THE ROLE OF COMPANIONS AND SUCCESSORS’ REPORTS IN AL-ṬABARI’S TAFSIR: A SOURCE-CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Authors

  • Nurali MAVLANOV

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57033//mijournals-2025-1-0010

Keywords:

al-Ṭabari, Jаmiʿ al-bayаn, tafsir, Companions, Successors, isnаd criticism, Qurʾаnic exegesis, manba studies

Abstract

This study investigates the methodological significance of Companions (ṣaḥаba) and Successors (tаbiʿun) reports in al-Ṭabari’s Jаmiʿ al-bayаn ʿan taʾwil аy al-Qurʾаn, one of the earliest comprehensive exegetical works in the Islamic tradition. Through source-critical analysis, the research explores how al-Ṭabari structures, evaluates, and privileges transmitted reports (athаr) in his hermeneutical framework. The findings demonstrate that the authority of the Companion and Successor tradition functions as the backbone of ṭabarian exegesis, informing linguistic explanation, legal reasoning, and theological positioning. Al-Ṭabari’s rigorous isnаd-based methodology shows multilayered reliance on early Islamic transmitters, yet employs rational preference (tarjiḥ) when divergent interpretations arise. This study contributes to understanding classical tafsir formation and the epistemological hierarchy governing early Qurʾаnic interpretation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Al-Ṭabari, M. J. (2001). Jаmiʿ al-bayаn ʿan taʾwil аy al-Qurʾаn (A. M. Shаkir, Ed.). Dаr

al-Maʿаrif.

Cook, M. (2000). The Koran: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780192853448.001.0001

Gilliot, C. (1990). Exégèse, langue et théologie en Islam. Arabica, 37(2), 173–228. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/157005890X00195

Goldfeld, I. (1988). The Qurʾan: Its exegesis and translation. E. J. Brill.

McAuliffe, J. D. (1991). Qurʾаnic Christians: An analysis of classical and modern exegesis. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511598203

Cambridge University Press.

Motzki, H. (2001). The Muṣannaf of ʿAbd al-Razzаq al-Ṣanʿаni as a source of authentic

aḥаdith

of the first century A.H. Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 50(1), 1–21.

Wild, S. (1996). Self-referentiality in the Qurʾаn. Harrassowitz.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-20

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 3 (2025)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Nurali MAVLANOV (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Open Access License and Copyright Terms

All articles published in The Journal of Interdisciplinary Human Studies are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, and adaptation of the work in any medium or format, provided that the original author(s) and the source are properly credited.

Authors retain full copyright to their published work and grant the journal the right of first publication.

✅ Official license URL:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

How to Cite

THE ROLE OF COMPANIONS AND SUCCESSORS’ REPORTS IN AL-ṬABARI’S TAFSIR: A SOURCE-CRITICAL ANALYSIS. (2025). The Journal of Interdisciplinary Human Studies, 1(3), 23-30. https://doi.org/10.57033//mijournals-2025-1-0010