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students. Many of their early tafseers, like those of orthodox scholars, were lost in
time and we only know about them from references made to them by their
contemporaries. Their method of tafseer is considered tafseer bid-diraayah of the
worst kind. Such tafseers are noted for their total disregard for the opinions of the
early mufassirs, as well as their complete dismissal of classical lexical meanings.
The following are brief reviews of Mu‘tazilee-oriented tafseers which have
survived until today:

1. Tafseer ‘Abdul-Jabbaar al-Hamdaanee, Tanzeeh al-Qur’aan ‘an al-
Mataa‘in.

‘Abdul-Jabbaar ibn Ahmad al-Hamdaanee (d. 1024 CE/ 415 AH), a major
Mu‘tazilee scholar of his time, was appointed judge of the city of Rayy, where he
lectured until he died. He authored books in usool al-fiqh and other Islaamic
sciences, as well as a highly acclaimed historical work called Dalaa’il an-
Nuboowah (Proofs of the Prophethood). His tafseer is not a complete explanation
of the Qur’aan, as only the controversial and equivocal verses are interpreted in
order to refute the position of Sunnee scholars. The tafseer begins with Soorah al-
Faatihah (1) and ends with Soorah an-Naas (114); however, many chapters and
verses remain unexplained. The book is organized around certain issues whereby
a problem is presented and its solution proposed. 143
2. Tafseer ash-Shareef al-Murtadaa, Gharar al-Fawaa’id wa Durar al-
Qabaa’id

‘Alee ibn at-Taahir, Aboo Ahmad al-Husayn (966-1048 CE/355-439 AH)
traces his ancestry back to the Shee‘ah Imaam Moosaa al-Kaathim, the son of
Ja‘far as-Saadiq. He was the main scholar of the Shee‘ah in ‘Iraaq and an adamant
follower of the Mu‘tazilee school of thought. The book of sayings attributed to
‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib, Nahj al-Balaaghah, was written either by him or by his
brother, Shareef Ridaa. Shareef Murtadaa’s tafseer contains lectures which he
dictated in eighty lessons, covering studies in tafseer, hadeeth,and literature.
Hence, this tafseer was nicknamed “Amaalee ash-Shareef al-Murtadaa” (The
Dictations of Shareef Murtadaa). The tafseer section of the book does not explain
all of the Qur’aan, but instead interprets selected passages in such a way as to
establish the fundamental principles of the Mu‘tazilees. The author also skillfully
takes certain verses which obviously contradict some of the Mu‘tazilee

143
See at-Tafseer wal-Mufassiroon, vol. 1, pp. 399-410

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