List of tafsir works

The following is a list of tafsir works. Tafsir is a body of commentary and explication, aimed at explaining the meanings of the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. Tafsir works can broadly be categorized by its affiliated Islamic schools and branches and the era it was published, classic or modern. Modern tafsirs listed here are the work of later than the 20th century.

Classic Arabic

Sunni

• There are at least 910 compilations of Ahadeeth and almost all the compilations contain a book on Qur'aanic Tafseer.
• Tafsir al-Tabari ("The Al-Tabari Interpretation") by Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (224–310 AH; 839–923 AD). Available online.
• Tafsir Ibn al-Mundhir by Ibn al-Mundhir (318 AH)
• Tafseer Al-Musnad (Tafseer Ibn Haatim) by Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Idris al-Razi (327 AH)
• Ahkam al-Qur'an ('The Commands of the Quran') by Al-Jaṣṣās (d. 370 AH/981 CE). Based on the legal rulings of the Hanafi school of Islamic law. This was published in three volumes and remains popular amongst the Hanafis of India, the Middle East and Turkey.
• Ta'weelatu-l-Ahli-Sunnah by Abu Mansur al-Maturidi - the author was a Sunni Hanafi jurist, theologian, and scriptural exegete from ninth-century Samarkand who became the eponymous codifier of one of the principal orthodox schools of Sunni theology, the Maturidi school, which became the dominant theological school for Sunni Muslims in Central Asia and later enjoyed a preeminent status as the school of choice for both the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire.
• Tafsir al-Thalabi by Ahmad ibn Muhammad Al-Tha`labi (died 427 AH/1035 CE). Also known as al-Tafsir al-Kabir ('The Great Commentary').
• Abu-l-Hasan 'Ali Ibn Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn 'Ali Al-Wahidi Ash-Shafi‘i An-Nishaburi, a student of Al-Tha`labi wrote 4 Tafseer of the Qur'an:

1. Asbaabu Nuzzoli-l-Qur'aan (The Causes of the Revelation of the Qur'aan)
2. Al-Wajeez fee Tafseeru-l-Kitaabi-l-'Azeez (1/2 Volumes)
3. Al-Waseet fee Tafseeru-l-Qur'aanu-mm-Majeedd (4 Volumes)
4. Al-Baseet (16/24 Volumes)

