An Analysis of ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s Approach to Shiite and Sunni Exegetical Hadiths in al-Mīzān

A review of Quranic exegeses reveals that exegetes of the Quran have taken a prudent moderate path in relying on hadiths (the sayings of Prophet Muḥammad and Shiite Imams) concerning Quranic exegesis (or exegetical hadiths). ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī (1904-1981) is a Quranic exegete who attach particular importance to exegetical narrations, although he did not believe in an unqualified validity of khabar al-wāḥid (non-frequently transmitted: a hadith the number of whose transmitters is not enough to yield certainty). He argues that in Quranic exegesis, we must take account of the relevant hadiths. Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s citation of hadiths in his exegesis of Quranic verses suggests that he assigns a role to such hadiths in understanding verses. In this article, I argue that Ṭabāṭabāʾī only endorses the hadiths that are in line with the content or spirit of the verses. ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī evaluated the accuracy of exegetical hadiths by considering possible deficiencies such as their inconsistencies, disconnections, inaccuracies, fabrication, forgery, Israelites, conflicts, as well as their incompatibility with the Quran, Sunna, reason, science, and history. Then, he drew on them to gain a better understanding of the verses.