The Authentic Exegesis of Ibn Kathir

The Authentic Exegesis of Ibn Kathir (Sahîh Tafsir Ibn Kathir), Authentication based on the works of Shaykh Ahmad Shakir & Shaykh Muhammad Nasir Ad-Din Al-Albani in 5 volumes (Tawbah Editions)

The exegesis of Ibn Kathir is, without a doubt, the most singular exegesis there is. Throughout the centuries, Muslims have adopted it as an indisputable reference. Its importance exceeds, perhaps, that of the exegesis of At-Tabari , considered the Mother of exegeses, in that she is much more accessible to ordinary Muslims. We can explain this recognition and this adherence if we understand that Ibn Kathîr composed his exegesis by adopting a methodology in which no one had preceded him. His work was therefore unique in its genre, and it remains a reference in its field.

For the neophyte, the exegesis of Ibn Kathîr may seem voluminous, whereas it is not so and on the contrary it is marvelously concise. It is comparable to a feast, a festive dish from which everyone can eat to satiety. Each specialist will find there what will delight him, whether he is the exegete, the scholar of hadith, the jurisconsult, the linguist, or the historian. But for the beginner or the common man, some elements of this exquisite dish are too spicy and difficult to assimilate. In fact, many have tried, with more or less success, to provide a summary. But the exegesis of Ibn Kathîr is already condensed , it is not summarized.

It is from this observation that Shaykh Ahmad Shâkir started and this is what makes his work unique: he did not seek to summarize but, on the contrary, to preserve as many elements as possible, in order to preserve the essence of Ibn Kathîr 's work. . He only evaded what was clearly weak or did not directly illuminate the understanding of the verse, while removing repetitions, in order to make it easier to read.

We wanted to offer the French-speaking public a work that is based on solid scientific foundations and the work of recognized scholars. We therefore started from an integral edition of the exegesis of Ibn Kathîr to which we applied several filters: 1) The works of shaykh Ahmad Shâkir which enabled us to preserve the essence of the exegesis of Ibn Kathîr while removing anything that could interfere with the understanding of the reader who is not seasoned in scientific writings. 2) The work of Shaykh Muhammad Nâsir Ad-Dîn Al-Albânî (  ) concerning the authentication of hadiths. 3) The works of shaykh Muqbil Ibn Hâdî Al-Wâdicî (  ) concerning certain hadiths not referenced in the works of shaykh Al-Albânî , but also the authentication of the causes of revelation. On this last point, we have had recourse to several works by past and contemporary scholars, but also to several academic works to establish the authenticity of certain accounts. 4) There are some rare verses that Ibn Kathîr did not explain. In this situation, we proposed to the reader the exegesis of Ibn Jarîr At-Tabarî . And it is Allah alone who bestows success.