The Tafsir of Imam Tabari Rahimahullah, known as “جامع البیان عن تاویل آی القرآن“, is a precious and great scholarly treasure regarding the exegesis of the Holy Quran.
Scholars’ Opinions about Imam Tabari’s Tafsir
Hafiz Khateeb Baghdadi Rahimahullah:
“اَلتَّفْسِیرُ، لَمْ یُصَنِّفْ َأَحَدٌ مِّثْلَہ،.” “No one has written a tafsir like this.”
Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah Rahimahullah:
“تَفْسِیرُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جَرِیرٍ الطَّبَرِيِّ، وَہُوَ مِنْ أَجَلِّ التَّفَاسِیرِ وَأَعْظَمِہَا قَدْرًا.” “Tafsir Tabari is a noble and highly esteemed tafsir.”
Furthermore, he states:
“وَأَمَّا التَّفَاسِیرُ الَّتِي فِي أَیْدِي النَّاسِ فَأَصَحُّہَا: تَفْسِیرُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جَرِیرٍ الطَّبَرِيِّ فَإِنَّہ، یَذْکُرُ مَقَالَاتِ السَّلَفِ بِالْـأَسَانِیدِ الثَّابِتَۃِ وَلَیْسَ فِیہِ بِدْعَۃٌ.” “Among all tafsirs, the most authentic tafsir is that of Muhammad ibn Jarir Tabari. He mentions the exegetical statements of earlier mufassireen with authentic chains of narration. This tafsir is free from innovative ideas.”
He also said:
“وَالتَّفَاسِیرُ الْمَأْثُورَۃُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ وَالصَّحَابَۃُ وَالتَّابِعِینَ، مِثْلُ تَفْسِیرِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جَرِیرِ الطَّبَرِيِّ.” “The tafsirs transmitted and narrated from the Noble Prophet ﷺ, the Companions, and the great Tabi‘een, such as the tafsir of Muhammad ibn Jarir Tabari Rahimahullah.”
Mufassir Ibn Atiyyah Rahimahullah (541 AH):
“ثُمَّ إِنَّ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ جَرِیرِ الطَّبَرِيَّ رَحِمَہُ اللّٰہُ، جَمَعَ عَلَی النَّاسِ أَشْتَاتِ التَّفْسِیرِ، وَقَرَّبَ الْبَعِیدَ وَشَفٰی فِي الـإِسْنَادِ.” “Imam Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, selected pearls of exegesis for the people, brought distant scholarly treasures closer, and arranged for authentication.”
Imam Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him:
“رَوَی الْکَثِیرَ عَنِ الْجَمِّ الْغَفِیرِ، وَرَحَلَ إِلَی الْآفَاقِ فِي طَلَبِ الْحَدِیثِ، وَصَنَّفَ التَّارِیخَ الْحَافِلَ، وَلَہ، التَّفْسِیرُ الْکَامِلُ الَّذِي لَا یُوجَدُ لَہ، نَظِیرٌ، وَغَیْرُہُمَا مِنَ الْمُصَنَّفَاتِ النَّافِعَۃِ فِي الْـأُصُولِ وَالْفُرُوعِ.” “Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, acquired knowledge from a large group of sheikhs and teachers, traveled extensively in pursuit of hadith, authored a voluminous historical book, and also wrote an unparalleled tafsir. Besides this, he has many works in principles and jurisprudence.”
