The Form and Function of Legal Qur'an Commentaries

This book is the first Western-language study of a legal Qur'an commentary and the first examination of a Zaydi tafsir. It proposes an original framework for classifying legal passages of the Qur'an based on Sayyid Muhammad b. al-Hadi’s (d. 720/1320) Qur’an commentary, The Garden and the Pool. It shows that the legal Qur'an commentary format can serve both as a teaching tool and as a platform for a Muslim jurist to demonstrate his legal expertise. This book includes a critical edition of Muhammad b. al-Hadi’s interpretation of the Sura of Light based on a manuscript written by the author himself.