has been done.
7. Other interventions have been indicated in the footnotes as “translator” where appropriate.
8. Since the book is fundamentally concerned with the exegesis of words, we have at times sought to draw attention by mentioning the word being explained, whether in the translations, in the entry headings, or in the course of explanations.
9. We have not translated the editor’s footnotes that are impossible or unnecessary to render into Turkish, or that have been automatically incorporated into the translation.
10. We have minimized the insertion of Arabic phrases—at the expense of some scholarly formality—in order to address the reader more comfortably.
11. We have written the entry headings as in the original, and have also included their Arabic forms [3].
12. We have rendered the verse translations by taking into account the explanations of Mukātil b. Sulaymān; we have tried to ensure consistency between the translation and Mukātil b. Sulaymān’s explanations.
13. We have corrected the editor’s errors in the verse references in the footnotes.
14. Additionally, we have drawn attention to the errors of Mukātil b. Sulaymān, especially those concerning word derivations—which are quite few. We have also tried to indicate the locations of the verses referred to. We have distinguished such notes belonging to ourselves and similar ones from those of the editor by signing them as “translator.”
15. We offer praise and thanks to our Lord, who did not withhold His grace and favor in granting us the opportunity to bring such an important work into Turkish from various perspectives.
Success is from Allah
M. Beşir Eryarsoy
August
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Preface
Praise be to Allah, to whom all goodness is due and by whose favor blessings are completed; and blessings and peace be upon our master Muḥammad.
Now then, the work you currently hold belongs to Mukātil b. Sulaymān of Balkh, who died in 150 AH, and is entitled al-Ashbāh wa’l-Naẓāʾir fī’l-Qur’ān al-Karīm.
I prepared its critical edition based on the film of the only manuscript located at the “Institute of Manuscripts” (Maʿhad al-Makhṭūṭāt) affiliated with the Arab University in Cairo. The original of this manuscript is registered under number 516 in a general library in Turkey. This manuscript was written in the 7th century in large and beautiful script.
The special
cultural legacy left behind by Mukātil b. Sulaymān
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 57–58.
We have included the editor’s preface and the lengthy four-part introduction he wrote about Mukātil b. Sulaymān in an abridged form. (Editor).
My specialization greatly assisted me in the critical edition of this work. As a result of this specialization, I became familiar with his style and learned his views. For I had previously prepared the critical edition of Mukātil’s Tafsīr al-Kabīr and published its four-volume edition, which reached 1851 pages.
My work on this tafsir helped me in editing Mukātil b. Sulaymān’s al-Wujūh [al-Ashbāh] wa’l-Naẓāʾir. For when the text became unclear or obscure to me, I would refer to the Tafsīr to ascertain the correct reading.
Before the critical edition, I began by examining the life of Mukātil b. Sulaymān and the sciences in which he excelled, and then introduced this book, al-Ashbāh wa’l-Naẓāʾir, which is among the fundamental sources for Qur’anic sciences, the explanation of the verbal richness of these sciences, and the demonstration of their linguistic conciseness; I explained the method and thought of the book.
We pray to Allah to make this work beneficial. Surely, He is the Hearer and Accepter of supplications.
Dr. Abdullah Maḥmūd Shahhāta
The Life of Mukātil
His name is Mukātil b. Sulaymān b. Bashīr al-Balkhī. He was a client (mawlā) of the Azd tribe. His kunya was Abū’l-Ḥasan.
Al-Dhahabī, in his biography, refers to him as “the great exegete Abū’l-Ḥasan Mukātil b. Sulaymān al-Balkhī.”
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 59–60.
Although most sources state his name as Mukātil b. Sulaymān, they do not mention his grandfather’s name. Some of the sources that do so are: Ibn al-Athīr, al-Kāmil fī’l-Tārīkh, V/354; al-Rāzī, al-Jarḥ wa’l-Taʿdīl, IV/355, India edition; al-Nawawī, Tahdhīb al-Asmāʾ, II/115; al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, VI/65; al-Dhahabī, Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, III/196. Some sources state his grandfather’s name as “Bishr”: al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād, XIII/160; al-Maqdisī, Tahdhīb al-Kamāl fī Asmāʾ al-Rijāl (manuscript, vol. 10). Some sources state his grandfather’s name as “Bashīr”: Wafayāt al-Aʿyān, V/341; Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, X/279; Ziriklī, al-Aʿlām, VIII/206; Kahhāla, Muʿjam al-Muʾallifīn, XII/317. I prefer the name “Bashīr” over “Bishr,” because older sources often neglected to place dots on letters. Thus, when “Bashīr” was written without dots, it resembled “Bishr.” In Ibn Taymiyya’s Fatāwā (II/92), “Mukātil b. Bukayr” appears, but this is a corruption of “Bashīr.” Indeed, the majority of sources state his grandfather’s name as “Bashīr,” not “Bishr.” See the footnote in al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, I/6.
Ibn Durayd, al-Ishtiqāq—ed. ʿAbd al-Salām Hārūn—p. 501. However, according to Ibn Durayd, the sons of Asad b. Sharīk had a neighborhood in Basra known as the “Quarter of the Sons of Asad.” However, there was no neighborhood of the sons of Asad b. Khuzayma in Basra. He then says: “One of their clients [those affiliated with them as freed slaves] who had a tafsir was Mukātil.”
Since we know that Mukātil was born in Balkh, later went to Merv, then to Basra, then to Baghdad, and then returned to Basra where he remained until his death in 150 AH, we prefer the view that his affiliation with the ‘sons of Asad’ by way of walāʾ occurred in Basra.
Mukātil was born in Balkh, a city in the region of Khurasan. Sources state that he died in Basra in 150 AH, but do not mention his year of birth. Although the prevailing opinion from the reports is that Mukātil was born in 80 AH, it is also possible that he was born earlier.
Mukātil narrated from many leading scholars of the tābiʿūn who died in the early part of the 2nd century AH; such as Mujāhid b. Jabr al-Makkī (d. 104 AH); ʿAṭāʾ b. Abī Rabāḥ al-Makkī (d. 114 AH), and others. However, his narrations from them are muʿallaqāt. Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī said regarding this:
Mukātil did not hear anything from Mujāhid, nor did he meet him. However, Mukātil collected the exegetical views of the scholars and, relying on these—without having heard from them directly—produced his tafsir.
Mukātil grew up in the city of Balkh, then went to Merv. Both are famous cities in the region of Khurasan. The country in which Mukātil was raised and from whose culture, religious, and sectarian views he was influenced, is the most fertile and extensive region of the East. Its borders are: to the northeast, Mā Warāʾ al-Nahr; to the southeast, the lands of Sind and Sijistān; to the north, the lands of Khwārazm and the Oghuz Turks in Turkistan; and to the south, the lands of the Persians [Iran].
Khurasan was one of the most important centers of intellectual life in the Islamic world during the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries AH. Many great ḥadīth scholars, exegetes, and jurists were raised there.
Born and raised in Balkh, a center of Greek civilization, Mukātil saw the temples there and became acquainted with their religions.
During the Ecumenical period, Balkh was the holy city of Zoroastrianism; later, during the reign of the Kushan kings, Buddhism also became widespread.
Until the Arab conquest, Zoroastrianism continued to exist in Balkh alongside Buddhism. Along with these two religions, Manichaeism and Nestorian Christianity also survived. Nevertheless, Buddhism was predominant. Visitors came from all directions, including many Chinese, to the Buddhist institute of Nawbahār, which was a great and awe-inspiring temple. During the days of the Arab conquest, the highest religious office in Balkh belonged to Barmak, the servant of Nawbahār. The Barmakids, the family from which the Abbasid viziers emerged, were also from this family of religious functionaries.
This great Merv is one of the largest cities of Khurasan. The attribution to this city,
al-Kāmil; Tārīkh Baghdād; Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl; Aʿlām; Muʿjam al-Muʾallifīn.
Tārīkh Baghdād, XIII/160; al-Maqdisī, Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, vol. 10.
al-Maqdisī, Tahdhīb al-Kamāl fī Asmāʾ al-Rijāl, vol. 10.
