Al-Ṭabarī's approach to the qirāʾāt of Jāʿfar al-Madanī

This study aims to examine the approach of Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (d. 310/923), who opened a new horizon in Islamic sciences with the methods he employed in his works and left a great legacy for future generations, towards the science of Qirāʾāt and one of its prominent imams, Abū Jaʿfar al-Madanī (d. 130/747). Our study consists of two main sections. In the first section, the contribution of al-Ṭabarī—who sheds light on many fields such as history, sīrah, ḥadīth, tafsīr, fiqh, and qirāʾāt—to Islamic sciences and his position in these sciences is revealed. Also in this section, based on the introduction of his tafsīr, his views on the issue of the "seven ḥurūf"—one of the main topics in the science of Qirāʾāt—his general approach to the qirāʾāt, his criteria for evaluating recitations, and the principles he adopted in choosing among them are discussed. In the second and final section, how al-Ṭabarī handled the recitations attributed to Abū Jaʿfar al-Madanī in his tafsīr and his attitude towards these recitations are examined in detail. While evaluating the qirāʾāt, al-Ṭabarī contributed to the field both as a qirāʾāt scholar and a mufassir. In this context, it has been determined that although al-Ṭabarī found Abū Jaʿfar's recitations sound and meaningful in many instances, he generally preferred readings based on consensus (ijmāʿ); and in some cases, he explicitly rejected Abū Jaʿfar's recitation—which, however, is very rare. Al-Ṭabarī's methodological approach, in which he evaluates qirāʾāt differences in terms of meaning, wording, and grammar, offers important insights into the relationship between qirāʾāt and tafsīr in the classical period.