A Comparative Study of Preachy Tafsīr: Nature and Significance in Shīʾa and Sunnī Exegeses

The preachy exegesis (Arabic: تَفْسیر, Romanized: tafsīr; English: explanation) is one of the oldest forms of exegesis, originating in the first century. It experienced significant growth from the fifth to the ninth centuries and was widely embraced by society during that time. However, after this period, oratorical exegesis began to decline. Today, it is often reproduced in the form of educational, guidance, and social exegeses, albeit with modifications to some of its original characteristics. The dimensions of preachy exegesis in the knowledge of exegesis remain unknown, to the extent that there is not even a complete definition of this method of exegesis and its characteristics have not been fully identified. The preachy exegesis is an exegesis that is in line with the spirit of the Qurʾān, i.e., guidance and preaching. Evidence suggests that elements of it trace back to the era of revelation (Arabic: اَلْنُّزول, Romanized: al-nuzūl). However, in its established form, it began with the Tafsīr of al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and continued with the translation of Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī. Finally, with the Tafsīr of Abū al-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, it developed into a comprehensive tafsīr characterized by features described as “preachy,” gaining significant prominence in the world of exegesis. Unlike exegetical-scientific exegeses that attract the elite of society, preachy exegeses, much like the Qurʾān itself, have been and continue to be suitable for scientific, educational, and moral use by the general public. However, they differ from educational and guiding exegeses in several ways. This type of tafsīr can reduce the distance between the knowledge of exegesis and the Muslim masses and lead to a greater connection between the general public and the Qurʾānic concepts. The forthcoming research, utilizing information derived from library studies and employing a descriptive-analytical method, aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the nature and position of preachy tafsīr within the exegeses of both Shīʾa and Sunnī. The results indicate that initially, the foundations of practical mysticism manifested in the actions of the early Ṣūfīy, along with factors such as Qawwālī Qiṣāṣ and Faṣṣālī Karāmiyān, have led to the emergence of the first preachy tafāsīr (plural form for tafsīr), and its growth and decline have had a direct impact on this type of tafsīr. Furthermore, the literature of preachy interpretations in both Persian and Arabic is rich in eloquence and novelty, intertwined with parables, stories, anecdotes, and poetry, all of which serve to convince the audience. Lastly, the preachy exegeses are full of aḥādīth (Arabic: أحادیث, singular: ḥadīth, traditions and narrations) in which the mufassir’s criterion (the writer of a commentary on the Qurʾān) in choosing that ḥadīth is the explanation of the sermons hidden in them, even if it is mixed with forgeries and Isrāʾīlīyyāt (in Arabic: إسرائیلیات “Israelisms”). The contribution of Shīʾa preachy (sermonic) exegesis in the use of fabrications and Isrāʾīlīyyāt is less than in similar examples in the Sunnī world.