Futuh al-Ghayb fi al-Kashf an Qina al-Rayb (Hashiyat al-Tibi ala al-Kashshaf)
- Author died
- 743 AH
- Editions
- Dubai International Holy Quran Award
Futuh al-Ghayb fi al-Kashf ʿan Qinaʿ al-Rayb (The Openings of the Unseen in Unveiling the Mask of Doubt), widely known as Hashiyat al-Tibi ʿala al-Kashshaf, is an extensive Arabic supercommentary on al-Zamakhshari’s Quranic commentary al-Kashshaf , composed by the Persian scholar Sharaf al-Din al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Tibi (d. 743 AH / 1343 CE) .
Purpose and Methodology
Al-Tibi authored the gloss to untangle obscure grammatical constructions, clarify ambiguous qualifications, and evaluate divergent interpretations of the Quranic text . A central objective of the work was to engage critically with al-Zamakhshari's Muʿtazilite theological positions . Al-Tibi systematically followed al-Zamakhshari's phrasing to demonstrate that the rhetorical elegance (balaghah) and structural coherence (nazm) of the verses align with Sunni theology rather than Muʿtazilite doctrine .
In his introduction, al-Tibi states that he compiled the objections of eastern scholars and the rejoinders of western scholars, striving to avoid partisanship in his rebuttals unless compelled by clear textual evidence and decisive rhetorical nuance . He also records experiencing a dream shortly before or at the outset of writing, in which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ offered him a cup of milk from which he drank, and then handed it back to the Prophet ﷺ, who also drank from it .
Scope and Structure
The work covers the entire Quran following the sequence of al-Kashshaf . In the manuscript tradition, it circulated as an expansive commentary spanning six large volumes . The text employs the lemma-commentary format (qawluhu), quoting passages and expressions from al-Zamakhshari and appending extensive philological, rhetorical, and theological analyses .
Reception and Influence
Futuh al-Ghayb is regarded as one of the most significant and authoritative supercommentaries written on al-Kashshaf . The bibliographer Hajji Khalifa characterized it as the most esteemed of all glosses on al-Zamakhshari’s tafsir . The historian Ibn Khaldun praised al-Tibi's achievement in refuting al-Zamakhshari’s Muʿtazilism while preserving and enriching the linguistic and rhetorical insights of the original work .
The work heavily influenced subsequent Quranic scholarship; Saʿd al-Din al-Taftazani abridged al-Tibi's commentary as the basis for his own hashiyah on al-Kashshaf, which he completed up to Surat al-Fath in 789 AH .
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