Muqatil

Muqatil ibn Sulayman (d. 150 AH / 767 CE) was an early Quranic commentator and traditionist from Khurasan, widely recognized for his comprehensive commentary on the Quran, Tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulayman Tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulaym…+1.

Origin and Travels

His full name was Abu al-Hasan Muqatil ibn Sulayman ibn Bashir (also recorded as Bishr) al-Azdi al-Balkhi Tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulaym…+1. He was affiliated as a client (mawla) to the tribe of Azd Tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulaym…+1. He was born in Balkh and later relocated to Marw, where he married the mother of Nuh ibn Abi Maryam and delivered public exhortations (qisas) in its congregational mosque Tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulaym…+1. He subsequently moved to Iraq, settling in Basra and visiting Baghdad to transmit traditions, before returning to Basra al-Majruhin li-Ibn Hibban+1.

Teachers and Students

Muqatil narrated from figures such as Nafi' the client of Ibn 'Umar, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Mujahid ibn Jabr, al-Dahhak ibn Muzahim, 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah, Muhammad ibn Sirin, Thabit al-Bunani, and 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb Tahdhib al-Tahdhib+1. Later critics disputed his direct hearing from some of these authorities; Ibrahim al-Harbi maintained that al-Dahhak died years before Muqatil was born and that he never heard from Mujahid, while Sufyan ibn 'Uyayna recorded Muqatil's claim of having been with al-Dahhak in his youth Tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulaym…+1.

Those who transmitted from him include Baqiyya ibn al-Walid, Isma'il ibn 'Ayyash, Shababa ibn Sawwar, Sa'd ibn al-Salt, 'Abd al-Samad ibn 'Abd al-Warith, Yahya ibn Shibl, and 'Ali ibn al-Ja'd Tahdhib al-Tahdhib+1.

Theological Controversies

During his time in Khurasan, Muqatil was a prominent adversary of Jahm ibn Safwan al-Takmil fi al-Jarh wa a…+1. The two engaged in fierce theological disputations in Marw, prompting each to write a polemical treatise refuting the other al-Takmil fi al-Jarh wa a…+1.

Scholars frequently contrasted the theological extremes of both figures. Abu Hanifa remarked: "Two foul opinions came to us from the East: Jahm, a denier (mu'attil), and Muqatil, an anthropomorphist (mushabbih)" Tarikh Baghdad+1. He further stated that Jahm went to extremes in negating divine attributes until he claimed God was nothing, while Muqatil went to extremes until he likened God to His creation Tadhhib Tahdhib al-Kamal …+1. Abu Yusuf likewise cautioned against both the Jahmiyya and the followers of Muqatil (the Muqatiliyya) Ikmal Tahdhib al-Kamal+1. When the Abbasid caliph Abu Ja'far al-Mansur questioned Muqatil regarding accusations of anthropomorphism, Muqatil denied them, reciting: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ۝ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ۝ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ۝ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ ("Say, He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent") al-Takmil fi al-Jarh wa a….

Scholarly Standing and Reception

Muqatil holds a polarized reputation among classical scholars. In the realm of Quranic exegesis, al-Shafi'i praised his mastery, famously stating: "All people are dependent upon Muqatil in tafsir" al-Tafsir al-Mamun ala Ma…+1. The contemporary commentator Muqatil ibn Hayyan likened his vast knowledge of tafsir to "a green ocean among other seas" Tahdhib al-Tahdhib+1. Ahmad ibn Hanbal observed that he had books that he consulted and possessed genuine knowledge of the Quran, though he chose not to transmit from him al-Jami li-Ulum al-Imam A…+1.

Conversely, hadith critics severely criticized his transmission methods. 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak remarked: "What an excellent commentary his would be, if only he were trustworthy," and lamented that his vast knowledge lacked sound chains of narration (isnad) Tahdhib al-Tahdhib+1. Critics such as Waki' ibn al-Jarrah, Yahya ibn Ma'in, al-Bukhari, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Hibban classified him as discarded (matruk), untrustworthy, or fabricated, pointing out that he gathered traditions and drew upon Jewish and Christian textual narratives without sound chains of transmission Nathl al-Nibal bi Mujam a…+2.

Death

Muqatil died in Basra in 150 AH (767 CE) Tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulaym…+1. Other accounts place his death slightly later Tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulaym…+1.