Fadl Hasan Abbas
- Died
- 1432 AH
- Born in
- -
Fadl Hasan Abbas (d. 1432 AH / 2011 CE) was a modern scholar of Quranic studies and Arabic rhetoric, best known for his comprehensive multi-volume study on Quranic exegesis and its practitioners, al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassirun fi al-Asr al-Hadith (Quranic Exegesis and the Exegetes in the Modern Era).
Scholarly Contribution and Exegetical Method
Abbas devoted much of his academic output to clarifying the fundamentals, schools, and methodologies of Quranic interpretation (tafsir), as well as defending the rhetorical inimitability (i'jaz) of the Quran. In his three-volume treatise al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassirun: Asasiyyatuhu wa Ittijahatuhu wa Manahijuhu fi al-Asr al-Hadith, he undertook a critical reassessment of both classical foundations and twentieth-century developments in tafsir.
His work systematized the theoretical groundwork of exegesis by examining its definition, stages of historical development, the origins of disagreement among commentators, and the infiltration of non-canonical traditions (isra'iliyyat). He classified modern interpretive trends into distinct orientations—including rhetorical (bayani), legal (fiqhi), theological ('aqa'idi), and thematic (mawdu'i) methods—while critically addressing what he characterized as aberrant or deviated interpretations.
In evaluating individual modern commentators, he analyzed the distinct approaches of twentieth-century scholars such as Abu al-A'la al-Mawdudi, Sa'id Hawwa, Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti, Muhammad 'Izzat Darwaza, and 'Abd al-Qadir Mulla Huwaysh. Beyond exegesis, he contributed to Arabic stylistic analysis in al-Balagha: Fununuha wa Afnanuha wa 'Ilm al-Ma'ani (Rhetoric: Its Arts, Branches, and the Science of Meanings), connecting rhetorical principles directly to Quranic discourse.
Final Years and Posthumous Publication
Before his death, Abbas planned further chapters examining additional contemporary exegetes, commissioning specific studies from academic colleagues and from his daughter, Dr. Sana Fadl Abbas, including an assessment of the methodology of Muhammad Abu Zahrah. Abbas died in 1432 AH before reviewing the finalized supplementary chapters, which were subsequently compiled and edited by his daughter according to his instructions and published posthumously in Amman.
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List of Works
al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassirun: Asasiyyatuhu wa Ittijahatuhu wa Manahijuhu fi al-Asr al-Hadith (Quranic Exegesis and the Exegetes: Its Fundamentals, Trends, and Methodologies in the Modern Era) is a three-volume study that examines the history, foundations, and modern approaches to Quranic interpretation. It provides a critical and systematic evaluation of Quranic exegesis (tafsir) and its practitioners in the modern period, exploring theoretical groundings, exegetical schools, and specific twentieth-century commentators.