The encyclopedic approach in Tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis), according to djaber al-Djazairi. The easiest interpretations of the speech of the Great Most High—and in the margin, the River of Good on the easiest interpretations.

Abstract

The book’s title is presented in detail as a principal title, ‘The Simplest Exegesis of the Words of the Most High’, and as a secondary title, ‘The River of Goodness upon the Simplest Exegesis’. 

What drew my attention to the interpreter’s method was his treatment of the marginal notes, which function as rich, varied and deep encyclopaedic references through careful and sincere research into the following aspects: 

- Examining jurisprudential issues in acts of worship and transactions by clarifying the integration of Qur’anic exegesis with the prophetic hadith, since ‘he speaks not from inclination; it is only revelation sent down’. 

Studying lexicographical derivations within the sciences of the Arabic language by explaining the entrances of linguistic derivation and the extent to which the interpreter invests in these derivations when resorting to methods of interpreting Qur’anic verses, with the aim of grasping the internal and external dimensions of meaning. 

- Assessing rhetorical derivations and the aartistic and applied streams they carry, which bring the paths of understanding closer and provide an easy avenue for linking teachings and rulings to conduct and actions. Thus, the Qur’an becomes a functional school of life, before and after death. 

In this research paper, I will focus on the marginal notes in the exegesis through analysis, drawing on examples adopted by the scholar-interpreter Djaber al-Djazairi and examining this encyclopaedic reference.