Part 2: Answering Certain Contentions About the Verse of Purification Given the theological implications of interpreting the verse as we have sought to do in the previous section, critics often raises several contentions that we believe are appropriate to address here. For this section of the analysis, I am again highly indebted to Sayyid al-‘Āmilī’s … Read more

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا And abide (oh wives of the Prophet) quietly in your homes, and do not flaunt your charms as they used to flaunt them in … Read more

Originally posted on Mind In Momentum بسمه تعالى Current scientific literature dates the appearance of modern human species, namely the Homosapiens, to anywhere between 65,000[1]-300,000[2] years ago.[3] Do these findings contradict religious teachings about the creation of Adam (p)? In answering this question, I will present two potential scenarios: Adam as the first member of … Read more

Updated December 23rd, 2020 – a 7th observation has been added to the list of critiques. A number of people have been messaging me for a while, asking me about a narration regarding the city of Qom and its position during the occultation of the 12th Imam (a). It is simply beyond me why such … Read more

By Shaykh Haidar Hobbollah | Translated by Shayan Shirazi Question[1]: Many people say that cursing (laʿn) has been mentioned in tens of verses in the Qurʿān and they argue that this is evidence for the religious legality of cursing as well as a striking rebuttal to those who claim that it is forbidden or disliked. … Read more

This is a transcript of four lessons given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah on the commentary on Sūrah al-Zalzalah. Click for Part 1. — Verse 3 – Wa Qāla al-Insān Mā Lahā After the earth’s severe shaking, humans will say, “what is wrong with her? What is the matter with it?” This verse is speaking of … Read more

This is a transcript of four lessons given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah on the commentary on Sūrah al-Zalzalah. Click for Part 2. — Names, Merits and Reasons for Revelation The chapter has been referred to in five ways in Islamic works: Surah al-Zalzalah – this is what is famous today and it is derived from … Read more

At first sight, the 103rd verse of Sura Maidah seems to be talking about a phenomenon limited to the time of the Holy Prophet (saw). What follows is an initial overview of the various Sunni and Shi’i tafasir that describe the terms of the verse before describing what has been mentioned by the Sunni commentator … Read more

According to the popular opinion within the Islamic tradition, the first five verses of the 96th chapter (Surah Alaq) of the Qur’an, were the first verses to be revealed upon the Prophet Muhammad (s). The day of the Mab’ath (the appointment of Prophethood) has been narrowed down to either the month of Rajab or Ramadan, … Read more

This is a transcript of the second and third lesson of the commentary on Sūrah al-Naṣr given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah. Click here for part 1. Verse 2 – Wa Ra’ayta al-Nās Yadkhulūna Fī Dīn Allah Afwājā – وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا The meaning of seeing in this verse is certainty, just … Read more

This is a transcript of the first lesson of the commentary on Sūrah al-Naṣr given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah. Click here for part 2. Names of the Surah This chapter has been referred to by the following names: al-Naṣr is the most popular name and this is what you will find in the Qurānic codices … Read more

A key verse setting out the prohibition on hunting during the Hajj and its attendant penalty is given below: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْتُلُوا الصَّيْدَ وَأَنتُمْ حُرُمٌ وَمَن قَتَلَهُ مِنكُم مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاءٌ مِّثْلُ مَا قَتَلَ مِنَ النَّعَمِ يَحْكُمُ بِهِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِّنكُمْ O you who believe, do not kill game while you are in the consecrated … Read more

This is a transcript of the fourth, fifth and sixth lesson of the commentary on Sūrah al-Fīl given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah. Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2. Purpose of Stories in the Qurān Before we discuss the general purpose of stories in the Qurān, we need to point out two overall … Read more

إِنَّمَا التَّوْبَةُ عَلَى اللَّهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السُّوءَ بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِيبٍ فَأُولَٰئِكَ يَتُوبُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا [4:17] [Acceptance of] repentance upon Allah is only for those who commit evil out of ignorance, then repent promptly. It is such whose repentance Allah will accept, and Allah is all-knowing, all-wise. Repentance (al-tawbah) … Read more

This is a transcript of the second and third lesson of the commentary on Sūrah al-Fīl given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over six lessons. In the previous lesson we responded to two arguments that propose the event did not take place, namely: the event is against science and hence it did not take place, and … Read more

