Historian Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari

 

On this day, February 17, 923 CE, noted Islamic scholar, historian and commentator of the Qur'an, Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari died in the Abbasid capital city of Baghdad. Two of his most influential works are his Qur'anic commentary known as Tafsir al-Tabari and historical chronicle Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk, a.k.a. Tarikh al-Tabari.

Al-Tabari was born in 839 CE during the reign of Abu Ishaq Muhammad ibn Harun al-Rashid, commonly known as al-Muʿtasim biʾllah in Amol, Tabaristan, and Abbasid Caliphate (now in northern Iran).

Early life of al-Tabari

Al-Tabari intertwined the disciplines of interpretation, law, and history; he despised imitation. He was born in Tabaristan's Aamel city and grew up under the supervision of his father, who raised him since he was a youngster and observed his brilliance and enthusiasm for science.

Consequently, he memorised the Quran at the age of seven, then travelled to scholar schools to study from them, and his father provided sufficient funds to continue his education in the best possible manner. Al-works Tabari's demonstrated his knowledge, intelligence, and ability to learn by memory.

Characteristics

Al-Tabari was honest and austere, living off his father's garden and rejecting gifts from rulers and others. Ibn Katheer described it as saying: “he was a worshiper, ascetic, pious, and doing what’s right, in a way that he fears no one, and he was a great righteous person.”

Al-Tabari had a pleasant manner of speech and never intended harm against anybody. He was not arrogant in the presence of his friends, colleagues, or pupils, nor did he harbour resentment. But nonetheless, he has been accused of lying about his late-life hardship owing to theological conflicts in Baghdad, which left him besieged in his house till his death.

His Writings

He has published several books and works, including "The Enlightenment in the Features of Religion," "The Book of Good Self and Noble Ethics," and "Literature in the Judges, Souls, Rituals, and Monuments," where he designated a book for each of them.

"The country agreed that no one makes classifications like Al-Tabari," remarked Imam al-Nawawi.

"Abu Jaafar is the most correct one who related the history, his interpretation reveals the abundance and inquiry, he was diligent in religious provisions, he did not mimic anybody, but he was imitated by certain individuals who followed his sayings and beliefs," Ibn al-Atheer remarked. He was dark, slender, and an excellent speaker."

History

In addition to producing his book "History of Al Tabari," Imam Al-Tabari was able to use a variety of his legal, linguistic, religious, and philosophical disciplines to produce his interpretation, which is still used as a standard today.

The history of the nations and kings, also known as the "History of prophets and kings" or "The history of Al Tabari," is regarded as a reference work in its area. It recounts the world from the beginning of creation to the conclusion of the year 302 AH, from Adam's account to the time Al Tabari lived.

The book has been republished numerous times and Orientalists are interested in it because of its unusual theme and sequence of events.

Interpretation

In his treatise Tafsir al-Tabari, he made an extraordinary effort since he was the first to arrange the many levels of interpretation in accordance with the wealth of explanatory sources available at the time. He created a system that was adopted by people who came after him in this way.

His interpretation combines language, meaning, and some of the most well-known aphorisms about the grammar and meaning of the verses. It also combines history, copying, excerpting, language, supporting evidence, and weighing. However, it also reveals an extraordinary talent and a lot of patience for a task that is said to have taken forty years to complete.

Al-Tabari said that his goal in interpreting the Holy Quran was to find the possible meanings of the verses and look into them. He said, "What we wanted to do in this book, without talking about how to read it, was to clarify the possible meanings of the verses."

Al-Tabari died at the age of 85 and was buried in his home in Baghdad after a public ceremony. According to the story told by Ibn Katheer, he still had a full head and beard of black hair.