The concept of qirâ'a in the exegesis of the classical Imâmi Shi'ite:The example of Tûsî and Tabarsî

In our time, the Imâmi Shi'ite, as being the most common sect of Shia, constitutes the second most tremendous group in the Islamic world. The thing that distinguishes the Imâmi Shi'ite from the other understandings and composes the foundation of the sect is the subject of Imâmah. However, Imâmah produces miscellaneous approaches relating to this foundation. One of these approaches is the issue of Set of the reading (qirâ'a). As is known, the Imâmi Shi'ite has got a different approach to the qirâ'a from Ahl al-Sunnah. This differentiation in the qirâ'a stands out in the issues of mutawatirat and the seven letters (al-ahrufu's-sab'a). The interpretation of either the common qirâ'a or the qirâ'a which is ascribed to the Companions in accordance with the opinions of Imâma Shi'ite is a significant title. According to our research, in the Sunni Islamic World there has not been a comprehensive study about the approaches of the Imâmi Shi'ite to Set of the reading of the Qur'an and about the interpretations of these approaches. This lack in the comprehensive study does not provide information regarding the reality of Set of reading. In this respect, in this thesis, we study the concept of qirâ'a and the approaches to them which are explicated in the work of Abu Ca'far at-Tûsî's (d. 460/1067) at-Tibyan fi Tafseer al-Qur'an, and Abu Ali Hasan at-Tabarsî's (d. 548/1153) Majma'u al-Bayân fi Tafseer al-Qur'an, who are some of the most well-known representatives of the Classical Imâmi Shi'ite. In the realm of this study, we also focus on the approaches of the Imâmi Shi'ite to Set of the reading. In this way, we try to determine whether the Imâmi Shi'ite has got a reliable ground for Set of the reading. In this thesis, we will also focus on the works of Sunni Literature since Tûsî and Tabarsî attribute quite a few numbers of issues to the sources of Ahl al-Sunnah.