Syed Anwer Ali and his methodological approaches in Tafsīr “Qur’ān the fundamental law of human life

• Main Authors: Ghafoor, Zonera, Elatrash, Radwan Jamal Yousef
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge & Human Sciences, IIUM 2021
• Subjects: BP134.S3 Quran and Science; KBP100 Sources.Quran, Hadith, Ijma', Qiyas.
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/96145/1/96145_Syed%20Anwer%20Ali%20and%20his%20methodological%20approaches.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/96145/; https://journals.iium.edu.my/al-risalah/index.php/al-risalah/article/view/345/230

Tafsīr“Qur’ān the Fundamental Law of Human Life” is an English Qur’ānic commentary by Syed Anwer Ali. This work is primarily inspired by Urdu and English commentaries written in the 20th century. Although it is considered an elaborate work on tafsīr, no research has so far been conducted to explore its methodological pattern or to provide critical analysis of this commentary. This study aims at dissecting the structure and analyzing the general methodological pattern of this commentary. More specifically, the current study provides a comprehensive introduction of Syed Anwer Ali and his literary contributions, a brief introduction of his Qur’ānic commentary, the basic features and methodological analysis of this commentary. The methodological analysis reveals that Syed Anwerhas not solely relied on the conventional method of tafīsrbut he used a hybridized approach by aggregating conventional and modern methods. The structural dissection of this commentary reveals that it is seemingly inspired from the Urdu commentaries of 20thcenturyand his adopted methodology is consistent with the existing prominent tafāsīroriginated from the subcontinent