The Tafsīr of Imām al-Māturīdī, "Taʾwīlāt Ahl al-Sunna": A Critical Edition and Study of the Exegesis of Sūrat al-Aʿrāf
A thesis for which the author was awarded the Master's degree (al-Takhaṣṣuṣ) in Tafsīr and Qurʾanic Sciences — al-Azhar University
al-Azhar University — Faculty of Uṣūl al-Dīn and Islamic Daʿwah, Tanta, Postgraduate Studies (Dept. of Tafsīr and Qurʾanic Sciences)
Tanta — Arab Republic of Egypt
1424 AH / 2003
Supervised by Prof. Shukrī Shafīq al-Akhḍar and Prof. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf Shalabī
665
Arabic
Abstract
This Master's thesis presents a scholarly critical edition (taḥqīq) and study of Taʾwīlāt Ahl al-Sunna, the tafsīr of Imām Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333 AH), within the compass of Sūrat al-Aʿrāf. The researcher establishes the text against its manuscript originals, collates its several copies, and supplies takhrīj for its Qurʾānic verses, ḥadīths, and the statements of the exegetes, documenting the manuscript variants (furūq al-nusakh) in a scholarly apparatus. The edition is preceded by an introductory study in three chapters treating al-Māturīdī's age and life, his contributions to tafsīr, and his exegetical method in the verses of creed and legal rulings and his stance toward the rules of the Arabic language. Among its aims are to bring to light al-Māturīdī's standing as an exegete and to disclose his method of taʾwīl upon the foundations of the people of the Sunna. The work was completed at the Faculty of Uṣūl al-Dīn and Islamic Daʿwah in Tanta, al-Azhar University, in 1424 AH / 2003 CE, under the supervision of Prof. Shukrī Shafīq al-Akhḍar and Prof. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf Shalabī.
Full Text
⏱ 3 min readA scholarly thesis for which the researcher was awarded the Master's degree (al-Takhaṣṣuṣ) in Uṣūl al-Dīn, specialization in Tafsīr and the Qurʾānic Sciences — Faculty of Uṣūl al-Dīn and Islamic Daʿwah in Tanta, al-Azhar University. Under the supervision of Prof. Shukrī Shafīq al-Akhḍar and Prof. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf Shalabī. 1424 AH / 2003 CE. By Dr. Ahmed Muhammad Ali Abouseif, President of the American Imams Academy (AIA).
This is an introductory page for the thesis; its full, critically edited text is available for download as a PDF at the foot of the page.
About the Thesis
A scholarly critical edition (taḥqīq) and study of the tafsīr of Imām Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī (d. 333 AH), entitled Taʾwīlāt Ahl al-Sunna, within the compass of Sūrat al-Aʿrāf. In it the researcher undertakes to fix and critically establish the text of the commentary against its manuscript originals, to collate its several copies, and to provide takhrīj for its verses, its ḥadīths, and the statements of the exegetes (ahl al-taʾwīl), while documenting the manuscript variants (furūq al-nusakh) in the apparatus, after the manner of the critical editors.
The critical edition is preceded by an introductory study in three chapters: the first treats the age of Imām al-Māturīdī and his life; the second, his contributions to tafsīr; and the third, his method in exegesis — in his interpretation of the verses of creed (āyāt al-ʿaqīda), the verses of legal rulings (āyāt al-aḥkām), and his stance toward the rules of the Arabic language — together with a description of the manuscript copies and the methodology of the edition, followed by a conclusion presenting its principal findings.
Among the aims of the thesis are: to bring to light the standing of al-Māturīdī as an exegete; to disclose his method of "interpretation" (taʾwīl) upon the foundations of the people of the Sunna; and to render service to a precious exegetical text by issuing it in a sound, carefully established critical edition within the compass of Sūrat al-Aʿrāf.
Thesis Details
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Degree | The Master's degree (al-Takhaṣṣuṣ) in Uṣūl al-Dīn — Tafsīr and the Qurʾānic Sciences |
| University | al-Azhar University |
| Faculty | Faculty of Uṣūl al-Dīn and Islamic Daʿwah in Tanta — Postgraduate Studies |
| Department | Tafsīr and the Qurʾānic Sciences |
| Researcher | Ahmed Muhammad Ali Abouseif |
| Supervision | Prof. Shukrī Shafīq al-Akhḍar — Prof. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf Shalabī |
| Year of Defense | 1424 AH / 2003 CE |
| Type of Work | Critical edition and study (a text established against its manuscript originals) |
| Scope | The commentary on Sūrat al-Aʿrāf |
| Language of the Thesis | Arabic |
Contents of the Introductory Study
- The Introduction, the research methodology, and the description of the manuscript copies.
- The Prefatory Study (three chapters):
- The Critical Edition: the text of Taʾwīlāt Ahl al-Sunna for Sūrat al-Aʿrāf, critically established, with the manuscript variants and the takhrīj set out in the footnotes at the foot of each page.
- The Conclusion: the principal findings and recommendations.
Copyright and Citation
This work is the sole scholarly property of the researcher, published here to make it available for consultation and benefit. Scholars may quote from it and refer to it in accordance with the established norms of academic documentation, with attribution to its source. It is to be cited as follows:
Ahmed Muhammad Ali Abouseif, "The Tafsīr of Imām al-Māturīdī, Entitled Taʾwīlāt Ahl al-Sunna: A Critical Edition and Study of the Commentary on Sūrat al-Aʿrāf", Master's thesis, al-Azhar University — Faculty of Uṣūl al-Dīn and Islamic Daʿwah in Tanta, 1424 AH / 2003 CE.
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