Abstract

A number of recent studies have focused on the intellectual trends and debates surrounding the formation of Sunnism in the 11-12th centuries. Academics have explored various currents within the intellectual and social context of Sunni Islam during the 11th-12th centuries. George Makdisi, Richard Bulliet, Jonathan Brown, Daphna Ephrat, Mohamed Eissa, and Ahmad Khan studied topics related to the educational system, the scholarly community, heresy and Sunni orthodoxy, legal studies, ḥadīth, and theology. However, the status of scholarship on works of tafsīr differs significantly. There are few studies concentrated on the classical period, such as works on the commentaries of al-Thaʿlabī (d. 427/1035), al-Wāḥidī (d.468/1078), and al-Zamakhsharī (d. 538/1144). This thesis aims to build upon these existing studies by focusing on a hitherto unstudied Qurʾān commentary written by al-Ḥusayn b. Masʿūd b. Muḥammad al-Baghawī (d. 516/1123), a prolific writer in three principal disciplines of Sunnism. The central aim of this thesis is to comprehensively examine and assess the impact of al-Baghawī’s Qurʾān commentary, titled "Maʿālim al-tanzīl," on the intellectual landscape of Sunnism during the 11th-12th centuries in Khurāsān. It will contend that "Maʿālim al-tanzīl" serves as a pivotal nexus in shaping the development of Qurʾānic interpretation during this period, owing to its active participation in Sunni intellectual discourses surrounding ḥadīth and Islamic jurisprudence.

School

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

Arab & Islamic Civilizations Department

Degree Name

MA in Arabic Studies

Graduation Date

Summer 7-26-2024

Submission Date

7-18-2024

First Advisor

Ahmad Khan

Committee Member 1

Adam Talib

Committee Member 2

Pieter Coppens

Extent

125 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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