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Tafsir ibn Abbas (ra)

The nuskha of the text used in Tanwir al-Miqbas is narrated through
Muhammad ibn Marwan al-Suddi al-Saghir, from al-Kalbi, from Abu Salih,
from Ibn `Abbas and was known to the early scholars as al-Kalbi's
Tafsir. Imam Ahmad said of the latter that it was all lies from
beginning to end. He was asked if it was permissible to look into it and
he replied NO. Ibn al-Qayyim and al-Qari mentioned this in al-Manar
al-Munif and al-Asrar al-Marfu`a respectively, also Sayyid Muhammad ibn
`Alawi al-Maliki in his book Wa-Huwa bil-Ufuqi A`la in reference to the
pseudo-commentaries of Ibn `Abbas. Al-Fayruzabadi reconstructed
al-Kalbi's Tafsir from collecting its narrations from various later
Tafsirs such as those of al-Tha`labi and al-Wahidi (both notoriously
unreliable in their own right) as mentioned in Dr. `Abd al-`Aziz
al-Humaydi's book Tafsir Ibn `Abbas wa-Marwiyyatuhu fil-Tafsir min Kutub
al-Sunna.

There are six different "Tafsirs of Ibn `Abbas" with six different 
chains of transmission in descending order of reliability. That of al-
Fayruzabadi's Tanwir al-Miqbas is a forgery and the weakest of the 
six cf. Manna` al-Qattan, Mabahith fi `Ulum al-Qur'an. Several are 
sahih and al-Tabari relies heavily on two of them in his commentary, 
one he took from Abu Salih the scribe of al-Layth, from Mu`awiya ibn 
Abi Salih, from `Ali ibn Abi Talha, from Ibn `Abbas. Al-Bukhari uses 
it. Another sahih chain for the Tafsir of Ibn `Abbas is that of Qays 
from `Ata' ibn al-Sa'ib from Sa`id ibn Jubayr. This meets the 
criteria of authenticity of al-Bukhari and Muslim. So does the path 
of Ibn Ishaq from Muhammad ibn Abi Muhammad the mawla of Aal Zayd ibn 
Thabit, from `Ikrima or Sa`id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn `Abbas. Al-Tabari 
also used this path a lot.

Q:
  As the translator alludes to "One can also detect hints of
  anthropomorphism in some statements which is hardly in tune with the 
  erudition and knowledge of someone like ibn Abbas" - the danger is
  always of those who are prone to selective reading to use this work 
  as a truncheon against unsuspecting brothers and sisters in Islam.

Tell him "First make the throne firm, and only then proceed to 
engrave it." There are so many great Tafsirs awaiting translation
and here we are, propagating forgeries.


GF Haddad
2008-12-03