The following is from the preface of Ahmad Shabir translation and I find it interesting

Two - NOW, THE SECOND DILEMMA It occurred when the commentators of the Qur'an, centuries after its revelation, tried to connect every verse with a certain historical incident calling the process ?SHAN-E-NUZUL? (Circumstances of a revelation). Here the words and terms of the Qur?an were given tailor-made meanings to fit the supposed story, with total disregard to their original vibrant meanings, concepts and messages.

This deplorable practice also served to bind the verses of the Timeless Qur'an to some events that supposedly happened in the past! This is how the Word of God was chained in another set of shackles!

A very significant Islamic jurist, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal in those early times saw the chaos and raised a very strong voice against this awful practice

"Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal said All the books that have been written on Battles (?Maghazi? and ?Malahim?) and on Explanations of the Qur?an (Tafsirs) are completely false and unfounded.?

• "Tazkaratil Maudhua?at", Ash-Shaikh Muhammad Tahir Al-Makki.
• "Maudhua?at", Mullah Ali Qari.
  Worst of all, and inevitably so, this conjecture of 'Shan-e-Nuzul' was attributed to the exalted Prophet and his noble companions. This led people into believing that that was how those Personages used to understand the Qur?an!

Hence, the foundation of an Islamic decline was laid down and MANKIND WAS ROBBED of the Supreme Gift of Guidance bestowed upon them by the Creator!

Three - NOW THE THIRD DILEMMA The later generations of translators and commentators have followed the men of old and this tendency has been consistently taking its noxious toll.
They have been thinking of the 'Ajami' Arabic as the known Language of the Qur'an. By Ajami Arabic I mean applying Zoroastrian or any alien concepts to the Arabic words and terms of the Qur'an.

Please recall that this deplorable practice was given legitimacy during the Abbasid Dynasty to the extent that the alien, empty and erroneous concepts given to the Qur?anic terms became widely known and well accepted. The Mighty Word of God, the great Equalizer of humanity, threatened the vested interests of the elite, whereas a ?disabled? Qur?an very well suited the ulterior motives of the Royalty, the Elite and the Islamic priesthood. A formidable coalition of this ?eternally? sinister TRIO thus made their inroads into Islam and supported each other toward a common goal, that is, exploitation and enrichment at the expense of the masses.

The later commentators, whether Arabs or non-Arabs, have since looked at the Qur'an with the tinted glasses of the earlier MUFASSIRIN (explainers or exponents.) This dilemma has only helped perpetuate the pathetic state of mental slavery of the Muslims to this day.

THE BEWILDERMENT Being oblivious to these three DILEMMAS, or by just slipping them under the rug - the Muslims, then, keep wondering What went wrong? What has happened to us? How can we stand up? Which way to go? What brought upon us the current, in fact, the last many centuries of Global humiliation? Is a Renaissance possible? If yes, how?

The answer is one word, Al-Qur?an ? in its true meanings as the noble companions of the exalted Prophet understood and strove to apply it and, thereupon, success embraced their feet at every step and in every walk of life.

Respected reader! Right before you is my sincere effort to break free of those "Time-honored" shackles of mental slavery, and to breathe in some fresh air - THE QUR?AN AS IT EXPLAINS ITSELF.