Tafsir al-Qurtubi – one volume in English

02 Feb, 2014

The following is the first known English translation of the famous commentary on the Holy Qur’an, known as Tafsir al-Qurtubi.  Only the first volume seems to have been translated and published.  One of the objectives of this tafsir was to extrapolate juristic rulings from the Qur’an as well as providing the classically acknowledged exegesis of the Ayats (verses).  The work also utilised other parameters linked to linguistics, as well as Hadith based evidences to substantiate certain verdicts held by some leading scholars of the past.  It is a classic that has been acknowledged till this day.

A short biography of the author:

Imam Qurtubi is Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abu Bakr ibn Farah, Abu Abdullah al-Ansari al-Qurtubi, of Cordova (in present day Spain).  A Maliki scholar and hadith specialist, he was one of the greatest Imams of Koranic exegesis, an ascetic who divided his days between worship and writing.  Educated in hadith by masters like Ali ibn Muhammad al-Yahsabi and al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Bakri, he wrote works in the sciences of hadith and tenets of faith, though his enduring contribution is his twenty volume al-Jami li Ahkam al-Qur’an [The compendium of the rules of the Koran], from which he mainly omitted the stories and histories customary in other commentaries, and recorded instead the legal rulings contained in the Koran and how scholars have inferred them, together with canonical readings (qira’at), Arabic grammar, and which verses abrogate others and which are abrogated (nasikh wa mansukh).  Scholars have used it extensively ever since it was written.  It is related that Qurtubi disdained airs, and used to walk about in a simple caftan with a plain cap (taqiyya) on his head.  He travelled east and settled in Munya Abi al-Khusayb in upper Egypt, where he died in 671/1273 (Quoted in the appendix to the Reliance of the Traveller, p. 1090, by Sh. Nuh Keller)

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The full arabic work can also be downloaded here

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15 comments

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15 Comments

  1. IMAM ABDUL-LATEEF ORIYOMI ODERINDE
    April 02, 2014

    THIS FIRST EVER GREAT WORK OF ENGLISH TAFSIR OF QURTUBI IS HIGHLY WELCOME. ALLAH WILL BLESS AND REWARD D SPONSOR, D TRANSLATOR, D PUBLISHER & ALL THAT INVOLVED IN THIS WORK WITH AL-JANATIL FIRDAOUS.

    AM VERY VERY HAPPY. I HAVE SEARCHED SEARCHED FOR IT IN D PAST.

    ALLAH WILO GIVE U D GRACE TO COMPETE
    THIS GREAT WORK…AAMIIN

    reply
  2. lIMAM ABDUL-LATEEF ORIYOMI ODERINDE
    April 02, 2014

    Allah will give the grace to complete this work.

    Special thanks to Alhaji JIBRIL AMINU

    ABDUL LATEEF ODERINDE
    Ogun State
    NIGERIA

    reply
  3. Lawal Abubakar
    August 08, 2014

    May Allah help you

    reply
  4. bernie soesilo
    September 27, 2014

    Please give the link so that I can download to my kindle. Jazakumullah khair

    reply
  5. Zaka Ur Rehman Khan
    July 11, 2015

    if wanna read online text format of Tafseer Qurtabi = http://gegasoft.com/quran-reader/en/tafaseer/tafseer-qurtabi.html

    reply
  6. Prof. Shahid Ali Abbasi
    November 12, 2015

    I was glad to know that Abu ‘Abd-Allah’s exegesis is being translated now in English. I congratulate the translato Ayesha Bewerly for her selection. I amm sure this will increase, in-sha’-Allah the interst of the English-knowing readers in getting a deeper understanding of the meanings of the Glorious Qur’an.

    reply
  7. Mouride Taher Taher
    November 13, 2015

    Alhamdulillah for this work. Allah bless the Muslims the world over , ameen.

    reply
  8. muhamadi nkwadu
    April 27, 2016

    if i’ve committed adultary many times, morever repenting on each time, can ALLAH still forgive me?

    reply
    • admin
      June 16, 2016

      Yes insha Allah

      reply
  9. Mohd Raghib khan
    September 16, 2016

    Excellent

    reply
  10. ahmad umar
    November 09, 2016

    Assalamu alaikum,pls what is the no. of pages of the Volume one of the tafsir of Imam Qurtubi,jazakallah.

    reply
  11. Oop
    August 18, 2018

    Mashaallah, may Allah bless you all, where can I find the whole translated tafsir

    reply
  12. Shehu Usman Aliyu
    April 03, 2020

    I am so much happy to this translation it will go a long way for me to comprehend the verses of the glorious Qur’an

    reply
  13. Eng, SHAKEEL AHMED KASAR
    November 16, 2020

    Al Hamdulillah hi Rabbil Aalameen. Let’s thank sayyidna Imam Qurtubi R A for his great contribution to the Ummaah in creating such a nice facility in understanding the “HOLY AL QURAAN SHARIEF” to the highest standard of research in analysis of word by word and select the meaning in reference to. context and the period of revealing and the so on and so forth, Let Allah keep all Muslims in his Protection • “ Inn Kullu nafsil Lamma alaiha Hafiz” [for] no human being has ever been left unguarded. Surat ul At Tariq. Allah maa’ak

    reply

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