George Zaydān, Tārīkh al-Tamaddun al-Islāmī, II/50.
Islamic Encyclopedia, IV/78. It also adds: “This was the political center of the old province of Khurasan. Later, it became the cultural and religious center of the kingdom of Tokharistan.”
Islamic Encyclopedia, IV/79; “Balkh” entry.
This was to distinguish it from Merv al-Rūdh. There is a five-day journey between them. Merv means “white stone,” used as flint.
—in an irregular form—becomes “Marzawī.” The distance between Merv and Nishapur is 70, and between Merv and Balkh is 122 farsakhs. Mukātil moved from Balkh to Merv, resided there, and married there.
Mukātil is also attributed to Balkh and Khurasan. Biographical works refer to him as “Mukātil b. Sulaymān al-Balkhī, al-Marwazī, al-Khurasānī.”
Mukātil, though a person of intelligence, discernment, and knowledge, was also influenced by his surroundings.
We have stated that Balkh, where Mukātil was born and raised, was a city where various religions mingled. There were Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Manichaeans, and Christians. These religions coexisted as neighbors until the time of the Arab conquests, although the Hindū-Buddhists were predominant.
Mukātil moved from Balkh, where he was born and raised, to Merv. He attained a certain status in Khurasan. So much so that he acted as a mediator in peace negotiations between the emirs of Khurasan and those who rebelled against them.
Later, Mukātil moved to Iraq, settled in Basra, went to Baghdad, narrated ḥadīth there, and then returned to Basra, where he remained until his death in 150 AH.
Just as we cannot determine with certainty the year of Mukātil’s birth—though we prefer 80 AH—we also cannot determine the year he went to Iraq.
Mukātil settled in Basra, which was the second most important city in Iraq at the time. Iraq was home to various religions, sects, and views. It was a cradle of ancient religions. The Syriacs had spread there and established their schools before Islam. In these schools, they taught Greek philosophy and Persian wisdom. Before Islam, there were Christian sects in Iraq that debated with each other on matters of doctrine. After Islam, Iraq continued to be a mixture of various types. Many seditions and upheavals arose there. There were conflicting views, sects, and beliefs, both politically and doctrinally. The Shīʿa were there, the Khārijites in the rural areas, the Muʿtazila were there. Also in Iraq were the mujtahids of the tābiʿūn. Because they carried the knowledge of the Companions and were well-versed in religious sciences, they were sought after. In short, conflicting views, sects, and beliefs were widespread in Iraq.
Mukātil, who was contemporary with Abū Ḥanīfa, resided in Basra. Most of those who engaged in debate and held opposing views were also in Basra.
During the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, Basra was one of the most important centers of Iraq. There was great rivalry between Basra and Kufa. Both cities had certain characteristics in Mukātil’s era. Basra was prominent for debate and the science of kalām, mutual disputation, and storytelling. Many sects also emerged in Basra. The most important sects affiliated with the Muʿtazila were also in Basra.
When Mukātil went to Basra, it was teeming with many sects.
In the last period of his life, which he spent in Iraq, Mukātil had relations with the Abbasid caliphs, just as he had previously had relations with the Umayyad emirs in Khurasan.
Mukātil moved from Basra to Baghdad. At that time, as the capital of the caliphate, many people migrated to Baghdad, including many scholars. Mukātil was famous in Baghdad. He would sit with the caliphs, the emirs would ask him questions and consult him. He became renowned for his vast knowledge and information.
Mukātil’s views on the divine attributes spread. Eventually, the caliph asked Mukātil: — News has reached me that you have likened (God).
— No, I only say this: Say: “He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.” Whoever says otherwise about me is lying.
Then Mukātil returned from Baghdad to Basra and remained there until his death in 150 AH.
In his Tafsir, Mukātil also mentions the names of the noble Companions who died in Basra.
In Basra, the sons of Asad had a separate neighborhood. They were the sons of Sharīk b. Mālik. Mukātil was also among their clients [those affiliated by the contract of walāʾ] in Basra.
Mukātil spent the first half of his life in Khurasan and the second half in Iraq. He also resided in other cities, but his stay in those places was not long.
Mukātil and the Science of Ḥadīth
Ḥadīth scholars have criticized Mukātil, accusing him of lying and fabricating ḥadīths. For this reason, the majority did not consider him qualified to transmit ḥadīth and did not accept ḥadīth from him. Nevertheless, he held a distinguished position among exegetes, and since he was praised for his tafsir, many trustworthy and well-known individuals transmitted ḥadīth from him.
I have seen that most of the narrations Mukātil transmits in his tafsir are found in the Ṣaḥīḥayn (al-Bukhārī and Muslim) or in the Sunan.
Mukātil narrated from Thābit al-Bunānī, Saʿīd al-Maqburī, ʿAṭāʾ b. Abī Rabāḥ, ʿAṭiyya b. Saʿd al-ʿAwfī, ʿAmr b. Shuʿayb, Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī, Nāfiʿ the freedman of Ibn ʿUmar, Zayd b. Aslam, Shurahbīl b. Saʿd the freedman of the Anṣār, ʿAbdullāh b. Burayda, ʿAbdullāh b. Abī
Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, vol. 10; Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, X/283.
Tārīkh Baghdād, III/169.
Ibn Durayd, al-Ishtiqāq, ed. ʿAbd al-Salām Hārūn, p. 501, al-Sunnah al-Muḥammadiyya, 1958. Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 61–67.
Same place.
Bakr b. Anas b. Mālik, Muḥammad b. Sīrīn, Abū Isḥāq al-Subayʿī, and Abū’l-Zubayr al-Makkī.
Mukātil also narrated from Mujāhid b. Jabr al-Makkī; but Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī said regarding this:
• Mukātil did not hear anything from Mujāhid, nor did he meet him.
• Mukātil collected the exegetical views of various individuals and, without hearing from them directly, produced his tafsir accordingly. If someone were to collect the tafsir of Maʿmar and Sayḥān from Qatāda, it would be good to produce a tafsir based on that.
• I did not include anything from him (i.e., from Mukātil’s tafsir) in my own tafsir.
Al-Kalbī’s tafsir is on the same level as Mukātil’s tafsir.
Those who narrated from Mukātil include Ismāʿīl b. ʿAyyāsh, Saʿd b. al-Salt, Sufyān b. ʿUyayna, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Muḥammad al-Muḥāribī, ʿAbd al-Razzāq b. Hammām, al-Walīd b. Muslim, Abū Nuṣayr Saʿdāl, Ibn Saʿīd al-Balkhī, Abū Ḥaywa, Shurayḥ b. Burayd al-Ḥimṣī, Abū Naṣr Manṣūr b. ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd al-Barūdī, Abū’l-Junayd al-Ḍarīr, Abū Yaḥyā al-Ḥammānī, Baqiyya b. al-Walīd, Shabāba b. Sawwār, ʿImād b. Qīrat al-Naysābūrī, ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Sulaymān (b. Abī’l-Ḥūb), ʿAbd al-Ṣamad b. ʿAbd al-Wāris, ʿAṭṭāb b. Muḥammad b. Shawdhāb, ʿAlī b. al-Jaʿd, ʿĪsā b. Abī Fāṭima [Ibn Subayḥ], ʿĪsā b. Yūnus, Ḥaramī b. ʿUmāra b. Abī Ḥanīfa, Ḥammād b. Muḥammad al-Nawwārī, Ḥamza b. Ziyād al-Ṭūsī, Naṣr b. Ḥammād al-Warrāq, Yaḥyā b. Shibl, Yūsuf b. Khālid al-Sumnī, and al-Walīd b. Marīsad al-Bayrūtī.
Some trustworthy (thiqah) ḥadīth scholars have praised Mukātil and expressed the highness of his status: Imām al-Shāfiʿī said:
Whoever wishes to be as vast as an ocean in tafsir needs what Mukātil b. Sulaymān has produced.
