Adapted from the original article by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amonpuri حفظه الله
(Tārīkh Baghdād: 2/163)
(Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā: 13/361)
“Among all the available Tafsīrs, the most authentic is that of al-Ṭabarī. He reports the statements of the Salaf with authentic chains and avoids all forms of innovation.”
(Al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā: 5/84)
“The traditional Tafsīrs from the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, and the Tābiʿīn—such as the Tafsīr of al-Ṭabarī—are exemplary.”
(Darʾ Taʿāruḍ al-ʿAql wa al-Naql: 2/21)
(Tafsīr Ibn ʿAṭiyyah: 1/31)
(Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah: 11/165)
(Tārīkh Dimashq, Ṭabaqāt al-Mufassirīn)
(Inbāh al-Ruwāt: 3/89)
(Al-ʿAjab fī Bayān al-Asbāb: 1/203)
(Ṭabaqāt al-Mufassirīn, Al-Itqān: 4/242–244)
✿ Avoids innovation and speculation
✿ Rich in linguistic, grammatical, and jurisprudential analysis
✿ Contains comparative views with reasoned preference (tarjīḥ)
✿ Discusses abrogation, narrations, and refutations of deviant interpretations
✿ Respected across all schools and disciplines as a beacon in Qur’anic scholarship
❖ Introduction to the Work
“Jāmiʿ al-Bayān ʿan Taʾwīl Āy al-Qurʾān” by Imām al-Ṭabarī رحمه الله is one of the most significant and authoritative Qur’anic commentaries in Islamic history. It stands as a monumental academic treasure in the field of Tafsīr.❖ Scholarly Praise for Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī
✔ Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī رحمه الله:
“No one has authored a Tafsīr like it.”(Tārīkh Baghdād: 2/163)
✔ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله:
“Tafsīr of Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī is one of the most esteemed and grand commentaries.”(Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā: 13/361)
“Among all the available Tafsīrs, the most authentic is that of al-Ṭabarī. He reports the statements of the Salaf with authentic chains and avoids all forms of innovation.”
(Al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā: 5/84)
“The traditional Tafsīrs from the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, and the Tābiʿīn—such as the Tafsīr of al-Ṭabarī—are exemplary.”
(Darʾ Taʿāruḍ al-ʿAql wa al-Naql: 2/21)
✔ Ibn ʿAṭiyyah al-Andalusī رحمه الله:
“Imām Ṭabarī compiled the scattered pearls of Tafsīr and made distant treasures accessible. He also ensured strong isnāds.”(Tafsīr Ibn ʿAṭiyyah: 1/31)
✔ Imām Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله:
“He acquired knowledge from countless scholars, traveled for ḥadīth, authored a vast historical work, and compiled an unrivaled Tafsīr.”(Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah: 11/165)
❖ Distinct Features Highlighted by Scholars
✔ Abū Muḥammad al-Farghānī رحمه الله:
"Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī includes explanations of rulings, abrogation, linguistic clarities, varying scholarly opinions, refutations of deviants, and narrations of previous nations—verse by verse and word by word."(Tārīkh Dimashq, Ṭabaqāt al-Mufassirīn)
✔ Al-Qifṭī رحمه الله:
“He was a complete scholar: faqīh, muqriʾ, grammarian, linguist, ḥadīth expert, historian—he authored massive works including his unmatched Tafsīr and his magnum opus in history.”(Inbāh al-Ruwāt: 3/89)
❖ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī رحمه الله:
“Among those who specialized in Tafsīr from the sixth tier of scholars, Imām Ṭabarī stands out. His Tafsīr rarely omits an āyah without mursal, mawqūf, or maqṭūʿ commentary.”(Al-ʿAjab fī Bayān al-Asbāb: 1/203)
❖ Al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله:
“Imām Ṭabarī’s Tafsīr is the most outstanding. The scholars, including Imām Nawawī, agreed there is no work like it. He combined riwāyah and dirāyah as no one else has.”(Ṭabaqāt al-Mufassirīn, Al-Itqān: 4/242–244)
❖ Summary of Its Unique Merits
✿ Reports the sayings of Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿīn with authentic chains✿ Avoids innovation and speculation
✿ Rich in linguistic, grammatical, and jurisprudential analysis
✿ Contains comparative views with reasoned preference (tarjīḥ)
✿ Discusses abrogation, narrations, and refutations of deviant interpretations
✿ Respected across all schools and disciplines as a beacon in Qur’anic scholarship
