Jewish Anecdotes in Qur’ānic Exegesis: Prophetology and the Employment of Controversial Narratives in Tafsīr

This thesis is a critical study of the hermeneutical approach used in classical tafsīr concerning the employment of controversial narratives found in Qur’ānic Exegesis. It examines the discourses related to Qur’ānic narratives regarding select prophets and provides an understanding of their employment in tafsīr as a whole, through comparative analysis of some of the major tafsīr representing the three major schools of Islam, the Sunni, Shī’a and Mu’tazila, namely al-Ṭabarī, al-Suyūtī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Rāzī, al-Ṭabarsī, al-Ṭūsī, and al-Zamakhsharī.
The thesis posits that Qur’ānic exegeses have historically been polyvalent, with the presence of monovalent exegeses, yet this has changed, especially among certain schools, such as the Mu’tazila and certain Sunni and Shī’a exegetes. The works of these individuals resonated with those who succeeded them, leading to the exclusion of Jewish anecdotes from their works. The analysis shows that the term Isrā’īliyyāt, used for Jewish anecdotes, has had a volatile reception, resulting in mixed attitudes that continue to this day.
It is often presumed that the source of these narratives is the Jewish and Christian Bibles; which has never been definitively proven, whereas focus on other Biblical and para-Biblical sources is scarce at best. Furthermore, there are been a mixed response from different schools to these narratives and an assumption regarding certain groups and their hermeneutical and theological approaches. The research critically examines the factors that influenced these schools and exegetes in their approach to dealing with the controversial narratives found within the Biblical texts, how they employed them and what value they assigned to them.
Key to this is the discussion on the role of prophetology, previously undervalued and relatively unexplored in terms of its impact on the attitude towards these narratives. Included within this is the doctrine of infallibility featuring differently in each of the faiths and arguably within the schools within the faiths, which ultimately influenced their approach. Embedded within that is the categorisation of narratives and the role this plays in the acceptance and rejection of stories. This aspect of research and critical exploration does not receive the appropriate attention I believe it should.
A major aspect of the thesis focuses on the evolution of tafsīr, where I also examine the exegetical tool Isrā’īliyyāt, which have received a mixed reception from Muslim exegetes, yet features heavily in stories used to explain Qur’ānic narratives. The objective behind this is to challenge the notion held by some people, especially those of seem to oppose polyvalence in tafsīr, that Isrā’īliyyāt are rejected based on their origin, as opposed to their authenticity. Three case studies from the Qur’ān, focusing on the tribulations faced by the prophet kings Joseph, David and Solomon are selected to highlight the differences between the three Abrahamic faiths towards prophets and prophetic infallibility and identify the differences and similarities between the three major schools in Islam, the Sunni, Shī’a and Mu’tazila.