AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightThe study concludes that the narrations and interpretations transmitted in Muqātil’s tafsīr were not fabricated by Muqātil himself; rather, they reflect the exegetical transmission practices of his time, in that he incorporated into his work the full range of reports that had reached him within the prevailing framework of early tafsīr transmission.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
The earliest exegetical work to have survived in its entirety and to offer a continuous commentary on the Qurʾān from al-Fātiḥa to al-Nās is the tafsīr of Muqātil b. Sulaymān. Although numerous studies have been conducted on Muqātil b. Sulaymān and his commentary, a significant portion of this scholarship has produced evaluations without sufficiently taking into account Muqātil’s biography or the intellectual and scholarly context in which his tafsīr was composed. Moreover, much of the existing literature is dominated by the assumption that the reports which led to criticisms of Muqātil b. Sulaymān from various perspectives were fabricated by him and that such materials had not been employed by any earlier authorities. Against this backdrop, the present study examines the major criticisms directed at Muqātil b. Sulaymān—namely, that he did not employ isnād, fabricated reports, incorporated Isrāʾīliyyāt material into his exegesis, held Mushabbihī/Mujassimī or Zaydī/Shīʿī tendencies, and was therefore regarded as matrūk al-ḥadīth or a fabricator—by identifying and analysing the sources of the narrations upon which these accusations are based. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to investigate the historical foundations of these claims by tracing the provenance of the reports underlying the criticisms levelled against Muqātil b. Sulaymān, with particular reference to al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, and to offer a more balanced and methodologically sound assessment. The study concludes that the narrations and interpretations transmitted in Muqātil’s tafsīr were not fabricated by Muqātil himself; rather, they reflect the exegetical transmission practices of his time, in that he incorporated into his work the full range of reports that had reached him within the prevailing framework of early tafsīr transmission.
Özet
Günümüze eksiksiz halde ulaşan ve Kur’ân-ı Kerim’i Fâtiha’dan Nâs’a kadar tefsir eden ilk eser Muḳâtil b. Süleymân’ın tefsiridir. Muḳâtil b. Süleymân ve tefsiri üzerine birçok araştırma yapılmış olmakla birlikte, bunların önemli bir kısmında Muḳâtil’in hayatını ve tefsirin kaleme alındığı dönemin ilmî ve fikrî arka planı yeterince dikkate alınmadan değerlendirmelerde bulunulduğu görülmektedir. Yine bu çalışmalarda Muḳâtil b. Süleymân’ın çeşitli açılardan eleştirilmesine sebep olan rivâyetleri, kendisinin uydurduğu ve kendisinden önce kimsenin kullanmadığı gibi bir anlayış hakimdir. Bu sebeple çalışmada, Muḳâtil b. Süleymân’ın isnad kullanmadığı, rivâyet uydurduğu, İsrailiyat kaynaklı kimi bilgileri tefsire taşıdığı, Müşebbihî/Mücessimî veya Zeydî/Şiî eğilimler taşıdığı, “metrûku’l-hadîs” ya da “uydurmacı” olduğuna yönelik eleştiriler, bunlara sebep olan rivâyetlerin kaynaklarının tespiti esas alınarak tahlil edilmektedir. Bu doğrultuda çalışmanın amacı, et-Tefsîrü’l-Kebîr özelinde Muḳâtil b. Süleymân’a yöneltilen eleştirilerin dayandığı rivâyetlerin kaynaklarını tespit ederek bu iddiaların tarihsel zeminini sorgulamak ve daha sağlıklı bir değerlendirme ortaya koymaktır. Netice olarak tefsirde nakledilen rivâyet ve yorumların Muḳâtil tarafından uydurulmayıp dönemin tefsir nakil anlayışı çerçevesinde kendisine ulaşan bütün rivâyetlere eserinde yer verdiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.