The Great Classical Works of Tafseer

Session 2 – Al-Zamakhshari (467h – 538h)

Abu al-Qasim Mahmud bin `Umar al-Zamakhshari – he was ascribed this cognomen due to
Zamakhshar being a town in Khawarizm. He then moved to Makkah al-Mukarramah and
thereafter was given the epithet, “Jaar Allah”, or the “neighbor of Allah”. Due to his superiority
in knowledge and rank he was regarded as “Fakhr Khawarizm” (Pride of Khawarizm). – Nuzhat
al-Awliya’, p. 74 and Bughyat al-Wu`aat, 2/280.
The Imam of his era, exegete (mufassir) of the Qur’an, scholar of Arabic grammar and
linguistics – his claim to fame as a scholar of Islam in Khawarizm and in the world arose due to
his eloquence in Arabic rhetoric. He initiated his studies in his hometown of Zamakhshar then
on to Bukhara and then remained for an extended time in Baghdad. He attained mastery in the
sciences of Hadith, Arabic grammar, Jurisprudence, and other sciences such as Arabic
linguistics, Exegesis (tafsir), Single-Isolated Hadiths (ghareeb al-hadith), prosody, and poetry; to
the extent that he would do justice to whatever topic or field he would write upon with his pen. –
Wafayaat al-A`yaan, 4/255.
The region of Zamakhshar was known for its knowledge and literature and where I`tizaal was
the mainstay ideology. Very few in number were scholars in Khawarizm that were not
influenced by the I`tizali ideology. Therefore, al-Zamakhshari also became notorious for being
Mu`tazili in doctrine, and in favor of defending it through deliberation and debate and in open
declaration of it. – Bughyat al-Wu`aat, 2/279.

Teachers and Students

`Allamah al-Zamakhshari acquired knowledge from the most famous of scholars of his time. His
list of teachers runs lengthy from which the most famous is Abu Mudar Mahmud bin Jarir al-
Dabi al-Isfahani (d. 507h), who was known as one of the premier Arabic grammarians and
linguists of his time. As for al-Zamakhshari’s students, the list of them also runs lengthy from
which some of the famous ones were Abu al-Hasan `Ali bin Muhammad `Amrani al-
Khawarizmi, known by the honorific of “Hujjat al-Afaadil” (Proof of the Virtuous), “Fakhr al-
Mashayikh” (Pride of the Scholars), Abu al-Fadl Muhammad bin Abu al-Qasim al-Khawarizmi
(d. 562h) known by the honorific of “Zayn al-Mashayikh” (Ornament of the Scholars). –
Wafayaat al-A`yaan, 4/256.

Era of al-Zamakhshari
Exegesis and the Methodology of al-Zamakhshari:
From `Allamah al-Zamakhshari’s preeminent knowledge and virtue, that which brought him the
most fame was his famous book, al-Kashshaaf `an Haqaa’iq Ghawamid al-Tanzeel wa `Uyoon
al-Aqaaweel fi Wujooh al-Ta’weel. `Allamah al-Zamakhshari writes in his introduction that the
reason for writing his tafsir that some people from the Firqah Naajiyah (Saved Sect) would ask
me questions regarding tafsir of verses and he would reveal their realities such that they would
be amazed. They in turn asked him to write a book of tafsir which enabled his desire to come to
fruition and through the sanctity of this desire he was able to complete his book in two years and
four months which he says matches the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radiya Allahu `anhu.
Furthermore, al-Zamakhshari states that his book was possible purely through the blessing of
being a neighbor to the Baytullah (Ka`bah) and by the mercy of the Divine.
Ever since al-Kashshaaf became the ornament of scholarly circles, it has been well-received with
various introductions and refutations of certain opinions found therein. `Allamah Abu al-Qasim
bin Bushkawal wrote an explanation of al-Kashshaaf in which he said that the depth of tafsir that
is in this book has never been authored before it and nor has any scholar been able to author the
like of it after it. `Allamah ibn Hayyan stated that despite al-Zamakhshari being a great scholar
and writing a very scholarly tafsir it still warrants many objections. In the same manner, where
Ibn Khaldun, Taj al-Deen al-Subki, and others mentioned praise they also criticized him therein.
But it’s enough for us to know the worth of this book by the fact that it’s been heavily circulated
and well-received by many a scholar.
`Allamah al-Zamakhshari himself writes about his tafsir in an Arabic couplet whose translation
is:
Indeed the number of tafsirs in the world are in plentitude
But none are like the Kashshaaf in similitude.
If you want to be wealthy then mandatory is its reading
for ignorance is like a disease and al-Kashshaaf is the healing.

Methodology
`Allamah al-Zamakhshari’s methodology is viewed as resting upon two foundations: First, its
knowledge of rhetoric (balaghah) and its knowledge of Arabic literature and second being its
proofs for Mu`tazili doctrine. And finally, since the inception of this book of tafsir, the people of
knowledge have relied heavily on its style of rhetoric.