Tafsir al-Baydawi = Anwar al-Tanzil wa Asrar al-Tawil
- Author died
- 685 AH
- Editions
- Dār Iḥyā’ al-Turāth al-‘Arabī
Anwar al-Tanzil wa-Asrar al-Ta'wil (The Lights of Revelation and the Secrets of Interpretation), commonly known as Tafsir al-Baydawi, is a medium-sized Quranic commentary written by the Shafi'i jurist and judge Nasir al-Din al-Baydawi (d. 685 AH / 1286 CE; other reports give 691 AH, 692 AH, or c. 719 AH). It presents a dense, concise synthesis of linguistic analysis, theological argumentation, and traditional exegesis.
Composition and Sources
Al-Baydawi undertook the writing of the commentary during the later phase of his life. In his introduction, he states that he had long contemplated compiling an exegesis containing the core reports transmitted from the Companions and Successors alongside subtle points deduced by later scholars, resolving to begin after performing the istikharah prayer.
The work relies primarily on three earlier commentaries:
- Al-Zamakhshari's al-Kashshaf, from which al-Baydawi condensed grammatical parsing (i'rab), rhetoric (ma'ani and bayan), and stylistic insights while purging its Mu'tazilite theology.
- Fakhr al-Din al-Razi's Mafatih al-Ghayb (al-Tafsir al-Kabir), which served as his primary reference for scholastic theology (kalam), wisdom (hikmah), and cosmological topics, though al-Baydawi avoided al-Razi's lengthy digressions.
- Al-Raghib al-Isfahani's exegesis, which supplied linguistic etymologies, subtle nuances, and interpretive allusions.
To these foundational texts, al-Baydawi added his own rational reflections, deductive conclusions, and selections from traditional reports.
Method and Content
Al-Baydawi combines traditional commentary (tafsir) and rational interpretation (ta'wil) in a succinct style. The work addresses variant Quranic readings, citing canonical traditions attributed to the well-known readers as well as non-canonical (shadhdh) variants. It presents grammatical syntax and legal rulings on relevant verses without extensive elaboration.
Theologically, al-Baydawi argues for the doctrines of Ahl al-Sunnah, adopting Ash'ari interpretations of divine attributes and contrasting Sunni stances against Mu'tazilite positions. However, he occasionally concurs with al-Zamakhshari on specific interpretative points, such as denying demonic possession when interpreting verse 275 of Surah al-Baqarah.
The text minimizes the use of Isra'iliyyat (Biblical narratives), prefacing those it mentions with passive markers such as ruwiya ("it was reported") or qila ("it was said") to indicate weakness. At the conclusion of each surah, al-Baydawi follows al-Zamakhshari in citing hadiths concerning the specific merits and rewards of reciting that chapter, traditions identified by hadith scholars as fabricated.
Reception and Commentaries
Anwar al-Tanzil gained wide acceptance across the Islamic world and served as a standard textbook of exegesis. Katib Chelebi (Hajji Khalifa) described it in Kashf al-Zunun as an illustrious work that dispelled doubt through refined rhetorical insights and rational defenses of Islamic creed. The orientalist Carl Brockelmann enumerated approximately 83 supercommentaries and glosses written upon it.
Among the prominent supercommentaries and glosses are:
- Nawahid al-Abkar wa-Shawarid al-Afkar (also cited as wa-Shawahid al-Afkar) by Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti.
- 'Inayat al-Qadi wa-Kifayat al-Radi by Shihab al-Din al-Khafaji, published in eight volumes.
- Commentaries and glosses by Jamal al-Din al-Isnawi, 'Isam al-Din al-Isfara'ini, Sa'di Chelebi, and Abu al-Fadl al-Kazaruni.
Printings
Tafsir al-Baydawi was edited in Europe by Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer in two volumes (Leipzig, 1846–1848), with indices prepared by Winand Fell (Leipzig, 1878). In the Islamic world, early editions appeared at Bulaq (1282 AH), in Persia (1283 AH), Istanbul (1285 and 1305 AH), Lucknow (1869 CE), and Cairo by Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi (1358 and 1375 AH).
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