al-Shahid al-Shiri fi Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim Ahammiyatuhu, wa Atharuhu, wa Manahij al-Mufassirin fi al-Istishhad bihi
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- Maktabat Dar Al-Minhaj lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
al-Shahid al-Shiri fi Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim: Ahammiyatuhu, wa Atharuhu, wa Manahij al-Mufassirin fi al-Istishhad bihi (Poetic Evidence in Quranic Exegesis: Its Significance, Impact, and the Methods of Exegetes in Citing It) is a contemporary scholarly study on Quranic exegesis by Abd al-Rahman bin Muadah al-Shahri. The work examines the role of poetic citations (al-shawahid al-shiriyyah) in linguistic exegesis, the historical evolution of citing pre-Islamic and early Arabic poetry in interpreting the Quran, and the methodological approaches of classical exegetes and philologists.
Origin and Publication
The book was originally a doctoral dissertation submitted to the College of Usul al-Din at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, defended on 15 Sha'ban 1426 AH. The examining committee comprised Muhammad bin Abd al-Rahman al-Shayi' as the primary supervisor and rapporteur, Turki bin Sahw al-Utaybi as co-supervisor, alongside Zahir bin Awad al-Almai, Fahd bin Abd al-Rahman al-Rumi, and Muhammad Abdu Filfil. The dissertation was awarded the grade of "Excellent with First Class Honors" and was subsequently published by Dar al-Minhaj in Riyadh in Dhu al-Qidah 1431 AH.
Purpose and Scope
Al-Shahri undertook the study to address the extensive presence of poetic citations across works of exegesis (tafsir), meanings of the Quran (maani al-Quran), and rare Quranic vocabulary (gharib al-Quran). Although poetic evidence had been extensively analyzed in Arabic grammar and lexicography, its systematic application, categorization, and analytical study within Quranic exegesis lacked a comprehensive descriptive and inductive treatment. The book seeks to establish theoretical principles and guidelines governing the use of poetic evidence in Quranic commentary and to evaluate how classical scholars handled these citations.
Structure and Contents
The book is arranged into an introduction, a preliminary entry (tamhid), two main parts (abwab), a conclusion, and indexes.
Preliminary Entry (Tamhid)
The preliminary section provides definitions of poetry in Arabic lexicography and technical terminology, an overview of the origins of Arabic poetry, the impact of Islam on poetic tradition, and the jurisprudential ruling (al-hukm al-shar'i) regarding poetry and its citation in Quranic exegesis.
Part One: Poetry and the Stance of Early Scholars (al-Salaf)
The first part examines early scholarly attitudes toward poetic citations across two chapters:
- Chapter One: Defines poetic evidence, its categories, criteria for authoritative poetic proof (al-muhtajj bih), defects found in poetic citations, sources of authoritative verses, their connection to linguistic commentary, and a refutation of doubts raised regarding the authenticity of pre-Islamic poetry and its implications for tafsir.
- Chapter Two: Explores the methodologies of the Companions, specifically investigating the authenticity and evidentiary status of Nafi' ibn al-Azraq's questions to Abdullah ibn Abbas (Masa'il Nafi' ibn al-Azraq), followed by the approaches of the Successors (al-Tabi'un) and their followers.
Part Two: Methods of Exegetes and the Impact of Poetic Citations
The second part consists of three chapters:
- Chapter One: Investigates the methodologies of general exegetes in presenting poetic citations, their extent of reliance on them, their explanations of poetic meaning, their methods for authenticating citations, and the varied purposes behind citing poetry.
- Chapter Two: Focuses on the authors of Ma'ani al-Quran and Gharib al-Quran literature—such as Abu Ubaydah, al-Farra', and al-Akhfash—defining their genres, analyzing how they presented and authenticated poetic evidence, and identifying methodological distinctions between their works and broader tafsir compilations.
- Chapter Three: Evaluates the substantive impact of poetic evidence on Quranic interpretation across eleven domains: clarifying linguistic meaning, directing canonical readings (qira'at), theological discussions, legal rulings, preferring between competing exegetical opinions (al-tarjih), elucidating Quranic stylistic features, attributing dialects to Arab tribes, establishing the eloquence and Arabic origin of words, identifying historical circumstances of revelation, geographic locations, and the relationship between pre-Islamic poetry and the inimitability of the Quran (I'jaz al-Quran).
The book concludes with a summary of findings and indexes of sources and subjects.
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