Evolution of the sciences of the Quran - II

After the Era of the Companions
It was through the effortsof such Companions as the four Caliphs, Ibn
'Abbaas, Ibn Mas'ood, Zayd bin Thaabit, Abu Moosa Al-Ash'ari, Ubay bin
Ka'b and 'Abdullaah bin Az-Zubayr among others, that all of the
knowledge related to theQuran was transferred and conveyed to the
Taabi'een (the second Muslim generation after the companions) and from
them onto the rest of the Ummah (Muslim Nation).
Among these successors, some are noteworthy: Mujaahid, 'Ataa' bin
Rabaah, 'Ikrimah, Qataadah, Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Maalik bin Anas .
These great scholars laid the foundation for the subject of Tafseer
(exegesis) of the Quran, as well as the numerous other branches of
knowledge that eventually comprised the sciences of the Quran.
Very little was written in specialised books or treatises in the first
Hijri century, but many were later documented towards the end of the
second century, marking the beginning of what is referred to as 'The
Era of Scriptwriting.'
Since most scholars were focused on Hadeeth (prophetic statements),
this remarkable era provided the first collections of Ahadeeth (plural
of Hadeeth) dealing with the subject of Tafseer, such as those
collected by Shu'bah bin Al Hajjaaj (160 AH), Waaki' bin Al-Jarraah
(197 AH), 'Abdur-Razzaaq (211 AH), and Ahmad ibn Hanbal (240 AH) whose
collection exceeded 100,000 Ahadeeth, but never reached us except what
has remained as part of his Musnad (Hadeeth collection).
So, Tafseer originated as an oral tradition that wastransmitted along
with other topics of the Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) to find its
placein the books of Sunnah. Ifany of these scholars had written a
Tafseer book, then it was either lost or has not yet reached us. The
first major, authenticand complete Tafseer compilation was written by
Imaam Ibn Jareer At-Tabari (310 AH) . Many similar writings followed
it.
Many other books were written that dealt with other topics and
subjects related to the Quran. These writings primarily focused on a
single issue or theme per book. Of the many books written throughout
the centuries, only some have been checked, edited and printed. Imaam
Ali bin Al-Madeeni(234 AH) for example, wrote about the Circumstances
of Revelation, Imaam Abu 'Ubayd Al-Qaasim bin Salaam (224 AH) wrote
about Abrogation and about the Qiraa'aat (modes of Quranic
recitation), while Imaam Ibn Qutaybah's (276 AH) book dealt with the
subject of Mushkil (unclear or problematic) words and meanings of the
Quran.
This thematic approach continues to this day, andAl-Baqillaani (403
AH) wrote about the miraculous nature of the Quran while
Al-Maawardi(450 AH) chose to discuss its Amthaal (proverbs or
parables). Later, Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim (751 AH) wrote about the oaths
or vows that are found in the Quran.
The first book known to use the term and was entitled '`Uloom
Al-Quran'was written by Imaam Alibin Ibrahim al-Hawfi (430AH) . It is
available butmissing some volumes, and is still in manuscript form,
and has not yet been printed. This book deals with and covers topics
that partially comprise what we consider today as Sciences of the
Quran, which is a major treatment of topics related to the Quran.
Later, Imaam As-Suyooti (911 AH) wrote 'Al - Itqaan Fi `Uloom
Al-Quran' that followed the same lines of '`Uloom Al-Quraan', but in
an abridged format, with added topics, and is printed today in two
large volumes. These twoworks are considered theclassical references
on the subjects of the Sciences of the Quran. Today, there are more
than a hundred books written on all aspects related to the Quran and
Tafseer , some of which have been translated intoEnglish.