in the presentation of its meaning. 3. Alusi’s book has the same characteristics as Razi, however, it has more subjects and many narrations from the later generations of scholars. This book relies on Hafiz, Hajjar's son and contains many unique presentations. 4. Qurtubi's work focuses on the explanation of the early generation together with accurate linguistic literature and the rulings of jurisprudence. It also has many other benefits not found in other books. The rank of these references of the explanation of the Koran is held to be of the highest level, and present an understanding of all its facets and approaches. Anyone who has these references is sufficed. The above comments were extracted from the writings of Hafiz Habib Ahmad ibn Sadek Al Ghumari, may Allah have mercy on him. The Medium Level: For those who wish to recite the Koran and, in general contemplate upon the explanation of the Speech of Allah - which are not as deep as those previously mentioned - it suffices to choose one of the following medium level of books: Nasafi's work "Baydawi", or "Al Khazin ("Al Khazin" is considered to be the best explanation of the Koran in this level), by Hafiz Habib Abdullah ibn Saddek Al Ghumari, may Allah have mercy on him. Regarding more recent authored works, there are two: 1. "The Choice Selection of the Explanation" 2. "Moqtataf". These are sufficient, InshaAllah. Al Hamdulillah, this book, “The Explanation of the Koran” is greater than the books mentioned above, because it is the commentary on the Koran by the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, himself, the transmission of which is verified and authenticated. 9. The Secondary Supportive Sciences for the Knowledge of the Explanation of the Koran. The supportive sciences are those that enable the Arabic scholars of interpretation to understand the Koran - according to the limitation of human ability - in the most perfect manner. 1. The Arabic language with each of its sub-divisions, such as its grammar. This is because the meaning is subject to change according to the structure of the sentence. This is followed by the science of injunction in which words are derived from their root. Following this is the science of eloquences of the Arabic language of which there are three sections covering clarity, meaning and embellished phrasing. The clarity of Arabic is descriptive of the characteristics of the words and how its meaning is either clear or hidden. The meaning of Arabic is known through its structure that benefits the meaning of the word. The embellished phrasing of Arabic is used to adorn. All the aforementioned form the basis of the Arabic language. 2. The science of the recitation of the Koran is that of the various ways in which its recitation has been passed down from one generation to the next. This has proved to be beneficial in the explanation of words in its verses. 3. The science of the reason of the Revelation depicts the reason for the sending down of specific Revelations and it is through this science the meaning is clarified. 4. The science of the abrogated and superseding verses. This is the substitution of one verse by another. The science is where the rules in a verse have been substituted by another. There are approximately twenty such verses. 5. The science of a broad understanding of the hadith and way of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, is the second main source of Islamic teachings and the detailed explanation of the Koran. It is a disgrace that many commentators have been found to incorporate into their explanation of the Koran, weak hadith and falsehoods by reporting the science of Greek logic that are elements of disbelief. This is indeed an unfortunate state of affairs because the elite scholastic judgement of hadith is readily available for those wishing to research the authenticity of any given hadith. 6. Understanding the correct principles of the Religion and its Islamic rules is the understanding of what one is required to know about the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, his mission, and what is permissible or impermissible to him and such like. 7. The in-depth knowledge of the principles of Islamic law is the science of the acquisition of understanding how to present requisites for legal evidence. This science is also very important in respect of the religious laws of Islam. Even though a person has not memorized all the detailed facets of the Koran – according to the ability of humans – but has mastered such sciences he is better able to understand the Koran and comprehend its overall basic principles. When a legal problem arises such people are able to refer to the relevant reference and thereby the judgment is made easy to those whom Allah, the Most Great helps. With regard to those who are not eligible Arabic or Koran interpreters that are unable to master its supportive science, the most suitable reference to be used is that of the medium explanation. This medium explanation helps one to understand the meanings of the Koran to the extent of their personal level, and when one reads it, it helps that person to savor and contemplate. May Allah, the Most Giving, guide us to the Straight Path. Imam Shafi’i excelled in his examination of all the jurist records. He evolved an alignment of the science of jurisprudence with the Koran and prophetic sayings in such a way that compelled jurists who came after him to adjust accordingly. It is