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Tafsir al-'Ayyashi
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ShVi Commentary on the Qur'an c.,
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Translated by
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Edited by
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Introduction by
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MUHAMMAD B. MAS'UD
AL-cAYYASHl
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Tafsir al-Ayyashi
A Fourth/Tenth Century
Shi'i Commentary on the Qur'an
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Translated by
Nazmina Dhanji
Edited by
Wahid M. Amin
Introduction by
Meir M. Bar-Asher
VOLUME I
AMI PRESS
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Contents
Volume i
Preface
Introduction i
1. Al-Ayyashl’s Life and Work i
1.1 Work v
Al-Ayyashl’s Commentary on the Qur’an vi
l.i.i
1.1.2 Manuscripts and Printed Editions of
Tafslr al-AyyashI viii
Tafslr al-AyyashI as a prominent representation of
ami Press | 1.1.3 the pre-Buwayhid Imam! ShI‘I school of Exegesis viii
6o Weoley Park Road, Selly Oak
Birmingham, B29 6rb f 2. The question of the integrity of the Qur’an xi
United Kingdom I 3. The Qur’an as a multilayered and polyvalent text xvii
©ami Press2020 4. The Imam as the primary authority for Qur’an interpretation xix
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, stored in a 5. Concluding Remarks xxvi
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission,
in writing, of ami Press, or as permitted by law, by licence or under terms agreed with the Prelude 2
appropriate rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the
On the Virtues of the Qur’an 2
law above should be sent to ami Press at the address above.
Casting aside reports (riwayat) that contradict the Qur’an 22
First published 2020 The Content of what has been revealed in the Qur’an 26
The meaning of the terms ‘abrogating’ (al-nasikh), ‘abrogated’
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
(al-mansukh), ‘the apparent’ (al-zahir), ‘the hidden’ (al-batin),
Vol. 1 ISBN 978-1-8380320-7-4 ‘the ambiguous’ (al-muhkam) and ‘the unambiguous’ (al-
Vol. 2 ISBN 978-1-8380320-8-1 I
mutashabih) 30
Vol. 3 ISBN 978-1-8380320-9-8
Set ISBN 978-1-8380320-6-7 The Interpretation of the Seven Revealed Recitations of the Qur’an
having various aspects 36
Designed and typeset by Titus Nemeth, assisted by Doris Lang References to the Imams in the Qur’an 36
The Imams and their Knowledge of the Qur’an's Interpretation 56. The Imminent Event 476 85. The Towering
(ta'wll) 40 57. Iron 480 Constellations SSO
On Those Who Interpret The Qur’an According To Their Own 58. The Dispute 486 87. The Most High 554
Opinion 50 61. Solid Lines 490 90. The City 55#
On the Reprehensibility of Using the Qur’an for the Purpose of 65. Divorce 494 92. The Night 562
Disputation 54 66. The Prohibition 500 93. The Morning
67. Sovereignty 504 Brightness 566
1. The Opening 58 3. The Family of‘Imran 406 68. The Pen 508 94. Relief 570
2. The Cow 74 4. Women 536 74. Wrapped in his Cloak 512 97. The Night of
75. The Resurrection 516 Ordainment 574
76. Man 520 102. Rivalry for More 578
Volume 2 78. The Announcement S30 104. The Slanderer 582
80. He Frowned 554 105. The Elephants 586
5. The Feast 2 9. The Impunity 378 81. Shrouded in Darkness 538 106. Quraysh S90
6. Livestock 154 10. Yunus 492 83. Those Who Give Short 107. Common Kindness 594
7. The Heights 236 11. Hud 542 Measure 542 114. People 598
8. The Battle Gains 320 12. Yusuf 604 84. The Ripping Apart 546
Bibliography 601
Volume 3 Index of Groups, Sects and Tribes 607
Index of Names 611
13. The Thunder 2 28. The Story 398 Index of Places 627
14. Ibrahim 52 29. The Spider 404 Index of Subjects 629
15. Hijr 94 31. Luqman 408
16. The Bee 124 35- The Creator 412
