Question

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah.  To be able to read "tafsir" (commentary) of the Holy Qur'an in Arabic is a great gift!  My knowledge of Arabic is incomplete but I can manage with simple language and can use a dictionary ( I have the Hans Wehr dictionary: "A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic").  Would you know of such a "tafseer" that I could try to read? And would you recommend that someone should try and do that?  May Allah reward you with a continuous reward!

Answer

Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh. 

Yes, indeed, it is a great blessing to read the tafseer in Arabic, especially when there is so little available in English in translations of the different tafaaseer (plural of tafseer).  There are some simple tafseers that you could start with, such as Al-Jalaalayn, and build up a vocabulary, and work up to other tafseers.  You probably realize that you can’t always find the correct translation of a word in the context used in the tafseer in a dictionary.

 In addition to the dictionary you have, you may want to also use an Arabic-Arabic dictionary.  The tafseer of Ibn Katheer is now available in an English translation, you may want to try reading the original in Arabic, look up the words you are unsure of, then compare your understanding of it to the English translation.  That may be a great assistance in improving your vocabulary and understanding of Arabic tafseer.  May Allah bless your effort and increase your knowledge and grant you also a continuous reward.