Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Tafseer 'Ibn Katheer may be regarded as a summary of Tafsir al-Tabari. The method adopted by Ibn Katheer is exegesis by narrations, that is, under every verse he has first described a summary of its exegesis, then he mentions whatever narrations and reports are available from Muhammad or the Companions or their followers to explain its various words or sentences. But the earlier commentators viz. Al-Tabari, Ibn Mardawayh, Ibn Majah, etc who had followed this method only undertook the compiling of those narrations but they did not scrutinise them. Since Ibn Katheer was also an eminent Muhaddith apart from being a commentator, and was well versed in the art of criticism and review, he has done away with those weak and Mawḍū narrations that were being transmitted by earlier commentators and, he has warned about relying on weak narrations. For instance, see volume l, page 77, 213, volume 3, pages 17 to 21, 24 to 89, volume 4, page 508, 519, 520, etc. The books on Exegesis by narrations are mostly full of Isra'iliyyats. The author is extremely cautious in treating these citations and his approach is clean and based on the Qur'an and Ahadeeth. Its detail has already been given under the heading Isra'iliyyats in his own words. Hence, his first approach is that he has not cited many Isra'ili narrations, and if he has done so, he has defined them as Isra'ili narrations. For instance, in Surah as Sawffat he has quoted some reports that indicate that the sacrifice offered related to Ibraheem's son Is'haq but he has immediately, clarified: Allah knows better but apparently all these narrations have been reported by Ka'b al-Ahbar in these reports all sorts of things, good and bad, were collected and this Ummah does not need a single word of all those things. (volume 4. page 17) Anyhow, from the narrative point of view Tafseer Ibn Katheer is the most cautious and reliable exegesis. But this does not mean that every narration quoted in this exegesis is correct. At some places the author has also quoted weak reports without indicating their weakness. For example, while explaining the Ayat of Surah At-Tawbah, he has quoted a report from Tha'labah that is weak according to the Muhadditheen. (volume 2, page 374) Apart from this, he has also cited many sayings of 'weak' commentators, namely Muqawtil. Kalbi, 'Atiyyah 'Aufi, etc. But generally he has quoted without comment only those sayings which are not against any Islamic tenet. Hence, they are not of an authentic nature but only a commentator's own statement.