Alkur'ani shi ne littafi na ƙarshe na wahayin Allah da aka saukar wa mutum, kuma Allah ya yi alkawarin kiyaye shi daga kowane canji ko asara. Ya ce a cikin Alkur'ani:

The Qur’aan is the last book of divine revelation sent to man, and Allaah has promised to protect it from any distortion or loss. He said in the Qur’aan:

Its written and recited forms have been preserved without even the slightest change for over fourteen hundred years, as has been mentioned in previous chapters. This cannot be said about the Gospel of Prophet Jesus (r), nor the books of the Old Testament attributed to earlier prophets, nor any other scripture revealed by Allaah. However, Allaah's protection of the Qur'aan did not stop there; He also safeguarded the original meaning. If the protection of the Qur'aan's meaning had not taken place, deviants would have turned the Book of Allaah into a jumble of symbols, riddles and codes open to a multiplicity of interpretations, and its original meaning would have been lost. Allaah preserved the meaning of the Qur'aan by explaining some of its generalities within the Qur'aan itself and by entrusting the tafseer of the remainder to His Messenger, Muhammad ibn Abdillaah ﷺ (570-632 CE).

Its written and recited forms have been preserved without even the slightest change for over fourteen hundred years, as has been mentioned in previous chapters. This cannot be said about the Gospel of Prophet Jesus (r), nor the books of the Old Testament attributed to earlier prophets, nor any other scripture revealed by Allaah. However, Allaah’s protection of the Qur’aan did not stop there; He also safeguarded the original meaning. If the protection of the Qur’aan’s meaning had not taken place, deviants would have turned the Book of Allaah into a jumble of symbols, riddles and codes open to a multiplicity of interpretations, and its original meaning would have been lost. Allaah preserved the meaning of the Qur’aan by explaining some of its generalities within the Qur’aan itself and by entrusting the tafseer of the remainder to His Messenger, Muhammad ibn Abdillaah (r) (570-632 CE).

Sahabbai (abokan Manzon Allah) an koyar da su su nemi fahimtar Alkur'ani da farko daga cikin Alkur'anin kansa, sannan daga bayanai da aiwatarwar Annabi ﷺ, sannan daga fahimtarsu ta kusa ta harshen Alkur'ani. Bayan rasuwar Annabi ﷺ, waɗanda suka shiga Musulunci a matsayin sababbin mabiya sun dogara da farko ga Alkur'ani ya bayyana kansa, sannan sun dogara ga sahabbai su bayyana musu Alkur'ani. Sahabbai za su sanar da ɗalibansu daga cikin tabi'ai game da yanayin da aka saukar da ayoyin, fassarar da maganganun Annabi ﷺ da ayyukansa suka bayar, kuma a ƙarshe za su bayyana ma'anonin wasu kalmomi da ƙila ba a saba da su ba ko kuma suna da ma'anar daban ga Larabawa waɗanda ke wajen Tsibirin Larabawa. Yayin da zamanin sahabbai ya ƙare, malamai daga cikin tabi'ai suka ɗauki babban nauyin isar da ma'anonin asali na Alkur'ani ga tsara ta gaba ta Musulmi kamar yadda suka karɓe su. Tsara ta uku bayan Annabi ﷺ ce ta fara aikin tattarawa da rubuta ruwayoyi daban-daban na tafsiri daga tabi'ai.

The sahaabah (companions) were taught to seek their understanding of the Qur’aan first from the Qur’aan itself, then from the explanations and applications of the Prophet (r) and from their own intimate understanding of the language of the Qur’aan. After the Prophet’s death, those who entered Islaam as new converts depended first upon the Qur’aan to explain itself, then they depended on the sahaabah to explain the Qur’aan to them. The sahaabah would inform their students among the taabi‘oon of the circumstances in which the verses were revealed, the interpretation given by the Prophet’s statements and his actions, and finally they would explain the meanings of some words which may not have been familiar or which may have had a different meaning to Arabs outside of the Arabian Peninsula. With the passing of the era of the sahaabah, the scholars among the taabi‘oon shouldered the grave respon-sibility of conveying the original meanings of the Qur’aan to the next generation of Muslims exactly as they had received them. It was the third generation after the Prophet (r) which began the process of gathering and recording the various narrations of tafseer from the taabi‘oon.

