عہدِ تابعین میں تفسیرِ قرآن اور مفسرین: اصول، مناہج اور علمی ارتقا ءکا تحقیقی و تجزیاتی مطالعہ

Qurʾānic exegesis and Exegetes in the Era of the Tābiʿīn: A Research and Analytical Study of Principles, Methods and Intellectual Evolution

Abstract

The era of the Tābiʿīn represents a fundamental milestone in the development of Qurʾānic exegesis, during which the scholarly legacy of the Companions (Ṣaḥābah) was transmitted forward, and distinct exegetical trends and schools of thought emerged in major Islamic centers.

This research aims to clarify the historical and intellectual context of the Tābiʿīn period and to identify its key sources and methodologies of Qurʾānic interpretation. The primary focus of the study is to introduce the well-known exegetical schools of Makkah, Madīnah, and Iraq, along with their leading Tābiʿī scholars. This aims to clarify the principles, methodologies, and scholarly styles through which the exegetes of this period articulated the meanings of the Qurʾān.

The study seeks to address key questions, including: what were the primary sources and distinguishing characteristics of Qurʾānic exegesis during the Tābiʿīn period? How did the interpretive methodologies of the Tābiʿī exegetes influence later generations?

The scope of this research is limited only to the exegetes of the Tābiʿīn period and their methodologies of interpretation both chronologically and thematically. The study excludes detailed analysis of the Companions or later periods, except for historical context. The study focuses on selected prominent Tābiʿīn exegetes, excluding detailed analysis of the Companions or later periods, highlighting those whose views are preserved in primary sources and shaped the exegetical tradition.

Methodologically, this study is based on a historical and analytical approach, employing both classical primary sources and modern scholarly works in the fields of Qurʾānic exegesis, principles of tafsīr, and Qurʾānic sciences as authoritative references.