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Mujahid ibn Jabr

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Mujahid ibn Jabr
Bornc. 642
Mecca, Rashidun Caliphate[1]
Diedc. 722 (aged 79-80)[2]
Mecca, Umayyad Caliphate
EraMedieval era

Abū l-Ḥajjāj Mujāhid ibn Jabr al-Qāriʾ (Arabic: مُجَاهِدُ بْنُ جَبْرٍ) (642–722 CE) was a Tabi' and one of the major early Islamic scholars.[3] His tafsīr of the Qur'an (exegesis/commentary) is believed to be the earliest existing written exegetical source, although only fragments of it have reached us from the Umayyad era.[4]

Biography

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His full nickname is often written as "Mujahid bin Jabir, Maula As-Saib bin Abi As-Saib, Al-Makhzumi, Al-Quraysh". The Nisba of al-Makhzumi were because he was a servant (mawla) of someone from the Banu Makhzum tribe.[5]

Mujahid is said to have studied under Amir al-Mu'minin 'Ali ibn Abi Talib until his martyrdom. At that point, he began to study under Ibn Abbas, a companion of Muhammad known as the father of Qur'anic exegesis. Mujahid ibn Jabr was known to be willing to go to great lengths to discover the true meaning of a verse in the Qur'an, and was considered to be a well-travelled man.[6] However, there is no evidence he ever journeyed outside of the Arabian Peninsula.[citation needed]

Works

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It is related by Ibn Sa'd in the Tabaqat (6:9) and elsewhere that he went over the explanation of the Qur'an together with Ibn 'Abbas thirty times.[3]

Mujahid ibn Jabr is said to be relied upon in terms of tafsir according to Sufyan al-Thawri, who said: "If you get Mujahid's tafsir, it is enough for you."

His exegesis in general followed these four principles:[6]

  1. That the Qur'an can be explained by other parts of the Qur'an. For example, in his interpretation of Q 29:13, he refers to Q 16:25,
  2. Interpretation according to traditions,
  3. Reason,
  4. Literary comments.

Al-Tabari's Jami' al-bayan attributes a significant amount of exegetical material to Mujahid.[citation needed]

Legacy

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The view of Islamic Scholarship

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He has been classed as a Thiqah (i.e. very reliable) hadith narrator.[3]

Al-A'mash said:

"Mujahid was like someone who carried a treasure: whenever he spoke, pearls came out of his mouth."[3]

After praising him in similar terms al-Dhahabi said: "The Ummah is unanimous on Mujahid being an Imam who is worthy in Ihtijaj.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ http://www.arabnews.com/node/215991 [bare URL]
  2. ^ Manna' al-Qattan, Mabahith fi Ulum al-Quran, Maktaba al-Ma'arif, 1421H, p. 393
  3. ^ a b c d Mujahid
  4. ^ Khalilieh, Hassan S. (2 September 2022). "May the Umayyad Coastal Ribāṭ Fortress of Kafr Lāb Have Been Built in Memory of Mujāhid ibn Jabr?". Al-Masāq. 34 (3): 292–313. doi:10.1080/09503110.2022.2097993.
  5. ^ Ayoub, Mahmoud (1984). The Qur'an and Its Interpreters. Vol. 1. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-87395-727-4.
  6. ^ a b The Tafsir of Mujahid – The Earliest of Qur'anic Commentaries Archived 2006-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
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