Manhaj Ibn Aqil al-Hanbali wa Aqwaluhu fi al-Tafsir Jaman wa Dirasatan
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Manhaj Ibn Aqil al-Hanbali wa Aqwaluhu fi al-Tafsir Jaman wa Dirasatan
Manhaj Ibn Aqil al-Hanbali wa Aqwaluhu fi al-Tafsir Jaman wa Dirasatan (The Methodology of Ibn Aqil al-Hanbali and His Statements in Exegesis: Compilation and Study) is a specialized academic study on Quranic exegesis by the contemporary scholar Rashid bin Hamud al-Thunayan. The work collects, organizes, and analyzes the dispersed exegetical statements of the prominent Hanbali jurist and theologian Abu al-Wafa Ali ibn Aqil (431–513 AH) and deduces his methodology across Quranic sciences .
Composition and Purpose
The work was originally prepared as a master's thesis submitted to the Department of the Quran and its Sciences in the College of Usul al-Din at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University . The research was supervised by Badr ibn Nasir al-Badr, with Yusuf ibn Muhammad al-Saeed serving as assistant supervisor .
Al-Thunayan's primary objective was to assemble Ibn Aqil's interpretive remarks—which were scattered across his legal, theological, and general writings rather than compiled in a dedicated, surviving tafsir work—and present them in an independent study . The author noted that while Ibn Aqil was recognized among the major independent legal authorities (mujtahidun) of the Hanbali school and was cited by later exegetes such as Ibn al-Arabi, Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, his contributions to legal exegesis (ayat al-ahkam) and tafsir had not previously been compiled and comprehensively analyzed .
Structure and Contents
The book is structured into an introduction, a biographical preliminary section, two main divisions, a conclusion, and reference indices :
- Preliminary section (al-Tamhid): A concise biography of Ibn Aqil, detailing his lineage, birth in Baghdad, teachers, and standing .
- Part One: Ibn Aqil's Sources and Exegetical Methodology (Masadir Ibn Aqil wa Manhajuhu fi al-Tafsir): Divided into three chapters examining:
- Sources: Ibn Aqil's references in the Quran and its sciences, Hadith, jurisprudence (fiqh), and theology (aqidah) .
- Methodology: His methods of interpreting the Quran through the Quran, the Sunnah, the reports of the Companions and Successors, Arabic language and rhetoric, as well as his juristic derivation from legal verses .
- Quranic Sciences: His treatment of abrogation (al-nasikh wa-l-mansukh), occasions of revelation (asbab al-nuzul), clear and allegorical verses (al-muhkam wa-l-mutashabih), and general and specific texts (al-amm wa-l-khass) .
- Part Two: Compilation and Study of Ibn Aqil's Exegetical Statements: Arranged in the traditional sequence of the Quran from Surah al-Fatihah to Surah al-Nas, presenting over 150 distinct exegetical statements on various verses alongside analytical commentary .
- Conclusion and Indices: Outlines the core findings of the study and provides eight dedicated analytical indices, covering verses, hadiths and traditions, biographical figures, rare vocabulary, sects, poetry, cited sources, and subject topics .
Methodological Approach
In extracting Ibn Aqil's methodology, the author noted the inherent challenge of reconstructing a scholar's interpretive framework from fragmented quotations rather than a complete commentary . For the text-compilation section, al-Thunayan cited each verse with its surah name and verse number, quoted Ibn Aqil's exact wording, provided cross-references where discussions recurred, and numbered every statement with both a global index number and an individual surah-specific number .
Answer updated