Interpreting the Qur’an Through Personal Study

Question

Can an educated Muslim man who knows Urdu, English, Hindi, and a little Arabic present the tafsir of the Qur’an — for instance, [relaying] "Bayan al-Qur’an," the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, "al-Mazhari," and the like — that is, reading from the book and explaining it to his family or to a few people in the mosque, or not? Likewise, regarding a Qur’an lesson and the like — is being a scholar (‘alim) a condition for conducting it, or may an educated layman do so as well?

Answer

The translation or tafsir of the Holy Qur’an should be presented [only] by one who has received that translation or tafsir from a teacher; to acquire the interpretation of the Noble Qur’an merely from one’s own reading, and then to present it [to others], is not proper.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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