Article

The Debate on the Nature of the Science of Tafsı r in the Tradition of Shar h s and Ha shiyas on al-Kashsh a f

Abstract

The sharhs and hashiyahs written on al-Zamakhshari’s (d. 538/1144) al-Kashshāf formed an
effective writing tradition and are connected to each other in terms of influence, quotation, rejection,
objection, and answering. However, the commentators often provided explanations of the information
related in the previous works without citing any specific author. Therefore, these relations can only become
apparent via chronological and comparative analyses. This study examines these texts, which are mostly
in manuscript form, both chronologically and comparatively in the context of the nature of the science of
tafsīr. Al-Zamakhsharī explained his view on the nature of tafsīr in the introduction to his al-Kashshāf. This
article, which presents a chronological study of the subsequent works in which these explanations were
annotated, details how later scholars dealt with this subject. The selected section shows that the sharhs
and hashiyahs do not reflect the widespread belief that such works were merely repetitions of each other,
but that they were subjected to intense debates that matured over time. The following points are noted:
There is no consensus on the definition of tafsīr, the critical approach is constantly in the foreground, and
any serious study of the sharhs and hashiyahs on al-Kashshāf is only possible when one consults works of
historical depth.

Keywords

The nature of the science of tafsīr Definition of tafsīr Tradition of sharhs and hashiyahs Sharhs and hashiyahs on al-Kashshāf the Mutaahhirīn period of İslamic thought