This book deals with the life and work of JÄr AllÄh al-ZamakhsharÄ« (d. 538/144). The greater part of it, however, is devoted to an examination of his QurʾÄn commentary, al-KashshÄf.
The book is divided into five chapters, supplemented by nine appendices. After a chapter on the authorâs life and writings (an annotated list of which is given in an appendix), there follow four chapters that focus on the KashshÄf itself. These deal with the history of the text, its structure and method, the traditions it contains and the sources the author relied on for it.
Although both al-ZamakhsharÄ«âs name and the title of his commentary are well known, very little is actually known about either the author or the work. This book presents a more complete and nuanced picture of each.
Andrew J. Lane, Ph.D. (2003) in Islamic Studies, University of Toronto, teaches coursed in Arabic and Islamitic studies at the University. He has presented and published papers on qur'Änic exegesis. He is also interested in questions of Muslim-Christian dialogue.
ââ¦an excellent source book for the study of al-KashshÄf, as well as its origins and impact on later generations.â
Binyamin Abrahamov in Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam 36 (2009), 573-574.
This book will be of interest to scholars, specialists and graduate students interested in the history of the QurʾÄn and its exegetical tradition.