Tafsir Session 1:
Perpetual Punishment from
the Merciful Lord?
Friday, 5th January 2001
Allah is supposed to be the eternally-merciful Lord. Yet He threatens to chastise sinners perpetually in Hell. Why should someone who has sinned for a limited time be punished forever? Is Allah really the 'chastiser'? How can we reconcile the Qur'anic verses of perpetual punishment with the Mercy of Allah? - A philosophical discussion.
Discussion Material:
Tafsir al-Mizan, Allamah Tabatabai. His commentary on chp. 2, verse 167. For the English translation by Sayyid Akhtar Rizvi (published by WOFIS, Iran), see volume 2, pages 290 - 296, "Philosophical Discourse on Perpetuity of Punishment"
Tafsir Session 2:
Tajassum al-a'maal fil
Qur'an
Friday, 12th January 2001
A discussion on how deeds are related to their reward/punishment and whether or not the traditions (ahadith) that suggest our deeds have a physical form and shape and will manifest themselves after death can be proven from the Qur'an or not.
Download the Transcript in:
MS-Word Format (38 kb) or WinZip Format (11 kb)
Tafsir Session 3:
Friday, 26th January 2001
Compulsion (jabr) and Free will (ikhtiyar) in the Qur'an
Is man a free agent or are his actions predestined? What does the Qur'an say about predestination and compulsion?
Examples of Verses Quoted in Support of Predestination:
| 2:7 | 11:34 | 39:19 | 9:51 |
65:3 |
Examples of Verses Quoted in Support of Free Will:
| 2:256 | 4:111 |
6:104 |
6:149 | 6:153 | 13:11 | 16:35 |
| 16:93 | 18:29 | 39:57,59 | 76:3 | 76:29 | 99:7-8 |
Justice (adalah) of Allah
What exactly do we mean when we say the Shiahs are unique in their belief in the justice (adalah) of Allah? Who causes the innocent to suffer? What does the Qur'an have to say about the justice of Allah and of evil and suffering in this world?
References Used for Both Topics Above:
Tafsir Session 4:
Reflecting on Miscellaneous
Verses of the Qur'an
Friday, 2nd February 2001
a) Understanding the Concept of "tafsir al-Qur'an bil-Qur'an" i.e. interpreting verses of the Qur'an using other verses. for example: (2:24 and 21:98) or (17:85 and 36:82).
b) Paying attention to the individual verses of the Qur'an in order to appreciate its beauty. For example: 20:67-68 or 71:23 or 18:79-82.
c) Understanding the importance of hadith in resolving apparent differences in the Holy Qur'an. For example: 4:3 and 4:129.
d) Understanding the importance of knowing the historic background to a verse's revelation in order to appreciate its meaning. For example: 2:26, 2:177, and 2:189. This last example (2:189) is also a good example of how one verse can have several interpretations, literal as well as symbolic.
Tafsir Session 5:
Spending in the Way of Allah
in the Qur'an
Friday, 9th February 2001
This will be a group discussion. In groups of five, we will be assigned a question and after a given period of time, each group will present their answers and allow other groups to comment, ask, etc.
Download the questions in:
MS-Word Format (139 kb) or WinZip Format (129 kb)
Tafsir Session 6:
Hajj in the
Qur'an
Friday, 16th February 2001
A closer look at the verses of the Qur'an on Hajj and Umra. Examples of
verses that will be discussed include:
Chp. 2: verses 125-129, 158, 189,
196-203, and
Chp. 22: verses 25-37.
For a transcript see Session 7 below.
Tafsir Session 7:
Hajj in the Qur'an
(continued from last session)
Friday, 9th March 2001
Download the Transcript in:
MS-Word Format (41 kb) or WinZip Format (11 kb)
Tafsir Session 8:
Women in
Qur'an
Friday, 16th March 2001
This will not be a discussion on a specific issue such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc. but rather on the life of women in the pre-Islamic era and what Islam brought for women. Her value in society, in the light of Qur'anic verses, will be discussed in detail.
A sample of verses that will be discussed insha-Allah:
3:34, 3:195, 4:32, 4:124, 16:58-59, 16:97, 40:40, 49:13, 81:8-9.
Tafsir Session 9:
Friday, 23rd March 2001
- End -
Wal-hamdu-lillah!
