Biography of Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari: Sheikh of the Mufassirin
An overview of the life and legacy of Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, widely known as the Sheikh of the Mufassirin. The lecture highlights his mastery in Tafsir, Fiqh, and history, alongside his dedication to writing knowledge for the sake of Allah ﷻ. It also features testimonies from scholars regarding his adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
“And among people and moving creatures and grazing livestock are various colors similarly. Only those fear Allāh,
from among His servants, who have knowledge. Indeed, Allāh is Exalted in Might and Forgiving.” (Quran 35:28)
All-Forgiving.
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
“In the name of Allāh, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.”
“[All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds -” (Quran 1:1-2)
May Allah's peace, blessings, and prayers be upon the Messenger, his family, companions, and followers.
Welcome, my brothers and sisters, to a new episode with
another personality among the great figures of our scholars,
who are shining stars and brilliant planets in the sky of the Islamic world,
and who left behind a great heritage, such that it is their right upon us
that we introduce them, spread their knowledge, and direct people to their heritage.
Today, my talk will be about
the Imam, the Hafidh, the trustworthy scholar who combined mastery in various fields,
For he is an Imam in Tafsir, an Imam in Qira'at,
an Imam in linguistics, an Imam in Fiqh,
an Imam in matters of consensus and disagreement,
an Imam in history and the annals of people,
and a wonder of the world, the Sheikh of commentators, Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (RH).
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari; he is Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir ibn Yazid ibn Kathir ibn Ghalib al-Tabari.
He was born in the town of Amol, the capital of the region of Tabaristan,
in the year 224 AH.
He grew up under the care of his father, and indeed, most scholars—
Subhan Allah, when you look at their beginnings, you find they lived in a scholarly environment,
a righteous climate and an academic environment that loved knowledge and the gatherings of scholars.
Therefore, his father took care of him from the very beginning of his life, especially since his father...
...noticed his intelligence and acumen.
His father had seen a dream in which his son was standing before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
carrying a bag filled with stones.
This bag, made of palm leaves, was filled with stones,
and he was throwing them in front of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
An interpreter interpreted his dream, telling him that if this son of his grew up,
he would counsel in his religion and defend the Sharia of his Lord.
Naturally, this dream was glad tidings for the father, and he rejoiced at it,
so he began to take special care of his son, placing him in the circles of scholars,
having him raised by these giants among the people of knowledge,
to the point that Al-Tabari (RH) said about himself:
"I memorized the Quran when I was seven years old."
Allahu Akbar! "I memorized the Quran when I was seven years old,
and led the people in prayer at age eight,
and I wrote Hadith when I was nine."
He wrote Hadith when he was nine.
Of course, a set of qualities, after the success granted by Allah ﷻ,
which He bestowed upon him, was the major factor
in his emergence as an Imam, in addition to the climate and environment there.
Meaning, qualities he possessed and a readiness,
consisting of a fluid mind, a sharp memory, and a soul inclined toward the love of knowledge and passion for books.
What indicates this is this great legacy, under whose shade people shelter,
namely, what Imam al-Tabari (RH) left behind.
Abu al-Hasan bin Abdullah bin Ahmad bin al-Mufallis says,
"By Allah, I think Abu Ja'far al-Tabari forgot,
what he forgot was more than what others memorized in their whole lives.
Allahu Akbar.
Of course, Abu Ja'far al-Tabari was not only
busy with writing, moving between the circles of scholars, and traveling.
No, he was a devout worshipper, ascetic, pious, and dedicated to worship,
He was chaste in speech; indeed, he was well-known for being chaste in speech.
He had an exemplary life and a pure heart.
He held a high station in asceticism and piety.
He was among the furthest from doubtful matters, may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him.
He was among the foremost righteous.
His dedication to knowledge and his devotion to benefiting people,
all of this, along with these qualities, made him one of the Imams of the Muslims.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir ad-Dimashqi (RH) says, while writing the biography of Imam al-Tabari:
"He was of such worship, asceticism, piety, and standing up for the truth that he did not fear,
for the sake of Allah, the blame of any blamer,
and he was among the foremost righteous.
Allah is the Greatest.
Of course, al-Tabari was also famous for,
among the manners that every scholar and student of knowledge should...
possess is humility. He was humble with everyone, may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him,
humble with the old and the young, not differentiating between any of them.
He, may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him, was of sound creed,
for he was one of the greatest scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah,
and one of those referred to in matters of creed and the fundamentals of faith,
and related matters, such as the Attributes, the Companions, and the Imamate.
Al-Tabari, may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him, as I mentioned, studied under sheikhs since his youth.
