Ibn Taymiyyah’s Criticism of Bidʿati Commentaries on the Qur’an
Source: Fatāwā Amonpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amonpuri
Question:
What is the ruling regarding the Qur’an commentaries authored by people of innovation (Ahl al-Bidʿah)?
Answer:
The tafsīrs of Ahl al-Bidʿah are based on reason, opinion, and desires of the nafs. They interpret the Qur’an according to their own wishes, making it a target for their whims. Their explanations oppose the tafsīr transmitted from the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn — the Companions, Tābiʿīn, and the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah — which itself is enough to establish their falsehood.
❀ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله (728H) said:
تجد المعتزلة والمرجئة والرافضة وغيرهم من أهل البدع يفسرون القرآن برأيهم ومعقولهم وما تأولوه من اللغة...
“You will find that the Muʿtazilah, the Murjiʾah, the Rāfiḍah, and other people of innovation interpret the Qur’an according to their own opinions, reasoning, and linguistic reinterpretations. Thus, you will see that they do not rely upon the Hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ, nor upon the reports of the Companions, the Tābiʿīn, and the Imams of the Muslims. They neither rely upon the Sunnah nor upon the consensus and reports of the Salaf. Instead, they depend only on reason and language.
You will also find that they do not value the tafsīrs based on transmitted reports, hadith, and the statements of the Salaf. Rather, they rely on works of literature and kalām written by their leaders. This is also the way of the atheists: they too rely on books of philosophy, literature, and language, while disregarding books containing Qur’an, Hadith, and the reports of the Salaf.”
(al-Īmān, p. 99)
Source: Fatāwā Amonpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amonpuri
Question:
What is the ruling regarding the Qur’an commentaries authored by people of innovation (Ahl al-Bidʿah)?
Answer:
The tafsīrs of Ahl al-Bidʿah are based on reason, opinion, and desires of the nafs. They interpret the Qur’an according to their own wishes, making it a target for their whims. Their explanations oppose the tafsīr transmitted from the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn — the Companions, Tābiʿīn, and the Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah — which itself is enough to establish their falsehood.
❀ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله (728H) said:
تجد المعتزلة والمرجئة والرافضة وغيرهم من أهل البدع يفسرون القرآن برأيهم ومعقولهم وما تأولوه من اللغة...
“You will find that the Muʿtazilah, the Murjiʾah, the Rāfiḍah, and other people of innovation interpret the Qur’an according to their own opinions, reasoning, and linguistic reinterpretations. Thus, you will see that they do not rely upon the Hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ, nor upon the reports of the Companions, the Tābiʿīn, and the Imams of the Muslims. They neither rely upon the Sunnah nor upon the consensus and reports of the Salaf. Instead, they depend only on reason and language.
You will also find that they do not value the tafsīrs based on transmitted reports, hadith, and the statements of the Salaf. Rather, they rely on works of literature and kalām written by their leaders. This is also the way of the atheists: they too rely on books of philosophy, literature, and language, while disregarding books containing Qur’an, Hadith, and the reports of the Salaf.”
(al-Īmān, p. 99)