Sufyān b. ʿUyayna relates the following conversation between Mashʿar and Ḥammād b. ʿAmr:
Mashʿar asked Ḥammād b. ʿAmr—referring to Mukātil:
— How did you find the man?
Ḥammād b. ʿAmr replied:
— If what he says is knowledge, I do not know if anyone could be more learned than him. When ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak saw Mukātil’s tafsir, he said:
What great knowledge this is! If only this knowledge had a chain of transmission.
ʿAbd b. Kathīr also said:
No one remains who knows Allah’s Book better than Mukātil.
Ḥammād, the son of Abū Ḥanīfa, said:
Mukātil is more knowledgeable in tafsir than al-Kalbī. Baqiyya said:
I have often witnessed Shuʿba being asked about Mukātil b. Sulaymān,
Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, vol. 10 (biography of Mukātil); Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl, III/196; al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, I/6, 65; Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, X, 279; Tārīkh Baghdād, XIII/160.
but I have never once heard him speak of him in any way other than good.
ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn b. Wāqid al-Marwazī, quoting from ʿAbd al-Majīd of the people of Merv, said:
I asked Mukātil b. Ḥayyān:
— O Abū Bastām! Are you more learned, or is Mukātil b. Sulaymān?
He replied:
— I see Mukātil’s knowledge among people as the green sea among other seas.
As for the rational aspect in his tafsir and other works, he is truly like a surging sea, always ahead, and no one has surpassed him. This is confirmed by Imām al-Shāfiʿī’s testimony in his favor.
If we neglect Mukātil’s legacy, we would be neglecting an important part of our intellectual and civilizational heritage. We would even be neglecting the first product of rational tafsir. This is not something to be done at a time when other societies boast of their pasts and compete to revive their cultural heritage.
Mukātil and the Science of Kalām
Only works on sects and schools attribute to Mukātil the statement, “Allah is flesh and blood...” Such an expression is certainly not found in Mukātil’s Tafsir.
Some imams of kalām and historians of sects and schools have praised Mukātil and considered him a foundation and support for refuting and preventing misguidance and denial.
For example, al-Shahrastānī considered Mukātil one of the imams of the salaf and evaluated him alongside Imām Mālik b. Anas. He said:
When the salaf from among the people of ḥadīth saw the Muʿtazila going too far in opposing the knowledge of Allah and the Sunnah they had learned from the rightly guided imams, when a group from the Umayyads supported the Qadarite views, and when some Abbasid caliphs advocated the negation of Allah’s attributes and the belief that the Qur’an is created, they were unable to present the view of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿa regarding the ambiguous (mutashābih) verses and ḥadīths with strong evidence. A group of the salaf imams, including Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, Dāwūd b. ʿAlī al-Isfahānī, and others, followed the method of the earlier people of ḥadīth, such as Mālik b. Anas and Mukātil b. Sulaymān, and thus followed the path of safety, saying:
“We believe in what is found in the Book and the Sunnah, and we do not attempt interpretation (taʾwīl). At the same time, we certainly know that the Exalted Allah does not resemble anything among the created beings. We also know that whatever comes to mind, He is its Creator and Determiner.”
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 67–70.
Thus, they were extremely cautious and wary of anthropomorphism (tashbīh). They even said:
“When one reads the verse, ‘whom I created with My two hands,’ or narrates the ḥadīth, ‘The heart of the believer is between two fingers of the Merciful,’ and gestures with his fingers, it is necessary to cut off his finger.”
Imām al-Shāfiʿī also stated that everyone in Qur’anic exegesis is in need of Mukātil b. Sulaymān.
Dr. Subḥī al-Ṣāliḥ states that Mukātil is one of the great Muslim scholars and exegetes.
For this reason, we say: If Mukātil b. Sulaymān ever said, “Allah is flesh and blood,” then may he be damned. However, fairness requires us to say that such a view has not been attributed to Mukātil in any of the works that discuss his biography or in historical books. This view is only attributed to him in books on sects and schools. Books that describe the views of sects sometimes transmit the words of their opponents in an exaggerated manner.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to ascertain Mukātil’s views directly from his own books. It is a fortunate coincidence that some of his books exist in manuscript form in libraries. I have obtained and read a film of one of his books.
Dr. Muḥammad Yūsuf Mūsā says:
We believe that it befits a fair-minded researcher to be extremely cautious in accepting what an opponent says about his adversary and what is attributed to him by his adversaries as truly belonging to him.
Especially
al-Baghdādī’s
al-Farq
Bayna’l-Firaq
and al-Shahrastānī’s al-Milal wa’l-Niḥal are such works. These are important sources on Islamic sects. The author of the first—who, as Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī also notes—was quite fanatical against his opponents. It can even be said that he did not describe their sects accurately. Al-Shahrastānī also transmitted the views of Islamic sects from him.
If we examine one of the oldest works written to explain the conditions of the sects, namely al-Malāṭī’s (d. 377 AH) Kitāb al-Tanbīh wa’l-Radd, we see that he speaks highly of Mukātil b. Sulaymān, even considering him a support and refuge in refuting the views of the Zindīqs who cast doubt on the Qur’an and claimed that it contains ambiguous [contradictory] expressions. He says:
Al-Shahrastānī, al-Milal wa’l-Niḥal.
al-Nuẓūm al-Islāmiyya, p. 179.
Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif al-Islāmiyya, VI/210.
Munāẓarāt al-Rāzī, India, 1315 AH, p. 25.
al-Kawtharī, introduction to the work.
The phrase is the same in the Arabic edition we used for translation. However, based on the quotation from al-Malāṭī, it is possible that the negative particle “laysa” has dropped from the text. In that case, the phrase “those Zindīqs who claim that it contains ambiguous expressions” would become “those Zindīqs who claim that it does not contain ambiguous expressions.” (Translator)
Anyone who wishes to learn the answer to such questions, which are of this kind and which he cannot resolve, will attain what he seeks if he consults reliable scholars. I swear that those who belong to the sects of desire (hawā) have differed and gone astray in such matters. This is a summary transmitted to us by reliable transmitters, who in turn transmitted it from Mukātil b. Sulaymān. If you reflect on this—in shāʾ Allāh—it will benefit you.
(After this), he says, “Mukātil said...” and transmits from him twenty-four pages regarding the interpretation of the ambiguous (mutashābih) verses of the Qur’an.
Mukātil’s Shiʿism and Murjiʾism
Ibn al-Nadīm, in al-Fihrist, says:
Mukātil b. Sulaymān was a Zaydī, a ḥadīth scholar, and a qirāʾāt scholar.
When the Qur’anic Tafsir is examined, many indications are found that Mukātil belonged to the Zaydī branch of the Shīʿa. The Zaydī branch of the Shīʿa is one of the sects closest to the Islamic community [Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿa]. They did not go to extremes in doctrinal matters;
they did not elevate their imams
to the rank of prophethood
or divinity.
Mukātil was also accused of being a Murjiʾī [holding the doctrine of irjāʾ]. Likewise, Abū Ḥanīfa was also accused of being a Murjiʾī. When Mukātil’s Tafsir is examined, it becomes clear that he was not among the heretical Murjiʾa who said, “Just as obedience does not benefit with kufr (disbelief), so disobedience does not harm with iman (faith).”
Mukātil and the Science of Tafsir and Qur’anic Sciences
1. Mukātil’s Tafsir contains both transmitted (riwāyah) and reasoned (dirāyah) exegesis,
2. Was Mukātil the first to write a complete tafsir of the Qur’an?
3. The first compilers of tafsir,
4. Is Mukātil’s Tafsir earlier, or that of Ibn Jurayj?
5. Mukātil’s works on tafsir and Qur’anic sciences.
1. Mukātil’s Tafsir Contains Both Transmitted and Reasoned Exegesis
Mukātil interpreted verses with a remarkable rational genius. For this reason, Imām al-Shāfiʿī said, “Whoever wishes to learn tafsir is in need of Mukātil.”
See al-Malāṭī, al-Tanbīh wa’l-Radd, ed. al-Kawtharī, 58–82.