Among his most important teachers was Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Abi al-Shawarib.
Also, Ishaq ibn Abi Isra'il, Ahmad ibn Mani' al-Baghawi,
Muhammad ibn Humayd al-Razi, and Abu Hammam al-Walid ibn Shuja'.
There are indeed many imams;
it is very difficult to enumerate them in such a brief meeting.
Also, regarding the students, as I always say, it is extremely difficult
to come and limit the students of a scholar
who traveled lands, going east and west, and journeying across the earth.
Also, with this status, position, and acceptance among the people,
it is very difficult to count his students.
However, he had many students, the most famous of whom was Ahmad ibn Kamil Al-Qadi,
Muhammad ibn Abdillah Al-Shafi'i, and Mukhallad ibn Ja'far,
Ahmad ibn Abdillah ibn Al-Husayn Al-Kiba'i,
Ahmad ibn Musa ibn Al-Abbas Al-Tamimi, and a very large number
of those who studied under him and became imams in their time,
or after the death of Imam Al-Tabari (RH).
Al-Tabari, as I mentioned, was accepted by all scholars,
and expressions of praise and commendation poured in for him.
His name was never mentioned without tongues praising and commending him.
Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Khuzaymah (RH) said:
"I do not know of anyone on earth more knowledgeable than Muhammad ibn Jarir."
He said, "I do not know of anyone on earth more knowledgeable than Muhammad ibn Jarir."
Ibn Khuzaymah, who was nicknamed the Imam of the Imams.
When this statement comes from Ibn Khuzaymah,
it does not come out of mere emotion.
No, he knows exactly what he is saying.
He said, "I know of none on earth more knowledgeable than Muhammad ibn Jarir."
What does Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir ad-Dimashqi (RH), Abu al-Fida, say?
He says, "He was one of the Imams of Islam in knowledge and action, regarding the Book of Allah ﷻ and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ."
The historian of Islam, Al-Hafiz ad-Dhahabi, says when writing the biography of Ibn Jarir:
"The illustrious Imam, the exegete, Abu Ja'far, author of the brilliant works."
Then he said: "One of the major, reliable imams of Islam."
Yaqut al-Hamawi says about al-Tabari:
He says: "Abu Ja'far al-Tabari, the scholar of Hadith, the jurist, the reciter, and the famous historian."
As for al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, he said about Abu Ja'far al-Tabari:
He said: "He was one of the leading scholars whose rulings were followed and whose opinion was referred to due to his knowledge and virtue."
He had mastered branches of knowledge in which no one of his contemporaries shared.
He was a memorizer of the Book of Allah, knowledgeable of all recitations, and insightful of their meanings.
a jurist in the rulings of the Quran, knowledgeable of the Sunan,
their chains of narration, the authentic and weak, and the abrogating and abrogated.
knowledgeable of the views of the Companions (RA), the Successors, and those after them, and of history.
He also said of him in another place: "He was trustworthy, a memorizer, truthful, a leader in Tafsir."
Therefore, of course, now when people ask, "Who is the master of Quran commentators?"
Who is Ibn Jarir al-Tabari? He is nicknamed the Sheikh of the Commentators.
It is said: "He was trustworthy, a Hafidh, truthful, a leader in Tafsir,
an Imam in Fiqh, consensus, and disagreement,
an authority in history and the annals of people, knowledgeable in recitation, language, and other fields."
Al-Qifti says, while writing his biography and speaking of Ibn Jarir al-Tabari:
"The complete scholar, the jurist, the reciter, the grammarian, the linguist, the Hafidh, the historian,
the gatherer of sciences; none like him was seen in his fields, and he authored major works."
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (RH)—subhanAllah—
had a high ambition that rivaled the stars in their heights, a very amazing ambition.
Therefore, we are not surprised when we see this heritage and history,
whether the heritage he left behind in history, or in Tafsir, for example,
or in matters of consensus and disagreement—meaning, these are the most basic books that I can mention in this regard.
There is a remarkable story, or a remarkable incident, of Abu Ja'far al-Tabari (RH) with his students,
which indicates his high resolve.
Among the proofs of this is that he said to his companions, "Are you up for writing a Tafsir of the Quran?"
He asked them, "What do you think—are you up for a Tafsir of the Quran?"
Meaning, "Will you write with me?" The point was that they would write as he dictated.
So he said to them, "Are you up for writing a Tafsir of the Quran?" They asked, "How long will it be?"
He said, "Thirty thousand folios."
Of course, a folio back then...
...writing was done with ink, where you dip the pen in the inkwell,
then write a word or two, and then dip it again.
Not like now, with the blessing of computers we have,
and this great blessing in our hands.
