Qur'an: Translation, Tafsir, and Qur'anic Sciences
Tafsir and Its Sources
Candidates must distinguish tafsir by transmission (tafsir bi'l-ma'thur: Qur'an by Qur'an, then Sunnah, then statements of the Companions) from tafsir by reasoning (bi'l-ra'y), and know that sound ra'y is bounded by Arabic, context, and transmitted reports. Know the major genres: tafsir of the Qur'an by the Qur'an, juristic tafsir (ahkam), linguistic tafsir, and thematic tafsir (mawdu'i).
Sciences of the Qur'an (Ulum al-Qur'an)
Expect questions on: revelation (wahy) and its forms; the Makki/Madani distinction and its stylistic markers; asbab al-nuzul (occasions of revelation); nasikh and mansukh (abrogation) and the caution required; muhkam and mutashabih; the compilation history (jam' al-Qur'an) in the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Uthman; the seven ahruf and the qira'at; i'jaz (inimitability); and the science of gharib al-Qur'an (unusual vocabulary).
Translation Cautions
Translation is interpretation, not the Qur'an itself. Traps include treating a single English rendering as definitive, ignoring polysemy, and flattening metaphors into doctrine.
Worked Example
If asked why a verse has two plausible English renderings, answer by identifying the lexical range of the Arabic root, the syntactic ambiguity, and the differing early exegetical reports - then note that the translator must choose, and that choice is tafsir.
Rule of Thumb
Before interpreting any verse, apply the sequence: Qur'an by Qur'an, then authentic Sunnah, then Companion reports, then Arabic language - only then reasoned opinion.