The Interpretive Opinions Deemed Strange by Al-Samʿānī in His Tafsīr: A Comparative Exegetical Study

Abstract

The research aims to study the sayings that Imam al-Sama'ani judged to be strange in his interpretation، by analyzing their meaning and context، and comparing them with what was reported by other commentators، using the inductive، analytical، comparative method on fifteen issues in interpretation and meaning. The study showed that Al-Sama'ani describes a saying as strange if it contradicts what the public says، deviates from the appearance of the verse، or is not supported by reliable evidence، which reflects the accuracy of his weighted critical approach and his desire to alert the reader to weak or unpopular sayings، and to exclude weighted or isolated statements without presumption، in accordance with the approach of the majority of exegetes in weighting. One of the recommendations of the research is to study the hadiths that Al-Sama'ani described as strange (35 hadiths) to explain the reasons for their strangeness according to his weighting method.