This is a transcript of the first lesson of the commentary on Sūrah al-Fīl given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over six lessons. Click for Part 2. Names and Place of Revelation This chapter has been referred to by two names: A lam tara or A lam tara kayfa fa’ala rabbuka bi aṣḥāb al-fīl – this … Read more

This is a transcript of a commentary on Sūrah al-Kawthar given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over four lessons. Click for Part 1. We will now offer our observations on the fourth and last exegesis which understands kawthar to mean progeny of the Prophet (p), or specifically Fāṭima (s). We will divide the discussion into three … Read more

This is a transcript of a commentary on Sūrah al-Kawthar given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over four lessons. The transcripts will be split into two posts – this is part one. Click for part two. Names, Reasons for Revelation  The chapter has been referred to in four ways in Islamic works: Sūrah al-Kawthar – this … Read more

Introduction G.E.M. Anscombe once decried, in a seminal piece titled Modern Moral Philosophy, the adoption of a consequentialist form of ethics by many philosophers. This view considered the moral status of an act to be determined solely by its consequences. The piece, based on the famous interpretation of it, appeared to call for a revival … Read more

Sūrat al-Inshirāḥ: An Introductory Exegesis of the Meanings and Messages Contained Within By Shaykh Haidar Hobbollah Translated by Ali Jabbar Download PDF General Introduction Before entering our humble series of lessons on exegesis, and before embarking on exegesis of Sūrat Al-Inshirāḥ, it is necessary to draw attention to two foundational topics: 1) Why do exegesis … Read more

By Ali Jabbar, ed. Ali Imran This is a transcript of a commentary on Sūrah al-Masad given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over four lessons. The transcripts will be split into two posts. Click to read part 1. — Some have argued that Abū Lahab was stingy and would not spend on his wife, so she … Read more

By Ali Jabbar ed. Ali Imran This is a transcript of a commentary on Sūrah al-Masad given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over four lessons. The transcripts will be split into two posts – this is part one. Click to read part two. Introductory Points The chapter has been referred to as: Al-Lahab by a number … Read more

This is a transcript of a commentary on Sūrah al-Kāfirūn given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over five lessons. Due to their length, I have split the posts into two parts. This second part consists of commentary on verses 2 to 6. To read part 1 click here. Verse 2-5 – Lā A’bud Mā Ta’budūn, Wa … Read more

This is a transcript of a commentary on Sūrah al-Kāfirūn given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over five lessons. Due to their length, I have split the posts into two parts (click here for part two). This first part consists of a discussion on the word qul in the Qurān and a commentary of the first … Read more

This is a transcript of a commentary on Sūrah al-Nās given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over three lessons. Names, Merits and Reasons for Revelation Sūrah al-Nās is the last chapter of the Qurān and there have been five names mentioned for it: Al-Nās – this is what is written in the codices and is famous. … Read more

This is a transcript of a brief commentary on Sūrah al-Takāthur given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah over two lessons. Names & Merits of the Chapter Sūrah al-Takāthur is the 102nd chapter of the Qurān and it has been referred to by five different names: Al-Takāthur Sūrah allatī dhukira fīhā al-takāthur – this is how Sharīf … Read more

The following is an abridged translation of an article written by Shaykh Ḥaider Ḥobollah on 23rd of April, 2012. The complete Arabic version can be read here. — Many words in any given language change in their meanings over the course of time. On other occasions, meanings may not change, but connotations can change depending … Read more

This post is taken from the Light of the Furqan blog. The following is based on a talk I gave at UTSC on March 8th 2018. The talk was entitled, “Approaching the Quran”. Every verse of the Quran can serve as an index to centuries of discussion amongst exegetes. All these discussions occur between various … Read more

Originally posted on the Light of the Furqān blog. In a previous post I introduced “Al-Itqān fī ‘Ulūm al-Qurān” by al-Suyūṭī. I have recently been reading through some chapters of the book and have found many interesting discussions. What follows is a summary of al-Suyūṭī’s discussion on Meccan and Medinan chapters. Importance of Knowing the … Read more

