A cikin wannan zamani, ana koyar da tafsiri ta hanyar riwaya. Wato, sahabbai da suke jagorantar makarantun tafsiri za su ambaci maganganun Annabi ﷺ da suka yi bayanin ma'anonin ayoyi, ko su yi bayanin yanayin tarihi da aka saukar da ayoyin a cikinsa, ko kuma su ambaci waƙoƙin larabawa na zamanin jahiliyya da suka yi bayanin ma'anar wasu kalmomi da ba a ƙara amfani da su ba. Bayan zamanin sahabbai, almajiransu, tabi'ai, sun ci gaba da koyarwa ta hanyar riwaya kamar yadda suka koya. Sai dai wasu daga cikinsu sun fara ambata tare da tafsirinsu labarai daga majiyoyin Yahudawa da Nasara don ƙara bayyana wasu sassan Alƙur'ani.

During this period, tafseer was taught by narration. That is, the sahaabah who headed schools of tafseer would quote the sayings of the Prophet ( ﷺ) which explained the meanings of verses, or explain the historical context in which the verses were revealed, or they would quote verses of pre-Islaamic poetry which explained the meaning of some words that were no longer in common use. After the era of the sahaabah, their students, the taabi‘oon, continued to teach by narration in much the same way that they had learned. However, some of them also began narrating along with their tafseers tales from Jewish and Christian sources to further explain certain passages of the Qur’aan.

Yana da kyau a lura cewa an yi wani tarin tafsiri a zamanin Tabi'in. Misali mafi shahara shi ne na Mujahid ibn Jabr (642-722 CE/40-103 AH), ɗalibin Ibn ‘Abbas. Mujahid ya tattara tafsiri mafi farko da aka sani; sai dai ba a iske kwafin aikinsa ba. Muhimmancin tafsirin Mujahid ana iya fahimtarsa daga wannan magana tasa: "Na karanta dukan Alkur'ani ga Ibn ‘Abbas sau uku. A kowane karatu, ina tsayawa a ƙarshen kowane ayah, ina tambayarsa game da wa kuma don me aka saukar da ita."39

It should be noted that some compilation of tafseer took place during the era of the taabi‘oon. The most noteworthy example is that of Mujaahid ibn Jabr (642- 722 CE/40-103 AH), a student of Ibn ‘Abbaas. Mujaahid compiled the earliest known tafseer; however, no copy of his work has reached us. The significance of Mujaahid’s tafseer can be appreciated from his following statement, “I read the whole Qur’aan to Ibn ‘Abbaas three times. During each reading, I stopped at the end of every verse and asked him about whom and why it was revealed.”39

A ƙarshen zamanin daular Umayyawa, 40 aka fara tattara tafsiri a tsari. Malaman hadisi sun fara tattara maganganu da ayyukan Annabi (ﷺ) a babi-babi bisa ga maudu'insu, kuma babin tafsiri na cikin su. Wasu daga cikin waɗannan malamai sun ba da kulawa ta musamman ga riwayar tafsirin da aka danganta ga Annabi (ﷺ), da sahabbai da tabi'ai. Manyansu sun haɗa da Yazeed ibn Haaroon as-Salamee (d. 737 CE/118AH), Shu'bah ibn al-Hajjaaj (d. 777 CE/160 AH), Sufyaan ibn 'Uyaynah (d. 814CE/198AH), 'Abdur-Razzaaq ibn Hammaam (d. 827 CE/211 AH), da 'Abd ibn Humayd (d. 864 CE/250 AH).41 Sai dai a wannan lokaci ba a yi tafsirin Alkur'ani gaba ɗaya ba.42

Towards the end of the Umayyad dynasty, 40 the systematic compilation of tafseer began. The scholars of hadeeth began compiling the sayings and actions of the Prophet (ﷺ) in chapters according to their subject matter, and the chapter on tafseer was one of them. Some of these scholars paid special attention to the narration of tafseer attributed to the Prophet (r), the sahaabah and the taabi‘oon. The foremost among them were Yazeed ibn Haaroon as-Salamee (d. 737 CE/118AH), Shu‘bah ibn al-Hajjaaj (d. 777 CE/160 AH), Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah (d. 814CE/198AH), ‘Abdur-Razzaaq ibn Hammaam (d. 827 CE/211 AH), and ‘Abd ibn Humayd (d. 864 CE/250 AH).41 However, no tafseer of the complete Qur’aan took place at this time.42