Student of Imam Ibn Jarir, Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Ja’far Abu Muhammad al-Farghani, may Allah have mercy on him (362 AH):
“فَتَمَّ مِنْ کُتُبٍ یَّعْنِي مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ جَرِیرٍ کَتَابَ تَفْسِیرِ الْقُرْآنِ وَجَوَّدَہ،، وَبَیَّنَ فِیہِ أَحْکَامَہ،، وَنَاسِخَہ، وَمَنْسُوخَہ،، وَمُشْکِلَہ، وَغَرِیبَہ،، وَمَعَانِیہِ، وَاخْتِلَافَ أَہْلِ التَّأْوِیلِ وَالْعُلَمَاءِ فِي أَحْکَامِہٖ وَتَأْوِیلِہٖ، وَالصَّحِیحَ لَدَیْہِ مِنْ ذٰلِکَ، وَإِعْرَابَ حُرُوفِہٖ، وَالْکَلَامَ عَلَی الْمُلْحِدِینَ فِیہِ، وَالْقِصَصَ وَأَخْبَارَ الْـأُمَّۃِ، وَالْقِیَامَۃَ، وَغَیْرَ ذٰلِکَ مِمَّا حَوَاہُ مِنَ الْحِکَمِ وَالْعَجَائِبِ، کَلِمَۃً کَلِمَۃً، وَآیَۃً آیَۃً، مِنَ الِاسْتِعَاذَۃِ إِلٰی أَبِي جَادَ، فَلَوِ ادَّعٰی عَالِمٌ أَنْ یُصَنِّفَ مِنْہُ عَشْرَۃَ کُتُبٍ، کُلُّ کِتَابٍ مِّنْہَا یَحْتَوِي عَلٰی عِلْمٍ مُّفْرَدٍ عَجِیبٍ مُسْتَقْصًی لَّفَعَلَ.” “One of the books of Imam Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, is the Tafsir al-Quran. In it, he demonstrated excellence, discussing commands, abrogating and abrogated verses, difficult and rare words, meanings and interpretations, rulings of scholars and commentators, differences in exegesis, preferred opinions, discussion on grammatical inflections, refutations of atheists, stories of previous nations, conditions of the Muhammadan Ummah, scenes of the Day of Judgment, and other wisdoms and subtleties, word by word and verse by verse, from beginning to end in a comprehensive discourse. If any scholar wishes to compose ten such books, each encompassing a separate, unique, and research-based discipline, it would not be impossible.”
Allama Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Yusuf Qifti, may Allah have mercy on him (568-646 AH):
“اَلْعَالِمُ الْکَامِلُ الْفَقِیہُ الْمُقْرِیئُ النَّحْوِيُّ اللُّغَوِيُّ الْحَافِظُ الْـأَخْبَارِيُّ جَامِعُ الْعُلُومِ، لَمْ یُرَ فِي فُنُونِہٖ مِثْلُہ،، سَمِعَ بِبَلَدِہٖ وَبِلَادِ الْـأَعَاجِمِ وَالْعِرَاقِ وَالشَّامِ وَمِصْرَ وَالْحِجَازِ الْجَمَّ الْغَفِیرَ، وَاسْتَوْطَنَ بَغْدَادَ، وَصَنَّفَ التَّصَانِیفَ الْکِبَارَ؛ مِنْہَا تَفْسِیرُ الْقُرْآنِ الَّذِي لَمْ یُرَ أَکْبَرُ مِنْہُ وَلَا أَکْثَرُ فَوَائِدَ، وَکِتَابُ التَّارِیخِ، وَہُوَ أَجَلُّ کِتَابٍ فِي بَابِہٖ.” “You, may Allah have mercy on you, were a perfect scholar, jurist, reciter, grammarian, linguist, memorizer of Hadith, historian, and master of every art. No one could match your stature. Besides your own region, a large multitude benefited from you in the lands of Ajam, Iraq, Sham, Egypt, and Hijaz, etc. You established a permanent base in Baghdad, wrote many major works, including the Tafsir al-Qur’an, a book greater and more beneficial than any other seen by the eye of the heavens, and a book on the subject of history, which holds the status of a masterpiece in its field.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him:
“فَالَّذِینَ اعْتَنُوا بِجَمْعِ التَّفْسِیرِ مِنْ طَبْقَۃِ الْـأَئِمَّۃِ السِّتَّۃِ أَبُو جَعْفَرِ بْنُ جَرِیرٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ وَیَلِیہِ أَبُو بَکْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاہِیمَ بْنِ الْمُنْذَرِ النِّیسَابُورِيُّ وَأَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمٰنِ بْنِ أَبِي حَاتِمِ بْنِ إِدْرِیسَ الرَّازِيُّ وَمِنْ طَبَقَۃِ شُیُوخِہِمْ عَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَیْدٍ بْنِ نَصْرِ الْکَشِيِّ.” “Among the Imams of the sixth generation who undertook the task of Qur’anic exegesis, Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, is the most prominent. After him comes Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Mundhir Nishapuri, Abu Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ibn Abu Hatim ibn Idris al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, and among their teachers’ generation is the name of Abd ibn Hamid ibn Nasr al-Kashi, may Allah have mercy on him.”
