Tafseer Usool at-Tafseer

His tafseer is printed in eight large volumes; however, his contemporaries
mentioned that Fakhrud-Deen did not complete his tafseer. It has been suggested
that the work was completed by his disciple, Shams ad-Deen Ahmad ibn al-
Khaleel al-Khuwayyee. 126 Ar-Raazee’s tafseer is quite popular among scholars
due to its extensive treatment of various topics from a wide range of sciences.
This tafseer is noted for its concentration on the relationship between verses and
chapters. However, the tafseer is, for the most part, like an encyclopedia of
natural sciences. The author delves into mathematics and natural sciences and
evaluates the opinions of astronomers and philosophers using their terminology.
The various arguments of the Mu‘tazilah are mentioned and mildly refuted and
the positions of the various fiqh math-habs are explained whenever verses
containing legal issues appear. However, he always favors his school, the
Shaafi‘ee math-hab on legal issues. Ar-Raazee also discussed grammatical issues,
but to a much lesser extent than his discussions of natural sciences. 127
2. Tafseer al-Qurtubee, Jaami‘ Ahkaam al-Qur’aan wa al-Mubayyin li Maa
Tadammana min as-Sunnah wa Aay al-Furqaan
Aboo ‘Abdillaah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Ansaaree al-Qurtubee (d. 1273
CE/671 AH) was born in Cordoba in what is now Spain. He started his studies
there and participated in jihaad against the Christians, in the course of which he
was captured, but he managed to escape. 128 He eventually travelled to the east,
settling in Egypt, where he died. He is most famous for his tafseer, but he is also
noted for his book on the afterlife, at-Tathkirah bi Ahwaal al-Mawtaa wa Ahwaal
al-Aakhirah and a book on zuhd, the downplaying of worldly ambitions in order
to concentrate on success in the hereafter. 129
His tafseer starts with an introduction of some seventy pages on the virtues of
the Qur’aan, the etiquettes of its recitation and the proper methodology of tafseer.
The tafseer is characterized by a heavy emphasis on fiqh issues, but it is by no
means limited to that. One may consider al-Qurtubee’s work in the category of attafseer
bid-diraayah because fiqh by its nature involves deductions from the texts.
However, he includes the hadeeths relevant to each verse, as well as explanations
of the sahaabah, taabi‘oon and major scholars, although usually stripped of the
isnaad. When quoting a hadeeth, he cites the book where it may be found or the
126 See Shorter Encyclopaedia of Islam, p. 470.
127 See at-Tafseer wal-Mufassiroon, vol. 1, pp. 298-304.
128 See al-Jaami‘ li Ahkaam al-Qur’aan, vol. 10, pp. 175-6.
129 See Shatharaat ath-Thahab, vol. 5, p. 335, and al-Jaami‘ li Ahkaam al-Qur’aan, vol. 1,
publisher’s preface.