I warmly welcome you, esteemed gentlemen. I greatly appreciate the good explanations provided by Mr. A’rafi and Mr. Saeed [Javadi] regarding this noble book. Their explanations were useful. What needs to be said in introducing this book is what you gentlemen have already covered. There isn’t much more to add.
I would like to discuss just two or three points with you. One is about Ayatollah Javadi [Amoli], and another concerns the Tafsir Tasnim. A third point is about promoting the tafsir [exegesis] of the Quran — focusing on the Quranic exegesis itself in addition to the Quranic sciences — in the Islamic seminaries.
Regarding Ayatollah Javadi, I believe the seminary is truly indebted to him. He has accomplished a great task. It’s no small feat for someone to begin interpreting the Quran from a small starting point and maintain that commitment for 40 years. That is, if you think about it, you’ll realize it’s a tremendous effort to persevere in this endeavor, not grow weary of it, and not waver in the continuation of it. In fact, perhaps — I haven’t had the opportunity to look into this and confirm it myself — it’s likely that the respected exegete’s passion and enthusiasm for the verses have even increased over time. It’s probably that way. And the fact that a person finds joy in this pursuit of working on the Quran is incredibly valuable.
There had been a discussion with him about his work on this exegesis, and he himself was happy with it. He said that this is a [Tafsir] Al-Mizan for today. That was the term he used. He said this is an Al-Mizan, but it is an Al-Mizan suitable for today, for the present age. When you look at it, you find that this is indeed the case. So his work is truly valuable. Of course, his scholarly activities in the fields of the rational and transmitted sciences are significant and deserving of appreciation, but none of them in my opinion can compare to this detailed exegesis. To me, this work is more important and superior to his philosophical, mystical, and jurisprudential work.
May God reward him, prolong his life, and preserve the enthusiasm that has enabled him to continue this work for such a long time, God willing. He may want to revisit certain matters. It happens sometimes that a person reassesses their view on an issue, or they may add something to it. May this enthusiasm continue in him, God willing.
As for Tafsir Tasnim, I believe this exegesis is an honor for Shia Islam. I can truly describe it this way that it is an honor for Shia Islam. Exegesis, in that specific meaning that it has, has been carried out very well in this book. The verses have been clarified, and the strength of the author’s rational thinking has helped to uncover some of the subtle, delicate, elusive concepts in the verses. Of course, I haven’t had many opportunities to consult this exegesis myself, but I have done so occasionally. However, last night and today, I requested a volume of the tafsir so that I could browse through it and prepare myself. By chance, it was volume 40, which covers Surah Yusuf.
When one looks at it, we find that it is truly brimming with insightful content that one could easily overlook. Take, for instance, the explanation of what is a "dream." It speaks of its true nature and gives an analysis of its essence. This book follows the same approach that the late Mr. Tabatabaei took in Al-Mizan under the title of philosophical discussions or social discussions, for example. But here, it is done on the expansive scale of this remarkable exegesis. In other words, if the discussions that aren’t a part of the exegesis in this book were extracted and compiled — like the work done in relation to Al-Mizan — it would become an encyclopedia in itself. It would form a vast collection of knowledge that covers various subjects, which are prompted, for instance, by a single word in a verse.
To maximize its usefulness, I believe this exegesis needs a comprehensive technical index. I don’t know whether any work has been done in this regard or not. An exegesis needs to have an index. This exegesis needs a technical index so that both the topics can be listed and also so that the alphabetical order can be seen. This way, if someone wants to know what this exegesis says about a certain subject, for example, they can quickly find that topic and use it. Therefore, it is both an exegesis and an encyclopedia too in a sense. Thus, the Tafsir Tasnim is truly an honor for Shia Islam and the Islamic seminary, and we are grateful to God for its completion.
I have heard that some people complain about the length of this exegesis. It’s 80 volumes. They say it would be good to shorten or summarize it. In my opinion, this is neither possible nor permissible. Doing so would rob this exegesis of its core identity. An exegesis, particularly one that is this detailed, isn’t meant to be read cover-to-cover that some remark, "It’s 80 volumes. It’s too long. We can’t read it." It’s a reference book. When someone wants to understand a specific verse, a particular surah, or a certain topic, they refer to it. It makes no difference whether it’s 80 volumes, 100 volumes, or 180 volumes.
So, shortening the tafsir [isn’t permissible]. Now, I believe they told me today that there’s a plan to gather the brief summaries of the exegesis provided at the start of each verse. Well, that may be useful. But no, I don’t think we should lessen the name of Mr. Javadi-Amoli and the Tafsir Tasnim with such actions. Let the tafsir remain as it is in its current form. However, it does need an index. An index is essential. Without one, a tafsir won’t be used as much. Indexing is a must. This was about the Tafsir Tasnim.
As for the matter of tafsir [exegesis] of the Quran in the Islamic seminaries. The seminaries have truly not worked hard enough in this area. Over time, our various seminaries haven’t worked hard enough in this respect. It was the late Mr. Tabatabaei who undertook a monumental effort by initiating classes of tafsir, even though such a practice was uncommon at that time. This laid the foundation for sparking interest in the Quran, its concepts, and related topics within the seminary. He taught at the Hujjatiyyah School. I, unfortunately, didn’t have the opportunity to attend his lessons, but Mr. Javadi-Amoli was in the Hujjatiyyah School back then, and I believe he attended them.
