I. The Definition of Tafseer and Ta'weel
The word 'tafseer comes from fassara', which means, 'to explain, to expound, to elucidate, to interpret.' The word tafseer is the verbal noun of fassara', and means 'the explanation or interpretation of something.'
According to another opinion,[1] the word tafseer is a transposition from s-f-r, which means, 'to expose, to uncover.' Thus, a woman who uncovers her face is called a 'saafirah', and the act of uncovering her face is called 'sufoor.' Therefore, according to this definition, 'tafseer would mean uncovering the meanings and exposing the secrets of the Qur'aan. However, the stronger opinion is the first one, even though both of these meanings are correct.
In Islaamic sciences, tafseer is defined to be: The science by which the Qur'aan is understood, its meanings explained, and its rulings derived.[2]
Another common word that is heard in this subject is the word 'taweel'. What, then, is the difference, if any, between tafseer and taweel?
The word 'ta'weel' is from a-w-l, which means 'to return, to revert,' which implies going back to the original meaning of a word to see what its meanings and connotations are. The meanings of the word 'ta'weel' were given earlier, and are repeated here.
The word 'taweel' has three meanings:
1) To understand a word in light of one of its connotations, despite the fact that this connotation is not the primary intent of the word.
2) To explain a word or phrase.
3) The actuality of an event.
With these two definitions in mind, there are five main opinions as to the difference between tafseer and taweel, as follows: [3]
1) They are equivalent in meaning. This was the opinion of at-Tabaree (d. 310A.H.), as his commentary of the Qur'aan uses these two terms interchangeably.
2) Tafseer is used in explaining a word which carries only one meaning, whereas taweel is used in choosing one of the connotations of a word that possesses many connotations.
3) According to al-Maatureedee (d. 333 A.H.), when the interpretation is based on certain knowledge, this is called tafseer, whereas when it is based on personal reasoning (ijtihaad), it is known as taweel.
4) Aboo Taalib at-Tha'labee held the view that tafseer was the explanation of the literal meaning of the verse, whereas taweel was the actual intent behind the verse. For example, the tafseer of the verse,
"Verily, your Lord is ever-Watchful" [89:14]
is that Allaah is aware of all that man does, but the ta'weel is that the verse is a warning to man not to lapse into sins or to belittle the commandments of Allaah.
5) Tafseer is meant to give the meanings of the individual words in a verse, whereas taweel gives the meaning of the verse as a whole.
There is no one correct opinion amongst these five, since various authors use these two words in all of these meanings. However, the most common understanding in modern usage of the two words is the second one, namely that tafseer is used to explain the meaning or intent of a verse which has only one connotation, whereas taweel is used when one of the possible connotations of a verse or word is chosen over the others due to external factors.