Originally posted on the Light of the Furqan Blog الرحمن على العرش استوى The All-beneficent, settled on the Throne1 I was recently writing an article about the word “al-raḥmān”, particularly focusing on its philological background amongst other discussions. While doing so, I came across a verse that was the source of some interesting philological discussions. … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في تفسير علي بن إبراهيم وفى رواية أبى الجارود عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام في قوله عز وجل انما يريد الله ليذهب عنكم الرجس أهل البيت ويطهركم تطهيرا قال: نزلت هذه الآية في رسول الله وعلي بن أبي طالب وفاطمة والحسن والحسين صلوات الله عليهم، وذلك … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn  في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من قرأ في  فرايضه ألم تر كيف فعل ربك شهد له يوم القيامة كل سهل وجبل ومدر بأنه كان من المصلين، وينادى له يوم القيامة مناد: صدقتم على عبدي قبلت شهادتكم له وعليه، أدخلوه الجنة … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من أكثر قراءة ” والشمس، والليل إذا يغشى، والضحى، وألم نشرح ” في يوم أو ليلة لم يبق شئ بحضرته الا شهد له يوم القيامة حتى شعره وبشره ولحمه ودمه وعروقه و عصبة وعظامه، … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من قرء ” انا أعطيناك الكوثر ” في فرايضه ونوافله سقاه الله من الكوثر يوم القيامة، وكان محدثه عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله في أصل طوبى In Thawab al-A`mal: By its isnad from Abu … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال من أكثر قراءة لايلاف قريش بعثه الله يوم القيامة على مركب من مراكب الجنة حتى يقعد على موائد النور يوم القيامة In Kitab Thawab al-A`mal: By its isnad to Abu `Abdillah عليه السلام. He said: Whomever … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في مجمع البيان روى جعفر بن محمد عن أبيه عن آبائه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وآله لما أراد الله عز وجل ان ينزل فاتحة الكتاب وآية الكرسي وشهد الله و ” قل اللهم مالك الملك ” إلى قوله ” بغير حساب ” تعلقن بالعرش وليس … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من مضى به يوم واحد فصلى فيه خمس صلوات ولم يقرء بقل هو الله أحد قيل له: يا عبد الله لست من المصلين In Thawab al-A`mal: By its isnad from Abu `Abdillah عليه السلام. … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده إلى أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من قرأ سورة يوسف في كل يوم وفي كل ليلة بعثه الله يوم القيمة وجماله على جمال يوسف، ولا يصيبه فزع يوم القيمة، وكان من اخيار عباد الله الصالحين، وقال: كانت في التوراة مكتوبة … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: من أوتر بالمعوذتين وقل هو الله أحد قيل له: يا عبد الله ابشر فقد قبل الله وترك In Thawab al-A`mal by its isnad to Abu Ja`far عليه السلام. He said: Whoever performs the witr with … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn  في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام من قرأ: ” قل يا أيها الكافرون، وقل هو الله أحد ” في فريضة من الفرائض غفر الله له ولوالديه وما ولد وإن كان شقيا محى من ديوان الأشقياء، وأثبت في ديوان السعداء; وأحياه الله … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من قرأ ” إذا جاء نصر الله والفتح ” في نافلة أو فريضة نصره الله على جميع أعدائه وجاء يوم القيامة ومعه كتاب ينطق، قد أخرجه الله من جوف قبره، فيه أمان من جسر … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده إلى علي بن شجرة عن بعض أصحاب أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: إذا قرأتم ” تبت يدا أبى لهب وتب ” فادعوا على أبى لهب فإنه كان من المكذبين الذين يكذبون النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وبما جاء به من … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: من أوتر بالمعوذتين وقل هو الله أحد قيل له: يا عبد الله ابشر فقد قبل الله وترك In Thawab al-A`mal by its isnad to Abu Ja`far عليه السلام. He said: Whoever performs the witr with … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: اقرؤوا سورة الفجر في فرائضكم ونوافلكم، فإنها سورة للحسين بن علي عليهما السلام، من قرءها كان مع الحسين عليه السلام يوم القيامة في درجته من الجنة ان الله عزيز حكيم In Thawab al-A`mal: By … Read more

Return to Table of Contents for Tafsir Noor al-Thaqalayn في كتاب ثواب الأعمال باسناده عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من قرأ و العصر في نوافله بعثه الله يوم القيامة مشرقا وجهه، ضاحكا سنه قريرا عينه حتى يدخل الجنة In Kitab Thawab al-A`mal: By its isnad from Abu `Abdillah عليه السلام. He said: Whomever … Read more