Daga wannan hanya ta Annabi (r) da sahabbansa da kuma hanyar malaman Musulunci na farko waɗanda suka biyo bayansu, malaman Sunna sun fitar da waɗannan matakai a matsayin sharuɗɗan da ya zama wajibi a cika su domin yin tafsirin Alƙur'ani daidai:

From the above-mentioned methodology of the Prophet (r) and his companions and that of the early generations of Muslim scholars which followed them, the following steps have been deduced by orthodox scholars as being the necessary conditions for making correct tafseer of the Qur’aan:

Akwai wurare da yawa a cikin Alƙur'ani inda ake yin tambayoyi don kama hankalin mai karatu, sannan a amsa su don ƙara tasirin ma'anar da ake magana a kai. A wasu wuraren kuma, ana yin maganganu na gaba ɗaya, sannan daga baya a yi bayaninsu, don sauya hanyoyin gabatarwa da kuma ƙarfafa masu karatu da masu sauraro su yi tunani sosai. Wannan tsari na bayani da kansa ana kiransa tafsirin Alƙur'ani da Alƙur'ani. Allah ya zaɓi ya bayyana abin da Yake nufi ta hanyar saukar da wasu ayoyi masu bayani. Misali, Allah ya tambaya,

There are many places in the Qur’aan where questions are asked in order to catch the mind of the reader and subsequently answered to increase the impact of the concept in question. In other places, general statements are made and then later explained in order to vary the modes of presentation and encourage readers and listeners to reflect more. This self-explanatory process is referred to as tafseer of the Qur’aan by Qur’aan. Allaah chose to clarify what He intended by revealing other explanatory verses. For example, Allaah asks,

Sannan Ya amsa tambayarSa a cikin ayar da ke biye:

He then answers His question in the next verse:

Allah kuma ya ce a cikin Alƙur'ani:

Allaah also states in the Qur’aan:

Aya biyu daga baya Ya yi bayanin keɓancewa daga ƙa'idar gabaɗaya:

Two verses later He details the exceptions to the general rule:

Wani misali kuma ana iya gani a cikin ayar da Allah ya kwatanta Kansa, yana cewa:

Another example can be seen in the verse in which Allaah describes Himself, saying:

Wannan ayar tana nuna cewa Allah ba zai ganu ba a duniyar nan ko a lahira.

This verse implies that Allaah will not be seen in either this world or the next.

Amma, Allah daga baya ya siffanta muminai a lahira da cewa:

However, Allaah later describes the believers in the next life as:

da kuma ya ce game da kafirai:

and he says about the disbelievers:

Saboda haka, kafin a nemi bayani ko fassara a wani waje, dole ne a dogara ga Alkur'ani wajen bayyana kansa, domin Allah ne Yasan abin da Ya nufa.

Therefore, before seeking an explanation or interpretation elsewhere, the Qur’aan must be relied upon to explain itself, for Allaah knows best what He intended.

