The Commentary On The Quran Vol. 2 By Al-tabari [updated] Jun 2026

Al-Tabari provides exhaustive detail on the "Verses of Law." This includes the early establishment of prayer ( Salah ), charity ( Zakat ), and the ethics of social interaction. He navigates different legal opinions with the precision of a jurist, explaining why certain interpretations carry more weight than others. 2. Narrative History and Prophets

(commentary), this separate historical work focuses on "Prophets and Patriarchs," covering the lives of Abraham and Joseph. New York University Key Features & Methodology Tradition-Based Exegesis (Tafsir al-Ma’thur) The Commentary On The Quran Vol. 2 By Al-tabari

Commentary on the Qur’an Volume 2 by Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (d. 923 CE) is a critical component of the earliest and most influential major running commentary on the Qur'an to survive in its original form. Al-Tabari provides exhaustive detail on the "Verses of Law

) and core theological themes like the nature of God and the afterlife. New York University Surahs Highlighted in Selections (Vol. 2) ) and core theological themes like the nature

The English translation of Volume 2 is primarily the work of Dr. John Cooper (late of Oxford University) and a team of editors under the Great Commentaries of the Holy Qur’an series (published by Oxford University Press in association with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought). The translation is unique because it attempts to preserve the isnad format in English, often using the passive voice ("It was reported to us that..."). This creates a formal, archaic tone that feels appropriate to the classical text. Marginal glosses provide page references to the original Arabic, allowing bilingual scholars to cross-reference easily.

Before delving into the specific contents of Volume 2, one must appreciate the author. Al-Tabari was a Persian scholar from Amol, Tabaristan (modern-day Iran), who possessed a photographic memory and an insatiable appetite for knowledge. He was a jurist (faqih) who founded his own short-lived school of law (the Jariri school), a historian whose History of the Prophets and Kings remains a primary source for pre-Islamic and early Islamic history, and a Quranic exegete of unparalleled rigor.

offer deeper peer-reviewed analysis of his specific exegetical methods. specific theme