Tanwir al-Miqbas

(Redirected from Tafsir Ibn Abbas)

Tanwir al-Miqbas, fully known as Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas (Arabic: تنوير المقباس من تفسير ابن عباس, romanizedTanwīr al-Miqbās min Tafsīr Ibn ʿAbbās) is a book of Tafsir; comprising exegesis and interpretation of the Qur'an. The book contains narrations of disputed authenticity which are attributed to the 7th-century Islamic scholar and Sahabi, Ibn Abbas. It was first compiled by the Persian Islamic scholar, Firuzabadi.

Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas
AuthorFiruzabadi (compiler)
Original titleتنوير المقباس من تفسير ابن عباس
LanguageArabic
GenreTafsir (interpretation and exegesis of the Qur'an)

History and content

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Tanwir al-Miqbas is a compilation of narrations regarding exegesis and interpretation of the Qur'an that are attributed to Ibn Abbas, of varying authenticity.[1][2][3][4] These narrations were first copied down and then collected by the scholar Firuzabadi who subsequently published a complete compilation of these narrations all into one book.[1] The content in this book is considered atypical for a Tafsir work, especially one attributed to a Sahabi.[2]

Authenticity

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A good number of Islamic scholars have clarified that the narrations in the book cannot be authentically attributed to Ibn Abbas. Dr. Mokrane Guezzou, who first translated the Tanwir al-Miqbas book into English, says the following in the introduction of the work:[3]

There is no doubt that this commentary is not the work of Ibn Abbas. The chain of transmitters of this commentary goes back to Muḥammad ibn Marwan, to al-Kalbi, to Abu Salih, which is described by Hadith experts as the chain of lies (Silsilat al-Kadhib), for this line of transmission is utterly dubious and unreliable.

Muhammad Taqi Usmani, in his work Uloomu-l-Qur'an, agrees that Tanwir al-Miqbas cannot be attributed to Ibn Abbas and also comments on the unreliability of the chain of transmission of the narrations in the book:[5]

It is wrong to ascribe it to Ibn Abbas because this book has been based on the reported sequence of Muhammad ibn Marwan as-Suddi from Ibn al-Kalbi from Abi Salih from Ibn Abbas (R) ... this has been regarded by the Muḥaddithīn as a "chain of falsehood."

Bilal Philips in Usool at-Tafseer states that Tanwir al-Miqbas cannot be relied upon, due to it having Ibn al-Kalbi in the chain of transmission.[1]

Nearly all of the so-called "Tafsir" of Ibn Abbas is based on statements narrated in chains containing Muhammad ibn as-Sa'ib al-Kalbi. Hence, this tafseer is considered unreliable for the most part; and, despite its popularity among the masses, it is totally rejected by Muslim scholars.

Phillips then added that, Ibn al-Kalbi was accused of making up Hadith (narrations from Muhammad or his companions, the Sahaba) hence Tanwir al-Miqbas cannot be an authentic work from Ibn Abbas himself.[1]

Abdul-Rahim Reasat, on authority of Faraz Rabbani, stated that Tanwir al-Miqbas could not be relied upon, due to problematic narrators in the chain of transmission:[6]

The tafsir in question uses the narrations of al-Suddi al-Saghir from al-Kalbi – which are the weakest and most problematic narrations of tafsir ascribed to him.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Bilal Phillips, Abu Ameenah (2007). Usool at-Tafseer. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: International Islamic Publishing House. pp. 31–32. ISBN 9789960953328.
  2. ^ a b Manna' al-Qattan. Mabahith fi Ulum al-Qur'an. Maktaba'l Dawah.
  3. ^ a b Guezzou, Mokrane (2008). Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas: Translated into English. Amman, Jordan: Royal Aal Al Bayt Institute For Islamic Thought. pp. 5–6.
  4. ^ Dahabi, Muhammad Husayn al- (1976). Al-tafsir wa-l-mufassirun: baht tafsili 'an nas'at al-tafsir... (in Arabic). Dar Ihya' al-Turat al-`Arabi.
  5. ^ Mufti Taqi Usmani (2016). Uloomu-l-Quran (in Urdu). Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan: Darul Ishaat. ISBN 9789694281797.
  6. ^ "What Is the Reliability of the Tafsir Tanwir Al-Miqbas?". Seekers Guidance. 6 April 2024.