Assalam ‘alaykum,

Mawlana Omar Salejee of Madrasah In’amiyyah, Camperdown, South Africa has pointed out a number of issues in Tasheel al-Nahw‘s 2nd online edition. May Allah reward him abundantly for his efforts. I have fixed these and updated the file. I am calling the new file “ver 2.1” because of the number of changes. I am also deleting the previous file from the website. From now on, only ver 2.1 will be available at this website.

Tasheel alNahw ver 2.1 updated

For those who have already printed out their copies of Tasheel al-Nahw, I am listing these issues below so that you can fix them manually.

1. Page 11, 10^th line from the top. The correct translation is: Twelve men came. (not ‘eleven’).
2. Page 11, the last example on the page. The word الأمين should have a hamzah qat’iyyah after the alif-laam.
3. Page 46, number 2.ii. The…

Sadly, Quranic studies in general, and tafsir in particular, are often the weakest parts of the curricula of Islamic schools, institutes and universities. What follows is a suggestion on how to study this noble science.

As with all disciplines in Islamic studies, they are interrelated as part of a holistic curriculum. Thus, to truly benefit from tafsir, one must also study related sciences, especially lugha, nahw, sarf, balaghah, usul al-fiqh, and sirah. So, as one completes the elementary stage, one should have also completed elementary study in these fields too. This is very important so as to not leave any gaps in one’s understanding.

Elementary

The objective at this stage is to study completely an abridged and easy tafsir that gives one a general understanding of the Quran. This is a vital stage as it introduces the science of tafsir to the beginner. It must be emphasised that the book one chooses…

This page is continuously updated as more editions become available (last update 21st May 2015) One familiar with the Arabic publishing world knows that editions of texts can vary considerably in their accuracy and quality. Read here: https://attahawi.com/2009/05/12/understanding-arabic-book-publications-an-enlightening-conversation-with-shaykh-husain-kadodia/ One thus needs to know the best available edition of each text. As a rule one generally avoids Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyah (DKI), Dar al-Fikr, and Dar Ihya Turath al-Arab unless they have the only edition available. The best publishers are generally:

• دار طيبة
• دار عالم الكتب
• مؤسسة الرسالة
• المكتب الاسلامي
• دار المنهاج
• دار ابن حزم

Good editors are rare, but if you find a book edited by any of the following then usually it will be one of the best, if not the the best, available:

• عبدالله التركي
• محمد عوامة
• بشار عواد
• عبدالفتاح أبو غدة
• شعيب الأرنؤوط
• الأعظمي
• محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي
• نظر الفاريابي
• طارق عوض الله
• عبدالكريم الخضير

Here are what we have managed…

1. Deeni Madaris: This is a collection of articles from conferences held in the past eighty years in India and delivered by both our ulama and educationalists. Very beneficial in learning the opinions of our elders on education. I mentioned this previously in a post but in passing.

2. Aap Beeti: Especially the second volume. Contains gems on learning and the ways of the elders.

3. Tuhfatul ‘Ulama by Hakim al-Ummat

4. Deeni Madaris Mein Ta’leem: Published by the Institute of Policy Studies Islamabad

5. Hamara Ta’leemi Nisab Kiya Ho? by Shaykh Salman Husayni Nadwi

6. Deeni Madaris Ki Mithali Khidmat: Mawlana Zahid Rashidi

8. A book on ta’lim by Allamah Yusuf Binnori. The name escapes me.

9. Hamara Taleemi Nisab: Mufti Taqi Usmani

10. Darse Nizami Kese Pharaya Jay: Mufti Taqi Usmani

What follows are my own suggestions for studying the furu’ of the Hanafi school, based on my own experiences and consulting with scholars. These works are studied after mastering the basics of ‘ibadathrough works such as Nur al-Idah by al-Shurunbulali (d.994) with its commentary, Maraqi al-Falah, by the same author.

Mukhtasar al-Quduri by al-Quduri (d.428)

This blessed text is usually the first one studied that covers the full spectrum of fiqh. In al-Sham, it is almost always studied alongside its commentary, al-Lubab, by Abd-al-Ghani al-Maydani, a student of Ibn Abidin. The benefit of this commentary is that it is late (post-Ibn ‘Abidin) and thus incorporates much of the refinement and tarjih of the later period. It is also very clear and easy to read, even without a teacher.

al-Mukhtar by al-Mawsuli (d.683)

This text is invariably studied with its commentary, al-Ikhtiyar li Ta’lil al-Mukhtar, by the same…