Tafsir Al-Qurtubi Vol. 9: Sūrah Hūd, Sūrah Yūsuf, Sūrat Ar-Ra'd, Sūrah Ibrāhīm, and Sūrat Al-ḤIjr

The tafsir of al-Qurṭubi is perhaps one of the most compendious of them all and is certainly among the most famous. As its title, al-Jami' li Aḥkam al-Qur'an - The General Judgments of the Qur'an, suggests, its main focus is on the rulings and judgments to be found in the Qur'an. However, in the course of doing that, al-Qurṭubi examines all the relevant sciences necessary, such as the ḥadith pertaining to the ayahs, events in the sirah, what the Companions, their Followers and other noted people of knowledge said about the ayahs, essential aspects of Arabic etymology, syntax and usage, copiously illustrated by examples, and much more.

This volume includes the tafsir on Surahs Hud, Yusuf, ar-Ra'd, Ibrahim, and al-Ḥijr. Hud is famously majestic, the Surah which turned some of the hair of the Prophet  grey, whereas conversely Surah Yusuf tells 'the best of stories' or 'the most beautiful of narratives' about the original 'sons of Isra'il - Bani Isra'il' whose descendants' histories would be so archetypal and, as the Muslims of their time, cause for reflection for the Muslims of this time. It is thus invaluable to see the story of this Prophetic family set against the background of the early Pharaonic state, which would also contribute a great deal to subsequent ages and our own in the realm of state-formation.