Ulum al Qur'an. Ahmad Von Denffer

Preface

      The Qur’ān, while being revealed, was a living event for those who heard it. It was a part of their lives; rather the life itself, and not merely a book. One hardly needs a whole lot of external aids to understand one’s own life. However, the words that were alive were also being written down; becoming the Book. Some loss is inevitable in such a process – the text no more remains as alive, as understandable, for all the subsequent hearers as for the first – yet there is no alternative to it. For without having been written down, the priceless treasure could not have been transferred from one generation to another. But a written text, over time, stands in need of more and more external aids to make itself clear. It was therefore natural and inevitable that various branches of knowledge centred around the Qur’ān should have arisen to help in understanding it.

      It was in the lifetime of the Prophet himself, blessings and peace be upon him, that the development of disciplines and branches of knowledge which were related to the understanding of the Qur’ān and considered necessary for this purpose – what we call the ‘ulūm al-qur’ān – began. The need to understand what the various words and texts correctly and fully meant was present from the very beginning; thus the rudiments of exegesis (tafsīr) and lexicon (mufradāt, gharā’ib, lugha) were laid. Gradually the range of questions became wider and wider. What was revealed when and where? On what occasion and under what circumstances? Were variant readings permissible; and, if permissible, what were those? Which verses superseded which? How was the Qur’ān arranged and how was it gathered? These are only some of the questions which were raised and answered. Around these answers developed the ‘ulūm al-qur’ān.

      Writing books was the hallmark of Islamic culture; the ‘ulūm al-qur’ān were no exception. Books on various aspects began to be compiled in the very first century of Hijra; for example, the first books on tafsīr are attributed to the Companions, Ubay ‘Ibn Ka‘b and ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Abbās, and to Sa‘īd Ibn Jubair (d. 93H); ‘Ikrima (d. I07H) wrote on the reasons and circumstances of revelation. By the end of the third century, a very large number of books appear to have been written, but none of them were comprehensive and all of them are not extant. The need of a systematic, comprehensive compilation must have been felt. The first such work is reported to have been written by Abū Bakr Muḥammad Ibn Khalaf (d. 309H) in 27 volumes, known as al-ḥādī fī ‘ulūm al-qur’ān, but the first extant book is that of Burhānuddīn Zarkashī (d. 794H), al-burhān fī ‘ulūm al-qur’ān. This was followed by Jalāluddīn Suyūṭī’s (d. 911H) al-itqān fī ‘ulūm al-qur’ān, based mostly on Zarkashī’s al-burhān. Suyūṭī’s al-itqān serves as a standard source book on the ‘ulūm al-qur’ān.

      However, there was no book in English language on this subject. Brother Ahmad Von Denffer has therefore rendered a great service by compiling the first English book, which fills a very serious and deeply felt gap. An average English reader, especially a student, who has no access to an Arabic text like al-itqān, had nothing to help him in understanding the Qur’ān. Ahmad’s book should now provide valuable assistance to him in his task.

      I believe that one can still absorb the message of the Qur’ān without any external aid, if one goes to it in an appropriate way. But to understand the meaning of all the verses without a knowledge of the ‘ulūm al-qur’ān would be well-nigh impossible. Hence the information provided by Ahmad Von Denffer should prove indispensible to anyone who cannot reach the Arabic sources. It is precise, brief, yet quite comprehensive.

      I am happy that the Islamic Foundation is publishing such a useful work. I pray to Allah subḥānahū wa ta‘ālā to accept our humble efforts and to grant us His mercy and forgiveness.

Foreword to the Second Edition

      This book, an introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’ān, was compiled more than a decade ago and since then it has run into two reprint editions. For some time it has been out of print. The book has received acclamation from many quarters and there was a need to bring out a revised edition, eliminating some of the printing mistakes and standardising the system of transliteration.

      In this new edition, therefore, we have tried to correct such mistakes, standardise the transliteration of Arabic and foreign words and have made a few necessary minor additions. Modern researches have been duly credited in a supplementary bibliography. I hope readers of ‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān will find the book of great value and will benefit immensely from the new bibliographical information.

      I am grateful to my colleagues, in particular Mokrane Guezzou, for going through the book and suggesting necessary alterations and corrections. May Allah accept this humble contribution of the Foundation and make it a source of reference for students of the Qur’ān.

Rabī‘ al-Awwal 1415	M. Manazir Ahsan
August 1994	Director General

Introduction

      The Qur’ān contains the revelations of Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, to mankind. It is the message from God to man and therefore of utmost importance to us. To properly grasp a message, one needs first of all to understand its contents exactly, and for this purpose one must study the Qur’ān deeply and in detail. In fact, some people do spend their whole lives studying the Qur’ān, reading and reflecting upon it and, as they grow and develop, both physically and spiritually, they discover for themselves new meanings and implications.

      Secondly, some special knowledge of the circumstances that surround the message is also necessary for fuller understanding of its meaning and implications. Although some part of this special knowledge can be derived from the Qur’an itself, there remain other areas of knowledge that can only be discovered by wider study and research.

      Muslims have, from earliest times, applied themselves not only to the message from Allah – the Qur’ān – but also to its setting and framework, and the preoccupation with these ultimately developed into the ‘sciences’ of or ‘knowledge’ about the Qur’ān, known as ‘‘ulūm al-qur’ān’.

      The proper approach to the Qur’ān, in my humble view, can be described in three stages. You must:

      • first, receive the message of the Qur’ān, by hearing or reading it;

      • second, understand the message of the Qur’ān by reflecting upon it and studying its meanings;

      • third, apply the message of the Qur’ān by ordering your personal life as well as the life of society according to its message.

      The branch of knowledge,

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