  In the previous term, I had the opportunity to spend some time on focused exegetical discussions on sūrat al-Tawḥīd with some colleagues. We covered many different aspects of sūrat al-Tawḥīd, but one aspect that I found to be the most interesting was the grammatical discussion surrounding the first verse. The following is an attempt … Read more

By Aswad Anwar The following is a summary along with some added sources of a class I attended on introducing a method to investigate the meanings of words (Fiqh al-Lughat). The class can be summarized in one general rule, When attempting to understand a word, particularly within the Qurān, one must not pay attention to any … Read more

This is a guest post that has been taken from the Light of the Furqan blog. ص و القرآن ذي الذكر By the Qur’an bearing the Reminder1 This post is the sixth in a series of summaries of Ayatollah Hādī Ma’rifat’s book entitled, Amūzish Ulūm Qurānī (Learning the Qurānic Sciences). For an introduction to Ayatollah Hādī Ma’rifat and his works, click … Read more

We were discussing whether Surah al-Falaq & al-Naas are part of the Qur’an, and we went over what is attributed to Abdullah bin Mas’ud. We also mentioned three opinions towards this attribution amongst scholars, namely those who accept this attribution without any justification, those who completely deny Ibn Mas’ud to have held such a view, … Read more

In the previous lesson we covered the name of this chapter, its merits, whether it is Makki or Madani chapter, and briefly looked at the circumstances of its revelation. Today’s discussion will be on whether al-Mu’awwidhataan (Surah al-Falaq & Naas) are part of the Qur’an or not. This issue has been discussed over the centuries … Read more

Shaykh Haider Hobbollah is a Lebanese scholar residing in Qom. He has been doing Tafsir sessions in Qom and many of his videos are online. This post are notes taken from lecture #1 of his Tafsir on Surah al-Falaq. Name of the Chapter This chapter of the Qur’an has been referred to in four different ways. … Read more

This is a guest post that has been taken from the Light of the Furqan blog. ن و القلم و ما يسطرون Nun. By the Pen and what they write1 The following is an abridged translation of Āyatullah Jawadī Āmulī’s discussion concerning the hurūf al-muqatt’āt, the disjointed letters which are found at the beginning of some chapters … Read more

This is a guest post that has been taken from the Light of the Furqan blog. انا انزلناه في ليلة القدر Indeed We sent it down on the Night of Ordainment1 This post is the fifth in a series of summaries of Ayatollah Haadi Ma’rifat’s book entitled, Amouzish Ulum Qurāni (Learning the Qurānic Sciences). For an introduction to Ayatollah … Read more

This is a guest post that has been taken from the Light of the Furqan blog. و كلمة الله هي العليا And the word of Allah is the highest1 This post is the fourth in a series of summaries of Ayatollah Haadi Ma’rifat’s book entitled, Amouzish Ulum Qurāni (Learning the Qurānic Sciences). For an introduction to Ayatollah Haadi … Read more

This is a guest post that has been taken from the Light of the Furqan blog. و ما ينطق عن الهوى ان هو الا وحي يوحى Nor does he speak out of [his own] desire, it is nothing except revelation that is revealed [to him] 1 This post is the third in a series of summaries of … Read more

This is a guest post that has been taken from the Light of the Furqan blog. اقرأ باسم ربك الذي خلق Read in the Name of your Lord who created[1] This post is the second in a series of summaries of Ayatollah Haadi Ma’rifat’s book entitled, Amouzish Ulum Qurāni (Learning the Qurānic Sciences). For an introduction to Ayatollah … Read more

This is a guest post that has been taken from the Light of the Furqan blog. This post is the first in a series of summaries of Ayatollah Haadi Ma’rifat’s book entitled, “Amouzish Ulum Qurāni” (Learning the Qurānic Sciences). For an introduction to Ayatollah Haadi Ma’rifat and his works, click here. In the first chapter of his book, … Read more

This is a guest post that has been taken from the Light of the Furqan blog. سبحانک لا علم لنا الا ما علمتنا Glory be to thee, We have no knowledge except for that which you have taught us[1] For a while now I have wanted to briefly introduce some of the different subjects that are … Read more

Below is a list of some of the most famous and well known Qurʼānic Exegeses (Tafāsīr) that have been written throughout history. The list has been compiled using a book titled An Introduction to the History of Tafsīr and Commentators of the Qurʼān by Ḥusayn ʿAlawī Mehr, translated into English by Shaykh Ḥamīd Waqār. The book … Read more