• An-Nukat wa-l-'Uyoon by Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Habib Al-Mawardi (Alboacen) (d. 450/1058) - the author was an Islamic jurist of the Shafi'i school.
• Ma'aalimu-t-Tanzeel by Hasan bin Mas'ud al-Baghawi (died 510 AH/1116 CE) also known widely as Tafsir al-Baghawi - A popular tafsir amongst Sunni Muslims, it relies heavily on the Tafsir of al-Tha'labi, whilst placing more emphasis on hadith.
• Al-Kashshaaf ('The Revealer') by Al-Zamakhshari (d. 539 AH/1144 CE). Al-Zamakhshari belonged to the Mu'tazili school of theology, but nevertheless this commentary has been popular among scholars down the years, and is usually printed along with Sunni commentaries, pointing out what they consider to be mistakes, made because of the author's Mu'tazili beliefs.
• Ahkam al-Qur'an by Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi (d.543 AH/1148 CE). The author is also known as 'Qadi ibn al-Arabi' (ibn Arabi, the judge) to distinguish him from the famous Sufi Ibn Arabi. He was a jurist from Andalusia (Muslim Spain) His interpretation has been published in three volumes and contains commentary on the legal rulings of the Qur'an according to the Maliki school.
• Al-Muharrar al-Wajiz Fī Tafsir al-Kitab al-Aziz ('The Concise Record of the Exegesis of the Noble Book'), commonly known as Tafsir ibn 'Atiyyah after its author, Ibn Atiyyah (d. 541 or 546AH), a Maliki judge from al-Andalus. This Qur'anic commentary is popular in North Africa.
• Zaadu-l-Maseer fee Ilmu-t-Tafseer by the Hanbali polymath Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597AH).
• Mafatih Al-Ghayb ("The Keys to Unseen") by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (1149-1209 CE/606 AH). also known as Tafsir al-Kabir ('The Great Exegesis')
• Tafseeru-l-Qur'aan Al-'Azeem by Izz al-Din ibn 'Abd al-Salam
• Al-Jami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an ("The collection of Qur'anic Injunctions") by al-Qurtubi (1214-1273 CE/671 AH) by the famous Maliki jurist of Cordoba, in Andalusia. This ten-volume tafsir is a commentary on the Qur'anic verses dealing with legal issues. Although the author was a Maliki, he also presents the legal opinions of other major schools of Islamic jurisprudence; thus it is popular with jurists from all of the schools of Islamic law. One volume of this tafsir has been translated into English by Aisha Bewley. Available online.
• Anwar al-Tanzil by Abdullah bin Umar al-Baidawi (d. 685 AH/1286 CE), also famous as Tafsir al-Baidawi - a shortened version of Al-Kashshaf, with Mu'tazili references altered; printed in two volumes. In Turkey it is often published with marginal notes by a Turkish scholar called 'al-Qunawi' in seven volumes.
• Al-Bahr al-Muhit by Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati (d. 745 AH/1344 CE) is a linguistic commentary on the Qur'an primarily from the standpoint of Arabic grammar and rhetoric.
• Tafsir ibn Kathir ("The Ibn Kathir Interpretation") by Ibn Kathir (1301-1373 CE/ 747 AH). A summary of the earlier interpretation by al-Tabari. Available online.
• Tafsir al-Jalalayn ('The Commentary of the Two Jalals') by Jalaluddin al-Mahalli (in 1459), and was subsequently completed, in the same style, by his student, the famous Shafi'i scholar Al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH/1505 CE), who completed it in 1505. This commentary is very popular with Muslims all over the world due to its simplicity. It has also been translated completely by Feras Hamza.
• Dur al-Manthur ('The Threaded Pearl Concerning Commentary Based on Traditions'), also by Al-Suyuti. This commentary, in Arabic, concentrates on the narratives that have been transmitted relating to each verse and subject in the Qur'an. It has been published in six volumes.
• Irshad al 'Aql as-Saleem ilaa Mazaya al-Qur'an al-Kareem by Ebussuud Efendi Al-'Imaadi Al-Hanafi (d.951 AH/1505 CE). Also known as Tafsir Abi Sa'ud.
• Tafseer Mullah Ali al-Qari, 1004AH, 5 Volumes, published by Daaru-l-Kutoob Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon.
• Tafsir al-Mazhari by Qadi Thanaullah Panipati Usmani Mujaddidi Ann-Naqshibandiyah
• Ruh al-Ma'ani ('The Spirit of Meanings on the Exegesis of the Sublime Qur'an) by Mahmud Alusi al-Hanafi (d.1270 AH/1854 CE).
• Mushkilaatu-l-Qur'aan by Sayyid Muhammad Anwar Shah Kashmiri, edited with references and one of the introductions by Mawlana Ahmad Bijnuri, and another introduction by the author's favourite student Mawlana Sayyid Muhammad Yoosuf Binnori. The book predominantly in Arabic but passages in the Farsi language also appears throughout the work. The main objective for undertaking to write this work was to interpret only those verses of the Holy Qur'an which are generally considered to be difficult to understand. A special feature of this particular work is that the author has, in addition, set aside 190 verses that, in his opinion, required further discussion and repeated consideration. Published posthumously in Maligaon, Surat, Gujrat, India, by Majlis al- 'Ilmi in 1974.

Sufi

• Ruh al-Bayan by Ismail Hakki Bursevi (1653-1725 CE). A ten-volume Arabic work by the founder of the Hakkiyye Jelveti Sufi Order from Turkey.
• Al-Bahru-l-Madeed fee Tafseeru-l-Qur'aanu-mm-Majeed ('The Immense Ocean') by Ahmad ibn Ajiba (1747-1809 CE), generally known as Tafsir ibn Ajibah - an 6/8 volume work by a Moroccan Sheikh of the Darqarwi branch of the Shadhili Order of Sufism.

