QurDa ̄n, presented in sequence following the text of scrip-
ture. Some 35,000 traditions (with a significant degree of du-
plication present in actual interpretational material) going
back to the first Islamic century (seventh to eighth centuries
CE) are cited. Al-T:abar ̄ı was also a creative scholar, however,
and his editorial function in compiling this type of informa-
tion cannot be ignored. Any reports of QurDanic interpreta-
tion attributed to Muqa ̄til ibn Sulayma ̄n (d. 767), for exam-
ple, are omitted, presumably because of his tarnished
reputation as a reliable source. In general, al-T:abar ̄ı omits
any information that was rejected by the consensus of the
community at his time. In addition, al-T:abar ̄ı virtually al-
ways notes which interpretation of a given verse he prefers,
and he is given to supporting his contentions with philologi-
cal analysis or poetical evidence not necessarily connected
with any report from a traditional authority. He also discuss-
es matters of dogmatics and law, in some instances in a de-
tailed manner and on a sophisticated level. The theological
outlook in his work is in keeping with the mainstream of
Baghdad thought at the time, following in the legacy of Ibn
H:anbal, although his opinions did, on occasion, evoke some
protest among local rival scholars. His theological position
is also evidenced in two independent works, S:ar ̄ıh: al-sunnah
(The essence of correct practice), a brief profession of faith
(Eaq ̄ıdah) written in response to accusations of incorrect be-
lief on al-T:abar ̄ı’s part by his contemporaries; and a frag-
ment of his work on the “principles of religion,” us:u ̄l al-d ̄ın,
entitled Tabs: ̄ır f ̄ı maEa ̄lim al-d ̄ın (An instruction concerning
the characteristics of religion), which was directed to the in-
habitants of his hometown of A ̄mul regarding sectarian opin-
ions that were emerging in the area.
Each section of Ja ̄miE al-baya ̄n commences with a quo-
tation from the QurDa ̄n, generally a verse or a thematic unit.
Traditions are then cited, complete with their chains of au-
thority (asa ̄n ̄ıd; singular: isna ̄d) substantiating the transmis-
sion of the report; the traditions are grouped according to
different possibilities of interpretation for the passage in
question. The citation of these groups of traditions is fre-
quently preceded by a statement such as, “Interpreters differ
concerning the meaning of God’s having said that....”
Following the enumeration of all attested interpretations,
al-T:abar ̄ı usually gives his own preference, saying, “In my
opinion, the best of the statements is the following... ,”
and he argues the case on the basis of parallel QurDanic pas-
sages, grammar, poetry, theology, or whatever seems appro-
priate to make his point.
Al-T:abar ̄ı also appended a fairly extensive introduction
to Ja ̄miE al-baya ̄n entitled Risa ̄lat al-tafs ̄ır (The epistle on in-
terpretation), in which he sets forth some principles of inter-
pretation along with a discussion of the standard disputed
issues concerning the QurDa ̄n (the language of the QurDa ̄n,
the notion of the seven readings of the text, and the collec-
tion of the QurDa ̄n). He argues for a concept of the “obvious”
(z:a ̄hir) meaning of the QurDa ̄n, rather than metaphorical or
figurative renderings, as the only legitimate mode of inter-
pretation. This “obvious” meaning of a text can be overrid-
den only by a positive indication of the necessity to do so,
as by a tradition that is fully authoritative and convincing.
Otherwise the z:a ̄hir meaning, defined as “what predominates
in practice,” al-gha ̄lib f ̄ı-al-istiEma ̄l, must be accepted.
Al-T:abar ̄ı also compiled as a separate work a massive collec-
tion and evaluation of textual variants to the QurDa ̄n, Kita ̄b
f ̄ı-al-qira ̄Da ̄t (A book on the variant readings), which still ex-
ists today in manuscript form.As a historian, al-T:abar ̄ı equaled his accomplishments
as a QurDanic exegete. His TaDr ̄ıkh al-rusul wa-al-mulu ̄k,
which exists today in fifteen printed volumes, is said to be
a greatly abbreviated version of al-T:abar ̄ı’s original plan. The
work commences with the creation and the era of the biblical
patriarchs, details some early rulers of Israel and Persia, and
then moves on to Sassanid history. As might be expected, the
text becomes far more detailed after this portion. For the life
of Muh:ammad, the first four caliphs of Islam, the Umayyad
dynasty, and the Abbasid rulers up to 915, it is organized
year by year. The aim of the work was to document world
history leading up to Muh:ammad, and then to trace the con-
tinuity of the experiences of the Muslim community in the
following years. Like his QurDa ̄n commentary, this work is
traditionally oriented in structure, although here al-T:abar ̄ı’s
editorial role is more clearly limited to selection, arrange-
ment, and documentation of the material cited; rarely do the
editor’s own words intrude.Al-T:abar ̄ı’s respect for his method of simple presenta-
tion results in much duplication, such that historical records
conveying similar material are found frequently. This results
from the inclusion of reports that stem from different
sources, all of which were judged by al-T:abar ̄ı to be trust-
worthy in the isna ̄d of their transmission and thus intrinsical-
ly valuable. His history telling, therefore, is not linear but a
conjunction of varying accounts. Al-T:abar ̄ı’s editorial role
does at least allow him to support his own regional and parti-
san positions within the broad scheme of Islamic history.
TaDr ̄ıkh al-rusul wa-al-mulu ̄k quickly became famous in the
Islamic world, with later writers using it as the basis for even
more comprehensive works and others working at extending
its chronological dimensions and also translating it into Per-
sian and Turkish.Al-T:abar ̄ı attempted to strike out on his own in the ju-
ristic field. He formed a school of law (called the Jar ̄ır ̄ıyah
after his father), but it quickly fell into obscurity after his
death, since it was not substantially different from the school
of al-Sha ̄fiE ̄ı, to which al-T:abar ̄ı originally belonged. Frag-
ments of a large work that al-T:abar ̄ı wrote on law, Ikhtila ̄f
al-fuqaha ̄D (The disagreement among the jurists), which de-
tails the opinions of great jurists of early Islam, as well as of
a collection of h:ad ̄ıth entitled Tahdh ̄ıb al-a ̄tha ̄r (The revised
compilation of the traditions), still exist, but those works rep-
resent only a small portion of his overall scholarly output in
the area.8944 T:ABAR ̄I, AL-