Tafseer Al-Quran Al-Kareem; A Quran Interpretation that Wasn’t Completed
He managed to write interpretation of Surah Al-Fatiha and some verses from Surah Al-Baqarah.
Writing the interpretation of all verses of the Quran is a major task that takes many years to complete. That is why some interpreters started the task but died before finishing it. Among them is Seyed Mostafa Khomeini, the son of Imam Khomeini (Quran interpreter, Faqih and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Seyed Mostafa was a genius in his scholarly activities. In his Quran interpretation, named Tafseer Al-Quran Al-Kareem and also known as “Miftah Ahsan Al-Khazaein al-Ilahiya”, he offered interpretations of Surah Al-Fatihah and some verses from Surah Al-Baqarah.
Seyed Mostafa (1930-1977) was the oldest son of Imam Khomeini. He was a Shia Mujtaid and also among those who fought for the victory of the Islamic Revolution. He studied with great scholars like Imam Khomeini, Ayatollah Boroujerdi, Seyed Mohammad Mohaqeq Damad, Seyed Mohammad Hojjat Kouhkamarei, and Ayatollah Khoei, reaching the rank of Ijtihad at the age of 27.
He strived for the practical realization of the idea of Islamic government and wrote a treatise titled “Islam and governance) in this filed.
Along with Fiqh and Usul, he studied philosophy, Hikma, theology, mysticism, astronomy, history, and Quran interpretation.
He has written many works in different fields of Islamic sciences, including Tafseer Al-Quran Al-Kareem.
Seyed Mohammad Mousavi Bojnourdi, who was a fellow student in Islamic seminary, says that if this Quran interpretation had been completed, it would have been exceptional in the Shia world.
One of the main features that distinguishes it from other Quran interpretations is its comprehensiveness. Seyed Mostafa, who, like his father, was comprehensive in terms of scholarly knowledge, was skillful in Fiqh and Usul, mysticism, ethics, philosophy, Arabic literature, and other Islamic sciences and using these fields, wrote the interpretation of the verses discussing them from various angles.
His mastery over different fields is also obvious in his ability to link the verses to those fields. The scope of the work is such that the interpretation of Surah Al-Fatihah and starting verses of Surah Al-Baqarah has been published in five volumes.
According to Tafseer researchers, Seyed Mostafa has used the Ijtihadi method in this interpretation. That is why whenever he encounters an idea that has gained fame contrary to research, he offers a critique of it and shed light on it with definitive reasons. For example, in different interpretations it has been said that Hamd and Shukr have the same meaning, but he calls such an idea Qareeb (strange) and discusses it from various angles.
