al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassirun

al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassirun (Quranic Exegesis and the Exegetes) is an encyclopedic study of the history, schools, and methodologies of Quranic interpretation by the Egyptian Azhari scholar Muhammad Husayn al-Dhahabi (d. 1398 AH / 1977 CE; also reported as 1397 AH) Tatimmat al-Aalam - Muham…+1. Considered the author's debut major work, it traces the historical development of exegesis (tafsir) from the prophetic era to modern times, categorizing and evaluating the approaches of classical and contemporary exegetes across various intellectual and sectarian traditions al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…+1.

Purpose and Scope

Al-Dhahabi designed the book to serve as an expansive compendium alerting Muslims to the vast exegetical heritage preserved in Islamic literature, while encouraging the study of commentaries across divergent traditions rather than restricting attention to one or two schools al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…+1. The work seeks to equip readers with critical awareness regarding the distinct methods, theological orientations, and potential flaws of major commentaries al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…. Among its core concerns is the investigation of extraneous and fabricated material (al-wad') that infiltrated the tradition, notably Biblical and Judeo-Christian lore (al-Isra'iliyyat), as well as defining the prerequisites and ethical guidelines incumbent upon any commentator al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…+1. In treating early transmission, al-Dhahabi defends figures such as Ibn Abbas against claims made by Western Orientalists like Ignaz Goldziher and modern writers like Ahmad Amin, maintaining that early Companions relied on People of the Book only within narrow, defined limits consistent with the Quran al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….

Structure and Contents

The work is organized into an introduction, three main parts (abwab), and a conclusion al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…+1:

• Introduction (al-Muqaddima): Divided into three sections examining the linguistic and technical meanings of tafsir and ta'wil and their differences; the translation and interpretation of the Quran into other languages; and whether scholarly disagreements over exegesis pertain to conceptualizations (tasawwurat) or judgments (tasdiqat) al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…+1.
• Part One: Covers exegesis during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions across four chapters: early comprehension and sources of interpretation; prominent exegetes among the Companions; the scholarly value of transmitted interpretations from Companions; and the defining characteristics of this phase al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
• Part Two: Examines exegesis in the era of the Successors (al-Tabi'un) in four chapters: the inception of this stage and its regional schools (including Mecca, Medina, and Iraq); the value of reports transmitted from the Successors; the characteristics of this period; and disagreements among early predecessors (al-salaf) al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
• Part Three: Treats exegesis during the eras of written compilation (tadwin), beginning from the Abbasid period through subsequent centuries, across eight chapters:
  1. Traditional or tradition-based exegesis (al-tafsir bi-al-ma'thur), addressing fabrication and Isra'iliyyat al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
  2. Reason-based exegesis (al-tafsir bi-al-ra'y), outlining necessary disciplines and safeguards against error al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
  3. Notable accepted works of reason-based exegesis al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
  4. Blameworthy reason-based exegesis (al-tafsir bi-al-ra'y al-madhmum), analyzing commentaries by sectarian groups, including the Mu'tazilah, Twelver Shi'a, early Batiniyyah (Isma'ilis), modern Batiniyyah (Babism and Baha'ism), Zaydiyyah, and Kharijites al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
  5. Sufi exegesis (tafsir al-Sufiyyah) al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
  6. Philosophical exegesis (tafsir al-falasifah) al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
  7. Juristic exegesis (tafsir al-fuqaha') al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
  8. Scientific exegesis (al-tafsir al-'ilmi) al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….
• Conclusion (al-Khatima): Explores modern trends in exegesis, classified into scientific, sectarian, atheistic or skeptical, and literary-social (al-adabi al-ijtima'i) approaches al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…+1.

Reception and Critique

The book became a primary modern benchmark for the academic subfield of exegetical methodology (manahij al-mufassirin) Majallat al-Bayan. Later scholars engaged critically with several of its definitions and stances. Ibrahim Khalifa and other commentators debated al-Dhahabi's criterion distinguishing tafsir as relying strictly on transmission (riwayah) and ta'wil as relying on ratiocination (dirayah) al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…. Muhammad Ibrahim al-Sharif observed that the book did not always provide adequate analytical depth for every commentary it discussed, arguing that some of its evaluations remained broad generalizations al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru….

Publication and Abridgments

al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassirun was issued in Cairo in multiple multi-volume editions, such as the two-volume printing by Maktabat Wahba Tatimmat al-Aalam - Muham…. A third volume, comprising supplementary notes and extracts found among the author's posthumous papers, was edited and published by Muhammad al-Baltaji al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…+1. The book was also abridged by three researchers under the title al-Mukhtasar al-masun min kitab al-tafsir wa al-mufassirun, published in Kuwait by Dar al-Da'wah in 1405 AH / 1985 CE Tatimmat al-Aalam - Muham….