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 71–74.
al-Fihrist, I/179. See also Muʿjam al-Muʾallifīn, XII/317; al-Aʿlām, VIII/206.
Irjāʾ has two meanings: one, to postpone, as in the verse “Postpone him and his brother” (al-Shuʿarāʾ/36); the other, to give hope. (al-Milal wa’l-Niḥal, I/222)
In his tafsir of al-Shuʿarāʾ/124 and the following verses, Mukātil argues that action is a requirement of iman (faith). (Mukātil, Tafsir al-Kabīr, II/55b, 56a)
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 74–75.
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 75.
The distinguishing feature of Mukātil’s Tafsir is its ease and simplicity. At the same time, it fully encompasses the meanings of the verses and the mutashābih (ambiguous) verses in the Qur’an, as well as those related to them in the Sunnah. It is, in a sense, a tafsir with the style of “the easy that is impossible to imitate” (sahl al-mumtaniʿ). In my view, there is no equal to Mukātil’s Tafsir in its field. Its comprehensiveness with easy and well-defined expressions, and its unique method of preferring the strongest and most appropriate view regarding a verse—without mentioning disagreements—make it unparalleled.
Mukātil had a comprehensive grasp of the Qur’an. This can be clearly seen in “the universals (kulliyāt) of Mukātil.”
For example, he says:
• Every occurrence of the word al-atrāb in the Qur’an means “girls of thirty-three years old, equal in pleasure and delight.”
• Every occurrence of the word al-ajdāth in the Qur’an means “graves.”
• Every occurrence of the expression ʿalā Allāh in the Qur’an means “the blessings of Allah.” (I have seen that he lists thirty-two universals beginning with the letter alif.)
• Every occurrence of the phrase “with the praise of their Lord” in the Qur’an means “by the command of their Lord.” (He has listed ten universals beginning with the letter bāʾ.)
• Every occurrence of the word tallāhi in the Qur’an means “by Allah.” (In his tafsir, there are five universals of this type beginning with the letter tāʾ.)
• Every occurrence of the word al-jahīm in the Qur’an means “a great fire.” (In his tafsir, there are five universals beginning with the letter jīm.)
• Every occurrence of the word ḥasīr in the Qur’an means “diminished.” (In his tafsir, there are seven universals beginning with the letter ḥāʾ.)
• In the expressions dār al-bawār, qawman būrā, and tijārat an tabūr [a trade that will never perish], every occurrence of the word bār (from the same root) means “to perish, to be destroyed.” (In his tafsir, there are six universals beginning with the letter dāl.)
There are other universals identified by Mukātil in this way, reaching 248 in total throughout the Qur’an.
The presence of such comprehensive explanations of the universals of the Qur’an by Mukātil
Kulliyāt, in Arabic, refers to explanatory statements beginning with kullu [every/all]. (Translator) Three of these begin with the letter dhāl; in the Qur’an, dhātu bahjah means “beautiful, possessing beauty.” Six begin with the letter rāʾ; every occurrence of raḥīq in the Qur’an means “wine.” Three begin with the letter zāy, such as zarābī [carpet]. Ten begin with the letter sīn, such as safarah [scribes], sukhriyyan [mocking]. Five begin with the letter shīn; every occurrence of shaṭaṭ means “oppression.” Two begin with the letter ṣād, such as ṣāghirīn [diminished]. Four begin with the letter ṭāʾ; every occurrence of ṭabaʿ means “to seal.” Two begin with the letter ẓāʾ, such as zālat wujūhuhum muswaddah [their faces turned black]. Eight begin with the letter ʿayn, such as ʿurubān [maidens passionately loving their husbands]. Four begin with the letter ghayn, such as ghurūr [deception]. Nineteen begin with the letter fāʾ, such as fāliq [creator]. Nine begin with the letter qāf, such as qulūbunā ghulfun [our hearts are wrapped] and fī akinnatin [in coverings]. Eleven begin with the letter kāf, such as kāẓim and makẓūm [distressed and sorrowful]. Twenty-one begin with the letter lām, such as lūmaza [to criticize a specific thing in a person]. Twenty begin with the letter mīm, such as maghfirah [forgiveness]. Eight begin with the letter nūn, such as nikāḥ [marriage]. However, in the phrase “until they reach nikāḥ” (al-Nisāʾ/6), nikāḥ means “the age of maturity.” Two begin with the letter hāʾ, such as hammāz and humazah [backbiter]. Thirty-nine begin with the letter wāw, such as wāriḍūn [those who enter]. Fifteen begin with the letter yāʾ, such as yuhraʿūn [they run].
gives his Tafsir a distinctive feature in this respect. This means interpreting the Qur’an by the Qur’an itself. When he interprets a verse, he records both the related matters and those that complete its meaning.
Indeed, Mukātil interpreted the Qur’an by the Qur’an—in the broadest sense of this principle. He interpreted the universals of the Qur’an (i.e., expressions beginning with kullu [every]), verses that are similar in subject but differ slightly, verses that are apparently contradictory, verses about life and death, and similar topics, according to their gradation and sequential order. I believe Mukātil was the first in many of these aspects.
The Transmitted Aspect in Mukātil’s Tafsir
In his Tafsir, Mukātil brings together verses on the same subject and records ḥadīths related to the verse without mentioning their chains of transmission. As a result, both authentic and non-authentic narrations are mixed in his Tafsir. Also, Isra’iliyyat (narratives from the People of the Book) are clearly visible in his Tafsir, especially in what he transmits about some prophets whom Allah protected from forbidden acts, both inwardly and outwardly.
For example, when interpreting the verses about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) marriage to Zaynab bint Jaḥsh, Mukātil was influenced by Isra’iliyyat from the Jews.
At a time when transmitters gave great importance to chains of transmission, one of the most prominent flaws in Mukātil’s Tafsir, besides omitting isnads, is the presence of Isra’iliyyat.
The Rational Aspect in Mukātil’s Tafsir
The intertwining of reason and transmission is clearly evident in Mukātil’s Tafsir. This is also apparent in his book al-Ashbāh wa’l-Naẓāʾir fī’l-Qur’ān al-Karīm and his book Tafsīr Khams Miʾat Āyah min al-Qur’ān wa bihā Aḥkām Fiqhiyya. The influence of a bright intellect is clearly seen throughout this Tafsir. Mukātil’s intelligence and his broad knowledge of everything necessary for interpreting Allah’s Book greatly assisted him in this regard.
He had extensive knowledge of the Arabic language, its words, their combinations, the indications of words and combinations, their evolution, homonyms and synonyms, meanings, bayān (clear exposition), and badīʿ (rhetoric).
Likewise, he knew the general and specific, the absolute and restricted, the implications of commands and prohibitions, as well as doctrines, theology, prophethood and its rulings, various recitations, tajwīd, grammar, and
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 75–78.
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 78.
old poetry as well.
In summary, Mukātil possessed all the sciences a mufassir would need. He was able to use all this knowledge productively in his Tafsir. Although he was a person who encompassed many sciences and much knowledge, he also made obvious mistakes in his Tafsir. These mistakes include omitting the chains of transmission of narrations, tadlīs (concealment), and incorporating information from Jews and Christians (Isra’iliyyat) into Qur’anic exegesis. These are major flaws that diminish Mukātil’s status and value. Despite these flaws, with his genius, he grasped lofty and profound meanings and interpreted the Qur’an in a simple manner. For this reason, his Tafsir has gained great acclaim and has been praised by leading imams.
Imām al-Shāfiʿī’s testimony is very valuable and authoritative:
People are in need of Mukātil in tafsir. It is also reported that Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal said: Mukātil was someone who knew the Qur’an.
It is also narrated from Ḥammād, the son of Abū Ḥanīfa:
Mukātil knows the science of tafsir better than al-Kalbī.
According to a narration from Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī, he said:
What drove people to criticize Mukātil was envy.
After examining Mukātil b. Sulaymān’s Tafsir, ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak said:
If he were trustworthy, how beautiful his Tafsir would be! If his narrations had chains of transmission, how great the knowledge here would be!
