Concise tafsir

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What a single-volume tafsir is for

A concise tafsir answers one precise question: what does this verse mean. It does not debate the views, does not cite chains of transmission and does not stop on grammar. In exchange it can be read from beginning to end, which no major tafsir allows. It is the book kept beside the mushaf, and it is often the first work of tafsir people buy.

The titles on this shelf

At-Tafsir al-muyassar: the most accessible, one sentence per verse, in plain modern Arabic. Often the first choice for someone still learning the language.
Taysir al-karim ar-Rahman by Abderrahman as-Sa'di: fuller, one thick volume, with a style of its own that draws out the lessons of the passage. The most recommended here.
Zubdat at-tafsir by Muhammad al-Ashqar: a summary of Fath al-Qadir, dense but short.
Al-Mukhtasar fi at-tafsir: a recent collective edition, clear layout, widely used in study circles.
The mushafs with marginal tafsir, which put the text and a short gloss on the same page.

How to choose between the two main ones

If your Arabic is still being built, At-Tafsir al-muyassar: deliberately limited vocabulary, short sentences. If you read without difficulty and want more than paraphrase, As-Sa'di: he gives the meaning then draws the lessons from it, which makes it a book for continuous reading rather than a reference tool. The language level is stated on each product page.

What to check

The vowelling of the Quranic text within the body of the book, and its typographic separation from the commentary: on budget editions the two run together. The format, since this book travels. The binding, preferably sewn, because a thick perfect-bound volume breaks. And the real page count, which tells a complete edition from a compressed reprint.

Related shelves

To go further on a verse, Complete and encyclopaedic tafsir. To work on a single sura, Partial tafsir. To understand the method of the exegetes, Foundations of tafsir and Quranic sciences. For the text alone, Quran. Overview: Quranic sciences.

Order and shipping

Real stock displayed, dispatch within 24 to 48 working hours, delivery to France, Europe and the rest of the world. Tell us your level of Arabic and we will say which of the two main titles suits you.

What is tafsir?

Tafsir is the explanation of the Quran: the sense of the words, the import of the verses, the circumstances of revelation, the views reported from the early generations. It is a discipline with its own rules and sources, distinct from personal reading, and the works in this section are its instruments.

Which tafsir should I choose to accompany my reading of the Quran?

A one-volume work, following the text page by page in a few lines per verse. Al-Tafsir al-Muyassar, Tafsir al-Jalalayn or Sheikh al-Sa'di's are the most used in that role. Check that the Quranic text is vocalised and that the layout allows following verse by verse.

What is the difference between tafsir by transmission and tafsir by analysis?

The first explains the Quran by the Quran, then by the transmitted texts and the views of the early generations, often with the chains of transmission. The second starts from language, grammar and the coherence of the passage. Most great works mix the two, in proportions that change the reading.

Should I buy Tafsir al-Tabari or Tafsir Ibn Kathir in full?

Not at the start. These are reference works, in many volumes, consulted on a verse rather than read through. Both exist in one- or two-volume abridgements, and that is the better place to begin.

Are abridgements as good as the full work?

For most uses, yes, but they differ according to the abridger: some drop the chains of transmission, others the minority views or the digressions. The listing states which abridgement it is and what it keeps.

What are the occasions of revelation?

They are the circumstances in which a verse was revealed, reported by the companions. They shed light on the import of the text and are gathered in dedicated works, such as al-Wahidi's. Many tafsir cite them as the verses go by.

What do the sciences of the Quran cover?

The transmission of the text, the readings, the verses revealed at Mecca and at Medina, rare vocabulary, abrogation, and the rules of tafsir itself. Al-Suyuti's al-Itqan is the broadest work in the field, and Ibn Taymiyya's Muqaddima fi Usul al-Tafsir the shortest way in.

Are tafsir books vocalised?

The Quranic text always is. The commentary itself rarely is, except in school editions. On works meant to accompany reading, it is a criterion to check, and the state of vocalisation is stated on every listing.