Ghara'ib al-Qur'an wa Ragha'ib al-Furqan ( ar, غرائب القرآن ورغائب الفرقان; )
or, named in brief, Ghara'ib al-Qur'an (), better known as Tafsir al-Nisaburi ( ar, تفسير النيسابوري), is a classical
(
exegesis
Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...
) of the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
, authored by the
Shafi'i-
Ash'ari scholar
Nizam al-Din al-Nisaburi
Nizam al-Din Hasan al-Nisaburi, whose full name was Nizam al-Din Hasan ibn Mohammad ibn Hossein Qumi Nishapuri (d. 1328/29) ( fa, نظام الدین حسن نیشاپوری) was a Persian Sunni Islamic Shafi'i, Ash'ari scholar, mathematician, ...
(died ; , who closely follows
al-Fakhr al-Razi's in many places.
It was the first commentary of the Qur'an in
Arabic written in
India. A handwritten copy of this commentary is available in the Library of the tomb of
Hadrat Peer Muhammad Shah Sahib in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...
.
This commentary took him about five years to finish.
Background
Nizam al-Din al-Nisaburi relied on several earlier sources for his interpretation, including the following:
* ''
Mafatih al-Ghayb
''Mafatih al-Ghayb'' (), usually known as ''al-Tafsir al-Kabir'' (), is a classical Islamic tafsir book, written by the twelfth-century Islamic theologian and philosopher Fakhruddin Razi (d.1210). The book is an exegesis and commentary on the ...
'' by
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, died ().
* ''
Al-Kashshaf
''Al-Kashshaaf 'an Haqa'iq at-Tanzil'', popularly known as ''Al-Kashshaaf'' ( ar, ٱلْكَشَّاف, al-Kaššāf, lit=the Revealer) is a seminal tafsir (commentary on the Qur'an) by Al-Zamakhshari written in the 12th century. Considered a pri ...
'' by
al-Zamakhshari
Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Umar al-Zamakhshari (; 1074 –1143) was a medieval Muslim scholar of Iranian descent. He travelled to Makkah and settled there for five years and has been known since then as Jar Allah ‘God's Neighbor’. He was a Mu't ...
, died (1144CE).
* ''Al-Wasīt fi Tafsir al-Qur'ān al-Majīd'' by
al-Wahidi al-Nisaburi, died (1075–1076CE).
Reception
According to
Muhammad Husayn al-Dhahabi, the tafsir was praised by ' (died ; ) in his book ''Rawdhat al-Jannat''.
About the author
He was a Persian
mathematician,
astronomer,
Faqīh (jurist),
Qur'an exegete,
poet, and was generally regarded as a
sage, that is, one attuned to
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
and
logic.
He was born in
Nisapur and was known as Nizam al-A'raj. The origin of his family and his clan is the city of
Qom
Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or "Qum") ( fa, قم ) is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census, its popul ...
. After completing his education he came to
India, settling there, most likely in
Daulatabad.
He wrote several books on
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
,
geography and
sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
. He wrote another commentary of the Qur'an in one volume known as . The exact year of his death is not known, but it was after . It is variably reported in available records as occurring in years from to .
See also
*
Tafsir al-Razi
*
Tafsir al-Baydawi
*
Tafsir al-Tabari
*
Tafsir Ibn Ajiba
*
List of tafsir works
*
List of Sunni books
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Tafsir al-Nisaburi- Altafsir.com
The Comprehensive Elucidation of the Interpretation of the Qurʼan-
World Digital Library
{{Authority control
Nisaburi
Sufi literature
Quranic exegesis
Nisaburi