Introduction to the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir. Part 2: On virtues of the Qur’an

Abstract

This article continues a series of publications of the Russian translation of the introduction to the commentary of the Qur’an “Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘azim” (Commentary on the Great Qur’an) by Ibn Kathir (d. 1373). This chapter “On virtues of the Qur’an” is based on five hadiths from the eponymous chapter of imam Bukhari’s collection “Sahih”, which Ibn Kathir comments on with traditions from other collections – Muslim, Tirmizi, Nasa’i, Ibn Hanbal as well as the works of Tabari and Abu ‘Ubaid, paying special attention to the problem of the reliability of transmission chains. In respect to the first hadith, the issues of the preservation of the Qur’an and the division into the Meccan and Madinan, are discussed. The analysis of the second hadith highlights the dignity of its transmitter, the angel Jibril, the companion Dihya al Kalbi, in whose guise he sometimes appeared, and the Prophet Muhammad’s wife Umm Salamah, who once witnessed the angel’s arrival in this form. The analysis of the third hadith speaks of the Qur’an as the main miracle of the Prophet Muhammad, which even the most eloquent people cannot surpass. Here the author also emphasizes that it is thanks to this miracle that the Prophet Muhammad will have a large number of followers. The fourth hadith speaks about the step-by-step process of the Qur’anic revelation at different stages of prophecy. The last hadith continues the theme of the previous one, however Ibn Kathir speaks here more about the language of the Qur’an, and in conclusion, he cites a tradition describing the Prophet’s condition during the receiving of revelations.