How MyTafsir works
Phase 1: the words
Each word of the Qurʾān is linked to its root (جذر) and to the matching entry in two classical dictionaries of Qurʾānic vocabulary. When a dictionary entry quotes the very verse you are reading, that paragraph is shown first under “On this verse · في هذه الآية”.
- al-Mufradāt fī Gharīb al-Qurʾān (المفردات في غريب القرآن) by al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī (d. 502 AH). It traces each root to its core meaning and shows how the other meanings branch from it. Digital text: OpenITI, from the Shia Online Library edition (2nd ed., 1404 AH).
- Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn (مجمع البحرين) by Fakhr al-Dīn al-Ṭurayḥī (d. 1085 AH), which explains rare words of both the Qurʾān and the ḥadīth (غريب القرآن والحديث). Digital text: OpenITI, from the Shia Online Library edition, edited by al-Sayyid Aḥmad al-Ḥusaynī (2nd ed., 1408 AH). The editor's footnotes are left out.
- Qurʾān text, roots and grammar: the Quranic Arabic Corpus morphology (v0.4, corpus.quran.com, GNU GPL), in the corrected Arabic-script edition by mustafa0x.
Coverage today
- 1,651 roots in the Qurʾān.
- 98.5% of root-bearing words link to an al-Mufradāt entry, and 98.9% to a Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn entry.
- Entries were split from the digital texts automatically, using the alphabetical order of each dictionary. A small number of roots have no entry in these editions, and a few entries may start or end a paragraph early. Each entry shows its printed page so you can check the book.
- Verse links inside the dictionaries were found by matching each quotation against the Qurʾān text. Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn's printed verse numbers sometimes differ by one from the Ḥafṣ numbering. The matching corrects for this where it can.
English and your level
Your profile (Arabic level, English level, age group, and optionally what you are studying and your background) decides how the word panel opens. For example, specialists see the full Arabic entries first, and beginners see the passage on this verse first. When English is switched on, translations are made once, stored, and labelled as AI-assisted so you can check them against the Arabic shown beside them.
Coming next
- Phase 2: select a phrase of a verse and get an explanation drawn only from the tafsīr (تفسير) works you choose.
- Reviewed English translations for every entry, starting with the most frequent roots.
Privacy
Accounts are for learners aged 13 and over. Your background answer is optional and is only stored if you tick the consent box. You can remove it at any time from your profile.