Sau da yawa, Annabi (r) yakan ƙara bayani a kan ayoyi daban-daban na Alkur'ani. Allah ya ɗora wa Annabi (r) aikin bayyana Alkur'ani. Wannan amana an bayyana ta a cikin Alkur'ani ba tare da wata shakka ba,

On many occasions, the Prophet (r) added further clarification to various verses of the Qur’aan. Allaah had entrusted the job of explaining the Qur’aan to the Prophet (r). This trust was expressed in the Qur’aan in no uncertain terms,

Sahabbai sun fahimci wannan sosai, kuma koyaushe suna komawa wurin Annabi ﷺ domin neman bayani duk lokacin da suka yi shakka game da ma'anar kowane ayar Alkur'ani. A gaskiya, mafi yawan cikakkun bayanai na sallah, zakka, azumi, hajji, dokokin gado, da sauransu, an bayyana su ne ko dai ta hanyar maganganun Annabi ﷺ ko kuma ta hanyar nuna aiki da aikace-aikace (Sunnah). Saboda haka, bayanan Annabi ﷺ game da ayoyin Alkur'ani ana kiransu tafsirin Alkur'ani ta hanyar Sunnah. Misali, a cikin Suratul Fatiha, Annabi ﷺ ya bayyana cewa "al-maghdoobi 'alayhim" (waɗanda fushin Allah ya sauka a kansu) su ne Yahudawa, kuma "ad-daalleen" (waɗanda suka ɓace) su ne Nasara.74 A wata lokaci ya karanta ayar:

The sahaabah understood this clearly and always turned to the Prophet (r) for clarification whenever they were in doubt about the meaning of any of the Qur’aanic passages. In fact, most of the fine details of salaah, zakaah, sawm, hajj, inheritance laws, etc. were explained either by the Prophet’s statements or practical demonstrations and applications (the Sunnah). Thus, the Prophet’s explanations of Qur’aanic passages are referred to as the tafseer of the Qur’aan by the Sunnah. For example, in Soorah al-Faatihah, the Prophet (r) explained that “al-maghdoobi ‘alayhim” (those on whom is Allaah’s anger) are the Jews, and “ad-daalleen” (those astray) are the Christians.74 On one occasion he recited the verse:

Sai ya ce,

He then said,

A wata riwayar kuma, ya bayyana cewa ayar:

In another narration, he explained that the verse:

ya ambaci wani kogi a Aljanna wanda Allah ya ba shi.78

referred to a river in Paradise which Allaah has given him.78

Domin Sunnah ta dogara ne akan shiriya daga Allah, tana wakiltar kashi na biyu na alkawarin Allah na bayyana Alqur'ani.

Because the Sunnah was based on guidance from Allaah, it represents the second part of God’s promise to explain the Qur’aan:

Ibn ’Abbaas ya bayyana cewa maganar, "Sa'an nan kuma a kanmu ne bayaninsa," tana nufin, "a kan harshenka [ya Muhammad]." 80 Saboda haka, babu wata fassarar mutum da za a iya ba fifiko a kanta fiye da ta Annabi (ﷺ).

Ibn ’Abbaas explained that the statement, “Then it is for Me to explain it,” means, “upon your tongue [O Muhammad].” 80 Consequently, no other human interpretation can be given precedence over that of the Prophet (ﷺ).

Duk lokacin da sahabbai ba su iya samun tafsirin wata aya a cikin Alkur'ani kansa ko a cikin Sunnah ba, sai su yi amfani da ra'ayinsu bisa ga sanin yanayin ayoyin da kuma ƙwarewarsu a harshen Larabci wanda aka saukar da Alkur'ani da shi. Saboda haka, ɗaya daga cikin manyan malaman tafsiri na Alkur'ani, Ibn Kathir, ya rubuta a gabatarwar tafsirinsa, "Idan ba mu iya samun tafsiri mai dacewa a cikin Alkur'ani ko a cikin Sunnah ba, sai mu koma ga ra'ayoyin sahabbai. Domin lallai su ne suka fi kowa sanin Alkur'ani saboda sanin yanayin saukarsa, cikakkiyar fahimtarsu daidai gare shi, da kuma ayyukansu na adalci." Waɗannan bayanan sahabbai ana kiransu tafsirin bi-l-athar (maganganun sahabbai). Misali, lokacin da aka tambayi Ibn ʿAbbas game da aya:

Whenever the sahaabah could not find the tafseer of a passage in the Qur’aan itself or in the Sunnah, they would use their own reasoning based on their knowledge of the contexts of the verses and the intricacies of the Arabic language in which the Qur’aan was revealed. Consequently, one of the greatest commentators of the Qur’aan, Ibn Katheer, wrote in the preface of his tafseer, “If we are unable to find a suitable tafseer in the Qur’aan or in the Sunnah, we go to the opinions of the sahaabah. For verily, they knew the Qur’aan better than anyone else due to their knowledge of the circumstances of its revelation, their complete and accurate understanding of it, and their righteous deeds.” These explanations of the sahaabah are known as tafseer by aathaar (the sayings of the sahaabah). For example, when Ibn ‘Abbaas was questioned about the verse:

Ya amsa, "Yana nufin fuska da hannaye." 82 A wani lokacin kuma, bayan ya karanta ayar,

he replied, “It refers to the face and hands.” 82 On another occasion, after reciting the verse,

Ibn ‘Abbaas ya ce, "Wannan wani nau'i ne na kufr (kafirci) amma ba kufr na gaskiya ba." 84

Ibn ‘Abbaas said, “It is a form of kufr (disbelief) less than real kufr.” 84

Sai dai tafsiri da aka ruwaito daga Annabi (r) da sahabbai bai shafi dukkan ayoyin Alkur'ani ba. Annabi (r) ya bayyana abin da ya kasance ba a fahimta ba ga sahabbai kawai, su kuma suka bayyana abin da ya kasance ba a fahimta ba ga tabi'ai kawai. Amma yayin da kowane zamani ke biye wa wani, sai wasu al'amura suka zama ba a fahimta ba saboda ci gaban harshe. Saboda haka, tabi'ai sun yi ƙarin bayani bayan rasuwar zamanin sahabbai. Wadannan bayanai ana ɗaukar su a matsayin wani ɓangare na tafsiri ta hanyar athar, kuma ya kamata a ba su fifiko a kan ra'ayoyin mutum idan akwai yarjejeniya a tsakaninsu. Idan kuma sun sabawa juna, babu wata ra'ayi daga cikinsu da za a ba ta fifiko a kan sauran sai dai idan harshe ya goyi bayanta.

However, the tafseer transmitted from the Prophet (r) and the sahaabah did not cover all of the verses of the Qur’aan. The Prophet (r) explained only what was unclear to the sahaabah, and they, in turn, only explained what was unclear to the taabi‘oon. But with each succeeding generation, more areas became unclear due to the evolution of the language. Hence, the taabi‘oon had to make further explanations after the passing of the sahaabah’s era. These explanations are considered a part of tafseer by aathaar and should be given precedence over personal opinions where there is unanimity among them. Where they differed, none of their opinions is given preference over the others unless it is supported by the language.

A zamanin Tabi'un, Kiristoci da Yahudawa da yawa sun musulunta.

During the era of the taabi‘oon, many Christians and Jews became Muslim.

Saboda haka, wasu daga cikin tabi'ai sun ba da labaran da suka samo asali daga majiyoyin Yahudawa da Nasara a cikin bayaninsu na Alkur'ani. Irin wadannan labarai sun zama sananne da sunan Isra'iliyyat. A zamanai na gaba, littattafan tafsiri sun cika da irin wadannan labarai, da yawa daga cikinsu ba a iya gano asalinsu zuwa wata majiya amintacciya ba.

As a result, some of the taabi‘oon narrated tales from Jewish and Christian sources in their explanations of the Qur’aan. Such narrations became known as Israa’eeleeyaat. In later generations, the books of tafseer became filled with such narrations, many of which could not be traced to any reliable source.

Da tafiyar lokaci, kalmomi sun samu sabbin ma'anoni, tsoffin ma'anoni kuma sun ɓace, kalmomin baƙi sun shiga cikin harshe, kuma sassa masu yawa na ƙamus sun daina amfani. Wannan tsari na halitta ya sa ya zama wajibi a bayyana wasu daga cikin kalmomin Alƙur'ani bisa ma'anoninsu na zahiri da na nahawu.