well known that Imam Shafi’is companion of four years in Iraq, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, followed him in jurisprudence. Even though Imam Ahmad was himself a giant in the transmission of hadith, he celebrated the genius juristic capability of Imam Shafi’i. It is a great shame that a group of Khawarij (outlawed) who lay claim to follow Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal have sent their missionary preachers to Malaysia and Indonesia to create confusion amongst the masses who have for many centuries followed Imam Shafi’i. These missionaries introduce to the unsuspecting masses idol attributes to the Lord such as the size of 60 arm lengths, having the image of Adam, sitting physically upon the throne – in other words making a male figure. Our creed, established over 1430 years ago is stable. It is taught in traditional institutions such as Azhar. This recently emerged fanatical group is attacking our established creed. They refuse to accept our creed claiming that theirs is the 100% infallible truth with no room for error, whereas they claim the faith of the established four schools of jurisprudence is 100% in error. These fanatics are spreading and crowned their leader, ibn Taymia “Shaykh of Islam” and it is he who described Allah with the idol-like attributes we have just mentioned. These fanatic followers should not be taken lightly. They are spreading their IDOLogy and hate ideology subtlety through social, political and educational networks like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Each scholar of the four traditional, established schools of jurisprudence and the school of divinity are not hesitant to pronounce the verdict that such people believe in a new idol called the ‘throne’ with another idol sitting on it. These jurists give the outright judgement that these two idols evolved from false hadiths reported by Amr ibn Subh and Tarsusi and Hammad which were then adopted by ibn Taymia, have nothing to do with Allah, the Creator of the Throne. Among the fabricated hadith of Amr ibn Subh is his lie that the Prophet said that Allah said, “Worship Me with Oneness of the Godship, I forgive you.” The fabricated hadith of Tarsusi and Hammad reads, “When God comes down from His Throne, He comes down in His own physique.” It is of great concern that even though these hadith are proven beyond a shadow of doubt to be false and are idol-like statues of Mecca, the missionaries of ibn Taymia persist in feeding these falsehoods to the Shafi’i masses. Rather we should exalt Allah by negating it. Another alarming cause for concern is the subtle influence of the Wahabi divinity falsehoods in parts of the Shafi’i creed curriculum taught in schools promoted by persons such as Fawzen who has been banned by the King of Saudi Arabia from giving fatwas (legal Islamic decisions) and is labeled as a terrorist and hate ideology promoter. When pronouns are capitalized they refer to the Creator, Allah. Examples: You, He, Him, His and Own while pronouns such as Our, Ours, Us and We denote His Greatness not plurality. The Explanation of "The Opener" Chapter 1 @The Holy Koran; 1 The Opener - Al-Fatihah; the greatest chapter in Koran 1:1 In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful @Allah praises Himself 1:2-4 1:2 Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, 1:3 the Merciful, the Most Merciful, 1:4 Owner of the Day of Recompense. @Supplication of believers 1:5-7 1:5 You (alone) we worship; and You (alone) we rely for help. 1:6 Guide us to the Straight Path, 1:7 the Path of those upon whom You have favored, not those upon whom is the anger, nor the astray. (Amen please answer) This honorable chapter is amongst those revealed in Mecca, and consists of seven verses. Al Fatihah is considered to be a brief summary of the entire Koran because it entails all that is clarified and detailed therein. It is therefore called: "The Opener" because it is the key of the Koran and its opening chapter. It is the foundation of the Koran, and the chapter of the treasure, and suffices. It is the cure, the recovery, the seven oft mentioned verses, the light, the talisman, the chapter of praise and thanking, supplication, teaching and how to ask. It is the chapter of surrendering to Allah, the chapter of asking, the Mother of the Book, the Opener of the Koran and the prayer. The characteristics of "The Opener" chapter: The previously mentioned ten objectives of the outline of the explanation of the Koran and those that stem from it are summarized in this chapter. It is because of this we now know why "The Opener" chapter is referred to as the "Mother of the Book, and the Great Koran". All these characteristics are special to this chapter alone. They are not shared by another chapter. Prophetic sayings speak of the characteristics of "The Opener" as being the greatest chapter in the Koran. The consensus of most jurists is that among its characteristics is that no other chapter replaces it in the obligatory daily prayers. In the authentic hadith the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said to father of Saied, Muwalah's son, "I will teach you the greatest chapter in the Koran before you leave." The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, was about to leave, when Abu Saied asked him about it. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said, “It is, 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Words ….' It is the seven oft repeated verses and the Great Koran which I was given." Reported by Ahmad and Bukhari. Its virtue: Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said, "The prayer is incomplete of whosoever prays but does not recite the Mother of the Koran." It was said to Abu Hurayrah, "We pray behind an imam", he replied, "recite it inside yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allah, say: Allah has said, the prayer has been divided in half between Me and My worshipers and for My worshiper whatever he asks. Therefore when the worshiper recites: ‘Praise be to Allah Lord of the Worlds,’ Allah, the High says, 'My worshiper has praised Me', and when the worshiper recites, 'the Merciful, the Most Merciful,' Allah, the High says, 'My worshiper has venerated Me.' When the worshiper recites, 'Owner of the Day of Recompense,' Allah says, 'My worshiper has glorified Me.'" (In another narration He said, "Let the affairs be for Me") and when he says, 'You alone we worship and You alone we rely for help,' Allah says, ‘This between Me and My worshiper, and for My worshiper what he asked’. And when he says, 'Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path which You have favored, not those upon whom is the anger, nor the astray'. Allah says, 'This is for My worshiper and for My worshiper what he asked.'" Reported by Ahmad and Muslim and many others. Of the verse that reads, "Not those upon whom is the anger, nor the astray" Adi Hatim's son, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said, "The 'anger' refers to the Jews. Whereas the people who have gone astray are the Christians". This is an authentic hadith, reported by Ahmad, Tirmizi and many others. The Jews referred to in the preceding hadith are not those who followed Prophet Moses. They are the Jews who belied Prophets Moses, then Jesus, and thereafter the Jews who were contemporaries of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon all the prophets, and the latter generations of Jews who rejected him although they knew the truth but concealed it. It is because of this, they are those who incur the anger of Allah. Mention of them is found in the chapter "The Table" in which Allah refers to them as those whom He has cursed and with whom He is angry. Allah says: “Say, 'Shall I tell you who will receive a worse recompense from Allah than that? Those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He is angry, and made some of them apes and swine, and those who worship the devil. The place of these is worse, and they have strayed further from the Right Path.'” 5:60 As for “those who are astray”, this does not include the good Christians who followed Prophet Jesus during his time up until the time before the advent of Prophet Muhammad. The Christians referred to are those who abandoned the teachings of Prophet Jesus and opted to follow the Trinitarian teachings of Paul, and are those, who, after the advent of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, rejected him. Their straying is the result of their misleading others and taking their bishops, popes, priests and monks for lords. In the chapter "The Table" Allah speaks of them saying that they strayed and mislead others. Allah says: “Say, 'People of the Book! Do not exaggerate your religion, other than the truth, and do not follow the desires of a people who went astray before, and led many astray, and, (once again) have gone astray from the Straight Path.'” 5:77 This is the consensus of all the scholars of interpretation. Peace be upon all the prophets of Allah. These verses also cover speak of their moral corruption. It is learned from Muslims scholars that the good deeds of the Jews and Christians who went astray and those who rejected Prophet Muhammad are rewarded for their doing in this life, however there is no reward for them in the Hereafter. Theoretically, as for any person today – although it is hard to imagine - who has never heard of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, and his message, such a person will not be asked why he/she did not follow him. Therefore, there is a compelling obligation upon each Muslim to convey the Islamic belief - without force and in the best manner - to their neighbors, friends and colleagues. This obligation of conveying the peaceful Islamic belief is laden upon governments, the rich and those who are able to do so, and one should be aware that it is through such means that Islam spread to far away countries and continents such as East Europe, Russia, Asia, and Russia. In conclusion, the above reports are the only authentic hadith reported. Regarding those who are favored on the Straight Path this will be discussed in detail in later chapters however, in brief they are the angels, prophets, sincere, martyrs and the good people. The first chapter in the Koran to be revealed was "The Clot" which commences with the words: “In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful. Read in the Name of your Lord who created.” 