Other schools and branches

• Tanwir al-Miqbas ("Tafsir Ibn Abbas") falsely attributed to Abd Allah ibn Abbas (d. 68/687)
• Tafsir Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq by Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (A.S) (83-148AH).
• Tafsir al Kabir ("The Great Interpretation") by Muqatil ibn Sulayman (80-150AH). The first "full tafsir" attributed to Muqatil ibn Sulayman ibn Bashir al Balkhi.
• Tafsir Qomi by Ali ibn Ibrahim Qummi
• Ma'ani al-Qur'an ("The Meaning of The Qur'an") by Yahya ibn Ziyad al-Farra (207AH).
• Nukat al-Qur'an al-Dallah ala al-Bayan by Al-Qassab (d. 360AH/970CE) a commentary primarily from the viewpoint of applied Islamic law.
• Tafsir Furat Kufi (9th-10th Century CE) by Furat Ibn Furat Ibn Ibrahim al-Kufi.
• Bayan al-Sa‘ada (19th century) by Sufi Sultan Alishah.

Modern Tafsīrs

• Tafsir al-Mizan by Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei (1904-1981). By Allama Tabataba'I, explanation of Quranic verses with the help of other relevant verses. English version is available as well.
• Tafsir E Ashrafi by Shaykh al-Islām Sayad Muhammad Madani Ashrafi Jilani has written a 10 volume Tafsir and its received acclaim by all leading scholars to be the best Urdu Tafsir of this time. It has been specifically been praised for being easy to understand, simple yet effective at the same time.
• Tafsir al-Manar by Rashid Rida (1865-1935). 12 volumes of tafsir written in concise and straightforward languages that is accessible to both mufassir and non-mufassir alike. It served as his avenue for propagating his thoughts on Islamic Modernism.
• Tafhim-ul-Quran by Abul A'la Maududi; 06 volumes of tafsir written in 30 years. Available online.
• Fi Zilal al-Quran ('In the Shade of the Quran') by Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966). Many praise it as a modern commentary, but at the same time, many critics including some Sunni scholars say that Qutb had little Islamic knowledge, and wrote his commentary according to his own opinion. It has also been attacked for not following the style of classical commentaries.
• Tafsir ('A Thematic Commentary on the Qur'an') by Mohammed al-Ghazali (1917–1996), a contemporary Egyptian scholar not to be confused with Imam al-Ghazali. This commentary tries to explore the themes that weave through the entire Qur'an as well as the main theme of each chapter.
• Risale-i Nur by Said Nursî (1878-1960) written mainly in Turkish, is a large work, with four main volumes. It consists of extensive exegesis of certain verses and explanation of the fundamentals of how to approach the Qur'an. It especially explains the verses that 21st Century people need most. In other words, it studies the verses about the six articles of belief of Islam such as believing in God and the day of judgment. It also gives logical answers to the questions asked by Atheists. This work is written in a more accessible style to the general public and is translated into 52 languages.
• Tafsir Al-shaarawi by Muhammad Metwali Alsharawi (1911–1998), a famous Egyptian scholar.
• Tafsir Shobar (19th century) by Seyyed Abdullah Alavi Hosseini Mosavi.
• Tafsir al-Tahrir wa'l-Tanwir (1984) by Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur. Notable of its emphasis on the rhetorical aspect of the Qur'an.
• Al-tafser al-waset by Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy (28 October 1928 – 10 March 2010), Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.

Tafsirs written in languages other than Arabic

Bengali

Sunni

• Tafsir Ibn Kathir translated by Dr. Mujeebur-Rahman.
• Maariful Quran by Muhammad Shafi Usmani. Translated from Urdu to Bengali by Mawlana Muhyu-d-Deen Khan. Fully available online. Best to read after reading 'Uloomu-l-Qur'aan by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani

Others

• Tafheemul Quran by Abul A'la Maududi. Translated from Urdu by Abdul Mannan Talib. Available online.
• Tafsirul Quran by Hazrat Allamah Delwar Hossain Sayeedi. Available online
• Tafsirul Quran by Dr. Muhammad Asadullah Al-Ghalib

