تفسير سورة الفاتحة و البقرة – الجلالين

(In Arabic) with Ustadh Samer Jaber

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم: وفضلُ كلامِ اللهِ على سائرِ الكلامِ كفضلِ اللهِ على خلقِه

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “The superiority of the speech of Allah compared to all other speech is like the superiority of Allah over His creation.”

Let us now delve deeply and understand the beautiful speech of Allah.

This is a beginners course on Tafsir that will be taught and studied entirely in Arabic. This course is the first in a series on tafsir based on the indispensable work and contribution to tafsir: Al Jalalayn. Tafsīr al-Jalālayn is a classical Sunni tafsir of the Qur’an, composed first by Jalal ad-Din al-Maḥalli in 1459 and then completed by his student Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti in 1505, thus its name, which means “Tafsir of the two Jalals”. It is hoped that after the success of this course, subsequent courses will be offered to cover the remainder of the Quran based on the reading of this text. While the content of the tafsir topics will be introductory, the ability of the student in Arabic must be intermediate or higher in order to understand the readings.

Course Overview

• Language of Study: A tafsir course taught and studied completely in the Arabic language.
• Read Along: A detailed reading of the text with your instructor to uncover each interpretation of the author,  for example, whether they confirmed or went against the majority viewpoints on each matter.
• The Study of the Quran – Makki vs. Madani Surahs; the Disjointed letters (huruf muqatta’a); tafsir vs. ta’wil  (esoteric vs. conventional commentary), ma’thur vs. ra’y (Explanations from Prophetic and early sources vs. the ijtihad of later scholars).
• The Study of Quranic Ordering – Why does this surah come first in the Quran? Why does this ayah come after that one?
• Asbab An-Nuzul: The reasons for revelation. What were the circumstances of the sira at the time that necessitated Divine intervention?

About the Course

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ ‏”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” (Related by Uthman; Sahih Bukhari) The study of the tafsir of the Quran is a means towards joining the ranks of those that the Prophet describes in the hadith above, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. This course, taught in Arabic, will be an introductory study of the science of tafsir. What are the main features of the study of the Quran/Tafsir? What are the original works of tafsir? Are there modern works? Do some of these works approach the field of study from different angles? Why do we hear so much about the 10 different recitations? How did they come about and what do they mean?  What is i‘jaz of the Quran? In this course, Sheikh Samer Jaber seeks to establish an introduction to the key elements of the science of tafsir. Through a detailed side-by-side reading of the text Al Jalalayn, students will extract the many components of the i‘lm of the Quran; the different types of surahs; methods of interpretation; disjointed letters; original vs. modern sources. How do the sciences of aqida, fiqh, balagha, hadith, and others intersect with the works of tafsir? Discover how stories are used in the Quran, and how some of these tellings have crept in from non-Islamic sources, namely; Israelites. A detailed, follow-along reading and explanation of the celebrated work Al Jalalayn, by Jalal ad-Din al-Maḥalli and his student Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti.

Recommended Background

While an introductory course in tafsir, it will be taught entirely in Arabic and is therefore recommended for students who already have a footing in their religious studies, and have completed a number, if not all, of the foundations courses.