Beyond Repetition: A Diachronic Reading of al-ʾUjhūrī`s, al-Jamal`s and al-Ṣāwī’s Supercommentaries on Āyat al-Nūr (24:35)

Authors : Huzeyfe Kocabaş

Pages : 925-950

Doi:10.47425/marifetname.vi.1762905

View : 94 | Download : 157

Publication Date : 2025-12-29

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :With few exceptions, current research regarding tafsīr suercommentaries is mostly descriptive, lacking contextualization within the broader history of tafsīr. And in the rare studies that go beyond mere description, research is mostly focused on analyzing the explicit dialogues within these texts, leaving implicit intellectual dialogues largely underexplored. Therefore, texts that avoid or minimize open polemical discourse are often defined as repetitive or insignificant to the exegetical tradition. This article argues that careful comparative analysis of texts can uncover subtle but meaningful differences highlighting the underlying intellectual engagement within. As a case study, it examines three Ottoman-era commentaries on Tafsīr al-Jalālayn by al-ʾUjhūrī (d. 1190-1194/1776), al-Jamal (d. 1204/1790), and al-Ṣāwī (d. 1241/1825)—three successive scholars linked through a direct teacher-student lineage. Each author draws heavily on his mentor’s text while composing his own. Focusing on Āyat al-Nūr (24:35), this study employs a diachronic approach using vertical (lineage-based) analysis, redaction criticism and close comparative reading within the al-Jalālayn tradition. This reveals how each commentator engages with, amends or reinterprets the views of his predecessors. By focusing on changes in phrasing, citation preferences and interpretive strategies, the analysis highlights textual continuity and nuanced divergence stemming from the implicit intellectual discourse within these supercommentaries. The findings demonstrate that al-Jamal’s and al-Ṣāwī’s texts are not simple repetitions of established interpretations of the al-Jalālayn commentary tradition. Finally, this article concludes by acknowledging its scope as limited to a diachronic investigation of a single verse with a rich theological theme. It proposes further research to be conducted on these texts using horizontal analysis to contemporaneous texts, vertical analysis to texts preceding al-ʾUjhūrī and succeeding al-Ṣāwī and thematic studies focusing on verses with other dominant themes such as legal rulings and Qurʾānic narratives to achieve a fuller appreciation of the interpretive contributions of the exegetical tradition.
Keywords : Tefsir, Şerh, Hâşiye, Celâleyn Tefsiri, Uchuri, Cemel Hâşiyesi, el-Futûhâtu’l-İlâhiyye, Sâvî Hâşiyesi

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