English

Sunni

• Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Exegesis of the Grand Holy Qur'an (4 volumes) by Abu-l-Fidaa' 'Imaadu-d-Deen Isma'eel Ibn 'Umar Ibn Kathir Al-Quraishi Ash-Shafi'i Al-Ash'ari Al-Busrawee Ad-Dimashqi. The unabridged translation was done by Dr. Muhammad Mahdee Ash-Shareef and published by Daaru-l-Kutub 'Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon in 2006.
• The Meanings of the Noble Qur'an (2 Volumes) by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (written in English by the author himself). Single volume editions are also available.
• Qur'aan Made Easy by 'Allamah Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias, Mawlana Ismaeel Ibrahim, and Ismaeel Khathrada.
• Tafseer-e-Usmani by Shaikhu-l-Hind Mahmud al-Hasan Deobandi and 'Allamah Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, Translated by Mawlana Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmad.
• Maariful Quran by Muhammad Shafi Usmani. Translated from Urdu to English. Fully available online. Best to read after reading An Approach to the Qur'anic Sciences by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani
• Illuminating Discourses on the Noble Qur'an by Mufti Muhammad Ashiq Ilahi Madani
• Qur'an with English Translation by Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi
• Israr-ut-Tanzeel by Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan.

Others

• Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an (1999) by Darussalam (first published 1977) is translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan and the Moroccan [Salafi] scholar] Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali. This translation is among the most widely read translations in the world, especially by the Salafi people.
• The Study Qur'an - authored by an editorial collective led by noted Islamic philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr, published in 2015 by HarperCollins. This work seeks to highlight the depth and diversity of interpretations that exist within traditional Islam, drawing on 40 major classical commentaries from a wide range of orientations, including both Sunni and Shi'a viewpoints, the Maturidi, Ashari, Mutazili and Athari schools of Islamic theology, as well as Sufi interpretations; but excluding modern reformist and fundamentalist views. Has been hailed by academics as "an unparalleled reference work" in the field of Islamic studies.
• The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary (1937) by British-Indian Dawoodi Bohra Shia scholar Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Ali undertook this work at a time when the Qur'an had yet never been properly presented in English from a Muslim perspective and only non-Muslim translations were available, which were sometimes overly unsympathetic. It has become one of the most widely used English editions of the Qur'an due to the quality of the translation and its use of extensive footnotes. In the 1980s, the book has been appropriated by the Saudi religious establishment and edited to better fit the country's Wahhabi/Salafist perspective. This latter version is today widely distributed as the "Amana Edition".
• The Message of the Qur'an by Muhammad Asad, 1980. T
• Tafhim-ul-Quran by Abul A'la Maududi.

Bahasa Indonesia

• Tafsir Al Azhar by Hamka.
• Tafsir Al-Mishbah by Quraish Shihab

Malay

• Tafsir At Tibyan by Abdul Hadi Awang

Persian

Sunni

• Tafsir-e Tabari: a 10th-century translation of the Tafsir al-Tabari in Persian
• Tafsir-e Nasafi: an 11th-century translation and tafsir by Abu Hafs Umar an-Nasafi
• Fat-hur Rahman: an 18th-century Tafseer in Persian by Shah Waliullah Dehlawi
• Tafsir-e Azizi: an 18th-century Tafseer in Persian by Al-Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz Dihlawi, son of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi. (A large part of this Tafseer was lost on 1847 CE along with the commentary on Sunan Abu Dawood.)
• Mushkilaatu-l-Qur'aan by Sayyid Muhammad Anwar Shah Kashmiri, edited with references and one of the introductions by Mawlana Ahmad Bijnuri, and another introduction by the author's favourite student Mawlana Sayyid Muhammad Yoosuf Binnori. This partial commentary is predominantly in Arabic but passages in the Persian language also appears throughout the work. The main objective for undertaking to write this work was to interpret only those verses of the Holy Qur'an which are generally considered to be difficult to understand. A special feature of this particular work is that the author has, in addition, set aside 190 verses that, in his opinion, required further discussion and repeated consideration. Published posthumously in Maligaon, Surat, Gujrat, India, by Majlis al- 'Ilmi in 1974.

