صفوة التفاسیر

ABOUT THE BOOK

This is a concise tafsīr of which its author said: it is comprehensive, based on both narrated reports and rational argument, based on the most authentic well known tafāsīr such as al-Ṭabarī, al-Kashshāf, Ibn Kathīr, al-Baḥr al-Muḥīt and Rūh al-Maʿānī.

It is written in a simple style that is easy to understand, paying attention to literary style and linguistic form.

He says in the introduction: “I have titled my book Ṣafwah at-Tafāsīr (The Best of Tafsīrs) because it combines the best of the major detailed tafāsīr in a brief, organised and clear fashion.”

This tafsīr by Shaykh as-Ṣābūnī – a scholar of the recent times – focuses on introducing each sūrah, explaining vocabulary (al-lugha), highlighting subtleties (laṭīfah), benefits (fawā’id), places verses in context in relation to others (al-munāsabah), causes of revelation (asbāb an-nuzūl), and rhetorical devices (al-balāgha).

It covers the commentary of the Qur’ān in three volumes, which makes it easily accessible for students studying tafsīr and wanting to read through an Arabic book on the subject from cover to cover. The Arabic words used are often understood easily by a student in his second or third year of studying the language.

This book is highly recommended for students who begin studying the translation of the Qur’ān within their theology course as the use of vocabulary is ideal even for a beginner of the Arabic language. It is a comprehensive and concise book of tafsīr, which is not exhaustive, and finishing it cover to cover throughout your Qur’ānic studies is not an impossible goal.