Story 1
Narrated from ‘Allāma himself:
When I cam to Qum, I studied the
educational program at the Hawza, and I measured it with the needs of the
Islamic society. I found deficiencies in it, and I felt it was my duty to try
and eradicate them. The most important deficiencies in the Hawza program were
in the area of Qur’anic exegesis (tafsīr) and intellectual
sciences. As a result I began to study tafsīr and philosophy. Despite the
fact that at the time tafsīr of the Qur’an, which is a science that
requires research and scrutiny, was not being addressed, it was not considered
worthy of study by those who had the ability to do research in the fields of
jurisprudence (fiqh) and principles of jurisprudence (usūl).
Rather teaching tafsīr was considered a sign of having weaker
qualifications! However I knew I could not use this as an excuse in front of
God [so as not to study tafsīr] and I continued my studies until I
completed the writing of Tafsīr al-Mizān.
‘Allāma
Tabātabā’ī
Story 2
Narrated by ‘Allāma himself:
Initially I carried out an
exhaustive research of Bihārul-Anwār in order that I might publish a
work on a specific subject. Following that I put in a great deal of effort in
gathering verses and traditions until it came to my mind that I should write a
tafsīr. However I felt that the Qur’ān was an endless ocean and
therefore I separated those verses relating to the hereafter and I wrote on
seven subjects, until I came up with a tafsīr of the Qur’ān that was
finally completed, comprising of 20 Arabic volumes. In this tafsīr, verses
are explained using the Qur’ān itself as opposed to the views of the
commentator. And I learned this style [of tafsīr] from my teacher the late
Qādhī.
‘Allāma
Tabātabā’ī
Story 3
Tafsīr al-Mīzān is
one of the best commentaries that has been written on the Holy Qur’an, and I
can even claim that it is the very best commentary available among both the
Shī’a and the Ahl-Sunna that has ever been written to this day.
Our people will only understand
the worth of Tafsīr al-Mīzān after 60-100 years.
Shahīd Mutahharī
Story 4
The best way to know what a great
man he (‘Allāma) was, is through his wayfaring towards God, and the
intellectual effects of his teaching and writing. All the great individuals in
the religious seminary (hawza elmiyeh) of Qum who have currently taken
upon the task of teaching the principles of the Ja’farī school of thought
were his students. His excellent Tafsīr Al-Mīzān that is the
cause of pride in the intellectual world is one of his precious literary
monuments and the mother of all his works.
Ayatullah Hasanzādeh
Āmulī
Story 5
From the time that I received
Al-Mīzān, I no longer used the rest of my library, for this book was
always on my studying table.
Imām Mūsa Sadr
narrated from Shaykh Muhammad Jawād Mughniye
Story 6
‘Allāma stayed up on the
night of Qadr researching and studying the verses of the Qur’ān and
finally completed his tafsīr on this auspicious night, which is the
equivalent of 1000 months. At last at the end of Al-Mīzān he wrote:
“With the praise and grace of God
the writing of this book has come to an end on this blessed night, the 23rd
night of the Holy month of Ramadhan…”
Ayatullah Hasanzādeh
Āmulī
Story 7
One day he (‘Allāma) called
for me and said, “I would like Al-Mīzān to be translated and I
believe you should do this”.
I accepted the offer and
translated the first volume which was in Arabic – and contained very precise
and condensed information – into two volumes [of Farsi]. One day I visited him
and said, “Agha! You are a learned scholar but I am someone who cannot
resort to others (taqlīd) in certain matters. Therefore as I translate
your discussions do I have your permission to write any difference of opinion I
might have in the footnotes?”
He replied with one meaningful
sentence, “Let us discuss and criticize between ourselves first, and not
among the public.”
Accepting my point of view is an
indication of his academic justice and noble spirit. From then on whenever I
had an objection to make I would first discuss it with him, and if I was not
satisfied then only would I write it in the footnotes.
Ayatullah Makārim
Shīrāzī
Story 8
One day I met ‘Allāma
Tabātabā’ī and said to him,
“This great tafsīr
[Tafsīr Al-Mīzān] has not yet been recognized in the religious
seminary (hawza) as it should be, nor have people realized its true value.
Only if this tafsīr is taught in the hawza and discussed, and its contents
critiqued and analyzed, then perhaps after a period of 200 years will its value
be truly recognized.”
Another time I said to him,
“When I become occupied with
studying this tafsīr, and when I see how you relate verses to each other
and verify one with the other and thereby extract a meaning from them, I cannot
explain it except to say that at that time divine inspiration must have taken
over your hand.”
He (‘Allāma) shook his head
and said, “This is just a positive outlook on your part, we haven’t done
anything”!
‘Allāma Sayyid Muhammad
Husayn Tehrānī
