Origins & Early Life

Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Yazīd al-Ṭabarī (Arabic: أَبُو جَعْفَر مُحَمَّد بْن جَرِير بْن يَزِيد ٱلطَّبَرِيّ; 839–923 CE; 224–310 AH), commonly known as al-Ṭabarī (Arabic: ٱلطَّبَرِيّ), was a prominent Sunni Muslim scholar, polymath, historian, Quranic exegete, jurist, and theologian from Amol, Tabaristan, in present-day Iran. One of the prominent scholars of the Islamic Golden Age, he was particularly renowned for his works on world history and Quranic exegesis and has been described as "an impressively prolific polymath". His writings ranged beyond history, law, and theology to poetry, lexicography, grammar, ethics, mathematics, and medicine. Al-Tabari's two most famous and influential works were his universal chronicle Taʾrīkh al-Rusul wa-l-Mulūk ("Chronicle of the Apostles and Kings") and his extensive Quranic commentary, Tafsir al-Tabari.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The latter assembled earlier exegetical traditions on a vast scale and became a standard work of reference for later Quranic commentators, remaining in use into the modern period. In jurisprudence, al-Tabari followed the Shafi'i school for nearly a decade before developing an independent interpretation of Islamic law. His juridical thought...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

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