Further clarifying, Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, states:
“In these four Tafsirs, hardly any verse has been left out for which an explanation in the form of Marfoo, Mawqoof, or Maqtoo has not been provided. Imam Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, has superiority over other commentators in terms of narration. He also took care to explain the Qira’at, I’rab, detailed meanings of the verses, and clarified the preferred and rejected opinions among various views. No later scholar compiled everything that Imam Tabari gathered in his Tafsir. Imam Tabari was highly skilled in all these disciplines, whereas in later times other disciplines became dominant, which is why Imam Tabari remained distinguished in this field.”
Hafiz Sayyuti, may Allah have mercy on him (849-911 AH):
“وَلَہ، التَّصَانِیفُ الْعَظِیمَۃُ مِنْہَا تَفْسِیرُ الْقُرْآنِ وَہُوَ أَجَلُّ التَّفَاسِیرِ لَمْ یُؤَلَّفْ مِثْلُہ، کَمَا ذَکَرَہُ الْعُلَمَاءُ قَاطِبَۃً، مِنْہُمُ النَّوَوِيُّ فِي تَہْذِیبِہٖ.” “Among the great works of Imam Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, the Tafsir al-Quran stands out. It is an unparalleled Tafsir, as agreed upon by all the scholars. Among these scholars is Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, who mentioned this in his book ‘Tahdhib al-Asma wa al-Lughat.’ Imam Tabari combined both narration and understanding in this Tafsir. No one before or after him was able to do this.”
Sayuti, may Allah have mercy on him, further writes:
“After Imam Muhammad ibn Jarir Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, his Tafsir holds the highest status, followed by Imam Ibn Abu Hatim, Ibn Majah, Hakim, Ibn Mardawayh, Abu Shaykh Ibn Hayyan, and Ibn Mundhir, may Allah have mercy on them, who also engaged in Tafsir work. These mufassirun gave special importance to the sayings of the Sahabah and Tabi‘in in their Tafsirs. An additional excellence of Imam Tabari’s Tafsir is that he provided explanation and preference of these sayings, discussed grammatical analysis, and emphasized jurisprudential deduction, which made this Tafsir more beneficial and comprehensive than others.”
Finally, Hafiz Sayuti, may Allah have mercy on him, gives a decisive opinion on the scholarly achievements of Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, saying:
“فَإِنْ قُلْتَ : فَأَیُّ التَّفَاسِیرِ تُرْشِدُ إِلَیْہِ وَتَأْمُرُ النَّاظِرَ أَنْ یُّعَوِّلَ عَلَیْہِ؟ قُلْتُ : تَفْسِیرُ الْإِمَامِ أَبِي جَعْفَرِ بْنِ جَرِیرٍ الطَّبَرِيِّ الَّذِي أَجْمَعَ الْعُلَمَاءُ الْمُعْتَبَرُونَ عَلٰی أَنَّہُ لَمْ یُؤَلَّفْ فِي التَّفْسِیرِ مِثْلُہ،.” “If you ask which Tafsir is the most guiding and reliable? My answer would be the Tafsir of Imam Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, on whose unparalleled and matchless status all the respected scholars have consensus.”
Summary
The Tafsir of Imam Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, جامع البیان عن تاویل آی القرآن, is one of the grand exegeses of Islamic history. Various esteemed scholars, such as Hafiz Ibn Hajar, Hafiz Suyuti, and Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on them, have praised the greatness of this Tafsir and regarded it as the most distinguished and detailed among the Quranic exegeses. Imam al-Tabari combined narration and reasoning in his Tafsir and provided a comprehensive discussion on the meanings of Quranic verses, recitations, grammatical analysis, the sayings of the Companions and the Successors, and jurisprudential deductions. According to the scholars, the comprehensiveness and scholarly depth presented in this Tafsir are unmatched in later exegeses, and it stands as a shining beacon among Quranic commentaries.
