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Since the very early periods of Islam, Muslim scholars engaged in the task of exegesis have adhered to specific methodologies and guiding principles within their literary compositions. While these methodologies and principles may not always be explicitly articulated, they can nonetheless be discerned through a thorough analysis of their written works. Within this context, exegetes have consistently prioritized certain principles when addressing issues such as the role of narration within tafsīr, the semantic framework of the Arabic language, the obligatory nature of adhering to the Quran’s literal meaning, the significance of contextual factors, and the boundaries and obligatory nature of interpretations rooted in personal opinion (raʾy).
Exegetes like Muhammad b. Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (d. 310/923) talked about the sciences of the Qur’an in a general sense in the introductions of their tafsīr, and in particular the reasons for writing their tafsīr and the methodologies and principles that should be observed in doing tafsīr. Al-Thaʻlabī’s (d. 427/1035) al-Kashf wa-l-beyân, al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī’s (fl. first quarter of the 5th century) commentary (Jāmiʿ al-tafāsīr), Abū ʿAbdAllah al-ʿĀṣimī al-Khorasānī’s (alive in 425 A.H.) Mabānī li-naẓm al-maʿānī, Maḥmūd b. ʿUmar al-Zamakhsharī’s (d. 538/1144) al-Kashshāf and Ibn ʿAṭıyya’s (d. 541/1147) al-Muḥarrar al-wajīz can be mentioned as examples.
Prior to the Mamluk era, a multitude of independent scholarly investigations were conducted concerning the Qur’an sciences and the methodologies employed in its commentary. During this specific period, which spans from the 7th to the 10th centuries A.H., a remarkable corpus of scholarly literature emerged, marked by its enhanced sophistication, comprehensiveness, and profound insights into both the Qur’an sciences and exegesis. These seminal works exerted a profound and enduring influence on subsequent literary endeavors within the realm of Qur’an exegesis, as well as on the production of new treatises within these same domains. Consequently, a collective examination of the works produced during this epoch assumes significant importance in the endeavor to gain insight into not only this particular era but also the subsequent epochs that unfolded.
Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328), an immensely influential figure of this era, authored a methodology for Qur’an exegesis, and the theory of tafsīr he developed did impact certain contemporary commentators, but its most profound effects were witnessed during the modern period, and it has been very decisive in matters such as interpreting the Qur’an with the Quran itself, interpreting the Qur’an with the Sunnah (the traditions of the Prophet), and critiquing Israelite narratives. Scholars like Najm al-Dīn al-Ṭūfī (d. 716/1316) and Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Kāfiyajī (d. 879/1474) followed in Ibn Taymiyya’s footsteps, attempting to develop their own methods of tafsīr. Al-Kāfiyajī’s endeavor to establish a theoretical framework for tafsīr and to evolve it as a continuous discipline stands out as a significant feature of this period within the field of Qur’an exegesis. Nevertheless, it appears that al-Kāfiyajī’s efforts did not achieve lasting success and were not further developed by subsequent generations. In a broader context, the quest for exegetical methodologies, including those of Molla Fanārī (d. 834/1431), al-Kāfiyajī, and other such scholars, appears to have been confined to the Mamluk era and the early years of the Ottoman Empire, with only a few exceptions. The systematic study of tafsīr methods was revived during subsequent renewal movements and modernization efforts, culminating in various original research endeavors in this domain.
During this era, scholarly investigations into Qur’an sciences also reached a commendable level. Badr al-Dīn al-Zarkashī (d. 794/1392), drawing upon numerous exegeses, meticulously compiled a compendium of Qur’an sciences enriched with his analytical insights. Similarly, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Bulqīnī (d. 824/1421) authored a work on Qur’an sciences as an output of his tafsīr lectures within Mamluk institutions. Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī (d. 911/1505) significantly advanced the field by creating more systematic and comprehensive texts, building upon the contributions of his predecessors. al-Suyūṭī’s writings emerged as crucial sources for subsequent works in the domains of Qur’an sciences, tafsīr methodologies, and historical investigations into Qur’an exegesis.