Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Imam Ibn Kathir was an 8th-century AH scholar of tafsir, hadith, and history. Born near Basra (in Syria), he spent most of his life in Damascus.

He studied under leading scholars including Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and al-Hafiz al-Mizzi (a master of hadith), and so carried the Salaf approach grounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

His tafsir, "Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim," is a leading example of "tafsir bil-ma’thur" — explaining the Qur’an first by the Qur’an, then by the Sunnah, then by the sayings of the Companions and their successors.

A hallmark of his work is critically examining chains of narration (noting which hadiths are gharib or weak) and cautioning against Israiliyyat reports. It is among the most widely accepted and cited tafsirs across the Muslim world and has been translated and printed in many languages.

The edition DawahBuddy relies on is the verified (tahqiq) edition of Shaykh Sami ibn Muhammad al-Salamah, published by Dar Taybah (Riyadh · 2nd ed., 1420 AH / 1999 CE) — a standard edition widely trusted and cited by scholars.

What makes this edition special is that Shaykh Sami examined and graded the hadiths (takhrij) that Ibn Kathir cites — noting which are sahih, hasan, or weak, with sources and volume/page numbers matching the printed work — without cutting any of Ibn Kathir’s own words — and indeed restoring passages that had been dropped in an earlier printing. This strengthens accuracy and trust, in keeping with the scholarly integrity (amanah ‘ilmiyyah) we uphold. What you read here is therefore the joint work of two scholars: Ibn Kathir (the author of the tafsir) and Shaykh Sami al-Salamah (who verified and graded its hadiths).