Abstract

Located within the borders of present-day Tunisia, Qairouan achieved a central status from the first period of conquest, showing considerable progress in Islamic sciences. The Science of tafser in the region, where the first seeds were laid by the hands of the Companions and successors, beca-me an area that was gradually enriched with the tafser materials obtained as a result of the travels carried out to the East. As a result of these deve-lopments, composing tafsers began in the second century in Qairouan with Yahya b. Sallām (d. 200/815), and it was naturally expected that this pro-cess would reach a certain level of development over time. However, the science of tafser in the region, let alone achieving its development process after Ibn Sallām, could not show any existence until the fourth century of the Hijra due to the struggles between different political and sectarian for-mations. Abu’l-Abbās al-Mahdawī (d. 440/1048), who was distinguished with his multifaceted scientific personality as a jurist, qurrā and linguist in addition to his identity as a commentator, brought a second period of tedvin to the Kairouan tafser literature with his detailed work called al-Tafsīl al-Jami῾ li ῾ulūmi al-tanzīl. In this respect, he stood out as a critical name in Qai-rouan where prominent commentators such as Mekkī ibn Abi Tālib (d. 437/1045), Abu Ishāq Ibrahim al-Safākusī (d. 742/1342) and Abu Abdillah ibn Arafe (d. 803/1041) were educated. The fact that the mentioned work is among the first in the Qairouan tafser literature is a valuable detail that should not be overlooked. Indeed, the author has formed his work into five unique chapters, including the subjects of ahkām-nāsikh-mansūkh, interpre-tation, recitation, i’rāb and whether the surahs are Meccan or Medinan, and the number of verses, and has conveyed valuable information. It is impor-tant to note that the commentator, who is known to be a member of the Mālikī school of law, not only included detailed information in the judgment verses, but also did not refrain from conveying different sectarian views without any sectarian fanaticism. The work, which is in the form of a narra-tion and in which the narrations transmitted from the companions, succes-sors and commentators take place at its center, has also contains important information in terms of the science of recitation. In this respect, this book which has an encyclopedic appearance, also serves as a work with the the-me of addu’l-āy. Because at the end of each sura, Mahdawī not only addres-sed the controversial verse places in that sura, but also counted the ruūsu’l-āy, that is the last words of the verses, one by one within the framework of the Mushaf of Medenī al-aewwael, which was his choice. The mentioned work of Mehdevi has been accepted as a source book in a wide geography, especially in North Africa and Andalusia. This study will focus on three main objectives: the stages of the science of tafsir in the Qairouan region in the first five centuries of the Hijra, the reasons why it could not show any significant development during this period, and Mahdawī's method in the work in question. This focus will be carried out by examining the literature on the political and tafsir history of Qairouan, as well as the works of Mah-dawī, and evaluating the findingsobtained.