Introduction explanation of Tafsir Al-Raghib Al-Asfahani

Professor Dr. Mosaad Al-Tayyar explains the introduction to Tafsir Al-Raghib Al-Isfahani Introduction Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the most honorable of creation and messengers, our master Muhammad, and upon his family and companions altogether. Afterward; Allah has made it obligatory for Muslims to contemplate His Book, and to examine it carefully, so scholars have strived to care for it, and one of the manifestations of their care for the Qur'an is interpreting its meanings, extracting its rulings, wisdom, and uncovering its treasures that never end. The methods of tafsir have diversified and multiplied, and among the most important is the linguistic interpretation of the words of the Holy Qur'an; because it represents a main pillar for understanding the meaning of the Qur'anic verses; it is the foundation and the starting point for explaining the Qur'anic meaning and revealing it. Al-Raghib Al-Isfahani, may Allah have mercy on him, paid great attention to lexical linguistic interpretation, and this is evident in his books, such as: "Al-Mufradat fi Gharib al-Qur'an" (Lexical Items in the Strange of the Qur'an), and also his tafsir known as "Tafsir Al-Raghib" (Tafsir of Al-Raghib) — although he did not complete it — which is a very valuable tafsir, containing many important clarifications, beneficial discussions, insightful perspectives, and some precise directions regarding the sayings of the interpreters. Al-Raghib's tafsir includes a very rich introduction in which he discusses a number of important topics related to linguistic interpretation, in addition to some topics related to sciences of the Qur'an and principles of tafsir. This introduction derives its importance primarily from the fame of the author himself, and his extensive knowledge in various fields; his works have gained the admiration, acceptance, and approval of scholars. Moreover, Al-Raghib Al-Isfahani's comprehensive personality, with his mastery of Arabic sciences such as syntax, morphology, rhetoric, and etymology, reflected in his introduction, making it contain many important and beneficial topics. Furthermore, the importance of this introduction is also due to Al-Raghib's reputation for precision and refinement in his wording and his excellent handling of the issues he discusses, which he did in this introduction by elaborating on it, dividing it into several chapters, titling these chapters, arranging the speech in each chapter, and carefully clarifying the phrases and discussing the issues and topics. Because of the significance of this introduction and its inclusion of these intellectual topics, I have explained it in several introductory tafsir sections, as well as in a series of lessons. Thanks to Allah, I decided to review this explanation, refine it, and publish it to facilitate benefiting from it and to broaden its reach. In this explanation, I have adopted the following approach: - Preparing a translation of Al-Raghib Al-Isfahani, may Allah have mercy on him, based on the biographical books. - Dividing the explanation according to the chapters of the introduction, starting with a complete presentation of Al-Raghib’s words on its explanation, followed by commentary and notes, and so on for each chapter. - Dividing the explanation into issues and paragraphs to facilitate benefit. - Commenting on the issues mentioned in the introduction in a simple and accessible style. - Dividing Al-Raghib’s words into phrases, each representing a topic according to its scope, then commenting on and explaining each. - Citing examples and applications related to the issues presented by Al-Raghib. - Relying on two copies of Al-Raghib’s introduction: one by Dr. Ahmed Farhat, and the other from the Al-Shamela Library. - Numbering the chapter titles for ease and clarity for the reader. I thank all the honorable brothers who assisted me in this explanation with their opinions or corrections during the drafting process. All praise be to Allah, who facilitated and helped complete this explanation, and it is hoped to complete this path — the path of explaining the introductions of the interpreters that contain important scientific and methodological issues.