, 17. The Children of Israel 174 36. Ya-SIn 416
18. The Cave 278
37. Ranged in Rows 424
19. Mary 352 38. Sad 434
20. Ta-ha 356
39. The Throngs 440
21. The Prophets 360
42. Consultation 446
22. The Pilgrimage 366
43- Ornaments of Gold 450
23. The Believers 374
48. Triumph 456
24. Light 380
52. The Mountain 462
25. The Criterion 384
54. The Moon 466
26. The Poets 388
55- The All-Compassionate
27. The Ants 392
Lord 470
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Preface
The work presented here is the first complete translation into English
of a classical Shl'I commentary on the Qur’an. The tafslr of Abu al-Nadr
Muhammad b. Mas'ud al-Ayyashl (d. 320/932) belongs to a relatively small
number of ShiT commentaries dating from the early fourth-century of Islam
and is the only surviving work to have reached us from the corpus of writ
ings known to have been authored by al-Ayyashl. Its style and form are typ
ical of the era in which al-Ayyashl was alive, and like the other main forma
tive disciplines of the time—namely, fiqh and kalam—prioritises the sayings
and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad and the Imams of the ahl al-bayt
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as the main sources of our knowledge of the Qur’an’s meanings. The em
phasis that is placed on the Imams as the true interpreters of the Qur’an’s
inner {batin') and outer {zahir) meanings is significant for the reason that
it aims to supercede two other popular forms of exegesis during this peri
od; namely, (1) personal speculation (ray) and (2) commentary by way of
traditions sourced from authorities deemed unacceptable to the religious
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worldview of the Shlci community. The tafslr of al-Ayyashl is therefore a
1
quintessentially ‘ShiT tafslr* belonging to the wider genre of Qur’anic ex
egesis known as tafslr bi-l-ma'thur, exegesis by means of traditions from
the Prophet Muhammad and the Imams of the ahl al-bayt, and is thus illus
trative of the attempts made by late third- and early fourth-century Imam!
scholars to assert a strong ShiT identity and counter-narrative to prevailing
assumptions about, and methods to, the interpretation of the Qur’an by the
proto-Sunni community. Despite the occasional criticism the work has gen
erally been received through the centuries with notable acclaim from ShiT
scholars and remains until this day perhaps the most important source of Im
am! traditions on the Qur’an alongside the tafslr of All b. Ibrahim al-Qummi
(d. ca. 307/919). Al-Ayyashl’s traditions are copiously copied in major hadlth
compilations of subsequent periods such as, for instance, in Muhammad
Preface Preface
Baqir al-Majlisfs (d. 1110/1699) Bihar al-anwar, and later ShPI commen copied 1091 ah [no other details provided]; ms. Astan-i Quds-i Radawi 180,
taries on the Qur’an such as Sayyid Hashim al-Bahranfs (d.ca. 1107/1696) Mashhad, copied in 1301 ah by Abd al-Razzaq al-Rahabadl al-Ardakanl al-
al-Burhan fi tafsir al-Qur’an and Sayyid Muhammad Hussayn Tabataba’fs Yazdi; MS. Astan-i Quds-i Radawi 7513, copied in Najaf in the year 1353 ah
(d. 1402/1981) al-Mizan fi tafsir al-Qur’an. by Muhammad Husayn b. Zayn al-Abidin al-UrmawI al-Rida’I; ms. Astan-i
Al-Ayyashfs tafsir survives in a number of extant manuscripts, but none Quds-i Radawi 1490, copied in 1348 ah by Husayn b. Muhammad Arabshah
of these preserves the work that was originally composed by the author him al-AlawI al-Husaynl.) We include the Arabic edition prepared by the Bi'tha
self. Firstly, the chains of transmission connecting al-Ayyashi to the Imams ; Foundation without emendations, thereby allowing the reader to have paral
in the extant copies are truncated forms of the author’s original manuscript, lel access to the Arabic text on which our translation is based.
