Jāmi` al-bayān `an ta'wīl āy al-Qur'ān, popularly
Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī (Arabic: تفسير الطبري) is a classic Sunni
tafsirTafseer is the Arabic word for exegesis or commentary, usually of the Qur'an. Ta'wīl is a subset of tafsir and refers to esoteric or mystical interpretation. An author of tafsir is a mufassir .- Etymology :...
by the Persian scholar
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-TabariAbu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was a prominent and influential Sunni scholar and exegete of the Qur'an from Persia...
(838-923). The work is a collective tafsir, very rich in content, and a major source for academic research and historical inquiry.
Background
Tabari finished his work in 883, often dictating sections to his students. It is his second great work after
"History of the Prophets and Kings" (
Tarīkh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk), famously known as "Tarikh al-Tabari".
Sources
Tabari has primarily used
narratives of the ProphetThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, including narrations and comments of the
sahabahIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
and tabi'in where necessary. He has included linguistics and grammatical explanations to many words.
Also knowledgeable in the area of
hadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, Tabari carefully indicates the chain of narrations, sometimes elaborating on the trustability of narrators. Narratives are carefully chosen for authenticity, most notably is the example of rejection of the same historical sources he already used for his historical works.
Preface
In the preface, Tabari has given general facts about the Quran, including its superiority to any other text, what
tafsirTafseer is the Arabic word for exegesis or commentary, usually of the Qur'an. Ta'wīl is a subset of tafsir and refers to esoteric or mystical interpretation. An author of tafsir is a mufassir .- Etymology :...
and
tawilTawil , or al-tawil , is a compound meter used in classical Arabic poetry.Its form is as follows :...
are, the
seven qiraatIn Islam, Qira'at, which means literally the readings, terminologically means the method of recitation. Traditionally, there are 10 recognised schools of qira'at, and each one derives its name from a famous reader of Qur'an recitation....
, companions who commented on the Quran and the naming of the
suraA sura is a division of the Qur'an, often referred to as a chapter. The term chapter is sometimes avoided, as the suras are of unequal length; the shortest sura has only three ayat while the longest contains 286 ayat...
s.
There is great emphasis on the language of the Quran, Arabic, and the view that there are foreign words in the Quran are rejected. It is put forward that these foreign words are coherent with Arabic, entering the
Arabic languageArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
before the revelation of the Quran, and that they are very rare, and cannot be used as counter evidence that the Quran is Arabic.
Content
Interpretations start with “al-qawlu fī ta'wīli qawlihi ta'ālā" (English: The tawil of this word of God is) for every verse. Then hadith and other previous interpretations are stated and classified according to their compatibility to each other. Interpretation using other verses and Arabic language is favored, qualifying this tafsir as riwaya, but the inclusion of critiques and reason is an integral part of the books unique character; as Tabari has refrained from interpretation using merely his own opinion and opposed those who do so.
Lexical meanings of words are given, and their use in Arabic culture is examined. Tabari’s linguistic views are based on school of
BasraBasra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
. Opinions of linguists are given where appropriate. Evidence from Arabic poetry are used frequently, sometimes with their origins.
Tabari is also a well known
qira'atIn Islam, Qira'at, which means literally the readings, terminologically means the method of recitation. Traditionally, there are 10 recognised schools of qira'at, and each one derives its name from a famous reader of Qur'an recitation....
scholar, thus giving his opinions on qiraat debates in his book. Choices of qiraat are usually given according to the
KufaKufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
school. Sometimes both qiraat is preserved, leaving the choice to the reader.
A follower of the Salafiyya sect, Tabari discusses debates of theologists on various subjects. Albeit being a creator of his own fiqh sect
jaririJariri is the name given to a short-lived school of Islamic jurisprudence that was derived from the work of Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, the ninth and tenth-century Muslim scholar of Baghdad...
, he states views of major law schools on verses of legislation. After these comments are stated, Tabari chooses one of them, sometimes refuting all and expressing his own.
Although rare, Tabari has included
isra'iliyatIn the hadith studies of Islamic theology, Isra'iliyat is the body of hadith originating from Judeo-Christian traditions, rather than from other well-accepted sources that quote the Islamic prophet Muhammad...
occasionally in his book. Given only as notice, this information is not dwelled upon, usually left for the understanding of the reader.
Influence
Jami al-Bayan is an important source for attaining information about older commentaries which have not survived to the present. Its rich content which encompasses dictionaries, historical notes, law, recitation, theology and Arabic literature has made it a highly referenced book throughout history, creating a long list of editions. It is also a good example of reasoning in a tafsir by a widely accepted scholar, giving it a value of diraya.
It was marked by the same fullness of detail as his other work. The size of this work and the independence of judgment in it seem to have prevented it from having a large circulation, but scholars such as Baghawi and Suyuti used it largely;
Ibn KathirIsmail ibn Kathir was a Muslim muhaddith, Faqih, historian, and commentator.-Biography:His full name was Abu Al-Fida, 'Imad Ad-Din, Isma'il bin 'Umar bin Kathir, Al-Qurashi, Al-Busrawi...
used it in his
Tafsir ibn KathirTafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim, popularly Tafsir ibn Kathir , is a classic Sunni Islam tafsir by Ibn Kathir....
. Scholars including Suyuti have expressed their admiration towards this tafsir, regarding it as the most valuable of commentaries, and most notably the words of
Theodor NöldekeTheodor Nöldeke was a German Semitic scholar, who was born in Harburg and studied in Göttingen, Vienna, Leiden and Berlin....
;
Editions
Editions of Tabari's commentary on the Qur'an:
- Edition published in thirty vols. (with extra index volume) at Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, 1902-1903; reprinted in 1984.
- Tafsir al-Tabari : al-musammá Jami' al-bayan fi ta'wil al-Qur'an. New edition published in 12 volumes by Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyah, Beirut, 1997.
- An account with brief extracts given by O. Loth in the Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft, vol. xxxv. (1881), pp. 588-628.
- The commentary on the Qur'an, by Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Jarir al- Tabari ; being an abridged translation of Jami' al-bayan 'an ta'wil ay al-Qur'an, with an introduction and notes by J. Cooper, general editors, W.F. Madelung, A. Jones. Oxford University Press, 1987. The late author did not carry this beyond the first volume. It is out of print.
- Commentary on the Quran, Vol. 1, Delhi 1987. ISBN 0-19-920142-0. This is a replica of the Cooper translation.
- Web based publication at AlTafsir.com.
- Software component of Qur'an software published by Ekabakti.com.