Mawsuat al-Tafsir qabl Ahd al-Tadwin
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Mawsuat al-Tafsir qabl Ahd al-Tadwin (Encyclopedia of Quranic Exegesis Prior to the Era of Codification) is a multi-part work by Muhammad Umar al-Haji devoted to documenting and analyzing the traditions of Quranic interpretation from the prophetic era up to the early Abbasid period .
Scope and Purpose
The work focuses on the stage of Quranic exegesis (tafsir) that preceded systematic written codification (tadwin), a period characterized primarily by oral transmission and memorization rather than compiled books . In this era, the Companions preserved interpretations directly heard from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and transmitted them among themselves and to the Successors (Tabi'un), who subsequently transmitted these reports and added their own deductions according to rigorous interpretive criteria .
The author frames the project as a necessary return to authentic early sources, observing that later exegetical literature expanded into voluminous works that often incorporated extraneous biblical lore (Isra'iliyyat), fabricated narrations, innovations, and speculative interpretations by unqualified commentators detached from the Prophetic Sunnah . The encyclopedia aims to establish a reliable baseline by gathering what is authentic from the Prophet and early generations .
Structure and Content
The encyclopedia is organized chronologically across three main divisions covering the period from the advent of Islam to the beginning of the Abbasid era :
- Part One (Prophetic Exegesis): Focuses on the interpretation of the Quran during the prophetic era (Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim fi al-Ahd al-Nabawi) . It includes preliminary discussions on the nature of the Quran, the linguistic and technical distinctions between tafsir (exegesis) and ta'wil (interpretation), and the scholarly merit of Quranic commentary, drawing on classical discussions by Ibn Manzur, Badr al-Din al-Zarkashi, and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, as well as reports from Abdullah ibn Abbas and Abu al-Darda .
- Part Two (Exegesis of the Companions): Dedicated to the narrations and interpretive contributions transmitted from the Prophet's Companions (Tafsir al-Sahaba) .
- Part Three (Exegesis of the Successors): Covers the exegesis of the generation of the Successors (Tafsir al-Tabi'un), including narrations transmitted through figures such as al-Dahhak .
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