With the passage of time, words took on new meanings and old meanings became lost, foreign words entered into the language, and vast sections of vocabulary fell into disuse. This natural process necessitated the explanation of some of the Qur’aanic words according to their literal and grammatical meanings.

Saboda haka, a wannan zamani an samu bayyanar kamus-kamus da aka rubuta musamman don magance kalmomin harshen Larabci na Alkur'ani da ilimin harshe (philology). A lokutan da kalma take da ma'ana fiye da ɗaya, wannan mataki ya haifar da sabani tsakanin malamai, wanda ba za a iya warwarewa ba sai an sami goyon baya daga Sunna. Misali, "lams" a zahiri yana nufin taɓawa, amma a alamance yana nufin jima'i.

Consequently, this period witnessed the appearance of dictionaries written specifically to deal with Qur’aanic Arabic vocabulary and philology. In cases where words had more than one meaning, this step created differences of opinion which could only be solved by finding some support in the Sunnah. For example, “lams” literally means to touch, but figuratively it means sexual intercourse.

Don haka, malaman zamani sun kasance cikin ra'ayoyi biyu na asali game da wannan ayar:

Thus, the later scholars were of two basic opinions concerning the following verse,

Imam Shafi‘i da Imam Malik sun yi ra'ayin cewa ma'anar (ta taɓa) ita ce taɓa da hannu, ko da yake kowane imam ya ƙara wasu sharuɗɗa a kan hakan. A gefe guda kuma, Imam Abu Hanifa ya yanke hukuncin cewa ma'anarta ita ce jima'i. Sai dai matan Annabi sun ruwaito cewa yana sumbatar su kafin ya yi salla, wanda hakan ya nuna cewa taɓawa ba ita ce abin da aka nufa a cikin wannan ayar ba.86

Imaams ash-Shaafi‘ee and Maalik held that it meant the touch of the hand, though each imaam added certain stipulations to it. On the other hand, Imaam Aboo Haneefah ruled that it meant sexual intercourse. However, the Prophet’s wives reported that he kissed them before performing salaah, which indicated that touching was not intended by this verse.86

Hanyoyi huɗu da aka ambata a sama duk suna cikin babban take na tafsir bir-riwaayah ko tafsir bil-ma'thoor (tafsiri bisa riwaya), kuma irin wannan tafsiri ba ya barin wani gibi sosai don muhawara. Ko da yake matakin na huɗu sau da yawa yana dogara ne akan riwayoyi daga magabata, a wasu lokuta yana iya zama mai cike da ra'ayin mutum kuma mai cike da rigima. Misali, Yusuf Ali ya fassara kalmar "burooj" da aka yi amfani da ita a cikin surar ta 85 da "the Zodiacal signs" (alamomin falaki na zodiac), yayin da Pickthall ya fassara ta da "Mansions of the Stars" (gidajen taurari), amma a gabatarwarsa ga surar ya ce kalmar "tana nufin alamomin zodiac." Don haka, bisa ga fassarorinsu, Allah yana rantsuwa da alamomin zodiac. Wasu Musulmi masu magana da Turanci sun ɗauki wannan a matsayin goyon baya kai tsaye ga tauraruwar falala (astrology). Duk da haka, "burooj" asalinsa yana nufin kawai "tsarin taurari," kuma sai daga baya ne aka yi amfani da ita wajen nufin siffofin zodiac na tunani waɗanda Babiloniyawa da Helenawa na zamanin arna suka sanya a kan taurarin. Annabi (ﷺ) ya haramta tauraruwar falala a fili, domin tana cikin haramcin gaba ɗaya na zuwa wurin masu duba da boka. Annabi ﷺ ya ce,