A kusan ƙarshen karni na tara miladiyya ne fannin tafsiri ya zama wani ilimi mai zaman kansa a Musulunci. Wannan zamani na malamai su ne na farko da suka tattara tafsirin Alkur'ani bisa tsarin rubutun ayoyinsa. Tafsiri mafi farko da ya isa zamaninmu shi ne wanda Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree (839-923 miladiyya/225-310 hijira) ya rubuta, wanda ya fito daga wannan zamani. Sauran tafsirai kuma Ibn Maajah (d. 886 miladiyya/272 hijira), Ibn Abee Haatim (d. 939 miladiyya/327 hijira), Ibn Hibbaan (d. 980 miladiyya/369 hijira), al-Haakim (d. 1014 miladiyya/404 hijira), da Ibn Mardawayh (d. 1020 miladiyya/410 hijira) suka rubuta.

Bugu da ƙari, an buɗe ƙofar tafsiri bisa ra'ayin kai. Ayyukan tafsiri sun fara nuna salo daban-daban na tunani a cikin al'ummar Musulmi. Zuwa ƙarni na goma sha ɗaya da na goma sha biyu, manyan ayyukan falsafa da kimiyya na Girka waɗanda aka fassara a ƙarnukan baya sun fara shafar dukkan fannonin ilimin Musulunci daban-daban. Makarantun falsafa irin su na Mu'utazilawa (masu hankali) sun bunƙasa, waɗanda suka yi barazana a fili ga tsantsar tunanin Musulunci. Tafsirai cike da kalmomin falsafa da kimiyya, kamar al-Kashshaaf na az-Zamakhsharee (1075-1144 CE/467-538 AH) ko Mafaateeh al-Ghayb na Fakhrud-Deen ar-Raazee (1149-1210 CE/544-606 AH), da tafsirai masu bayyana tunanin ƙungiyoyin bidi'a daban-daban, su ma sun bayyana a wannan zamani. Misali, tafsirin Shi'ar Ithna 'Ashariyya na Mullah Muhsin al-Kaash ya sa ayoyin Alƙur'ani su yi magana game da imamai goma sha biyu da ba sa kuskure, da ikon mulkin da ake zargin an ba ɗan surukin Annabi 'Alee, da kuma zargin ridda ga dukkan sahabban Annabi sai kaɗan; haka kuma tafsirin Sufaye na Ibn al-'Arabee (d. 1240 CE/638 AH) ya sa ayoyin Alƙur'ani su bayyana akidarsa ta pantheism cewa Allah shi ne komai, komai kuma Allah ne.44

In addition, the door of tafseer according to personal opinion was opened. Works of tafseer soon began to reflect various trends of thought in Muslim society. By the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the major works of Greek philosophy and science that had been translated in the previous centuries began to have an effect on all of the various Islaamic fields of study. Philosophical schools of thought like that of the Mu‘tazilees (Rationalists) had evolved which boldly threatened pure Islaamic thought. Tafseers full of philosophical and scientific terminology, like al-Kash-shaaf of az-Zamakhsharee (1075-1144 CE/467-538 AH) or Mafaateeh al-Ghayb of Fakhrud-Deen ar-Raazee (1149-1210 CE/544-606 AH), and tafseers expressing the thoughts of various heretical sects also appeared during this period. For example, the Twelver Shee‘ah tafseer of Mullah Muhsin al-Kaash made the verses of the Qur’aan speak of twelve infallible imaams, the imaginary walaayah (governorship) of the Prophet’s son-in-law ‘Alee and the claimed apostasy of all of the Prophet’s companions except a handful; and the Soofee tafseer of Ibn al-‘Arabee (d. 1240 CE/638 AH) made Qur’aanic verses voice his pantheistic ideology of Allaah being all and all being Allaah.44

