calls an exegesis, implying that it clarifies the ambiguities of the Quran and unveils its mysteries. How can anyone believe that the imperfect can encompass the perfect?
Nevertheless, these scholars deserve praise and recognition for their endeavors. Undoubtedly, the Book of God has cast on their minds a ray of its light and clarity from its guidance. Indeed, it is unfair to expect anyone, however knowledgeable and thorough, to have an all-encompassing knowledge of the meanings of te
Book of God. Yet these exegetes may still be criticized for limiting themselves to
the aspects of the Quran that are easily understandable and leaving aside its more exalted aspects. Hence, some of them explain the literary and grammatical aspects of the Quran; others discuss it from the philosophical point of view; still others ana‌ lyze it on the basis of modem sciences-and so on; as if the Quran were revealed only to be understood from the perspective of a given exegete.
Some of the exegetes have written commentaries that contain very little exegesis.
Others analyze the Quran either from their own point of view or according to the views of others whom God did not appoint as His proof among His creatures.
It is necessary for the exegete to proceed where the verse of the Quran leads him, and to bring to light its meaning wherever it points. He should be a philosopher when a passage contains philosophy, an ethicist when a passage deals with morality, a ju‌ rist when a passage deals with jurisprudence, a sociologist when a passage discusses society-and so on. Furthermore, the exegete should be able to expound on the liter‌ ary technique of the verse and on the style of its vocabulary and phrasing. Indeed, to be an exegete, one should write a comprehensive work on Quranic sciences. The fact is that I have not found a single exegete who has succeeded in doing that.
In view of this, I decided to write this work of exegesis, in the hope that God will help me in what I intend and will forgive me where I fail. Consequently, I have taken it upon myself to gather in this book what I can of the Quranic sciences that pertain to the meaning of the text. As for the sciences of Quranic style, I shall in most cases avoid them, for they have been extensively treated by a great number of exegetes, such as al-Shaykh al-Tilsi in his al-Tibyan, al-Tabarsi in his Majma al-Bayan, and al-Zamakhshari in his al-Kashshaf However, I shall deal with these stylistic aspects when the discussion requires it or when I find that an important aspect was neglected by other exegetes. Occasionally, I shall tum my attention to some important aspect even when other scholars have not neglected it.
The reader will find that my exegesis shall not deviate from the literary mean‌ ing of the Quran and its precise verses, nor shall it depart from the uninterrupted and universally accepted traditions (tawatur),١ which have been related through reliable chains of transmission from the inerrant Imams of ahl al-bayt (the prog‌ eny of the Prophet) (peace be upon him and his progeny). In addition, I shall abide by what would be independently accepted by innate reason, which God has made an internal proof, just as He has made [the teachings of] His Prophet and of those of his family who are divinely protected from error [the Imams] (peace be upon all of them) an external proof.٢ The reader will also find that I frequently explain one verse with the help of another and that I seek guidance from the Quran itself to understand its meanings; and, subsequently, I employ the related traditions to sup‌ port this comprehension.