ABSTRACT
The Qurʾān is the primary source of Islam and its teachings; therefore every Muslim strives to interact with the Qurʾān by reciting, comprehending, appreciating and practising its content. Since the language of the Qurʾān is Arabic, with its high aesthetic and rhetorical value, there is a need to interpret its verses to help Muslims understand the contents of the Qurʾān, especially for those who are not proficient in the language or are non-native speakers. Consequently, efforts to interpret the Qurʾān were first initiated after its revelation during the time of Muḥammad. Those efforts grew rapidly in the following decades until the Qurʾān was finally fully documented. In the early stages of writing and accumulating Islamic knowledge, Qurʾanic exegesis or tafsīr was written in Arabic. However, in line with the spread and development of Islam to all corners of the world, Qurʾanic exegesis was then written using the medium of instruction in the local community in order to fulfil their needs. In the context of Malaysia (known as Malaya before 1963), the study of Qurʾanic exegesis is believed to have started in the seventeenth century in pondok,1 while tafsīr writing had its beginnings early in the twentieth century. The lack of historical data about the field of tafsīr is due to the orientation of Islamic studies within the community until the mid-nineteenth century, being focused on disciplines such as ʿaqīda (faith), fiqh (jurisprudence), Islamic history and taṣawwuf (Sufism). The writing of books at that time was also limited to these fields. Nonetheless, this does not mean that the Muslim community in Malaya did not learn the Qurʾān. In fact, they have studied the Qurʾān since the arrival of Islam in this region, and have also memorized small parts of the Qurʾān with the intention of reciting it in the five daily prayers. It is possible that Muslim preachers taught tafsīr indirectly in their religious lectures and classes, fitting in with the circumstances of the time. This explains why tafsīr was only known a few centuries after the introduction of Islam in the area, particularly after some Malays had travelled to undertake Islamic studies in places such as Mecca, Medina, India and Egypt. After returning home, they held religious classes that included Qurʾanic studies and exegesis in houses, muṣallās and community mosques, before moving to larger and more systematic learning institutions such as pondoks and madrasahs.
