Daqa?iq al-ta?wil wa-haqa?iq al-tanzil

The Qur?an is a complex text, and it has been regarded as such since the very beginning. Qur?an interpretation (tafsir) was already practiced by the Prophet's nephew ?Abdallah b. al-?Abbas, who used folklore and poetry to interpret his uncle's revelations. With the passing of time, Qur?anic exegesis developed from a mere branch of tradition (hadith) into a full-fledged, independent discipline. The earliest Qur?an commentary in Persian was a translation of Abu Ja?far al-Tabari's (d. 311/923) Jami? al-bayan ?an ta?wil ay al-Qur?an, made in 345/956. The oldest surviving Twelver-Shi?i commentary to have been composed in Persian is Abu 'l-Futuh al-Razi's (d. 552-56/1157-61) Rawd al-jinan wa-ruh al-janan fi tafsir al-Qur?an. Second oldest are two commentaries by Abu 'l-Makarim Hasani (7th/13th cent.), one of them being his Daqa?iq al-ta?wil wa-haqa?iq al-tanzil, whose extant part is now published in this volume. A commentary on selected verses only, its unique characteristics and broader context are explained in the editor's introduction.