Other schools and branches

• Kashf al-Asrar wa 'Iddat al-Abrar: an 11th century tafsir by a student of Abdullah al-Ansari
• Tafsir Nemooneh by Naser Makarem Shirazi
• Tasneem Tafsir by Abdollah Javadi-Amoli
• Tafsir Noor by contemporary scholar Mohsen Qara'ati
• Tafsir Meshkat by contemporary scholar Mohammadali Ansari
• Tarjomane Foraghan by Mohammad Sadeqi Tehrani
• Tafsir al-Mizan by Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei. Translated from Arabic to Persian by Translated from Urdu to English
• Partoie Az Qur'an by Mahmoud Taleghani
• Tafsir Rahnama (1976–present) by Akbar H. Rafsanjani

Sindhi

• Tafsir Al-Maqam Al-Mahmud by Ubaidullah Sindhi.
• Tafsir Surah Saba by Ghulam Mustafa Qasmi.
• Ahsan Ul Bayan by Allama Muhammad Idrees Dahiri in 9 volumes.

Urdu

Sunni

• Bayan ul Quran by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi.
• Sabbqu-l-Ghawyaat fee Nasqi-l-Aayaat by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi.
• Ahkam Al-Qur'an (5 Volumes by 'Allamah Mawlana Zafar Ahmad Usmani - (from Al-Baqarah to An-Nisa), Mawlana Mufti Jameel Ahmad Thanawi - (from Yoonus to An-Nahl), Mawlana Mufti Muhammad Shafi - (from Ash-Shu'ara to Al-Hujurat), and Mawlana Muhammad Idris Kandhlawi - (from Qawf to An-Naas) under the instruction of Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi)) - a collection of the Laws of the Shari‘ah derived from the Noble Qur'an. Unfortunately, two of its sections are unfinished: (from the start of Surah Ma’idah to the end of Surah Tawbah and from Surah Bani Isra’il to the end of Surah Furqan).
• Ashrafu-t-Tafaseer by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi and Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani.
• Khulaasawtu-l-Bayaan Mawlana Muhammad 'Isa Allahabadi.
• Maariful Quran by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Uthmani.
• Maariful Quran by Allama Muhammad Idris Kandhlawi.
• Anwarul Bayan by Mufti Muhammad Ashiq Ilahi Madani.
• Tafseer-e-Jawaahir-e-'Azeezee (Translation of Fat'hu-l-'Azeezee) by Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddith Dehlawi
• Ma'aalimu-l-'Irfaan fee Duroosi-l-Qur'aan by Soofee 'Abdul Hamid Khan Sawati
• Dhakheeratu-l-Janaan fee Fahmi-l-Qur'aan by Abu Az-Zahid Sarfaraaz Khan Safdar
• Tafseer e Quran by Allamah Ubaidullah Sindhi
• Tafseer i Mehmood by Imam-i-Inqilab Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi
• Tafsir e Mazhari by Qadi Thanaullah Panipati Usmani Mujaddidi Ann-Naqshibandiyah
• Tafsir e Usmani by Shaikhu-l-Hind Mawlana Mahmud al-Hasan Deobandi and 'Allamah Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani.
• Akramu-t-Tafaseer by Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan
• Asraaru-t-Tanzeel by Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan

Other schools and branches

• Al Kauthar fi Tafsir Al Quran by Mohsin Ali Najafi
• Khazaain ul Irfan by Maulana Naeem-ud-Deen Muradabadi
• Tafhim-ul-Quran by Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi
• Tafsir Urwa-Tul-Wusqa 8 volumes. Also translated into English ("Towards Understanding the Qur'an"), and Malayalam.

• Sirat ul-Jinaan fi Tafseer il-Quran (Way to heaven) by Mufti Qasim Al-Qadri

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Turkish

• Risale-i Nur Külliyatı by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi. Published in 13 volumes, it remains one of the most popular commentaries in Turkish.
• Elmalılı Tefsir by Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır. Published in 10 volumes, it remains one of the most popular commentaries in Turkish.

See also

• Qur'an
• Tafsir
• List of Islamic texts
• "English Tafseer".

External links

• "English Tafseer".
• "Classic Sunni Commentaries recommended by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani".
• "More Classic Sunni Commentaries".