Nayif al-Zahrani
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Nayif al-Zahrani is a contemporary Saudi scholar of Quranic studies and associate professor who has written on the hermeneutics, principles, and methodology of early Quranic exegesis (tafsir).
Biography and Career
His full name is Nayif ibn Sa'id ibn Jam'an al-Zahrani . He pursued his doctoral studies (marhalat al-ʿalamiyyah al-ʿaliyah) at the Islamic University of Madinah . He subsequently served as an associate professor of Quranic studies at al-Baha University in Saudi Arabia .
Scholarly Contributions
Al-Zahrani's academic work focuses on the principles of Quranic exegesis (usul al-tafsir), evidential reasoning (al-istidlal), and early interpretive rectifications (istidrakat). He authored Istidrakat al-Salaf fi al-Tafsir fi al-Qurun al-Thalatha al-Ula ("Exegetical Rectifications of the Early Generations in the First Three Centuries"), a comparative critical study published in 1430 AH . He also wrote al-Istidlal 'ala al-Ma'ani fi al-Tafsir ("Evidential Reasoning for Meanings in Exegesis"), published by the Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies .
In collaborative scholarship, al-Zahrani served on the scholarly introductions committee for Mawsu'at al-Tafsir al-Ma'thur ("Encyclopedia of Traditional Exegesis") . His contributions to the project included research studies examining the five leading figures of exegesis and their treatment of early reports, as well as the definition, categorization, and scholarly handling of exegetical proofs (mustanadat al-tafsir) .
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List of Works
This scholarly study on the principles of Quranic exegesis examines the principles, categories, and methods of evidential reasoning employed by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari in his commentary, Jami' al-Bayan 'an Ta'wil Ay al-Qur'an. It analyzes how al-Tabari substantiated, evaluated, and preferred interpretive positions, delineating the criteria governing valid proofs, classifying evidences by weight, and detailing his methods for harmonizing or preferring conflicting interpretations.
This work on Quranic hermeneutics presents a critical comparative study of exegetical rectifications and interventions transmitted during the first three centuries. It examines interpretive corrections and additions reported from the Prophet, the Companions, the Successors, and their followers, analyzing the underlying rationale of competing positions, evaluating chains of transmission, and deriving the hermeneutical principles and criteria of preference emerging from these early disagreements.
This specialized reference compilation gathers 414 transmitted reports preserving interpretive corrections and emendations in Quranic exegesis from the Prophet Muhammad, the Companions, the Successors, and their followers. Arranged sequentially according to the order of the Quranic chapters, the work presents relevant verses alongside explicit textual narrations documenting early rectifications to serve as a foundational resource for studying interpretive differences.