Bayan al-Ma'ani

Bayan al-Ma'ani (full title: Bayan al-Ma'ani 'ala Hasab Tartib al-Nuzul) is a multi-volume Quranic commentary by the Syrian-Iraqi scholar Mulla Huwaysh (d. 1398 AH / 1978 CE), arranged according to the chronological order of Quranic revelation rather than the traditional codex order Sarih al-Maqul al-Muwafiq…+1.

Composition and Structure

Mulla Huwaysh began writing the work on Wednesday morning, 1 Rajab 1355 AH (September 17, 1936 CE) Bayan al-Ma'ani. He structured the work into three principal parts: two devoted to the Meccan revelations and one to the Medinan revelations al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…. The text opens with an introduction comprising twelve sections (matlab) that set out his hermeneutical principles, sources, and notation symbols, and it concludes with an epilogue summarizing historical events and occurrences al-Tafsir wa al-Mufassiru…. The first edition of the book was published in Damascus by Matba'at al-Taraqqi in 1382 AH (1962–1965 CE), consisting of twelve parts bound in six volumes Sarih al-Maqul al-Muwafiq…+1.

Although Mulla Huwaysh acknowledged that the canonical arrangement of chapters in the Uthmanic codex (tartib al-mushaf) was divinely fixed (tawqifi), he argued that arranging a commentary by revelation order—which he linked to the historical codex attributed to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib—offered distinct benefits al-Shufa bayn al-Jam al-U…+1. His stated objectives were to avoid the textual repetition common in standard commentaries, reduce disagreements over abrogation (al-nasikh wa-al-mansukh) and occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul), inform the reader of the historical progression of revelation, and facilitate a straightforward grasp of Quranic meanings al-Shufa bayn al-Jam al-U…+1.

Method and Sources

Mulla Huwaysh arranges the chapters chronologically, starting with the first revealed surah al-Shufa bayn al-Jam al-U…. At the beginning of each surah, he discusses its title and alternate names, counts of its verses, words, and letters, its abrogating and abrogated verses, its opening and closing phrases, the timing and location of its revelation, and conflicting reports regarding its context before proceeding to verse-by-verse rhetorical and analytical commentary (tafsir bayani tahlili) al-Shufa bayn al-Jam al-U…+1. His verse analysis divides topics into discrete segments, cites authorities with attributed names, quotes relevant hadiths, historical reports, and Arabic poetry, and adduces remarks from Sufis and mystics al-Shufa bayn al-Jam al-U…+1.

The commentary relies on several major classical and later exegetical works, including al-Khazin's Lubab al-Ta'wil, al-Nasafi's Madarik al-Tanzil, al-Baghawi's Ma'alim al-Tanzil, Ni'mat Allah al-Nakhjawani's al-Fawatih al-Ilahiyyah, Abu al-Su'ud's Irshad al-'Aql al-Salim, Isma'il Haqqi al-Burusawi's Ruh al-Bayan, and al-Alusi's Ruh al-Ma'ani Sarih al-Maqul al-Muwafiq….

Reception and Abridgment

Bayan al-Ma'ani is documented as the earliest modern Arabic commentary arranged chronologically according to revelation order Sarih al-Maqul al-Muwafiq…+1. It became a focal point in contemporary discussions concerning revelation-based tafsir methodologies. Later scholars criticized the work for departing from the canonical codex order despite the author's own concession of its divinely ordained status, argued that it did not succeed in avoiding exegetical repetition across thematic parallels, and faulted it for including uncritical compilations of Isra'iliyyat and weak or fabricated hadith reports al-Shufa bayn al-Jam al-U…+1.

An abridgment of the work was prepared by 'Ala' Muhammad Sa'id and published by Maktabat Abi Ayyub al-Ansari in Damascus in 1427 AH (2006 CE) al-Shufa bayn al-Jam al-U….