History of Qur'an Commentary: Tafsir al-Jalalayn

Harvard FAS

The Tafsir al-Jalalayn, a short Qur’an commentary co-authored by al-Suyuti (d. 911/1505) and al-Mahalli (d. 864/1460) is one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable of books in the Islamic religious tradition. It remains popular and is used and studied still in seminaries. There is however not even one journal article on the work. This seminar will be a course in the history of this work, an attempt to write a biography of a book – how it came into being, its manuscripts, its…