When Mukātil b. Ḥayyān—who is trustworthy—was asked, “Are you more knowledgeable, or is Mukātil b. Sulaymān?” he replied:
I see Mukātil’s knowledge among people as the green sea among other seas.
2. Was Mukātil the First to Write a Complete Tafsir of the Qur’an?
Tafsir by transmission (al-tafsīr bi’l-maʾthūr) emerged through transmission from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), his Companions, and the tābiʿūn. Most exegetes adhered to this tafsir and did not add anything to it. That is, at first, tafsir consisted of explaining only those verses for which a narration existed; there was no tafsir for the entire Qur’an.
It cannot be objected to us by citing Tanwīr al-Miqbās attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās. For the attribution of this Tafsir to him has been criticized.
In its introduction, it is stated that this Tafsir was transmitted by al-Kalbī from Abū Ṣāliḥ, who in turn transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās. This chain is the weakest of the chains from Ibn ʿAbbās.
Moreover, Imām al-Shāfiʿī said:
All these narrations can be found in Tahdhīb al-Kamāl, vol. 10, in the biography of Mukātil b. Sulaymān. Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 78–80.
Tanwīr al-Miqbās, p. 2.
Only about a hundred narrations regarding tafsir are established from Ibn ʿAbbās.
One of the matters beyond doubt is that the Tafsir of Mukātil b. Sulaymān is the earliest complete Qur’anic tafsir to have reached us.
It remains to ask: Was there anyone who composed such a tafsir before Mukātil? In other words, were there exegetes who wrote a complete tafsir of the Qur’an before or during his time, but whose works have been lost?
To answer this question, let us recall: Imām al-Shāfiʿī said: Whoever wishes to acquire the science of tafsir is in need of Mukātil b. Sulaymān.
Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī said:
• Mukātil did not hear anything from Mujāhid. However, Mukātil collected the narrations of people regarding tafsir and, without hearing anything, produced his tafsir accordingly. If someone were to collect the tafsir narrations of Maʿmar and Sayḥān from Qatāda, it would be good to produce a tafsir based on that.
• I did not take anything from him for my tafsir.
• Al-Kalbī’s Tafsir is the same as Mukātil’s Tafsir. We see that the tafsirs on which Mukātil relied were tafsirs by transmission. Mujāhid transmitted his Tafsir from Ibn ʿAbbās. Only about a hundred authentic narrations regarding tafsir are established from Ibn ʿAbbās. That is, the Tafsir of Mujāhid, which he compiled from Ibn ʿAbbās by transmission, was limited to the verses that Mujāhid could not understand. Mujāhid asked Ibn ʿAbbās about the verses he did not understand and recorded their tafsir on tablets.
It is reported that al-Ḍaḥḥāk, when presented with Mukātil’s Tafsir, said, “He has interpreted every word,” expressing his disapproval.
This shows that a complete tafsir of the Qur’an was unprecedented even in Mukātil’s own time, let alone before him, and that Mukātil was among the first to interpret the entire Qur’an. It is possible that his contemporaries, such as al-Kalbī, whose Tafsir is said to be the same as Mukātil’s, shared this characteristic. However, except for Mukātil b. Sulaymān’s, no complete tafsir of the Qur’an has reached us.
The Tafsir of Sufyān al-Thawrī, who died in 161 AH, has been published in India. However, this Tafsir does not go beyond interpreting a few words and a limited number of verses in each surah.
For example, let us see how Sufyān al-Thawrī interpreted some verses in Sūrat al-Baqara:
Or [their example] is like that of one who was struck by rain from the sky (al-Baqara/19)—he interprets, on the authority of Saʿīd b. Jubayr, as “a cloud loaded with rain.”
O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may have taqwa (al-Baqara/21)—he interprets tettegūn, on the authority of Mujāhid via Abū Najīḥ, as “obedience.”
So do not set up rivals to Allah (al-Baqara/22)—he interprets andād (plural of nidd) on the authority of Mujāhid as “do not set up equals to Him.”
While you know... (al-Baqara/22)—he interprets as “O People of the Book! You know for certain from the Torah and the Gospel that He is One.”
Its fuel is men and stones... (al-Baqara/24)—he interprets the stones as “stones of brimstone.” Ibn Masʿūd said: “What is meant by the stones here is red brimstone.” Sufyān, regarding the verse, It will be presented to them in resemblance (al-Baqara/25), said: “Resemblance (mutashābih) means ‘the color is the same, but the taste is different.’”
What draws our attention is that Sufyān al-Thawrī does not interpret every verse. We see that he interprets only one word from a verse, then one or a few words from another, and sometimes passes over verses without interpreting any word.
From this, we conclude: Tafsir by transmission was the customary tafsir during the time of the Companions, the tābiʿūn, and the followers of the tābiʿūn. In this method, only the narrations transmitted from the predecessors were relied upon, and no tafsir was given for verses for which no explanatory narration existed.
The Tafsir of Mukātil b. Sulaymān, however, is the first complete tafsir of the Qur’an, verse by verse, to have reached us. Undoubtedly, this method was not known at that time. For this reason, scholars reacted to Mukātil’s method (i.e., interpreting every verse).
3. The First Compilers of Tafsir
I would like it to be clearly understood: There is a difference between the first person to interpret the entire Qur’an, the first to compile a tafsir, and the term “first exegete.”
The first person to interpret the entire Qur’an is Mukātil b. Sulaymān. Although it is possible that some of his contemporaries also interpreted the entire Qur’an, these works have not reached us. Thus, Mukātil’s Tafsir is the oldest complete tafsir of the Qur’an to have reached us.
The first compiler of tafsir is the first person to write and compose a work on tafsir.
Dr. Aḥmad Amīn inclines to the view that al-Farrāʾ (d. 207 AH) was the first to interpret the Qur’an verse by verse, and that those before him only interpreted the difficult (mushkil) verses of the Qur’an.
In doing so, Aḥmad Amīn relies on the following statement of Ibn al-Nadīm:
Sufyān al-Thawrī, Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Karīm, ed. Imtiyāz ʿAlī, India, 1965.
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 81–84.
Ibn al-Nadīm, al-Fihrist, p. 66.
ʿUmar b. Bukayr wrote to al-Farrāʾ:
al-Ḥasan b. Sahī sometimes asks me successive questions about the Qur’an, and I cannot find answers for him. If you see fit to compile some principles for me or prepare a book on this subject to which I can refer, please do so.
Thereupon, al-Farrāʾ told his companions, “Gather so that I may dictate to you a book on the Qur’an!” He set a day for them. When his companions gathered, he came out to them. There was a man in the mosque who called the adhān and led people in prayer. Al-Farrāʾ told him, “Recite the Fātiḥah, and we will interpret it. Let us complete the book in this way.” The man recited, and al-Farrāʾ interpreted.
Abū’l-ʿAbbās said, “No one before him did such a thing. I think no one after him did more than he did.”
Dr. Aḥmad Amīn comments on these statements as follows:
Can we conclude from these statements that al-Farrāʾ, who died in 207 AH, was the first to interpret the Qur’an verse by verse according to the order of the muṣḥaf, and that those before him only interpreted the difficult verses, and that the tafsirs before him were only those transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Suddī, and others? My inclination is in this direction. However, Ibn al-Nadīm’s statements are not definitive on this matter.
We can present some evidence to refute Dr. Aḥmad Amīn’s inclination:
Al-Farrāʾ’s Tafsir is not a complete tafsir of the Qur’an. Rather, he interpreted the difficult words of the Qur’an. This is clearly seen when his Maʿānī al-Qur’ān is examined: After interpreting one or a few words of a verse, he passes over many verses without interpreting them. Thus, al-Farrāʾ’s tafsir consists of explanations of some words and parts of some verses from a linguistic and grammatical perspective. In this tafsir, he devoted all his effort to explanations related to grammar and language.
Even if we accept that al-Farrāʾ’s Tafsir is a complete tafsir of the Qur’an, he was not the first to interpret the entire Qur’an. For Mukātil b. Sulaymān, who died in 150 AH, lived more than half a century before him, and Mukātil’s Tafsir covers all the verses of the Qur’an.
