Al-Wajiz fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Aziz (book)
 Bibliographical Information | |
| Author | Ali b. Husayn al-'Amili |
|---|---|
| Original title | الوَجیز فی تَفسیر القُرآن العَزیز |
| Language | Arabic |
| Series | 3 volumes |
| Subject | exegesis of Qur'an |
| Published | 1413 AH/1992-3 |
| Publisher | Dar al-Qur'an al-Karim |
Al-Wajiz fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Aziz (Arabic: الوَجیز فی تَفسیر القُرآن العَزیز) is a literary commentary of the Qur'an in Arabic written by Ali b. Husayn al-'Amili, who was a Shi'a scholar of 17th and 18th centuries. The author's method in interpretation is based on concision and mentioning messages of the Qur'an in most eloquent expressions. Al-Wajiz was written in 1118/1706-7 and was published in three volumes.
Goal of the Exegete
In his brief introduction, the exegete wrote about his goal that, "I always wished to write a commentary on the Qur'an which mentions some of the teachings of the Qur'an, since exegesis of the Qur'an is among the most noble sciences and superior religious teachings regarding subject and reveals the lights of the Qur'an, by which many of the truths about sciences and important details of different arts are disclosed. Thus, I sought help from divine grace and blessings and regardless of many occupations began writing it."
Author's Method
At the beginning of the commentary, the author has given a brief introduction with an extensive speech on his goal of writing and his exegetical method. Then, he goes through the verses, one by one in sentence by sentence approach and under each sentence and speech, briefly mentions the interpretations and exegetical aspects. There, he also speaks about diacritics of the words, the seven recitations, opinions of other exegetes and some related discussions in jurisprudence.
Features
Al-Wajiz has some features, 'Abd al-Razzaq Muhy al-Din (among the grandchildren of the exegete) mentions some of them in his introduction:
- The exegete's understanding of the verses of the Qur'an is a literary understanding makes his work distinguished from many other commentaries.
- The exegete has mentioned different opinions of other exegetes accurately, in an unprejudiced manner and without prioritizing one opinion over others and then mentions his own opinion in a relaxed manner.
- The author neither extends a discussion so long, nor shortens it excessively, but tried to explain issues in an appropriate length and thus has dealt with recitations, occasion of revelation, lexical analysis, syntax analysis, rhetoric, rulings in jurisprudence, theological issues, historical events, etc. equally; and undoubtedly, not all people have such a power in writing. This manner of speech suggests that the exegete was competent in Arabic language studies and Islamic discussions which made him powerful in writing.
In the viewpoint of the author, concision was not in thoughts and discussions, but in conveyance of messages; meaning that the concision of his work is in such a manner that if the explanation of discussions is looked for in other books, nothing more than what is mentioned in this work will be achieved.
Versions and Prints
This book has different versions; including the version available in the library of Ayatullah Mar'ashi Najafi written in 1120 AH/1708-9, which is complete and has glosses by the author as well. Publication of this commentary was the result of a joint effort of two Shi'a marja' (Sayyid Muhsin Hakim and Sayyid Muhammad Reza Golpayegani) made in 1413 AH/1992-3 by the research of Shaykh Malik Mahmudi, led to its publication in three volumes by Dar al-Qur'an al-Karim.
References
- The material for this article is mainly taken from الوجیز فی تفسیر القرآن العزیز (کتاب in Farsi WikiShia.