Part 2 - Definition of ’Uloom al-Qur'ân

"The knowledge of ’uloom al-Qu'rân, or 'The Sciences of the Qur'ân', deals with the knowledge of those sciences that have a direct bearing on the recitation, history, understanding and implementation of the Qur'ân. It is, therefore, a vast field of Islaamic scholarship, and one that if of primary importance.

Thus, for example, with regards to recitation, ’uloom al-Qu'rân deals with the science of pronunciation (tajweed), the different methodologies of reciting the Qur'ân (the qira'aat), the blessings of reciting the Qur'ân, and the etiquette of its recitation.

With regards to the history of the Qur'ân, ’uloom al-Qu'rân deals with the stages of revelation of the Qur'ân, the compilation of the Qur'ân, the art and history of writing the Qur'aanic script (rasm al-masaahif), and the preservation of the Qur'ân.

With regards to its understanding and implementation, ’uloom al-Qu'rân covers the causes of revelation (asbaab an-nuzool), the knowledge of makee and madanee revelations, the knowledge of the various forms (ahruf) it was revealed in, the understanding of its abrogated rulings and verses (naasikh wa al-mansookh), the knowledge of the various classifications of its verses (muhkam and mutashaabih, ’aam and khaas, mutlaq and muqqayad, etc.), the knowledge of its interpretation (tafseer), the grammatical analysis of the Qur'ân (’iraab al-Qur'ân) and the knowledge of those words whose usage has become uncommon over time (ghareeb al-Qur'ân).

It has been said that the knowledge of ’uloom al-Qur'ân is in reality the knowledge that one is required to know in order to properly interpret the Qur'ân. Therefore, to call this branch of Islaamic knowledge 'The Procedure and Methodology of Interpretation' (’Ilm Usool at-Tafseer) instead of ’uloom al-Qur'ân would not be far from the truth. However, ’uloom al-Qur'ân also includes topics that have very little or no bearing of tafseer, such as compilation of the Qur'ân, and the development of the script of the Qur'ân. Therefore, the knowledge of the ’uloom al-Qur'ân is more general that ’Ilm Usool at-Tafseer."

Abu Ammar Yasir al-Qadhi
Chapter 1 from "An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'ân"

FOONOTES:

cf. ar-Roomee, Fahd ibn ’Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sulaymaan: Dirasaat fi ’Uloom al-Qur'ân, Maktabah at-Tawbah, Riyadh, 1994, p.33, who equates ’Uloom al-Qur'ân with Usool at-tafseer