Description

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi’s commentary on the Qur’an, known as The Great Exegesis or Keys to the Unseen, is one of the great classics of Arabic and Islamic scholarship and has remained until today an indispensable reference work.

The Great Exegesis is a compendium not only of Qur’anic sciences and meanings, but also Arabic linguistics, comparative jurisprudence, Aristotelian and Islamic philosophy, dialectic theology and the spirituality of Sufism.

The present volume focuses on two Chapters from the Qur’an: Surat al-Anʿam and Surat Ya-Sin. Razi’s commentary on Surat al-Anʿam covers much ground, but the main themes are two areas of theological and philosophical argument: arguments against polytheism and for monotheism; and arguments against the Muʿtazili view of divine and human will. In his commentary on Surat Ya-Sin, Razi presents this Chapter as an extended meditation on the principles of prophethood, monotheism and the Resurrection, all of which pertain to the action of the heart. Surat Ya-Sin is traditionally known as ‘the heart of the Qur’an’.

This scholarly yet accessible translation gives readers a thorough understanding of two much-recited Chapters of the Qur’an; it also opens up for readers a window into the thought and practice of one of Islam’s greatest theologians.

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (1149–1210) was a leading Islamic scholar of the twelfth century. Born in Rayy, Razi studied under his father, Diyaʾ al-Din ʿUmar, before setting off on travels throughout Persia and central Asia to pursue studies in jurisprudence, philosophy, theology and other sci­ences. He died in Herat, having amassed a large and devoted following of students. Razi was a prolific author on theology and jurisprudence but is best known for his commentary on the Qur’an, The Great Exegesis.

Khalid Williams specialises in translation from Arabic, with a particular focus on Islamic Studies and Sufism. He is the translator of The Straight Path: A Commentary on the Holy Qurʾan, of Volume II of A Sufi Commentary on the Qurʾan and The Qurʾan and the Prophet in the Writings of Shaykh Ahmad al-ʿAlawi, all published by the Islamic Texts Society.