Tafsir al-Samarqandi = Bahr al-Ulum
- Author died
- 373 AH
- Editions
- Tafsir al-Samarqandi = Bahr al-Ulum
Tafsir al-Samarqandi, widely known as Bahr al-Ulum (The Ocean of Sciences), is a Quranic commentary written by the Hanafi jurist and theologian Abu al-Layth al-Samarqandi (d. 373 AH / 983 CE; also reported as 375 AH or 393 AH) . It is recognized as one of the prominent early classical works of traditional Quranic exegesis based primarily on transmitted reports (tafsir bi-al-ma'thur) .
Structure and Content
The author prefaced the commentary with an introductory chapter encouraging the study of Quranic interpretation and expounding its merits, citing narrations from early authorities with his chains of transmission . In this introduction, he argued that interpreting the Quran solely on the basis of unsupported personal opinion (ra'y) is impermissible for anyone who lacks mastery of the Arabic language and the contexts of revelation (ahwal al-tanzil) . Following the preface, the commentary proceeds through the Quran from beginning to end .
Methodology
The exegesis relies extensively on traditional narrations transmitted from the Companions, the Successors, and subsequent early scholars . A distinct feature of al-Samarqandi’s approach is that he generally omits the chains of transmission (asānīd) of these reports, providing them only on rare occasions . Unlike commentators such as Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, he seldom compares divergent narrations critically or weighs between competing opinions .
In handling the text, al-Samarqandi applies several analytical methods:
- Intra-Quranic explanation: clarifying verses using other related verses whenever possible .
- Linguistic analysis: referencing Arabic lexicography and idiom where required .
- Variant readings (qira'at): presenting Quranic reading variants in moderation .
- Reconciliation of apparent discrepancies: raising potential textual difficulties on the surface meaning of verses and resolving seeming contradictions .
- Narratives: including prophetic stories and historical accounts sparingly, generally without subsequent critical assessment .
Reception, Transmissions, and Editions
The bibliographer Hajji Khalifa praised the work in Kashf al-Zunun, describing it as a graceful, famous, and beneficial book . The Hanafi scholar Qasim ibn Qutlubugha extracted and graded its hadith narrations (takhrij) . The work was translated into Ottoman Turkish by Ibn Arabshah (d. 854 AH / 1450 CE), which was subsequently revised by Musa al-Iznaiqi, and was also translated into Turkish by Ahmad al-Da'i (d. c. 820 AH) .
Some bibliographers, including Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli and 'Adil Nuwayhid, noted that the title Bahr al-Ulum was strictly attributed in certain catalogues to a later ninth-century scholar, 'Ali al-Samarqandi, though Abu al-Layth's commentary has commonly circulated under that name .
The text has been published in modern scholarly editions, including an edition edited by Abd al-Rahim al-Zaqqah (Baghdad, 1985), an edition edited by Ali Muhammad Mu'awwad, Adil Ahmad Abd al-Mawjud, and Zakariyya Abd al-Majid al-Nawti (Beirut, 1993), and an edition edited by Mahmud Matraji .
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