An analysis of İbn Kathīr's al-tafsīr al-Qur'ān Al-ʿAzīm from the point of dirāyah exegesis

This thesis, aims to demonstrate the perspective on dirāyah in Ibn Kathīr's (d. 774/1373) Tafsīr. First, the Qur'ānic verses where Ibn Kathīr primarily uses the exegetical method of dirāyah for exegesis are detected. Then, these examples are examined by categorising them under relevant headings and subheadings. In doing so, Ibn Kathīr's method of dirāyah has been systematically put forward and presented in a descriptive way. In Chapter One, before introducing the conceptual explanation, a short introduction to Ibn Kathīr's Tafsīr and the use of dirāyah method is presented. Then, the terms such as tafsīr, taʾwīl, and dirāyah are elaborated to set the ground for the conceptual framework of the study. Furthermore, the distinction between the exegetical method of dirāyah and riwāyah and the problematic aspects of this division are also explained to highlight the specifics of the conceptual framework of the research. Following from this, the method of dirāyah of the Tafsīr is explained in three aspects. The first aspect explained in Chapter Two is presented under two sections as dirāyah that includes the use of riwāyah and dirāyah in ḥadīths and the sayings of the Companions and the Successors. By doing so, it has been shown through the examples from Ibn Kathīr's Tafsīr that the concept of dirāyah also includes the use of riwāyah. In Chapter Three, the method of dirāyah is explained in terms of intra-textual relations and linguistic matters. It has been shown that in the Tafsīr interpreting the Qur'ān by the Qur'ān is used as an intra-textual exegetical method and that in the Tafsīr the intra-textual relations are frequently utilised. Also, it has been emphasized that Arabic poetry and Qur'ānic recitation based on language, syntactical grammer, and balaghat have an impact on exegetical preferences. In Chapter Four, the dirāyah exegesis is analysed through the examples of juristic and theological exegeses. It has been demonstrated as the main conclusion and contribution of this study that the Tafsīr- even though it is categorised as a riwāyah exegesis according to the distinction dirāyah-riwāyah- has clearly the aspect of dirāyah exegesis. Moreover, it has become clear that the use of dirāyah in Ibn Kathīr's Tafsīr is not in abstract sense rather is an exegetical reasoning based on naṣṣ (Qur'ānic and authentic ḥadīth texts).