Ustadh Amīn al-Khūlī says:
Al-Farrāʾ’s (d. 207 AH) Maʿānī al-Qur’ān, in its arrangement of the verses according to the order in the surahs, is similar to Abū ʿUbayda’s (d. 209 AH) Majāz al-Qur’ān. In the part of this book that we have, the surahs are taken in the order found in the Qur’an, and the figurative meanings (majāz) of each surah are explained, that is,
This date is incorrect; the correct date is 207 AH. It must be a typographical error for 207 AH instead of 270 AH. (Translator).
Duḥā al-Islām, III/141.
the section that requires explanation of the intended meaning.
Al-Farrāʾ does not have the distinction of being the first in this field. Rather, this method was apparently already known in that era. If works written before this period come to light, it is likely that the method of al-Farrāʾ and Abū ʿUbayda in Qur’anic tafsir will be seen to have been used earlier.
I say to the esteemed scholar Prof. Amīn al-Khūlī: What you hoped for has come to pass, and we have obtained a tafsir written more than half a century before al-Farrāʾ, which is a complete tafsir of the Qur’an. This tafsir belongs to Mukātil b. Sulaymān.
As for the first compilers of tafsir:
It is reported that Mujāhid (d. 101 AH) would ask Ibn ʿAbbās questions about tafsir while holding writing tablets and would write down what he said. Eventually, he asked him about the entire tafsir.
ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān (d. 86 AH) asked Saʿīd b. Jubayr to write the tafsir of the Qur’an for him. Saʿīd b. Jubayr wrote it for him. ʿAṭāʾ b. Dīnār also took this tafsir from the scribes. Otherwise, ʿAṭāʾ did not hear it directly from Saʿīd b. Jubayr.
Indeed, in Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb, when the biography of ʿAṭāʾ b. Dīnār is given, it is stated:
ʿAlī b. al-Ḥasan al-Ḥasanjānī, quoting from Aḥmad b. Ṣāliḥ, said: “ʿAṭāʾ b. Dīnār is a trustworthy Egyptian. The tafsir he transmits from Saʿīd b. Jubayr is a single page. However, there is no evidence that he heard it directly from Saʿīd b. Jubayr.” Abū Ḥātim also says:
His ḥadīth is ṣāliḥ [suitable for transmission], but he took the tafsir from the dīwān. ʿAbd al-Malik b. Marwān, who died in 86 AH, asked Saʿīd b. Jubayr to write and send him the tafsir of the Qur’an, and Saʿīd wrote it. ʿAṭāʾ b. Dīnār found it in the dīwān and took it, so he transmitted it from Saʿīd b. Jubayr as a mursal (without direct transmission).
In Wafayāt al-Aʿyān, it is stated:
Among the leading scholars of the Muʿtazila, ʿAmr b. ʿUbayd (d. 143 AH) wrote a tafsir of the Qur’an from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (d. 116 AH).
Al-Suyūṭī says:
Ibn Jurayj (d. 150 AH) has three large juzʾs on tafsir. We know that ʿIkrima, the freedman of Ibn ʿAbbās, said, “I have interpreted between the two covers [of the Qur’an].”
From the above explanations, we can conclude that al-Farrāʾ was not the first to interpret the Qur’an verse by verse.
After this, the question remains: Who was the first to interpret the Qur’an verse by verse?
In my opinion, the compilation of tafsir predates Mukātil b. Sulaymān (d. 150 AH). For Saʿīd b. Jubayr wrote the tafsir of the Qur’an for Marwān b. ʿAbd al-Malik (d. 86 AH).
In my view, the tafsirs before Mukātil did not cover the entire Qur’an. They consisted only of transmitting narrations and interpreting difficult verses. This is also true for the tafsirs of Saʿīd b. Jubayr (d. 94 AH) and Mujāhid (d. 103 AH).
As for the Tafsir of ʿAmr b. ʿUbayd from al-Ḥasan, I believe this Tafsir was related to certain verses concerning predestination (qadar) and other doctrinal issues that were intensely debated in Basra at that time. For Basra was the most important center of various sects and the science of kalām in that era.
What al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī prioritized in his Tafsir was refuting the views of various sects and people of innovation and desire.
As for the Tafsir of ʿIkrima (d. 104 AH), which he transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās, it was also a tafsir by transmission and was limited to difficult verses.
As for the Tafsir of Ibn Jurayj (d. 150 AH), it appears that it was not a complete tafsir, but rather a three-volume work collecting narrations from Ibn ʿAbbās. Some of these narrations are authentic, some are not. For his aim was not to collect only authentic narrations, but to collect every narration related to the verses, whether authentic or not.
At the end of this discussion, we can summarize the following points: 1. Tafsir begins with the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) explanation of some verses. For this reason, the Trustworthy Prophet is considered the first mufassir of the Qur’an.
2. As the prophetic era receded, the scope of tafsir expanded. For people’s need for tafsir increased as they became distant from the context and circumstances of the Qur’an’s revelation.
3. Qur’anic tafsir arose from the need to understand ambiguous and difficult verses.
The Trustworthy Prophet did not interpret all the verses of the Qur’an, but only some. The Companions, however, dealt with the Qur’an in terms of recitation, understanding, and explanation in various ways, thus expanding the scope of tafsir to some extent. Nevertheless, it still did not encompass the entire Qur’an. The statement of Imām al-Shāfiʿī also confirms this:
Only about a hundred narrations regarding tafsir are established from Ibn ʿAbbās.
4. The earliest complete tafsir of the Qur’an to have reached us is that of Mukātil b. Sulaymān al-Balkhī (d. 150 AH). He interpreted the entire Qur’an verse by verse.
Ibn Khallikān, Wafayāt al-Aʿyān, II/103.
al-Itqān, II/188.
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 84–91.
4. Is Mukātil’s Tafsir Earlier, or That of Ibn Jurayj?
ʿAbd al-Malik b. Jurayj was born in 80 AH and died in 150 AH. It is also said that he died in 159 AH, and other dates are given. Mukātil was also born around 80 AH and died in 150 AH. It is also said that he died later.
It is clear from this that Mukātil and Ibn Jurayj were contemporaries. However, Ibn Jurayj was raised in the Ḥijāz, while Mukātil was raised in Khurasan. For this reason, it is said of Ibn Jurayj, “He was the first to compose a book in the Ḥijāz.”
Since we know that Ibn Jurayj only began his studies in his maturity, and that Mukātil composed his Tafsir in Merv in his youth or early adulthood, it becomes clear that Mukātil compiled and composed his Tafsir before Ibn Jurayj.
It is possible that Ibn Jurayj—being originally a Byzantine Christian—was more skilled in collecting, organizing, and composing narrations. For this reason, it is said that he was the first to classify books. However, although he was contemporary with Mukātil, he compiled his Tafsir in his maturity, known as the period of kuhūla (after the age of thirty). That is, after Mukātil had already compiled his Tafsir.
Nevertheless, Ibn Jurayj’s Tafsir was formed by collecting narrations from Ibn ʿAbbās. Mukātil’s Tafsir, on the other hand, stands before us as a complete composition. In it, one sees the marks of a brilliant intellect, innovation, technical composition, a deep understanding of the aims and objectives of the Qur’an, the gathering of all verses on each subject, and the reconciliation of apparently contradictory verses.
Mukātil did not compile his Tafsir by merely collecting and assembling the tafsirs and views of his predecessors; rather, he examined and scrutinized them, preferred what was closest to the truth in his view, and presented it in concise, simple, and clear expressions.
This must be what led Imām al-Shāfiʿī to say, “Whoever wishes to acquire extensive knowledge in tafsir is in need of Mukātil b. Sulaymān.”
Here, I wish to emphasize the difference between one who compiles tafsir by transmission and one who composes tafsir with a new method and opens a new path in tafsir.
In my view, all those before Mukātil were merely transmitters of narrations regarding tafsir. Even those among them who compiled tafsir did so mostly by transmission and narration.
