Detailed Abstract
Research Objective: The objective of this study is to establish the position of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), especially Imam ʿAlī (peace be upon him), within the exegetical narrations transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās. The significance of this topic stems from the fact that numerous narrations in various fields of Qur’anic exegesis have been attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās in both Sunni and Shiʿi sources. According to Islamic tradition, Ibn ʿAbbās is regarded as the foremost exegete after ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib. Therefore, the perspective of Ibn ʿAbbās—renowned as one of the most eminent Qur’anic exegetes and a translator of the Qur’an—toward the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUH) holds particular importance.
Research Methodology: This research adopts descriptive and library methods accompanied by data analysis. The statistical corpus includes classical, medieval, and later narrative Qur’anic exegetes from both Sunni and Shiʿi traditions, selected based on the frequency and importance of their reported exegetical narrations. Narrations attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās regarding the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt were extracted and comparatively evaluated within the context of the relevant verses in these Qur’anic exegetes. A typological categorization of these narrations was then conducted. Additionally, the study examines possible textual variations or transformations between the Sunni and Shiʿi versions of the narrations.
Findings: The findings indicate a divergence in how Sunni and Shiʿi Qur’anic exegetes transmit narrations on the virtues attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās. Among Shiʿi exegetes, figures such as Furāt al-Kūfī, al-Ḥuwayzī, and al-Baḥrānī actively report narrations supporting the Ahl al-Bayt and affirming their divine guardianship [Wilāyah]. In contrast, other exegetes such as Shaykh al-Ṭūsī and al-Ṭabrisī generally refrain from highlighting these virtues, not due to skepticism about Ibn ʿAbbās himself, but due to their broader conciliatory approach aimed at promoting inter-sectarian unity and avoiding discord. Among early Shiʿi Qur’anic exegetes, the number of narrations in al-Tafsīr ʿAyyāshī is limited, possibly because he prioritized jurisprudential issues and ruling verses [Āyāt al-aḥkām] over the reporting of virtues.
Among Sunni Qur’anic exegetes, one group avoids reporting such narrations altogether, while another shows greater fairness and includes more of them. Tafsīr works like those of Muqātil ibn Sulaymān, ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Ṣanʿānī, and al-Ṭabarī’s Jāmiʿ al-Bayān fall into the former category. Meanwhile, Tafsīr al-Kashf and Tafsīr al-Bayān by al-Thaʿlabī belong to the latter, indicating that his approach was more neutral and focused on transmitting exegetical narrations regardless of verifying their authenticity or theological implications.
Conclusion: This study concludes that the largest number of narrations concerning the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās in Sunni narrative exegetical works appear in al-Durr al-Manthūr and the Shiʿi Tafsīr of Furāt al-Kūfī. Notably, the chain of transmission in all these narrations generally follows the route: al-Kalbī from Abū Ṣāliḥ from Ibn ʿAbbās. Undoubtedly, the quantity of such narrations in various Qur’anic exegeses is influenced by the theological orientation and exegetical tendencies of the Qur’anic exegetes. For instance, al-ʿAyyāshī focused on jurisprudential narrations, al-Ṭabarī’s omission was rooted in doctrinal bias, and Shaykh al-Ṭūsī and al-Ṭabrisī limited their inclusion of such narrations due to their ecumenical outlook. On the other hand, the Qur’anic exegeses like those of Furāt al-Kūfī (due to theological motives), and of al-Thaʿlabī and al-Suyūṭī (due to their more impartial reporting), offer a broader representation of these narrations.
Ultimately, while the number of narrations attributed to Ibn ʿAbbās concerning the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt varies across Qur’anic exegeses depending on the exegetical approach, the absence or limitation of such narrations does not negate their existence, nor does it undermine Ibn ʿAbbās’s established position. Beyond mere statistics, Ibn ʿAbbās—recognized as one of the most prominent exegetes among the Companions and the interpreter of the Qur’an—clearly understood and conveyed that the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUH) were the referents, intended meaning, and true interpretation of numerous Qur'anic verses.