Tâvûs b. Keysân and his place in tafsir

Tavus b Keysan (d. 106/725), a prominent figure among the leading personalities of the Tabi'un and holding significant importance in the history of Islamic thought, was born in Yemen. He is recognised as a distinguished scholar. He received education in various fields of Islamic sciences, particularly renowned for his contributions to disciplines such as interpretation (tasfir), hadith, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and Qur'anic recitation (kiraat). As a commentator, he gained prominence by undertaking journeys to Mecca and Medina, participating in the scholarly circles of numerous companions, and benefiting from their teachings. Especially in Mecca, he spent a considerable amount of time alongside Abdullah b. Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), acquiring knowledge from him in various fields, particularly in interpretation. Hence, the majority of his narrations trace back to Abdullah b. Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). Tavus, who received versatile scholarly training and was recognised among the Tabi'un as the most knowledgeable person in the field of interpretation, did not have an independent work of his own. His viewpoints are predominantly derived from hadith collections such as Kutub al-Sittah, interpretations, as well as works on the sciences of the Qur'an and biographical dictionaries. The most significant motivation behind conducting this study is the absence of an independent work discussing the interpretation views of Tavus, who is considered one of the prominent commentators of the Meccan School and one of the most important students of Abdullah b. Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). In this context, the aim of the research is to examine the methodology of interpretation of Tavus b. Keysan, who not only passed through the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) but also directly observed the periof of revelation, thereby contributing to the preservation and transmission of the scholarly legacy of the companions, particularly Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), to the present day. The objective is to elucidate his impact on the tradition of interpretation by analysing his approach.