This article is your brief, comprehensive guide to learning Tafseer from its appropriate sources. No doubt, learning Tafseer is one of the essential knowledge a Muslim must have to properly understand Allah’s aim in the Quran. People vary in their levels of Tafseer; starting from beginner learners to highly professional scholars.
In this article, we will provide you with the 10 best tips for learning Tafseer no matter your level of knowledge, along with the proper methodology of reading in Tafseer books.
Here we will learn the following:
- 1. Watch Your Intention Behind Studying Tafseer
- 2. Decide Your Aim Of Studying Tafseer
- 3. Choose Your Suitable Tafseer Book
- 4. Start On An Arabic Course
- 5. Start Memorizing Quran
- 6. Enroll in One of The Professional Tafseer Courses
- 7. Put Your Tafseer Plan
- 8. Follow The Tafseer Plan With A Teacher
- 9. Take Tafsir Quizzes
- 10. Teach Someone The Tafseer of A Verse Or More
- 11. Follow The Proper Methodology of Reading In Tafseer Books
1. When You learn Tafseer, Watch Your Intention Behind Your Journey
Before starting to do any deed, particularly those related to gaining knowledge, you should watch and renew your intention.
A Muslim’s intention of learning Tafseer should be purified for the sake of Allah (SWT). This means A Muslim should aim for Allah’s reward through his deed and to seek His pleasure.
A Muslim should enumerate several righteous intentions to gain the best of Allah’s reward. In the case of learning Tafseer, these intentions may be: To Understand Allah’s word, To better read the Quran, to follow the Quran commands, to be raised in Jannah, to teach others…etc.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “A man will be rewarded only for what he intended.” (Sahih Muslim)
People who aim at gaining knowledge for the sake of people would definitely lose their reward and get punished in Hell for their shirk (polytheism) as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said. (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2382)
2. Decide Your Aim Of Studying Tafseer
There are several aims of studying Tafseer. One may need to learn Tafseer for his own personal knowledge while others may need to be specified in a particular field related to the Quran or Islamic studies.
Each of these people should know his aim to carefully decide on his own Tafseer curriculum. This should be done at an early stage of learning to avoid waste of time and effort.
Here are the best Islamic Studies Courses:
| Online Islamic Studies Courses |
| Islamic Studies Classes For kids |
| Learn The Pillars of Islam and Aqeedah |
| Learn Quran Tafseer Online |
| Online Hadith Course |
| Tazkiyah Course |
| Comparative Religions Course |
3. Choose Your Suitable Tafseer Book
The choice of your suitable Tafseer books should be done carefully based on your aim of learning and your level of knowledge.
There are several types of Tafseer that are variable in their methodology, subjects, and level of Tafseer. Some Tafseer books are simple for beginners, some are more comprehensive and detailed for advanced learners, while others are specified for certain subjects such as linguistic styles in the Quran, philosophical Tafseer, political and Economic reflection…etc.
The types of Tafseer books were discussed in detail in this article: Which Tafseer Book Is the Best? – Over 50 Tafsir Books Compared! I highly recommend you refer to it for a better understanding of the types of Tafseer books.
4. Before you learn Tafseer, Start On An Arabic Course
No doubt, learning Arabic will help you better understand the Quran and its Tafseer. Arabic is the language of the Quran and Sunnah, through which all the Islamic rulings and teachings were clarified.
Muslim scholars suggested that learning Arabic is obligatory for every Muslim.
“It is obligatory upon every Muslim to learn from the Arabic language what allows him to make effort in fulfilling his obligations” Imaam al-Shaafi’ee
While Imam Ibn Taymiya said: “For the Arabic language itself is from the religion, having knowledge of it is an obligation because understanding the Book and the Sunnah is an obligation.”
There are a variety of available Arabic courses online. I would recommend you enroll in Quran House Online Arabic Course to get your free trial. The course is presented by professional, Arabic-speakers, and Azhari teachers with the best teaching tools available online.
Here are the best Arabic Learning Courses:
5. Start Memorizing Quran
Memorizing the Quran helps you relate the verses together. As we discussed in our previous article “Which Tafseer book is the best”, Quran verses clarify one another amazingly. Obviously, if you memorize the Quran, you would be able to better understand Tafseer. Learn Tafseer alongside you memorization of the Quran.
Quran House offers an Online Quran Memorization Course with Tafseer. This course helps you to memorize the Quran along with learning Tafseer.
Here are the best Quran Courses:
6. Enroll in One of The Professional Tafseer Courses
It would be helpful to learn Tafseer from a well-educated, knowledgeable teacher. This would help you to commit to your lessons, respond to your inquiries, and professionally answer all your concerns and questions about the Quranic verses.
You can easily join Quran House Online Quran Tafseer lessons to get these benefits. Enroll in our free trial now!
7. Put Your Tafseer Plan
In order to commit to Tafseer lessons on a frequent basis, you should make a flexible and realistic plan. You should watch your time and decide on a fixed time to study Tafseer.
You’d better discuss this with your teacher. This could be done daily, day after day, or even weekly according to your circumstances.
This plan helps you to commit to and reach your goals in the suggested period. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “The acts most pleasing to God are those which are done most continuously, even if they amount to little.” Mishkat al-Masabih 1242
8. Follow The Tafseer Plan With A Teacher
You should make yourself a weekly or monthly table with daily checkboxes and share that with your teacher. This would enable you and your teacher to easily follow your progress. Besides, it actually helps in better commitment to the learning process.
9. Take Tafsir Quizzes
If you aim to achieve a certain improvement in a specific science, you should frequently test your knowledge through the available means. Your teacher could test you or you could search for available quizzes online to enrich your knowledge and measure your progress. That is available in Quran House Quran Tafseer Courses.
10. Teach Someone The Tafseer of A Verse Or More
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur’an and teaches it.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Learning and teaching the Quran includes learning The Quran’s Tafseer. So, if you achieved a good knowledge of Tafseer, try to teach one of your family or friends the meaning of a verse or more. This doesn’t only improve your knowledge and fix your information. It also grants you the best reward where you’d be one of the meant people by the previous Hadith.
11. Follow The Proper Methodology of Reading In Tafseer Books
Learning Tafseer from highly authentic Tafseer books would be best done through a set of steps. Here is the recommended way to study Tafseer for the best learning experience:
- First: Read the verse in Arabic with its meaning in your language.
- Secondly: Read its interpretation and Tafseer from your suitable tafsir book
- Thirdly: Write down your notes on Tafseer in a specified notebook or perhaps on a computer or mobile software (whatever is accessible)
- Fourthly: Re-read the verse in its context, including the previously learned verses and the verses that come after.
- Fifthly: Try on memorizing the verse as that is the best time to memorize after learning its meaning.
Learn More About Tafseer:
| What Is Tafseer? |
| Surah Yusuf Benefits |
| What is Surah Al-Waqiah? |
| Surah Al-Waqiah Benefits |
| Surah Maryam Benefits |
| Best English Tafseer |
Conclusion | How to Learn Tafseer?
Learning Tafseer is essential for every Muslim that’s to learn the aim of Allah’s words. It could be best done through a series of steps to achieve the best results and commit to Tafseer lessons.
In this article, we briefly discussed 10 tips to learn Tafseer in order. We argue that is the best way to learn Tafseer. We also included the best methodology to read in Tafseer books for learners.
If you wish to effectively learn Tafseer and precisely follow the previous tips, enroll in Quran House Course to learn Quran with Tafseer online and get your free trial now!
