The Survival of the Muʿtazila Tradition of Qur'anic Exegesis in Shīʿī and Sunnī tafāsīr

Abstract

Like all other Islamic sects and movements, the Muʿtazilīs were very attentive to the study of the Qur'an and many among their ranks authored books on Qur'anic exegesis. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of tafāsīr compiled by Muʿtazilīs are not extant and, for a long time, the vast majority of the scholarly community has been under the impression that the only surviving Muʿtazilī tafsīr was al-Zamakhsharī’s Kashshāf. However, two other major Muʿtazilī tafāsīr have come to light, and now we can begin to determine the contribution of the Muʿtazilī exegetical tradition to the field of tafsīr. This study will argue that the demise of the Muʿtazila does not necessarily mean that their tradition of Qur'anic exegesis died out; nor for that matter their theology and religious thought. To this end, it will examine two cases that demonstrate that the Muʿtazilī tradition of Qur'anic exegesis was, at least to some extent, absorbed into the mainstream exegetical traditions of Twelver Shīʿism and Sunnism. The f...