Al-Tabari

For other people named Al-Tabari, see Al-Tabari (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with the Muslim scholar and traditionist al-Tabarani.

Al-Tabari
ٱلطَّبَرِيّ
TitleImam
Personal
Born839 CE / 224 AH
Amol, Tabaristan, Abbasid Caliphate (present-day Iran)
Died923 CE (aged 84) / 310 AH (aged 86)
Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate (present-day Iraq)
Resting placeAl-Rahbi Park [ar], Baghdad, Iraq
ReligionIslam
EraIslamic Golden Age
RegionAbbasid Caliphate
DenominationSunni[1]
JurisprudenceIndependent (eponym of the Jariri school)
Main interest(s)
Notable work(s)
Occupation
Arabic name
Personal
(Ism)		Muḥammad
مُحَمَّد
Patronymic
(Nasab)		Ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd
ٱبْن جَرِير بْن يَزِيد
Teknonymic
(Kunya)		Abū Jaʿfar
أَبُو جَعْفَر
Toponymic
(Nisba)		Al-Ṭabarī
ٱلطَّبَرِيّ
Muslim leader
Influenced by
Influenced

Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (Arabic: أَبُو جَعْفَر مُحَمَّد بْن جَرِير بْن يَزِيد ٱلطَّبَرِيّ; 839–923 CE / 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (Arabic: ٱلطَّبَرِيّ), was a Persian Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, traditionalist,[2][3] historian, exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, present-day Iran. Among the most prominent figures of the Islamic Golden Age, al-Tabari is widely known for his historical works and expertise in Quranic exegesis, and has been described as "an impressively prolific polymath".[4] He authored works on a diverse range of subjects, including world history, poetry, lexicography, grammar, ethics, mathematics, and medicine.[4][5] Among his most famous and influential works are his Quranic commentary, Tafsir al-Tabari, and historical chronicle, Tarikh al-Tabari.

Al-Tabari followed the Shafi'i school for nearly a decade before he developed his own interpretation of Islamic jurisprudence. His understanding of it was both sophisticated and remarkably fluid, and, as such, he continued to develop his ideas and thoughts on juristic matters right until the end of his life.[6]

Al-Tabari's school of jurisprudence "flourished among Sunni ulama for two centuries after his death", before it eventually became extinct.[7] It was commonly designated as the Jariri school.

  1. ^ Jonathan A.C. Brown (2007), The Canonization of al-Bukhārī and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunnī Ḥadīth Canon, p. 151. Brill Publishers. ISBN 9789004158399.
  2. ^ Melchert, Christopher (1997). "Chapter 7: Al-Khallal and the Classical Hanbali school". The Formation of the Sunni Schools of Law, 9th-10th Centuries C.E. Koninklijke Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill Publishers. p. 154. ISBN 90-04-10952-8. ..al-Tabarī and Ibn Khuzaymah were scholars of very great stature, their published creeds thoroughly traditionalist
  3. ^ Freyer Stowasser, Barbara (1994). "Introduction". Women in the Qur'an, Traditions, and Interpretation. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-19-511148-4. The traditionalist Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (d. 923) authored a traditionist Qur'anic exegesis, Jami'al-bayan 'an ta'wil ay al-Qur'an (or fi tafsir al-Quran), and a traditionist History of the world..
  4. ^ a b Lindsay Jones (ed.), Encyclopedia of religion, volume 13, Macmillan Reference USA, 2005, p. 8943
  5. ^ The Cambridge History of Iran, vol 4. London: Cambridge University Press. 1975. p. 599. ISBN 978-0-521-20093-6.
  6. ^ Muhammad Mojlum Khan (2009). The Muslim 100: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of the Most Influential Muslims in History. Kube Publishing Ltd. p. 182. ISBN 9781847740298.
  7. ^ A.C. Brown, Jonathan (2014). Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy. Oneworld Publications. p. 193. ISBN 978-1780744209. Although it eventually became extinct, Tabari's madhhab flourished among Sunni ulama for two centuries after his death.