Akwai kuma wani yanayi na ƙwarewa a tsakanin malamai Musulunci, sakamakon yadda ilimin Musulunci ya bunƙasa zuwa fannoni da dama. Saboda haka, tafsirai irin na al-Jassaas (917-980 CE/304-369 AH) da al-Qurtubee (d. 1273 CE/671 AH) sun mayar da hankali kan fitar da fiqhu (dokar Musulunci) daga ayoyin Alƙur'ani bisa ga madhhabobinsu (makarantun fiqhu) na kowannensu. Haka kuma, ath-Tha‘labee, wanda ya ƙware a labaran tarihin da suka gabata, ya rubuta al-Jawaahir al-Hisaan fee Tafseer al-Qur’aan, inda ya tattara dukkan riwayoyin game da al-ummomin da suka gabata, ba tare da la'akari da ingancinsu ba.45

Na ga kusan ra'ayoyi goma daban-daban game da tafsirin wannan ayar:

I have seen approximately ten different opinions concerning the tafseer of the verse:

duk da cewa Annabi ﷺ da sahabbansa da tabi'ai duk sun ruwaito cewa ayar tana nufin Yahudawa da Nasara ne kawai. Kuma (wani daga cikin malaman farko) Ibn Abee Haatim ya ce game da wannan ayar, "Ban san wani sabani tsakanin malaman tafsiri a kanta ba." 47

in spite of the fact that the Prophet (r) and his companions (sahaabah) and their students (taabi‘oon) all related that the verse referred to none other than the Jews and the Christians. And (one of the early scholars) Ibn Abee Haatim said concerning this verse, “I know of no disagreement among the scholars of tafseer about it.” 47

Wasu malamai na wannan zamani da na baya sun takaita kansu ga yin takaitattun bayanai na ayyukan da suka gabata, yayin da wasu kuma suka gamsu da rubuta bayanai a gefen shafi (footnotes) na ayyukan da suka gabata. Ya kamata a lura cewa duk da karkacewa da tsayawar ci gaba da suka shafi fannin tafsiri, da kuma dukkan ilimomin Musulunci, akwai malamai masu girma da dama da suka ɗaga tutar tunanin Musulunci tsantsa. Don haka, bai kamata a yi mamaki ba da aka samu cewa tafsirin da aka fi yabawa a kowane zamani an rubuta shi ne ta hannun wani malami na wannan zamani, wato Tafsirul-Qur'aanil-'Azeem na al-Haafiz ibn Katheer (d. 1373 CE/774 AH).

Some of the scholars of this and later periods confined themselves to making abridgements of earlier works while others were satisfied to write footnotes for earlier works. It should also be noted that in spite of the deviation and stagnation which afflicted the field of tafseer, as well as all of the Islaamic sciences, there were a number of great scholars who held high the banner of pure Islaamic thought. Thus, it should not be surprising to find that the most highly acclaimed tafseer of all times was produced by a scholar of this time, Tafseer al-Qur’aan al- ‘Atheem by al-Haafith ibn Katheer (d. 1373 CE/774 AH).

A cikin wannan karni, an samu wani sabon salo na tafsiri inda marubuta suka yi ƙoƙarin amfani da ayoyin Alƙur'ani don biyan bukatun karni na ashirin. Misali, tafsirai irin su Tafseer al-Manaar, wanda Muhammad ‘Abduh (d. 1905 CE) ya fara, sannan almajirinsa Muhammad Rasheed Ridaa ya kammala shi har zuwa Suratu Yusuf, ko kuma Fee Thilaal al-Qur’aan na Syed Qutb, suna nuna tushen Alƙur'ani ga al’umma, dokoki da ka’idojin kimiyya. Dukkan waɗannan tafsirai suna da masu sukar su. ‘Abduh yana da sha'awar gyara al’ummomin Musulunci don su iya fuskantar kalubalen yammacin duniya, kuma ya yi kira da a bar taqleed a matsayin farkon wannan gyara. Ya jaddada buƙatar karanta Alƙur'ani da sabon hangen nesa, ba tare da an ɗaure shi da tafsirin da suka gabata ba. Shi da Ridaa ba su taɓa duba tafsirin wani ba sai bayan sun kammala rubuta nasu tafsirin wata aya ta musamman. A cikin himmarsa ta daidaita Alƙur'ani da ka’idojin kimiyya, ‘Abduh ya fassara mala’iku a matsayin ma’ana ɗaya da ƙarfin halitta, wanda hakan ya kai shi ga fassara labarin Adam da Iblis a matsayin alama. Almajirinsa kuwa ya musanta cewa Annabi ﷺ ya yi wata mu’jiza sai isar da Alƙur'ani. Shi da malaminsa sun ƙi karɓar hadisai da dama da al-Bukhaari da Muslim suka ruwaito, suna cewa suna da rauni.51