Mukātil’s Tafsir, however, is both a complete tafsir encompassing all the verses of the Qur’an and the first technical tafsir that explains and elucidates every verse.
Mukātil and the Sciences of the Qur’an
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 91–93.
It appears that Mukātil was among the first to compose works on the sciences of the Qur’an. The work you now hold, al-Wujūh wa’l-Naẓāʾir fī’l-Qur’ān al-Karīm, is among these.
Al-Zarkashī, in al-Burhān, and al-Suyūṭī, in al-Itqān, have made many citations from this book or from those who cited it. Many of those who wrote works on the sciences of the Qur’an after Mukātil also benefited from it. This is clearly seen when comparing what Mukātil wrote on “al-Wujūh wa’l-Naẓāʾir” with what was written by those who came after him. For example, in al-Malāṭī’s al-Tanbīh wa’l-Radd ʿalā Ahl al-Ahwāʾ, the “universals of Mukātil” are recorded as follows:
• Every occurrence of the word bahs in the Qur’an means “deficiency,” except in Sūrat Yūsuf: “And they sold him for a bahs price” (Yūsuf/20), where it means “unlawful.”
• Every occurrence of the word baʿl in the Qur’an means “husband,” except in Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt: “Do you call upon Baʿl?” (al-Ṣāffāt/125), where baʿl refers to “lord” [idol].
• Every occurrence of the word rayb in the Qur’an means “doubt,” except in Sūrat al-Ṭūr: “rayb al-manūn,” which means “the calamities of time.”
Al-Zarkashī also quotes from Ibn Fāris’s al-Ifrād in al-Burhān (I/105):
• Bahs in the Qur’an means deficiency, to diminish, as in “He does not fear its bahs (diminution)” (al-Jinn/13). The only exception is in Sūrat Yūsuf: “They sold him for a bahs price” (Yūsuf/20), for the exegetes interpret bahs here as “unlawful.”
• Every occurrence of the word baʿl in the Qur’an means “husband,” as in “Their husbands (buʿūlatuhunna) have more right to take them back” (al-Baqara/228). The only exception is in Sūrat al-Ṣāffāt: “Do you call upon Baʿl?” (al-Ṣāffāt/125), where baʿl refers to “idol.”
• Every occurrence of the word rayb in the Qur’an means “doubt,” except in “We are watching for him with rayb al-manūn” (al-Ṭūr/30), where rayb al-manūn means “the calamities of time.”
Al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, I/102, says: “In this field, Mukātil b. Sulaymān composed a work in the early period. Wujūh is a word used for more than one meaning; for example, the word hudā (guidance) is used in the Qur’an in seventeen meanings. One is bayān (clear exposition): ‘They are upon a guidance {i.e., bayān} from their Lord’ (al-Baqara/5). Another meaning is ‘religion’: ‘Indeed, the guidance (i.e., religion) of Allah is the guidance’ (al-Anʿām/71). It also means iman (faith): ‘And Allah increases those who have guidance (i.e., iman) in guidance (i.e., faith)’ (Maryam/76).” At the beginning of his book, Mukātil mentions a marfūʿ (Prophetic) ḥadīth: “A person cannot be a true jurist until he sees many wujūh in the Qur’an.” Al-Suyūṭī says about this ḥadīth: “Ibn Saʿd and others have mentioned it as mawqūf (a statement of Abū’l-Dardāʾ)” (al-Itqān, I/141). Naẓāʾir means words that have similar meanings.
pp. 72–82, ed. al-Kawtharī.
Al-Zarkashī, al-Burhān, I/105–107.
Again, al-Zarkashī says in al-Burhān (I/110):
The information quoted from Ibn Fāris ends here. Others add:
• In the Qur’an, every occurrence of laʿallakum (the plural second person pronoun, “so that you may...”) means li-kay (“in order that...”). The only exception is in Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ: “In hope of abiding eternally [laʿallakum]...” (al-Shuʿarāʾ/129), where it is for resemblance, i.e., “as if you will abide eternally.”
• Every occurrence of the word qisṭ in the Qur’an means “justice,” except in Sūrat al-Jinn: “As for the qisṭās, they will be firewood for Hell” (al-Jinn/15). Here, “those who set up equals to Allah, those who claim there are equals to Allah” [polytheists] are meant.
These explanations are made with the form of the word in mind; otherwise, quadriliteral roots are, of course, different from triliteral roots.
• In the Qur’an, every occurrence of kisf means “a part of the sky”; except in Sūrat al-Rūm: “He makes it kisafan” (al-Rūm/48), where it means “He makes [the cloud] into pieces.”
• In the Qur’an, every occurrence of māʾ maʿīn means “flowing water”; except in Sūrat al-Mulk (verse 30), where it means “the pure water of Zamzam obtained by buckets.”
These parts quoted from others, except for some letters in al-Burhān, are almost identical to Mukātil’s explanations. For example, Mukātil says:
• In the Qur’an, every occurrence of “Be just, for Allah loves those who are just” (al-Ḥujurāt/9) means “Be just, for Allah loves those who are just,” and those who are just in word and deed are meant. The only exception is in Sūrat al-Jinn: “As for the qisṭās...” Here, “those who set up equals to Allah” are meant, and “They will be firewood for Hell” (al-Jinn/15).
• In the Qur’an, every occurrence of laʿallakum means “in order that...”; except in “As if you will abide eternally [laʿallakum]...” (al-Shuʿarāʾ/129), where it means “as if you will abide eternally.”
• In the Qur’an, every occurrence of kisafan means “a part of the sky”; except in Sūrat al-Rūm: “He makes it kisafan” (al-Rūm/48), where it means “He makes the cloud into pieces.”
• In the Qur’an, every occurrence of māʾ maʿīn means “flowing water”; except in Sūrat al-Mulk: “Who can bring you māʾ maʿīn?!” (al-Mulk/30), where it means
“water that can be obtained by buckets, clear and visible water.”
In al-Burhān it is written as tāhir [pure], but the correct word is ẓāhir [clear]. Al-Bayḍāwī interprets “Who can bring you māʾ maʿīn?!” as “flowing” or “easily obtainable, clearly visible water” (al-Bayḍāwī, Tafsir, p. 751). See also al-Jalālayn, p. 480.
al-Malāṭī, al-Tanbīh wa’l-Radd, p. 78.
al-Malāṭī, ibid., 87.
al-Malāṭī, ibid., pp. 79–80. In al-Burhān, the expression is “He makes the cloud into pieces.”
is meant.
From these, it is understood that al-Zarkashī benefited from what Mukātil said about wujūh and naẓāʾir; it is clear that he was influenced by Mukātil’s explanations in many parts of his work al-Burhān. This is especially evident in verses that seem to say different things on the same subject at first glance, such as those concerning the creation of Adam from earth, then from sounding clay, then from a despicable fluid.
Al-Zarkashī
in al-Burhān,
was greatly influenced by Mukātil’s explanations regarding the creation of Adam and verses that seem to say different things on the same subject at first glance. Even if he was not directly influenced by Mukātil’s works, it is certain that he was influenced by quotations from Mukātil’s works. Indeed, in his work al-Burhān, he says:
The fourteenth type is about wujūh and naẓāʾir. In this field, Mukātil b. Sulaymān wrote a work among the early scholars, and among the later ones, Ibn al-Zāghīnī compiled a work. Abū’l-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzī, the preacher Dāmiġānī, and Abū’l-Ḥusayn b. Fāris also composed works in this field. Ibn Fāris called his book al-Ifrād.
Finally, we can record the following opinion:
§ Mukātil is the first to interpret the Qur’an completely and with a rational/dirāyah method.
§ Mukātil is among the first to compose comprehensive works on the sciences of the Qur’an.
5. The Works of Mukātil on Tafsir and the Sciences of the Qur’an
1. al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr;
This is a complete tafsir of the Qur’an. I have critically edited this Tafsir in a scholarly manner, using six manuscripts written between the 4th and 13th centuries AH.
