Tafsir
Interpreting sacred text
Tafsir is the scholarly interpretation and explanation of the Quran in Islamic tradition.
The practice ranges from linguistic analysis to theological commentary, drawing on hadith, historical context, and jurisprudence.
Classical tafsirs by scholars like al-Tabari remain foundational texts: She studied tafsir to understand the verses in their original context.
Islam's central scripture
- commentaryExplanatory remarks on events
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- explanationStatement making something clear
- verseMetered poetic passage
surah · ayah · meaning · understanding · scholarship · hermeneutics · elucidation · annotation
Of the Middle Ages
- volumesAmounts or books
- ArabicSemitic language family member
- manuscriptsHandwritten or typed originals
- compilationGathered works assembled together
encyclopedic · authoritative · canonical · traditional · heritage · scholarly · preserved · studied
Foundational moral beliefs
- approachesWays of doing something
- transmittedSent onward
- reasonedDerived through careful thought
- chainLinked segments forming length
narration · hadith · tradition · scholarly · systematic · recitation · variant · abrogation
Muslim spiritual seeker
- esotericAccessible to few
- mysticalOf hidden spiritual significance
- innerSituated further in
- symbolicRepresenting through signs
allegorical · contemplation · hidden · deeper · layers · soul · spiritual · devotional
Advocate of experimental forms
- reformistAdvocate for gradual change
- thematicRelating to subject matter
- scientificOf or using research methods
- socialConcerning community life
contextual · progressive · feminist · literary · intertextual · relevance · application · renewal
Quran
Islam's central scripture
- commentaryExplanatory remarks on events
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- explanationStatement making something clear
verse · surah · ayah · meaning · understanding · scholarship · hermeneutics · elucidation · annotation · gloss
medieval
Of the Middle Ages
- volumesAmounts or books
- ArabicSemitic language family member
- manuscriptsHandwritten or typed originals
compilation · encyclopedic · authoritative · canonical · traditional · heritage · scholarly · preserved · studied · transmitted
principles
Foundational moral beliefs
- approachesWays of doing something
- transmittedSent onward
- reasonedDerived through careful thought
chain · narration · hadith · tradition · scholarly · systematic · recitation · variant · abrogation · grammar
Sufi
Muslim spiritual seeker
symbolic · allegorical · contemplation · hidden · deeper · layers · soul · spiritual · devotional · experiential
modernist
Advocate of experimental forms
- reformistAdvocate for gradual change
- thematicRelating to subject matter
- scientificOf or using research methods
social · contextual · progressive · feminist · literary · intertextual · relevance · application · renewal · discourse
- dream loredream interpretation, dream symbols, dream meaning, prophetic dreams, dream books
- Shia IslamAli, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hussein, Hussain, imam
- Islamic afterlifehereafter, reckoning, scales of justice, heaven and hell, eternal life
- Semitic studiesHebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Akkadian, Phoenician