Mahmood Ibn ‘Umar Al-Zamakhshari and his Tafsir Al-Kashshaf: A Critical Study

This article examines the tafsir Kashshāf, the Quran commentary of the Muʿtazilite al-Zamakhsharī . This involves:  the continuous reading of the commentary  and the study of al-Zamakhsharī's commentary in the Kashshāf on Quranic passages used by him or his teacher Ibn al-Malāḥimī  in their theological treatises; and an analysis of a report claiming that al-Zamakhsharī had begun his commentary with the blatantly Muʿtazilite statement: “Praise be to God who created the Quran”.  Tafsir al-Kashshaf  'an Haqa'iq at-Tanzil ("the Revealer") is a seminal tafsir (commentary on the Qur'an) by Al-Zamakhshari written in the 12th century. Considered a primary by all major scholars, it is famous for its deep linguistic analysis, demonstrations of the supremacy of declamation of the Quran, and the representation of the method the Quran uses to convey meaning using literary elements and figurative speech. However, it is criticized for the inclusion of Muʿtazilah philosophical views. al-Zamakhshari studied various popular social sciences, especially theology, the science of Hadith (prophetic traditions), fiqh (jurisprudence), tafsir (interpretation of the Holy Qur'an), and other sciences.He paid particular attention to the study of Arabic language and literature, the various dialects of the Arabs, their customs and traditions. After having perfect grip over language of the Holy Quran, he wrote on all his works, including on grammar and linguistics in Arabic. in particular, "Mukaddimatu al-Adab" (Introduction to Literature), "asas al-Balagha" (Fundamentals of achieving perfection), "fil-mufassal Nahw" (Details on grammar) and a short version of "Al unmuzadzh fin-Nahw "(sample on grammar). Arabs’ recognition indicates the importance of his works in learning the native language for Arabs and that they expressed the recognition without criticism: "if there would not be al-Zamakhshari, the Arabs would not have known the full depth of their native language