and hence what was once originally a work comprising complete chains of Concerning the translation itself, this was initially prepared in its entire
i
transmission is now, due to the copyist’s redaction, a considerably short ty by Nazmina Dhanji, Head of Arabic Studies at the Al-Mahdi Institute, and
ened work. Secondly, the part of al-Ayyashfs tafsir belonging to its so-called then edited by myself. The translation aims to provide an accurate rendition
‘second part’ (al-juz’ al-thani) can no longer be found in the surviving man of the Arabic text in readable English. Though we have tried to keep the
uscripts: what does remain only goes so far as the end of Sura 18 (al-kahf) translation as close as possible to the literal Arabic, we have made a con
of the Qur’an. A more complete version of al-Ayyashfs tafsir, one that is scious attempt to strike a balance between literal accuracy, on the one hand,
said to have included fuller versions of the isnads as well as his selection of and user-friendliness, on the other. The translation, which spans three
hadiths commenting on chapters beyond Sura 18, was apparently accessible volumes, is designed to be read easily and naturally in English, which has
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to previous scholars of earlier centuries. Most notable among these are al- therefore at times necessitated a certain liberty given the syntactical idio
Hafiz ‘Ubayd Allah b. Abd Allah al-Naysaburl, better known as al-Hakim al- syncrasies of the Arabic language. For Qur’anic verses, we have relied on the
Haskanl (d. 490/1097), a Hanafi judge who narrates sections from the latter translations of Muhammad Abdel Haleem, The Qur’an (Oxford: oup, 2004)
part of al-Ayyashfs tafsir in his work Shatvahid al-tanzil, and the ShIT exe- and Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’an: With a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation
gete al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al-TabrisI (d. 548/1154), who likewise has traditions (London: icas Press, 2005) in the order just mentioned, but where each of
from the non-extant part of al-Ayyashfs tafsir in his Qur’anic commentary these has been deemed inadequate for the context in question we have trans
Majmac al-bayan. There is some evidence to suggest that Sayyid Radi al-DIn lated the Qur’anic verses ourselves. I have also edited the translation to en-
All b.Musa Ibn Tawus (d. 664/1266) may have also had access to a more sure consistency across all volumes, provided intra-Qur’anic references to
complete version, but this, as pointed out by Professor Meir M. Bar-Asher other verses of the Qur’an using a superscripted method of numbering, and
in his Introduction, remains inconclusive. added accompanying footnotes to provide some contextual background to
In preparing this translation we have relied on the Arabic edition of al- the narrators, places, events, and key personalities that are mentioned in al-
Ayyashfs tafsir that was published by the Islamic Studies department of the Ayyashfs tafsir. Occasionally, I have also provided some references to sec
Bi'tha Foundation in Qom, Iran. This edition is a much better one than a ondary literature. Indeed there is much that can be said and commented on
previous edition that was published in Beirut in 1991 and edited by Sayyid in al-Ayyashfs tafsir, but given the fact that the three volumes at present
i
Hashim al-RasulI al-Mahallatl. It relies not only on a greater number of manu already exceed 2000 pages I have decided to keep the footnotes to a mini
script witnesses than the earlier Beirut edition, but also collates in the form of mum, only sparingly mentioning other scholarship wherever I have felt the
an added appendix (mustadrak) the traditions that relate to the second p art need to do so. Where I have taken some liberty is with respect to the narra-
of al-Ayyashfs tafsir that have been compiled from other sources. (As for the tors within the isnads of the hadiths included by al-Ayyashl. The biographi
manuscripts on which the Bi'tha edition is based, these are listed in the Intro ; cal tradition—by which I mean not just the tora/Yra-literature but the more
duction of the published edition as follows: ms. Dastaghib Library, Shiraz, developed science of Him al-rijal—provides key insights on the personalities
Preface
from whom these traditions have been received and contains interesting as
sessments and adjudications of later scholars as to their reliability and trust
worthiness as narrators of the Imams' traditions. For this undertaking I have
relied principally on al-Allama al-Hillfs Khulasat al-aqwal which, though
Introduction*
not without its own complications, nonetheless serves as a useful compen
dium of the views of earlier rijal scholars such as Ahmad b. ‘All al-Najashi
(d. 450/1058), Abu Ja‘far Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Tusi (d. 460/1067), Abu
Amr Muhammad b/Umar al-Kishshl (d. fourth/tenth century), and Ibn al- Meir M. Bar-Asher
Ghada’iri (d. 411/1020). Wherever possible I have provided cross-references (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
to Hossein Modarressi's indispensable Tradition and Survival: A Biograph
ical Survey of Early ShVite Literature which undertakes many of the same
aims as the Khulasat al-aqwal of al-Allama al-Hilll. 1. Al-Ayyashi’s Life and Work
The entire project was commissioned under the auspices of the Al-Mahdi
Institute and would not have been possible without the generous financial
!