A number of people attended his lessons, but it was a small class. Inside the mosque of the Hujjatiyyah School, perhaps 40 or 50 people, or possibly 30 or 40 people, would sit in his classes. But it was still an important starting point. Mr. Tabatabai (ra) initiated and laid the foundation for something big. Before him, there was nothing of this sort in the Qom seminary, and nothing at all in the Najaf seminary. In the Najaf seminary, as you know, the late Mr. Balaghi offered a small contribution, and a few other gentlemen had some minor contributions in this field. However, the level of work one would expect from a seminary dedicated to explaining the Islamic sciences is still far more than what our seminaries have accomplished.
What is the consequence of this? The consequence was that our distinguished renowned scholars often lacked familiarity with Quranic concepts. I knew a very good scholar during my youth. He was a knowledgeable man, a learned cleric, and a truly nice person. He told me: "When we were in Najaf, we were busy with our studies and discussions, occupied with our work — writing, speaking, exchanging ideas, debating, coming and going, and so on. When I came to Iran from Najaf, I happened to come across Tafsir Safi." He said, "I looked through Tafsir Safi and thought, wow, the content in this book is incredible!" Now, just think about how much content must be in Tafsir Safi that astounded a mujtahid, a scholar who had studied for years in Najaf. That’s the state our seminaries were in.
Before the Revolution, I was briefly involved in Quranic activities. I would tell the seminary students that the state of our seminary is such that from the moment we start with the phrase bedān ayyadakallāh [Know, may God assist you] until the time we receive our certification of ijtihad, throughout all these years, we might not even once feel the need to get up, take the Quran off the shelf, and look at it! In other words, our lessons have no connection to the Quran, except for the small number of Quranic verses that appear in literature books like Al-Mughni or Al-Suyuti and the like. Otherwise, neither in our jurisprudence, nor in our literature, nor in our principles of jurisprudence research do we ever feel the need to get up, pick up the Quran, and check it to see, for example, which verse might relate to this topic or what the Quran says about it! This is a shortcoming of the seminary [system].
Well, now things have started moving. He [Ayatollah A’rafi, head of Iran’s seminaries] mentioned that there are 200 tafsir [Quranic exegesis] lessons in the seminary! That’s great; it’s really wonderful. It’s good to hear. I didn’t know that there are currently 200 lessons on tafsir available in the Qom seminary. However, make sure that this reference to tafsir and these tafsir lessons become an established culture; it shouldn’t be seen as a deficiency. In other words, just as being a scholar in jurisprudence — or, at a later stage, a scholar in philosophy — is a point of pride, being a scholar in tafsir should also signify genuine scholarship, at least on par with a scholar in jurisprudence. That is how it should be.
Now, of course, since the system of human life depends on jurisprudence, one should speak of jurisprudence with a bit more reverence. However, take, for example, usul [the principles of Islamic jurisprudence], with all its length and detail, someone who is a scholar in this field is generally regarded with a certain level of respect within seminaries. However, does an individual who has mastered the tafsir of the Quran — understanding its verses, meanings, concepts, and indications — receive the same recognition and esteem in the eyes of the seminary community? This needs to be addressed.
The engagement of our Sunni brothers with the Quran is good, but they, too, have focused on marginal, less significant issues related to the Quran as much as, if not more than, their focus on tafsir. Consider how many books exist on "pausing and starting" rules in Quranic [recitation]! Or, for instance, consider the countless books on tajweed [rules of Quranic recitation] and similar topics! These are not the core issues of the Quran; its true essence lies in understanding the meaning of its noble verses. We have truly not worked hard enough in this area, particularly within the Shia community. Thankfully, today this effort has been revived. We’re grateful to God that during this period in time Tafsir Tasnim emerged, standing as a source of pride. It’s something we can hold up and present to the Islamic world, declaring, "This is what we have."
One of the things that needs to be done is to is translate this tafsir into Arabic, which is truly essential. Now, there was a reason why the original work was written in Farsi and there’s no problem with that. It’s fine. However, the Islamic world today is more familiar with Arabic, and it’s unreasonable for us to have a valuable book and expect the Islamic world to understand, know, and recognize it if it’s not available in Arabic; that is an unfair expectation. I believe a group of native Arabic speakers whose mother tongue is and are proficient in Arabic literature should sit down and gradually translate this book if it hasn’t already been done. (An audience member mentions that 30 volumes of Tafsir Tasnim have already been translated into Arabic so far). Very well. Yes, this is something that needs to be done. If the translation is done well — that is, the language is suitable for an Arabic audience and includes certain important psychological nuances — the tafsir will spread quickly. In other words, it will gain popularity rapidly in Arabic-speaking seminaries. There are also certain intellectuals [who would benefit from it].
The late Sheikh Hadi al-Fadli (ra), a scholar from Saudi Arabia, told me that nowadays in the universities of Hijaz, there are prominent professors purchasing and reading Shia jurisprudential books — the very ones that have been published. He was thankful that these works had been studied, revised, and printed. Because, for example, no one would be inclined to open the last volume of Riyad al-Masa’il in its old form, but when Riyad is published in this new format, or when Jawahir al-Kalam is presented in this [revised] way, naturally, they become interested. He said that he’s become interested and has even developed a belief in Shia Islam. The late Mr. al-Fadli taught at a university himself and noted that the prominent Sunni scholars in the places where he lectured — such as the universities in the Eastern Province and beyond — were all captivated. This book will be like that as well. If a good translation is done and it reaches their hands, they’ll hold onto it. It will be passed around and, God willing, spread across the Islamic world.
I thank Almighty God for bestowing success upon Mr. Javadi-Amoli (may his blessings continue), allowing him to accomplish this task. I thank Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli for undertaking this endeavor. I thank you all who supported this project, conducted research, and made contributions. May you all, God willing, be rewarded in this world and the hereafter. Please send my regards and thanks to him as well.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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