Person · Contextual definition
Al-Tabari
- Timeline
- 923 CE
- Region
- Tabaristan / Abbasid world
Abbasid-era historian and Qur'anic exegete (c. 839–923 CE). His commentary records competing views on Abraham's son, then favors Isaac.
Metadata
These are descriptive fields, not conclusions.
- Edition
- 3
Text
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (c. 839–923 CE) was a historian and Qur'anic exegete from Tabaristan, south of the Caspian Sea, who lived in the Abbasid period. His best-known works include the History of Prophets and Kings and the Qur'anic commentary Jamiʿ al-bayan. [1]
On Qur'an 37:107, he reports traditions identifying Abraham's son as Isaac and others identifying him as Ishmael. He then favors Isaac on the basis of his reading of the sequence of announcements in the Qur'an. His transmitted reports and his stated preference should therefore be distinguished: they document the history of interpretation, not an explicit name in the sacrifice verse. [2]
References and notes
- Opening biography and principal works; the full entry was not read. Opening biography and principal works; checked 14 October 2026. Return to the text ↑
- Two reported identifications and al-Tabari's preference for Isaac on Qur'an 37:107. Commentary on Qur'an 37:107, reported identifications and author's preference, lines 19–70; read 14 October 2026. Return to the text ↑
Research history
Substantive changes are retained here. Minor copy edits remain in the internal operational log.
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Cite this record
IL Archive, «Al-Tabari», Edition 3, https://ilarchive.com/en/people/al-tabari