Al-Kashf wa-l-bayān ʿan tafsīr al-Qurʾān (Arabic: الكشف والبيان عن تفسير القرآن, lit.
Al-Kashf's introduction marks a significant turning point in the evolution of the art of Quranic exegesis since it takes a self-reflective approach and provides a thorough analysis of the field at the time.
Al-Thalabı's opinions of the leading experts in the field and the reasons behind his exclusion of some currents (namely, the Mutazilite tafsir tradition) are thoroughly disclosed to readers.
His meticulous reference list was unmatched; instead of using just one edition of a certain book, he used all available recensions, including four different copies of the same work in one case.
Researchers use al-Kashf in conjunction with al-Tabari's work to understand the early stage of Quranic exegesis because he gathered his material independently from al-Tabarı.
Furthermore, al-Kashf maintains the collective interaction of Muslim scholars with the Quran up to the fifth century by integrating the information made available since the release of al-Tabarı's book.
For these exegetes, al-Kashf was a convenient and enticing source because it included the majority of al-Tabarı's content as well as additional information.
The entire spectrum of the mediaeval exegetical tradition reflects al-Tha'labi's reformulation of the trade of interpretation, which transformed the area to the extent that influence can be measured in a field where so many sources remain unedited.
[3] Al-Tha'labi attempted to break the hermeneutical dead end of Sunnism with al-Kashf, a complete tafsir with six main interpretive techniques and more.
Being a philologist, Al-Tha'labi mainly draws on his knowledge in his commentary on the Quran's philological legacy in what he refers to as "Kutub al-Ma'ani", which approximately translates to "the books of the people of grammar and semantics."
Through the use of pseudo-philological techniques, al-Tha'labı was able to improve the Sunni exegetical enterprise's appearance and bring it closer to the rules of philology.
More important was al-Tha'labı's readiness to reject any conventionally held interpretation that was obviously philologically flawed, provided that doing so did not necessitate a dogmatic retreat or alteration in the Sunnı worldview.
In contrast, pietistic Sunnism elevated the reciting of the Quran to one of the highest expressions of devotion; the attitude was too powerful to be overcome, even though the hadith camp protested that the majority of the prophetic traditions supporting this perspective were false.
Furthermore, an affirmation of the sharıa's rules was woven into these two rhetorical styles of interpretation: one is also persuaded and forced to carry out the duties set by God's law.
One is currently reminded of the fleeting nature of life by reading a lengthy list of words collected by philologists regarding the phases of human existence.
[6] Al-Tha'labi achieved sufficient proficiency in the field of Quranic variant readings to be granted the title of "muqriʾ" (reciter).
Being a commentator did not automatically make one a reader (muqri), and ilm al-Qira'at, or the science of the alternative Quran readings, was a field unto itself.
Despite being well-versed in Ilm al-Kalam, he revealed himself to be a smart cultural ideologue who was willing to simplify theological terminology for an audience that lacked the necessary knowledge.
As it reached its first grand articulation in the commentary of al-Tabarı, the prophetic hadıth, an edifice that was almost finished in terms of both the creation of large compilations and the development of the science of hadith (ulum al-hadith), stood apart, in a sense, from Quranic exegesis.
Since tafsır was formulated as the embodiment of both divine and prophetic revelation, it had to take the place of Muhammad, who was to be the community's real caliph or successor.
Invariably, a hadıth or prophetic tradition was used to interpret a verse in a way that offered believers redemption and declared God's mercy.
A more in-depth analysis of the mystical quotations and their connection to al-Sulami's writings is necessary before a more definitive evaluation of this part of al-Kashf can be made.
The high classical style of Quranic commentary was introduced by al-Tha'labi's work, which continued to be the primary source for later exegetes for centuries.
According to reports, Ibn al-Jawzi stated the following on al-Tha'labi: “There is nothing to criticise about this man's [knowledge] apart from his reprehensible act of incorporating [in his works] flimsy weak hadiths, especially the hadiths which he cites at the inception of his commentaries on each new surah [referring here to the fada'il al-suwar traditions].” It's crucial to note that Ibn al-Jawzi only identified one flaw in al-Tha'labi's scholarship, not trying to diminish his reputation.
According to him, al-Tha'labi was only a man who passed along an enormous amount of information, which unavoidably resulted in a collection of hadith with differing degrees of veracity.