The four above-mentioned methods come under the general title of tafseer bir-riwaayah or tafseer bil-ma’thoor (tafseer based on narration) and, as such, leave little room for argument. Although the fourth step is oftentimes based on narrations from earlier generations, at other times it can be highly opinionated and controversial. For example, Yusuf Ali translates the word “burooj” used in the 85th soorah as “the Zodiacal signs,” while Pickthall translates it as “Mansions of the Stars,” but says in his introduction to the soorah that it “is applied to the signs of the zodiac.” Thus, according to them, Allaah is making an oath by the zodiacal signs. Some English-speaking Muslims have taken this to be indirect support for astrology. However, “burooj” originally only meant “star con-figuration,” and it was not until later times that it was used to refer to the imaginary figures of the zodiac that pagan Babylonians and Greeks superimposed on them. Astrology has been forbidden by the Prophet (r) in no uncertain terms, as it falls under the general prohibition on visiting fortunetellers. The Prophet (ﷺ) said,

Ra'ayoyin da aka kafa bisa nazari mai zurfi na matakai huɗu na farko za a iya ɗaukansu inganci muddin ba su saɓa wa ɗaya daga cikin waɗannan matakai ba. Haka nan, amfani da ma'anoni bayyananne na Alƙur'ani ga yanayin da ake ciki yanzu da kuma kafa hukunce-hukunce bisa kamanceceniyarsu ma an halatta, muddin irin wannan fassarar ba ta ci karo da sharhin malamai na dā da suka inganta ba. Amma, fassara ta 'yanci bisa tunanin falsafa, kimiyya, ko ra'ayoyin ƙungiyoyin darika an haramta gaba ɗaya. Annabi ﷺ ya ruwaito cewa ya ce,

Opinions based on a careful study of the first four steps can be considered valid as long as they do not contradict any of those steps. Likewise, the application of obvious meanings of the Qur’aan to existing situations and the formation of conclusions based on their similarities are also allowed, as long as such interpretations do not clash with authentic classical explanations. But, free interpretation based on philosophical, scientific, or sectarian ideas is totally forbidden. The Prophet (r) was reported to have said,

Daga hadisin da aka ambata a sama, za mu ga cewa Annabi (r) ya yi gargadi mai tsanani ga sahabbansa da kuma al'ummomin Musulmai masu zuwa a kan fassarar Alƙur'ani bisa zato da ra'ayoyi marasa tabbaci. Dalili shi ne cewa Alƙur'ani ne tushen Musulunci, saboda haka dole ne ya kasance tsarkakakke kuma ba a canza shi ba. Idan aka bai wa kowa da kowa 'yancin fassara Alƙur'ani yadda yake so, to daraja tasa za ta lalace gaba ɗaya, kuma Musulunci da kansa zai rushe daga tushensa. Saboda haka, fassara kawai da za a karɓa ita ce wadda ke bin wannan tsari: tafsirin Alƙur'ani da Alƙur'ani, sa'an nan da Sunnah, sa'an nan da maganganun sahabbai, sa'an nan da harshe, kuma a ƙarshe da ra'ayi, muddin yana bisa hanyoyi huɗu da suka gabata kuma bai saɓa wa ɗaya daga cikinsu ba.

We can see from the above-mentioned hadeeth that the Prophet (r) sternly warned his companions and later generations of Muslims about interpretations of the Qur’aan based on speculation and unsubstantiated opinions. The reason is that the Qur’aan is the foundation of Islaam and, as such, it had to remain pure and untampered with. If free rein was given to any and everyone to interpret the Qur’aan as they wished, its value would be totally destroyed, and Islaam itself would be undermined from its base. Thus, the only acceptable tafseer is that which adheres to the following sequence: tafseer of Qur’aan by the Qur’aan, then by the Sunnah, then by the sayings of the sahaabah, then by language, and finally by opinion, as long as it is based on the preceding four methods and does not contradict any of them.