96:1-2 Each chapter begins in the “Name of Allah”, thereby one's entire life becomes in the Name of Allah. A person may say, "I am a sinner, how can I start in the name of Allah?" Don’t be hesitant, the door of repentance is wide open, and the name of Allah is your beginning to enter. In the hadith that reads, "I divide the prayer between Me and My worshiper” Allah did not say I divide Al Fatihah because Al Fatihah is the foundation of the prayer. In another word, we are seeking the help of Allah for that which we are incapable of doing since He alone is the Creator of the Universe and it is He who can subject any of it for us. The verse that reads “the Merciful and the Most Merciful” is coupled with the next verse “Lord of the Worlds.” It is Allah who fashioned you from nothing and provides you with favors without counting and so one praises Him for the favors one receives through His Mercy, because His Lordship is full of mercy in such a way that no human or jinn can begin to comprehend. Allah is the Lord of both believer and unbeliever. In His Mercy he bestows to those who believe in one of His names, “the Most Merciful” and to those who do not believe in another of His names “the Merciful”. In the verse that reads, “Praise be to Allah”, Allah is praised for Himself, His attributes, His Favors, His Mercy, His methodology, His Divine planning and His praise before creating whosoever will praise Him. An aspect of His Mercy is that, Allah simplified our thanking of Him with the short phrase, "Praise be to Allah". Whereas if one should want to praise a person then one would have to write pages just to satisfy his ego! There was a time when a man cursed satan in front of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, whereupon the Prophet told him, "satan will feel great now. Instead say, 'In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful,' and satan will be insulted and reduced to lesser than a fly." Referring to the first verse in “The Opener” (Al Fatihah) Imam Shafi'i explained how “Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem” is to be understood as being the first verse. Those who misunderstand this name the chapter by the second verse “Praise be to Allah.” The misunderstanding has a simple explanation which all except one chapter in the Koran start with "Bismillah" and if one were to call the chapter in mind by that name then another person would not know which chapter was being referenced. Other supportive evidence is that when Caliph Othman and his committee of scribes copied the Koran in a bound volume - copies of which were then spread to all corners of the earth and still exist – each chapter with the exception of chapter 9 “Tauba” start with the word “Bismillah” as the scribes had been ordered by the Prophet not to add anything to the Koran. Later some people were of the opinion that perhaps “Al Fatihah” had no “Bismillah” at its beginning, and this is not the case. There are some scholars who incline to this opinion but recommend that a person reads it silently in their hearts in the prayer fearing that it is. Imam Shafi'is argument is endorsed in authentic quotations of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, would recite, "Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem, praise be to Allah Lord of the Worlds". Abbas' son argument is that it is written in the early manuscripts of the Koran and that they, the scribes, were ordered not to write anything other than the Koran. The Name "Allah" is the Creator’s proper Name whereas His other names are descriptive of His attributes. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said, "A chapter was sent down the like of which was neither in the Torah nor the Criterion". Then he recited, "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds". Spiritual Indication: extracted from the work of ibn Ajeebah, the paternal uncle of Shaykh Hafiz Abdullah, from the Habib tribe of Ajeebah in Morocco. Ibn Ajeebah authored an outstanding collection of books, the flagship of which is his explanation of the Koran called “Al Bahr Al Madeed” which means the “Well Supplied Ocean”. When Allah revealed His Words to our universe, He praised Himself by Himself, and Glorified Himself by Himself, and bore witness to His Oneness by Himself. "The Straight Path" which Allah orders us to seek is the Path to Him based on the Revelation knowledge, as if we see and witness Him. This is the elite rank of the knowledge of the Oneness which is the highest rank in which there is no rank above it except that of the prophets and messengers. "Guide us" to what Allah wants from us, because the Straight Path is what Allah wants for His creation and it is one of truthfulness, sincerity in His worship and servitude. His guidance is so clear since we are following the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, on a Straight Path fearful that we go astray. "Those whom You have favored" in the ranks means those Allah has favored with knowledge, love, good manners, and servitude to Him. Those who are subject to "the anger" are those who are barred from the door of worshiping. The people who are subject to the anger of Allah are those whose desire is that of the lower appetite that prevents them from walking on the Straight Path, so they fall into the pits of disobedience. Those "who are astray" are those who are bankrupt of spiritual, healing knowledge. They are the ignorant who emulate others that in turn bars them so their sight never sees the Oneness. Abu Jamrah said, "Ir Rahman Ir Raheem" contains all that is in the Koran of His mercy, favor giving, and the certain acceptance of repentance and generosity. "Owner of the Day of Recompense" is an indication to the Last Day with its tremendous affairs. "Those whom He has favored" are special people, and those with whom Allah is pleased and are forgiven. They are the people of happiness. TBC in shaAllah