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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Your Questions Answered (volume 7) Q.10: Tafsir of Qur'an 22:52 Can you please enlighten us with the correct meaning of the verse 52 of ch.22 (Hajj) which says: "Never did We send a messenger or a prophet before thee, but, when he framed a desire, Satan threw some (vanity) into his desire: but Allah will cancel anything (vain) that Satan throws in." Aparently this is the verse on which the accursed Salman Rushdie based his book, The Satanic Verses.
A: I am sending to you my book, "The Qur'an and Hadith" (Revised and Enlarged edition). You are advised to study the whole book minutely; but before any thing else, read the Addenda: The Satanic Suggestion, (pp. 113-126) which deals particularly with this topic. Q.11: ON TAFSIRS OF QUR'AN: What is the meaning of Tafseer of Qur'an? When did it originate? Is the Tafseer concerned only to the Shi'as'? How many Tafseers had been written so far?
Whether the difference between one Tafseer let's say A and other B are same or different? A: Tafsir does not mean translation. It means explanation of real meaning and connotation of a verse or verses. For example, take the verse, Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Its translation is known to every body. But Tafsir tells us what is the implication of "Bi"; what does the divine name, Allah, signify, what is the difference between Rahman, and Rahim; and so on.
Tafsir originated with the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) who explained the true significance of the verses whenever they were revealed For example, when the verse was revealed which says: "O you who believe! obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those vested with authority from among you..." (4:59), the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) explained who "those vested with authority" were, giving in detail the names of the twelve Imams (as.).
Books on Tafsir are found in every sect, and in these fourteen centuries thousands of such books have been written by the Muslim scholars. Q.I2: CONTRADICTION IN THE QUR'AN? Why do the verses 2:253 and 2:285 contradtict each other?