In this century, a new form of tafseer has evolved in which the authors have tried to apply the passages of the Qur’aan to the needs of the twentieth century. For example, tafseers like Tafseer al-Manaar, started by Muhammad ‘Abduh (d. 1905 CE) and completed up to Soorah Yoosuf by his student Muhammad Rasheed Ridaa,48 or Fee Thilaal al-Qur’aan by Syed Qutb point out the Qur’aanic foundations for human society, legislation, and scientific theories. Both these tafseers have their critics. ‘Abduh was interested in reforming Muslim societies to meet the challenge of the west, and he called for the abandonment of taqleed as the starting point for that reform. He stressed the need for approaching the Qur’aan fresh, unencumbered by past inter-pretations of it. Neither he nor Ridaa would look at anyone else’s tafseer until they had finished writing their own tafseers of a particular passage.49 In his zeal to accommodate scientific theories, ‘Abduh interpreted angels as being synonymous with natural forces, which led him to a symbolic interpretation of the story of Aadam and Iblees.50 His student denied that the Prophet (r) performed any miracles other than conveying the Qur’aan. Both he and his student rejected a number of hadeeths reported by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim, claiming that they were weak.51

Sai dai Ridaa ya fi ‘Abduh ilimi a fannin hadisi, kuma ya fi dogaro da hadisai fiye da shi.52 Dukkansu sun bai wa hankalinsu cikakken 'yanci wajen fassara yadda suka ga dama.

Sayyid Qutb ya rayu a lokacin da aka kawar da khalifanci na Musulunci. Duniyar Musulunci ta kasu zuwa kananan kasashe masu tsarin shari'a da suka samo asali daga mulkin mallaka na Turawan Yamma. Ya ji bacin rai mai zurfi game da yadda al'ummomin Musulunci suka watsar da Shari'ar Musulunci wajen tafiyar da al'amuransu. Fassarar da ya yi na ma'anar tauhidi ta mayar da hankali kan cewa Allah shi kadai ne da hakkin shimfida dokoki domin mulkin al'umma. Yadda ya jaddada wannan batu ya kai ga yin watsi da sauran bangarorin tauhidi da hadarin nau'o'in shirka banda shirkar shari'a. Da alama ma ya rude game da bambancin tauhidul uluhiyya da tauhidur rububiyya. Masu sukar sa kuma suna cewa ya dasa irin tsatsauran ra'ayin takfiri da ke yaduwa a yau ta hanyar hukuncin gaba daya da ya yi cewa al'ummomin Musulunci na zamani ba su da alaka da Musulunci, da kuma yabon da ya yi wa motsin juyin-juya-hali a tarihin Musulunci. Duk da wadannan kura-kurai, ya gabatar da suka mai karfi ta fuskar Musulunci kan kurakuran akidar boko (secularism) da wayewar Turawan Yamma da ta haifar da ita, a lokacin da yawancin Musulmi ke jin kunya wajen kare Musulunci.

Syed Qutb lived at a time when the Islaamic caliphate had just been abolished. The Islaamic world had been divided into small countries with legal systems that were the product of European colonialism. He felt a deep outrage at Islaamic societies’ abandonment of the Sharee‘ah in ruling their affairs. His interpretations of the meaning of tawheed focused on Allaah’s sole right to formulate the laws for the rule of human society. His stress of this point led to the neglect of other aspects of tawheed and of the dangers posed by forms of shirk other than shirk in legislation. He seems to have actually been confused about the difference between tawheed al-ulooheeyah and tawheed ar-ruboobeeyah.53 His critics also say that he laid the seeds for today’s modern takfeer movements with his blanket condemnation of contemporary Islaamic societies as having nothing to do with Islaam, and with his praise of revolutionary movements in Islaamic history.54 Despite these shortcomings, he presented a vigorous Islaamic critique of the flaws of secularism and the European civilization that spawned it at a time when most Muslims were apologetic about Islaam.