support of its patrons. We are extremely grateful to these individuals for the 1.1 Life
commitment they have shown throughout the process. I am also very grate Abu al-Nadr Muhammad b. Mas'ud al-Ayyashi al-Sulam! al-Samarqandl,
ful to Professor Meir M. Bar-Asher for accepting my invitation to write an better known as al-Ayyashi, was one of the eminent Imam! ShFI schol
Introduction to our translation with great enthusiasm. There are few in the ars who flourished in the last decades of the 3rd/9th century and the be
field of Qur’anic/Shn studies who can boast to have a better understanding ginning of the 4th/10th century, that is, prior to the Great Occultation
of early Imam! exegesis and knowledge of al-Ayyashl’s tafsir than Professor (al-ghayba al-kubra) which occurred in the year 329/941* He was one of a
Bar-Asher. I would also like to thank Titus Nemeth for designing and type few representatives of Imam! Shfi Qur’an exegesis of this period. The other
setting the publication and Mahmood Dhalla for sharing his thoughts on leading exegetes of this period known to us were Furat b. Ibrahim al-Kufi
style and formatting at different stages of the project. Finally, both Nazmi- (d. ca. at the beginning of the 4th/ioth century), All b. Ibrahim al-Qumml
na and I are extremely grateful to our respective families for their love and (d.cfl. 307/919), and somewhat later Muhammad b. Ibrahim b.Ja'far al-
support, as well as to our colleagues and friends at the Al-Mahdi Institute Nu'manl (d .ca. 360/971), to whom a treatise constituting a sort of introduc
for encouraging and supporting us to persevere with such a gruelling en tion to the Qur’an is ascribed.1 To these authors one may add al-Husayn b. al-
deavour. What results from all this is the book you now hold in your hands: Hakam al-Hibarl (d. 286/899), presumably representing the early phase of
the first complete translation into English of a classical Shl‘1 commentary
on the Qur’an with accompanying Arabic text. As such, the translation pro
vides an invaluable resource to anybody interested in the history of Qur’an-
ic exegesis, for whom there continues to be a dearth of primary sources in * I would like to thank Prof. Etan Kohlberg for his instructive comments on earlier drafts of
translation for classical ShTI thought. It is our hope that this translation goes this introduction.
I
1 See M. M. Bar-Asher, Scripture and Exegesis in Early Imami Shiism (Jerusalem and Leid
some way in redressing this situation in contemporary Islamic Studies in the
en 1999), pp. 63-70. All references to Tafsir al-Ayyashi below are to the al-Bi'tha edition.
western academe.
I This edition, used by Al-Mahdi Institute in preparing the English translation of Tafsir al-
Ayyashi is the best to have been published to date (for the details see below §1.2.2). I am
much indebted to Dr. Wahid Amin of the Al-Mahdi Institute for drawing my attention to
Wahid M. Amin
this edition of Tafsir al-Ayyashi.
Al-'Ayyashi’s Life and Work
Introduction
Zaydl exegesis.2 Apparently these are the only authors of this period whose
al-sha’n)’.6 In a similar vein, al-Najashl describes him as 'trustworthy, truth
writings have survived in the form of exegetical compositions. However, the
ful, a pillar of the [Shl'i] community] (thiqa, sadiq, 'ayn min a'yan al-td3i-
only commentator among them who received some attention in late nine
fa).’7 Al-Tusi outdoes them both in his praise, declaring: ‘There are those
teenth and early twentieth century Western scholarship is 'All b. Ibrahim who say that [al-'Ayyashi] was the greatest scholar in the East (afdal ahl al-
al-Qumml. Theodor Noldeke, in his seminal study on the Qur'an, discussed mashriq'ilman).’8 His love of learning is exemplified in al-Najashl’s account
some aspects of al-Qummfs tafsir,3 The work then became the basis for Ig- of the enormous wealth he inherited from his father, which he spent on the
naz Goldziher’s description of ShlT exegesis in his groundbreaking book Die study of religion and the support of his pupils.9 His house became a work
Richtungen der islamischen Koranauslegung.4 shop for the Shl'Is and for those seeking knowledge, and a centre for stu
While al-Qumml became familiar to Western scholarship, the other dents, scribes and commentators.10 The titles minghilmdn al-'Ayyashi (one
Imam! Shfl commentators of this period have remained largely unknown. of al-'Ayyashl’s apprentices) and min ashab al-Ayyashi (one of the compan
The aim of this introduction is twofold: (a) to outline a picture of the author ions or disciples of al-'Ayyashi) which appear often in al-Tusfs Kitab al-rijdl,
of Tafsir al-'Ayyashi, undoubtedly the most prominent of this group of com seem to substantiate al-Najashl’s description.11 These titles probably refer to
mentators; (b) to attempt to place his work in the broad context in which a group of disciples, of whom some were most likely al-'Ayyashl’s apprentic
it was created and developed. The contextualization will be exemplified by es, and who studied religion and copied manuscripts in the study centre he
three major issues, all of which occupy a very important role in Tafsir al- maintained in his home.
