Ibn Juzay's Sufic Exegesis: Selections from Kitab al-Tashil li-Ulum al-Tanzil

About The Book

Ibn Juzay al-Kalbī began his exegesis of the Quran with a short introduction to the various disciplines related to explaining the Quran.

One of the topics he included is Sufism. The basic concern of Sufism is the heart: knowing its good and bad qualities, how to rid it of bad qualities, and how to instill it with the good. Ibn al-Juzay explained its inclusion, saying that Sufism is “connected to the Quran since the Quran mentions divine knowledge, struggling against the self [nafs], and illuminating and purifying hearts via obtaining praiseworthy character and avoiding blameworthy character.”

He then enumerated twelve topics related to Sufism which he would explain in his tafsir.