2. Nawādir al-Tafsir;
3. al-Nāsikh wa’l-Mansūkh;
4. al-Radd ʿalā al-Qadariyya;
The last three works are virtually non-existent.
5. al-Wujūh [al-Ashbāh] wa’l-Naẓāʾir fī’l-Qur’ān al-Karīm;
This work was filmed from a manuscript registered under number 516 in a general library in Turkey.
The same work, p. 80. However, the word should be ẓāhir [clear], not tāhir [pure]. As mentioned above, the correct word is ẓāhir.
See Mukātil, Tafsir al-Kabīr, I/69; al-Malāṭī, al-Tanbīh wa’l-Radd, p. 70.
al-Burhān, II/54.
al-Burhān, II/55.
al-Burhān, I/102.
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 93–98.
See Muʿjam al-Muʾallifīn, XII/317; al-Aʿlām, VIII/206.
A film of it was made. This film is kept at the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts affiliated with the Arab University in Cairo. The book you now hold is this one.
6. Tafsīr Khams Miʾat Āyah min al-Qur’ān al-Karīm;
This work is registered under OR 6333 in the British Museum. It is a rather lengthy tafsir and contains legal rulings.
7. al-Aqsām wa’l-Lughāt;
8. al-Āyāt al-Mutashābihāt;
It is possible that his work al-Āyāt al-Mutashābihāt is the same as his work al-Wujūh wa’l-Naẓāʾir fī’l-Qur’ān al-Karīm. In that case, this would be the same book with more than one title.
The Work “al-Wujūh wa’l-Naẓāʾir” by Mukātil b. Sulaymān
This is the book you now hold. I have obtained a film of it from the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts affiliated with the Arab League in Cairo several years ago. I made great efforts to find another copy in Iraq, as catalogs indicate that a copy exists in Iraqi libraries. During my stay in Iraq between 1964 and 1968, I examined the catalogs of private and public libraries and manuscript institutes, but I found nothing to indicate the existence of a copy of this book. Some libraries need organization and arrangement. The library of Sayyid Sultan ʿAlī Mosque in Iraq is such a place. There are valuable manuscripts there that need a proper catalog.
I prepared the critical edition of this book based on the copy taken from the microfilm at the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts in Cairo. The original of the book is registered under number 516 in a general library in Turkey. The book was written in the 7th century AH in large and beautiful script. It consists of 288 folios and measures 20x15 cm. Each page contains nine lines. On the first page, the following is written:
This is the book al-Ashbāh wa’l-Naẓāʾir on the exegesis of the Glorious Qur’an, belonging to Imām Mukātil b. Sulaymān.
On the second page, the following is written:
From the works of Abū Naṣr on the wujūh of the Qur’an, composed from Mukātil b. Sulaymān.
Muʿjam al-Muʾallifīn, XII/317. There it is stated: “al-Wujūh wa’l-Naẓāʾir fī’l-Qirāʾāt.” But this is a scribal error.
Goldziher, Schools of Islamic Exegesis, trans. Dr. ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm al-Najjar—may Allah have mercy on him—see footnote on p. 76. [(The work Tafsīr Khams Miʾat Āyah min al-Qur’ān al-Karīm by Mukātil b. Sulaymān has also been translated by us and will soon be published by İşaret Publications. (Translator)]
Ibn al-Nadīm also mentions the following works of Mukātil b. Sulaymān: 9. Kitāb al-Qirāʾāt, 10. al-Jawābāt fī’l-Qur’ān, 11. al-Taqdīm wa’l-Taʾkhīr, 12. Mutashābih al-Qur’ān. Ibn al-Nadīm also mentions a work called al-Āyāt al-Mutashābihāt (in the printed edition ... wa’l-Mutashābihāt), so it seems unlikely that the work mentioned by the editor as number 8 is the same (see Ibn al-Nadīm, al-Fihrist, Beirut 1415 [1994], p. 222, —Translator).
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 98–99.
Among what he wrote on this subject are: “Hudā is interpreted in seventeen ways....”
What I Did in the Critical Edition of the Book
Mukātil b. Sulaymān placed most of his explanations between Qur’anic phrases. To make them easily distinguishable, I put the Qur’anic expressions in parentheses. I indicated in the footnotes the surah and verse numbers of the verses cited by the author as evidence. I corrected the countless errors in the quotations from the Qur’an. There are also many scribal errors and corruptions in the original of the book. To correct these, I benefited from the Tafsir of Mukātil, which I had previously critically edited. In this critical edition, I did my utmost to achieve the desired result by making use of ḥadīth, tafsir, and lexicographical works. Nevertheless, I do not claim to have reached perfection; all I have done is to help bring to light one of the earliest works in its field.
Additions by the Editor
I put the heading of each entry in parentheses for the convenience of the reader and assigned a serial number to each entry. Although I considered arranging the book alphabetically, I realized that this would be an injustice to the method followed by the author. Therefore, I was content with providing a general index and an alphabetical index at the end. In this way, the researcher will be able to find what he is looking for.
I recorded the page number of the manuscript every five pages, such as 70, 75, 80, 85, etc., so that it would be easy to refer to the manuscript. I wanted to make it easier to consult the manuscript copy.
There were repeated and missing pages in the manuscript, as well as places where one entry was mixed with another. This can be seen, for example, in the entries tawallī and al-rūḥ. I tried to correct the errors as much as possible, as in the entry al-sawāʾ. For this, I referred to Mukātil’s Tafsir and other works.
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 100.
In the Turkish translation of the book, we have rendered the translations of Qur’anic expressions in regular font, and the explanations of Mukātil b. Sulaymān inserted between them in parentheses and italics. (Translator)
In the Turkish translation of the book, for greater usability, we have placed the surah name and verse number at the end of the translation (e.g., Māʾida/46). (Translator)
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 101.
Since it was not necessary for the Turkish translation, we did not record these page numbers from the manuscript. (Translator)
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 101–102.
The Science of Wujūh and Naẓāʾir
As for the meanings of wujūh and naẓāʾir, which are branches of the science of tafsir:
Wujūh are common words used in more than one meaning. For example, the word ʿayn is used for “the seeing eye” and “a flowing spring.”
Naẓāʾir are different words used in the same meaning: for example, the words jawād and karīm (both meaning “generous”).
It is also said that naẓāʾir is used for “word,” while wujūh is used for “meaning.” However, this claim is weak; for if that were intended, the explanations would only concern homonymous words. However, those who have written works in this field often mention words with the same meaning and consider wujūh as one type and naẓāʾir as another. Some have also regarded this as one of the miracles of the Qur’an, for the same word can be used in twenty different meanings, or more or less. This is not possible in human speech.
A group of scholars has written works on the knowledge of wujūh and naẓāʾir. Al-Zarkashī, in al-Burhān (I/102), says:
In this field, Mukātil b. Sulaymān wrote a work among the early scholars. Accordingly, wujūh is a common word used in many meanings. For example, the word hudā (guidance) is used in the Qur’an in seventeen meanings: In the verse “They are upon a guidance from their Lord,” it means “bayān (clear exposition)”; in “Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the guidance,” it means “religion”; in “Allah increases those who have guidance in guidance,” it means “iman (faith).” Naẓāʾir are words that have similar meanings.
The Importance of the Book
This book is an ancient legacy of our culture and a fundamental source of Qur’anic sciences. Its author is among the first to write comprehensive works on tafsir and Qur’anic sciences. He first mentions the word and then sets out to determine the various meanings in which it is used in the Qur’an. For example:
The word al-hudā in the Qur’an has 17 wujūh [usages, meanings]:
In the verse “Guide us to the straight path,” hudā means “steadfastness”; in “They are upon a guidance from their Lord,” hudā means “bayān (clear exposition)”; in “Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the guidance,” hudā means “religion”; in “Allah increases those who have guidance in guidance,” hudā means “iman (faith)”; in “For every people there is a guide,” hudā means “inviter.”
Mukātil b. Sulaymān, Dictionary of Qur’anic Terms, İşaret Publications: 102–103.