Tafsir-i Sharif-i Lahiji (book)
 Bibliographical Information | |
| Author | Baha' al-Din Muhammad b. 'Ali al-Sharif al-Lahiji |
|---|---|
| Original title | تفسیر شریف لاهیجی |
| Language | Persian |
| Subject | Exegesis of Qur'an |
| Genre | Hadith-Based Quranic Exegesis |
| Published | 1415 AH/1995 |
| Publisher | Dād Publication |
Tafsīr-i Sharīf-i Lāhījī (Persian: تفسیر شریف لاهیجی) is a book written by Baha' al-din Muhammad b. 'Ali al-Sharif al-Lahiji, a scholar in the 11th/17th century. The book is an exegesis of the whole Qur'an written in Persian in a fluent style, understandable for public readers. The exegete cited and briefly explicated hadiths from Ahl al-Bayt (a) in his exegesis of Qur'anic verses. Thus, al-Lahiji's exegesis is considered as a Hadith-Based Quranic Exegesis.
The Author
Baha' al-Din (Qutb al-Din) Muhammad b. Shaykh 'Ali al-Lahiji was a prominent scholar in late 11th/17th century. He was an Imami exegete of the Qur'an and was contemporary with al-Fayd al-Kashani, 'Allama al-Majlisi, and al-Shaykh al-Hurr al-'Amili. He studied with Mir Damad. All scholars of rijal and biographies who wrote about him have acknowledged his scholarly virtues and piety and have praised his character.
The Book
Tafsir-i Sharif-i Lahiji is a Persian exegesis of Qur'anic verses. In his introduction to the book, the author says that he intended the book to be a brief and reliable explication of the Qur'an on the basis of Imami views.
It is said that al-Sharif al-Lahiji finished his exegesis in Patna, India in 1086/1675.
In his exegesis, Lawami' al-tanzil wa sawati' al-ta'wil, Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Radawi al-Qummi introduced some reliable Shiite exegeses, using al-Lahiji's exegesis as a source of his own exegesis under "the exegesis of Mulla Baha' al-Din, which refers to that precious thing".
According to marginal commentaries of the first volume of Lawami' al-tanzil, a summary of al-Lahiji's exegeses of Sura al-Fatiha (Qur'an 1) to Qur'an 18, has been published in India under Tafsir al-bahiyya li Mulla Baha' al-Din al-Hindi. In this version, the preface in which the author is introduced, was removed. Also, some contents of the book have been eliminated and some were added to it, and some distortions can also be found therein.
Exegetical Method
In his exegesis, al-Sharif al-Lahiji mentions some Qur'anic verses at first, and then provided a free, rather than literal, Persian translation of the verses mixed with interpretations. The phrases are simple, fluent, without complexity, and easily understandable for average readers. Then, the author cites and briefly explicates hadiths from Ahl al-Bayt (a) concerning the interpretation of the verses in question.
Edit and Publication
The book has been edited and published by Muhaddith Urmawi in 1961 on the basis of a manuscript in Astan Quds Razavi. A newer version of al-Lahiji's exegesis was later published by Dad Publication Office in Tehran in 1994.
References
- The material for this article is mainly taken from تفسیر شریف لاهیجی (کتاب in Farsi WikiShia.