The extraction and evaluation of hadiths in the commentary of Al-Baghawi titled Ma'alim at-Tanzil (Sūrat Fussılat, Al-Shūrā, Al-Zukhruf, Al-Dukhān, al-Jāthiya, al-Ahqāf, and Muhammad)

In this study, we conducted a takhrij (source verification) analysis of 84 narrations found in the tafsir (Quranic exegesis) work titled Ma'ālim al-Tanzīl by Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥusayn b. Mas'ūd b. Muḥammad al-Farrā' al-Baghawī, specifically focusing on the chapters Fussilat, Ash-Shūrā, Az-Zukhruf, Ad-Dukhān, Al-Jāthiyah, Al-Aḥqāf, and Muḥammad. We selected these chapters because they constitute part of a master's program supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Musa Erkaya since 2015. Although Ma'ālim al-Tanzīl, authored by al-Baghawī, is classified as a riwāyah (narrative-based) tafsir—similar to early exegetical works that contain numerous narrations—it also employs dirāyah (analytical) methods, as seen in its inclusion of juristic opinions, theological discussions, legal rulings, grammatical explanations, and linguistic analyses. Nevertheless, the heavy reliance on transmitted reports places it within the category of riwāyah tafsīr in contemporary scholarship. Our study begins with an overview of al-Baghawī's life and works. Subsequently, we traced the 84 narrations from the aforementioned chapters to their primary sources, including al-Baghawī's own works (Sharḥ al-Sunnah and Masābīḥ al-Sunnah), the Kutub al-Tis'ah (the Nine Books of Hadith), and other foundational texts, while also identifying parallels in the works of scholars such as al-Tha'labī, al-Sam'ānī, and al-Khāzin. The narrators in the chains of transmission (isnād) were evaluated based on jarḥ wa ta'dīl (criticism and validation) literature and biographical (ṭabaqāt) works to assess their reliability. Where available, the opinions of critical scholars (muḥaqqiqūn) were incorporated. Within these seven chapters, al-Baghawī adhered to tradition by transmitting primarily marfū' (elevated) narrations, alongside a smaller number of mawqūf (companion-level) reports. Of the 84 narrations examined, 3 were qudsī (divine sayings), 60 were marfū', and 9 were mawqūf. Although he also cited 18 narrations without full chains (isnād) or with only the Companion's name, these were fewer in comparison to fully documented reports. Notably, al-Baghawī directly included chains from Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, al-Bukhārī, Muslim, and al-Tirmidhī. The narrations* varied in authenticity: ṣaḥīḥ (sound), ṣaḥīḥ li-ghayrihi (sound due to corroborating evidence), ḥasan (fair), ḥasan li-ghayrihi (fair due to supporting chains), and ḍa'īf (weak). A small number were deemed mawḍū' (fabricated) or baseless. Of the 84 narrations, 55 appear in the Kutub al-Tis'ah, with 10 being muttafaq 'alayh (agreed upon by al-Bukhārī and Muslim). Al-Baghawī cited 50 narrations from Sharḥ al-Sunnah and 32 from Masābīḥ al-Sunnah. In terms of authenticity, 43 were judged ṣaḥīḥ, 16 ḥasan, 20 ḍa'īf, 4 baseless, and 1 mawḍū'. Key words: Hadith, Baghawî, Takhrij, Maâlim at-tanzîl, Sūrat Fussilat, al-Shūrā, al-Zukhruf, al-Dukhān, al-Jāthiya, al-Ahqāf and al-Muhammad.