Ehl-i Beyt's (Twelve imams') interpretations in Sunnī and Shī'te tafāsīr: Determination and analysis

Tafsīr narrations of twelve imams is a voluminous addition in the Sunni and Shiite tafsīrs. Despite the abundance of existing narrations, there is no critical analysis of their sources, thematic categorization, and the positions in both sects. This study includes the assessment of the sources of related narrations and their classification based on its subject, and their evaluation in terms of both sects. The significant part of these narrations is based upon the intellectual analysis of the imam's own experience. Another type is the transmission from previous imams about any incident, ahvāl-ı nüzūl, or the end times and the hereafter. This information is for the interpretation of the relevant verse. The rest of the transmission contains baseless claims without any evidence. Analyzing tafsīr narrations with this triple division can be seen as a new method, especially for those who work in this domain. In this study, the thematic catagorization of these narrations tells us that most of them are for explaining the meanings of the words independently without focusing on the context of verse, some of them focus, briefly, on giving the meaning of the verse, and the other part is related to the science of kalām or the stories of the Qur'ān. In addition, the narrations dealing with the sectarian differences between Ahl as-Sunnah and Shia are classified as narrations about Qur'ānic sciences such as asbāb-i nuzül, qiraāt, nāsikh-mansūkh, ahkāmu'l-Qur'ān, mubhemātu'l-Qur'ān. While examining the narrations of the twelve imams in both literature, the issues were discussed and tried to be evaluated by focusing on the points of agreement and disagreement beyween Sunni and Shiite sects.