'Ayyashi and early Imam! ShlT Qur’an exegesis in general: (1) The question of According to al-Najashi and later sources dependent on him, al-'Ayyashi
the integrity of the Qur’an; (2) the Qur’an as a multilayered and polyvalent began his career as a Sunni, he 'received Sunni traditions and often engaged
text; and (3) the Imam as the primary authority for Qur’an interpretation. in them, but later, when still young, his eyes were opened and he joined the
Biographical sources, both early and late, provide little information Shl'a.’12 Ibn al-Nadlm does not mention this detail explicitly but suggests it
about al-'Ayyashfs life. Instead, they heap praise on him and emphasize his when relating that several of al-'Ayyashl’s writings (biographies of the first
prolific scholarly output. Ibn al-Nadlm describes him as 'unique in his gen
eration in the abundance of his knowledge (awhad zamanihi wa-dahrihi 6 Ibid.; cf. W. Madelung, ‘al-Kashshi/ El2, vol.4, p.711, who states that al-Ayyashi was
fi ghazarat al-'ilm)>s and states that ‘his books are of major importance in responsible for spreading ImamI Shl'ism in this region. See also I. Poonawalla, “Ayyasi,
Abu’l-Nazr Mohammad b. Mas'ud b. Mohammad b. al-Ayyas al-Solaml al-Samraqandl’, in
the district of Khurasan (wa-li-kutubihi bi-nawahi Khurasan sha3n min
Encyclopaedia Iranica, vol. 3, pp. 163-164.
7 Abu al-Abbas Ahmad b. All al-Najashl, Rijdl (Qom i407[i986]), p.350.
8 Abu Ja'far al-Tusi, Kitab al-rijdl (Najaf 1381/1961), p. 497- An extended version of al-Tusi’s
words is found in Muhammad al-Khwansari, Rawdat al-jannatfi ahwal al-ulama’ wa-l-
2 See M. A. Amir-Moezzi, ‘The Tafsir of al-Hibarl (d. 286/899): Qur’anic Exegesis and Early sadat (Tehran and Qom 1390-1392), vol. 4, p. 130: ‘Al-Ayyashi was the greatest man in the
Shi 1 Esotericism’, in F. Daftary and G. Miskinzoda eds., The Study of ShVi Islam: History, East in his time in knowledge, nobility, behaviour, understanding and greatness of spirit
Theology and Law (London 2014), pp. 113-134. (akbar ahl al-tnashriq 'ilman wa-fadlan wa-adaban wa-fahman wa-nublanfi zamanihi)\
3 T. Noldeke and F. Schwally, Geschichte des Qorans (Leipizig 1909-1938), vol. 2, pp. 93-112 9 Al-Najashl, p. 372 (in his brief account on Abu Amr Muhammad b. ‘Umar al-Kishshl) states,
(English translation: idem, The History of the Qur’an, ed. and trans. W. H. Behn [Leiden and x undoubtedly in gross exaggeration, that the size of the inheritance was 300,000 dinars.
Boston 2013], pp. 288-303). 10 Ibid. This account is cited also by other sources, e.g. in al-Khwansari, Rawdat al-janndt,
4 The book was first published in Leiden in 1920. See chap. 5 (Sektiererische Koranausle vol. 4, p. 130; ‘Abd Allah al-Mamaqani, Tanqih al-maqal (Najaf, 1349-1352/1930-1933), bio
gung), pp. 263-309 (English translation: idem, Schools of Koranic Commentaries, ed. and graphy 11367.
trans. W. H. Behn [Wiesbaden 2006], pp. 167-196). 11 On the first title see e.g. al-Tusi, Kitab al-rijdl (Najaf 1381/1961), p.409, no. 10; p.489,
5 Muhammad b. Ishaq Ibn al-Nadlm, Kitab al-Fihrist, ed. G. Fliigel (Leipzig 1872), p.194 nos. 40 and 41. For the second title see ibid., p.409, no. 13; p.472, nos. 2 and 9; p.478, no,
(-7fe Fihrist of al-Nadim: A Tenth-Century Survey of Muslim Culture, ed. and trans. 9; p.479, nos. 10-12.
B. Dodge [New York 1970), p.483). 12 Literally: ‘he returned to us’; see al-Najashl, Rijdl, p. 350.
11 in
