Tafsir va ta’vil so‘zlari dastlabki musulmon avlodlari tomonidan sinonim sifatida qaralgan; biroq, sahobalarning shogirdlari bo‘lgan tobi’inlar davridan keyingi asrlarda (miloddan keyingi IX va X asrlar / hijriy III va IV asrlar), ta’vil atamasi yangi va xavfli oqibatlarga olib keladigan yangi ma’noga ega bo‘ldi. Shu sababli, bu atamalarni ularning asl kontekstida, shuningdek keyingi qo‘llanilishida ko‘rib chiqish biz uchun zarurdir.

The words tafseer and ta’weel were considered synonyms by the early generations of Muslims; however, in the centuries following the era of the taabi‘oon and their students (9th and 10th centuries CE/3rd and 4th centuries AH), the term ta’weel took on a new meaning with new and dangerous implications. Consequently, it is necessary for us to look at these terms in their original context, as well as their later usage.

"Tafsir" so'zi fassara fe'lidan olingan bo'lib, lug'aviy ma'noda tushuntirish yoki izoh berishni anglatadi, masalan, quyidagi oyatda:

The word tafseer, which comes from the verb fassara, literally means an explanation or an exposition, as in the verse,