The Book Tarjuman al-Mustafid by ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-Singkili and Its Influence on the Tradition of Qur’anic Exegesis in the Malay Archipelago

Abstract

The paper investigates the seminal local work of Qur’anic interpretation by the Malay Islamic scholar Syeikh ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-Singkili (1615-1695), i.e., Tarjum?n al-Mustaf?d, composed around 1675 AD. It presents his traditional approaches of rendering into Malay the classical text, such al-Baydawi’s Anw?r al-Tanz?l wa Asr?r al-Ta’w?l (The lights of revelation and the secrets of interpretation), al-Khazin’s Lub?b al-Ta’w?l f? Ma‘?ni al-Tanz?l and Tafsir al-Jalalayn. The translated work has pioneered the emergence and formation of leading works of tafsir that flourished in the colonial era such as Tafsir al-Furq?n (1928) by A. Hassan, Tafsir al-Azhar by Hamka, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Karim by H. Mahmud Yunus, Tafsir al-Marbawi by Abd al-Ra’uf al-Marbawi, Tafsir al-Qur’?n al-Hak?m by Mustafa Abdul Rahman Mahmud (1918-1968) Tafsir Rahmat by H. Oemar and etc exploring the divine writ and its metaphysical connotation. The study was conducted based on descriptive-qualitative approaches in the form of library method, using hermeneutic, interpretative and historical technique to review the historical archives and related Qur’anic manuscripts and literature. The finding shows that this exemplary tafsir has seminal influence in the development of Qur’anic exegesis in the Malay Archipelago that brought forth many principal works of Qur’anic interpretation that incorporates its literary ideal and values. It contributes to the reflowering of classical tradition derived from its selection and use of Arabic sources and consideration of its linguistic features that was instrumental to reconstruct its scholarly context and the renewal of its cultural significance and identity.