The Significance of the Tafsir of the Quran During Ramadan 2025

The Quran is the holy scripture that guides toward the truth. During Ramadan 2025, we should recite and understand the book of Allah more than before. It’s important to realize that reciting the Quran in Arabic is just as important as understanding and learning its tafsir in our own language. In this article on Islam4u, we will explore the significance of knowing the tafsir of the Quran during Ramadan 2025.

What Is the Meaning of Tafsir?

Tafsir of the Quran is the interpretation or commentary of the Quran. Many Quranic verses have deeper meanings and concepts that one cannot understand by simply reading the translation. The Quran states:

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُّحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ ۖ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ زَيْغٌ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ مِنْهُ ابْتِغَاءَ الْفِتْنَةِ وَابْتِغَاءَ تَأْوِيلِهِ ۗ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ تَأْوِيلَهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ۗ وَالرَّاسِخُونَ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِهِ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ رَبِّنَا ۗ وَمَا يَذَّكَّرُ إِلَّا أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ ‎﴿٧﴾

It is He who has sent down to you the Book. Parts of it are definitive verses, which are the mother of the Book, while others are metaphorical. As for those in whose hearts is deviance, they pursue what is metaphorical in it, courting temptation, and seeking its interpretation. But no one knows its interpretation except Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge; they say, ‘We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.’ And none takes admonition except those who possess intellect. (7)

Tafsir of the Definitive and Metaphorical Verses of the Quran

According to the above verse, the meanings of some verses are apparent, which the Quran calls definitive verses or ayatun muhkamat. However, others are metaphorical, meaning we cannot interpret them without Allah, His Messenger, and Imams’ guidance. The verse further states that no one knows the interpretation of the metaphorical verses except Allah and those firmly grounded in knowledge. They say, “We believe in all Allah’s verses, and they are all from Allah.” Who are these interpreters of the Quran?

If only Allah knows their interpretation and no one else, then what purpose does the revelation of these verses serve? Thus, we conclude that certain people know the interpretation of these verses and are responsible for interpreting them for people. They are none but the Prophet (s) himself and his infallible progeny, the Imams among the Ahlul Bait (a).

How Can We Know the Tafsir of the Quran?

Tafsir of the Quran is a science that Allah has taught His Prophet (s) and his rightful successors, the Imams (a). However, they only teach this science to their faithful and trustworthy companions. For this reason, if we want to know the interpretation of metaphorical verses, we must refer to the hadith transmitted by the Prophet (s) and his Ahlul Bait (a) or the tafsir books of the trustworthy and well-known scholars and theologians which are based on hadith and intellect.

Those who collect these hadiths, compile them into a book, and analyze them to interpret the verses of the Quran are mufassirs of the Quran, a word that comes from tafsir, meaning interpreters or commentators of the Quran. These people have thoroughly studied Islamic sciences and achieved a high level of Islamic education. We can rely on the books of tafsir of these interpreters and commentators of the Quran.

An Example of the Tafsir of a Metaphorical Verse

Let us take a look at verse 54 of Surah A‘raf. This verse is metaphorical and one may misinterpret it. Allah states in this verse:

إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ ۗ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ ‎﴿٥٤﴾‏

Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then settled on the Throne. He draws the night’s cover over the day, which pursues it swiftly, and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, [all of them] disposed by His command. Look! All creation and command belong to Him. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (54)

This verse states that Allah settled on the Throne after creating the heavens and the earth in six days. Then, the language He uses to describe the movement of the celestial bodies is metaphorical.

We all know that Allah does not have a physical body or a physical throne to sit on. Therefore, when referring to our hadiths, we discover the true meanings of these expressions. For instance, the Throne means Allah’s power over all things. Furthermore, His settling on the Throne means taking control over the affairs of the universe. Although physical acts are mentioned in these verses, their true meaning is abstract. For example, the words described for day and night covering each other mean He causes the night to turn into day and the day into night. Likewise, His creation of the sun, moon, and stars and their being at His disposal mean that He causes them to move in their orbits and perform their functions.

What Books Should You Read to Learn About the Tafsir of the Quran?

Many books on tafsir written by various commentators are now available online, both for free and purchase. One of the best contemporary books of tafsir is Al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, written by the late Allamah Muhammad Hussain Tabatabai. He has adopted an approach to interpreting the Quran that mainly uses verses from the Quran itself to interpret the Quran. Of course, this doesn’t mean he hasn’t used Prophetic and Imami hadiths and narrations that reveal the interpretations of certain ambiguous verses.