No, rather, it was a grueling process.
When he asked, "Are you up for writing a Tafsir of the Quran?"
They asked, "How long?" He said, "Thirty thousand folios."
They said, "Lifetimes would end before its completion."
So he condensed it into about three thousand pages,
and dictated it over seven years, from the year 283 to 290.
When he wanted to write this great history,
which is a reference, just as his Tafsir is a reference, likewise his history,
when he wanted to write the history in thirty thousand pages as well,
he asked them, "Do you have the energy for a history of the world from Adam to our time?"
They asked, "How long?" He mentioned a figure similar to the Tafsir,
and they gave the same answer. He said, "To Allah we belong—high aspirations have died!"
He said, "To Allah we belong—high aspirations have died."
As I mentioned to you, the works of al-Tabari (RH)...
...are indeed grand, especially since we know he possessed high aspirations.
in authorship.
And this scholarly wealth that he left behind
is truly one of the wonders of the world.
You have Jami' al-Bayan fi Ta'wil al-Quran, known as Tafsir al-Tabari —
this is among his greatest works.
And you have Tarikh al-Umam wal-Muluk, known as Tarikh al-Tabari.
Also, you have his commentary on narrations called Tahdhib al-Athar wa Tafsil al-Thabit 'an Rasulillah ﷺ min al-Akhbar.
It is now known simply as Tahdhib al-Athar.
Likewise, the book Ikhtilaf 'Ulama' al-Amsar fi Ahkam Shara'i' al-Islam,
known as Ikhtilaf al-Fuqaha' — which is in the field of comparative fiqh.
Also, he has a book called Dhayl al-Mudhayyil wa Latif al-Qawl fi Ahkam Shara'i' al-Islam.
And also al-Khafif fi Ahkam Shara'i' al-Islam,
which is also in the history of fiqh.
And he has the book Adab al-Qudat, covering the rulings and accounts of judges.
and "Adab al-Nufus al-Jayyidah wa al-Akhlaq al-Hamidah", and "Al-Musnad al-Mujarrad",
in which al-Tabari recorded his Hadiths from his teachers.
And he wrote many books, some of which are still in manuscript form.
His most famous book, as mentioned, is the Tafsir.
Scholars, as I mentioned, called him the Sheikh of the Mufassirin.
This is an amazing Tafsir, considered one of the largest encyclopedias
interpreting Quranic verses with prophetic Hadiths and narrations from the Companions (RA) and Successors,
along with collecting the narrations with their chains of transmission according to scientific rules.
Therefore, this Tafsir is one of the wonders of the world.
And Al-Nawawi (RH) says,
as does Al-Hafidh Al-Dhahabi, the historian of Islam:
They were in agreement when they said, 'No one has written anything like it.'
No one has written anything like this Tafsir.
Abu al-Abbas Taqi al-Din, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (RH), says:
"The tafsir of Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari is among the greatest and most esteemed of all tafsirs."
Al-Suyuti in Al-Itqan said, 'And his book'—meaning Ibn Jarir's Tafsir—
'is the most sublime and greatest of Tafsirs,
for it addresses the analysis of views, weighing them, grammar, and derivation of rulings.
Thus, it surpasses them in that.'
Abu Hamid Al-Isfarayini, the well-known jurist, says:
'If a man were to travel to China
just to obtain the Tafsir of Ibn Jarir, that would not be too much.'
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (RH) had an exemplary biography and a beautiful life.
And this legacy that he left behind would not have been achieved without this effort,
this hardship, and this toil in seeking knowledge until he acquired
abundant knowledge that truly qualified him to write these works.
Of course, Ibn Jarir (RH) experienced what happened to those...
preceded him and those who came after him, of the inevitable end.
His journey ended after a rich career in seeking knowledge, teaching it, and authoring books.
On the twenty-sixth of the month of Shawwal, in the year 310 AH, in the city of Baghdad,
his soul returned to its Creator, and he passed away, may Allah have mercy on him, after a life full, as I mentioned, of knowledge and teaching.
His funeral was described as being massive.
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi said: "So many people gathered for his funeral that none could count them except Allah."
Prayers were offered at his grave for several months, day and night.
Many people of religion and literature eulogized him.
Peace be upon Ibn Jarir al-Tabari among the ancients, and peace be upon him among the later generations.
This is a very brief overview and a quick tour with this giant among the giants...
the people of knowledge, the foremost Imam (RH), and his heritage is available to us.
I ask Allah Almighty to gather us with him with the Prophet ﷺ and his noble companions.
Until we meet another figure from the scholarly personalities who are shining stars in the sky of Muslims.
I will see you in good health. And peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.