The Interpretive Views of Abu Muslim al-Isfahani (D. 322 AH) on Surah al-Hajj

(A Comparative Study)

Abstract

The works of the leading exegetes from the first three centuries and thereafter remain a primary source for researchers and scholars of the sciences of the Qur’an and its exegesis, as they are closest in time to the era when scholars wrote in various fields of knowledge during the early days of Islam. Therefore, one of the most valuable books on the exegesis of the Holy Qur’an fell into my hands, though it was incomplete. It was written by the Mu’tazilite exegete Muhammad ibn Bahar al-Asfahani (d. 322 AH) Despite the strong interpretive views it contains, its meticulous follow-up of the work of earlier exegetes, and its examination of many interpretive questions and opinions, it is not without some interpretive deviations from the well-known scholars; Therefore, I have chosen Surah al-Hajj from his scattered exegesis to serve as the focus of my research, comparing it with the statements of scholars of exegesis.