Other older tafsir books use different methods for interpretation. One of the most famous ones is a book titled Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn, in which the author, ‘Abd-‘Ali ‘Arūsī Ḥuwayzī, has compiled 13,422 hadiths and narrations in eight volumes that interpret different verses of the Quran. Of course, this tafsir compilation only includes surahs and verses that the Prophet (s) and the Ahlul Bayt have interpreted. Therefore, it does not encompass the tafsir of the whole Quran.

Let’s look at the tafsir of a part of verse 125 of Surah Nisa based on this tafsir:

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِّمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ

Who has a better religion than him who submits his will to Allah, being virtuous?^[1]

Regarding the verse, historians narrate that someone asked the Prophet (s) about goodness and kindness (iḥsān). He replied:
“Ihsan is to worship God as though you see Him; for even if you do not see Him, He sees you.”   

You do not need to see Allah with the eyes of the head. Those who have drawn close to Him can perceive Him with the eyes of the heart.

Tafsir of Surah Qadr in Ramadan 2025

Our Prophet and Imams highly recommend the recitation of Surah Qadr during Ramadan. It is a very comprehensive surah with lofty themes. Qadr could mean decree, ordainment, measurement, or power. It is in juz 30 of the Quran, the 97th surah, and has five verses. Let us go over the tafsir of the Quran, Surah Qadr.

Tafsir of Verse 1-2 of Surah Qadr

The first verse reads:

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ ‎﴿١﴾

Indeed, We sent it down on the Night of Ordainment. (1)

This verse refers to the Quran. Allah revealed the entire Quran to the Noble Prophet (s) in Ramadan on the Night of Qadr (ordainment). The verse also mentions what kind of night it was. It was no ordinary month. It is a month in which Allah determines people’s affairs for the whole year until the next Night of Qadr. Therefore, this month is significant for two reasons: the revelation of the Quran and the night on which Allah shapes people’s destinies.

Verse two of this surah reads:

وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ ‎﴿٢﴾

And what will show you what is the Night of Ordainment? (2)

This verse emphasizes this night’s importance. We should not take this night for granted. It is a highly significant night because of the events that have occurred and will occur on it. This night’s magnanimity is unimaginable. In other words, no human being can appreciate the value and importance of this night.

Tafsir of Verses 3-4 of Surah Qadr

The third verse reads:

لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ ‎﴿٣﴾

The Night of Ordainment is better than a thousand months. (3)

This verse shows the magnitude of this night, stating that it is better than a thousand months! A thousand months is about 83 years, or the average lifespan of a human being. However, Allah means something special when He says it’s better than a thousand months. Allah will multiply every good deed you do on this night by more than a thousand because Laylatul Qadr is worth more than a thousand months. The Night of Qadr is a night on which Muslims keep a vigil and stay awake until dawn, praying, supplicating, and making dua.

Verse four reads:

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ ‎﴿٤﴾

In it the angels and the Spirit descend, by the leave of their Lord, with every command. (4)

Allah has blessed the Night of Qadr through different ways. For example, the Spirit, a unique creature, along with the angels, descends to Allah’s guardian of the time and delivers the books of deeds of all people to him. According to the tafsir of the Quran, in this verse, by every command, Allah means He will shape people’s destinies on this night. However, how their destinies are shaped depends on how much they glorify and pray to Allah and ask for a good destiny.

Tafsir of Verse Five of Surah Qadr

Verse five reads:

سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ ‎﴿٥﴾

It is peaceful until the rising of the dawn. (5)

This verse highlights the significance of keeping a vigil and engaging in acts of worship until the dawn prayer time. There is peace until dawn. This means Allah’s doors of mercy are open, and those who have had the privilege to be awake and supplicate Allah will be fortunate and prosperous in both worlds.

Conclusion

Knowing the translation and tafsir of the Quran is just as important, if not more important, than reciting the Quran in Arabic. Our Islamic leaders tell us that only those with whom Allah has endowed knowledge of the Quran and its tafsir are qualified to teach us the tafsir of the Quran. They are none but the Prophet (s) himself and the Imams among his Ahlul Bait (a). There are many hidden meanings in the Quran that we cannot understand without the help of the science of tafsir. Ramadan 2025 should differ from other months of Ramadan as much as possible. By reading the tafsir of the Quran, this year’s Ramadan will be more blessed and beneficial for all of us.

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[1] Quran 4:125 (Qarai).