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Size: 240 mm
x 160 mm
Hard bound
Total pages: 1256
Index: 112 pages
Two colors
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COMMENTARY
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The
principle of commentary in the Translation and Commentary on the
Holy Qur-an is based on the following verse from Surah Al-e-Imran:
| He it is Who has revealed to you the Scripture,
whereof some Ayats are Decisive- these are the Mother of the Scripture,
and others are allegorical. Then as to those in whose hearts there
is perversity, they in fact follow the allegorical part of it seeking
trouble and seeking to give it interpretations. But no one knows the
interpretation of it except Allah. And the steadfast in knowledge
would say: "We believe in it,- the whole is from the presence of our
Rabb." And no one minds except those possessed of understanding. (Surah
Al-e-Imran: 6) |
| 3:6 He it is Who has revealed
to you (O Muhammad!) the Scripture, whereof some Ayats
(or verses) are Decisive (and fundamental, giving rise to a
definite meaning)- these are the Mother (i.e. Foundation) of
the Scripture, and others are allegorical (or ornamental, giving
different meanings, such verses must be interpreted on the basis of
the fundamental ones, 39:23). Then as to those in whose hearts
there is perversity, they in fact follow the allegorical part of it
seeking (to create) trouble and seeking to give it (imaginary)
interpretations (in the form of mythological stories, instead
of basing on the fundamental verses of the Qur-an; and when they fail
to justify their myths with other verses, they claim one or the other
verse as abrogated; whereas there is no discrepancy nor any abrogation
in the entire Qur-an, 4:82). But no one knows the (true) interpretation
of it except Allah (and so their inherent meanings will
be available in the God-sent Qur-an, not in man-made stories). And
the steadfast in knowledge (4:162, who extract the inner meaning
of these verses by proper study and research, 38:29; 47:24) would
say: "We believe in it,- the whole (of it) is from the presence
of our Rabb (Who has made the whole Qur-an easily understandable,
26:195; 44:58)." And no one minds (this rule of interpretation)
except those possessed of understanding. |
In
the Translation and Commentary on the Holy Qur-an, upper half
of each page is literal translation of the Holy Qur-an. The commentary
is placed in the bottom half of the page in
a little innovative way. As you can see in the above example, the commentary
is placed inside parenthesis juxtaposed with the translation. It is
like reading the translation all over again, this time with commentary,
just enough to clearly elucidate the implied meaning. The flow of the
text of the translation and commentary is maintained such that there
is no break in rhythm or textual flow. To get more idea of how it reads,
please click here to visit Surah Baqarah
or Surah Yusuf.
Translation and Commentary on the Holy Qur-an is not a footnote
type commentary. Traditional footnote commentaries often emphasize on
one verse or few words at the discretion of the cemmentator. At the
same, other vesres may not be explained at all. In Translation and
Commentary on the Holy Qur-an, 99% verses are explained, however
simple the verse may appear, thus readers are not forsaken to guess
or speculate the meaning.
The need to reinterpret detailed footnote is avoided in the Translation
and Commentary on the Holy Qur-an. Obviously this has limited the
scope to engage in detailed discussion of a verse in the light of classical
or modern commentators of the Holy Qur-an or discuss two or three different
schools of thoughts. It is important to remember that the message of
the Holy Qur-an is not ambiguous to have two or three fundamentally
different schools of thoughts. In case of allegorical verses, we have
provided interpretations based on Holy Qur-an, with appropriate cross-references
to substantiate the interpretation.
Keeping this fact in mind the commentary in Translation and Commentary
on the Holy Qur-an is made succinct and to the point - to bring out
the implied meaning with least degree of effort by a busy reader of today.
Translation and Commentary on the Holy Qur-an does not discuss
or refer to Arabic folklore, historic legend or medieval Arab literature.
Understanding of Holy Qur-an is often hampered due to overbearing emphasis
on such legends and folklore. It is important to remember that the Holy
Qur-an is best explained by the Holy Qur-an itself (11:1; 75:18,19). When
some incidents are discussed, Translation and Commentary on the Holy
Qur-an also refers abundantly to authentic Hadith.
Although the commentary may appear succinct,
it provides extensive cross-references to
other verses. Therefore, commentary of a particular verse, which appears
quite brief, could actually run into several pages.
Regarding use of lots of cross-references from Old and New Testament,
the idea is not to obtain support from them, rather to show where Holy
Qur-an made a point distinctly different from what is mentioned in those
Books. Interfaith studies have become a serious matter among many Islamic
and Judeo-Christian researchers. Use of such references in the commentary
is expected to help them as much as it would help a Muslim reader.
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