Al-Jassas (d. 370 AH / 981 CE).

Hanafi legal tafsir, one of the earliest and most authoritative works on Qur'anic jurisprudence. 

Ibn al-Arabi al-Maliki (d. 543 AH / 1148 CE). 

Maliki legal tafsir, distinct from the above, equally authoritative within its school. 

Al-Kiya al-Harrasi (d. 504 AH / 1110 CE). 

Shafi'i legal tafsir, completing the major school coverage of this genre.

Al-Baydawi (d. 685 AH / 1286 CE). 

One of the most widely taught tafsirs in traditional madrasa curricula across the Sunni world, combining linguistic, theological, and legal analysis. 

Wahidi (d. 468 AH / 1076 CE)

The most important classical work on the historical occasions and contexts of each Qur'anic revelation. 

Wahidi (d. 468 AH / 1076 CE)

The most important classical work on the historical occasions and contexts of each Qur'anic revelation. 

Samarqandi (d. 375 AH / 983 CE)

An early comprehensive Hanafi tafsir from the Central Asian tradition combining transmitted narrations with rational analysis. 

Abu Hayyan al-Andalusi (d. 745 AH / 1344 CE)

The most exhaustive linguistic and grammatical tafsir ever produced, unrivaled in its treatment of Qur'anic Arabic syntax and morphology.

Wahidi (d. 468 AH / 1076 CE)

The longest of Wahidi's three tafsirs, a vast work of linguistic and exegetical scholarship rarely studied in full due to its enormous scope. 

Kirmani (d. 505 AH / 1111 CE)

An important mid-classical tafsir focusing on the Qur'an's literary subtleties, structural coherence, and unusual features.

Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE)

The most comprehensive hadith-based tafsir ever assembled, collecting every transmitted narration on every Qur'anic verse into one encyclopedic work.

Shawkani (d. 1250 AH / 1834 CE)

A late classical tafsir combining transmitted and rational exegesis, widely authoritative in Yemen and the broader Sunni world. 

Ibn Qutayba (d. 276 AH / 889 CE) 

One of the earliest systematic treatments of difficult and unusual vocabulary in the Qur'an, foundational for all later linguistic exegesis. 

Naysaburi (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) 

A richly detailed tafsir known for its treatment of the Qur'an's literary subtleties, unusual features, and rhetorical elegance. 

Sawi (d. 1241 AH / 1825 CE) 

The most important and widely used marginal commentary on the Jalalayn, adding significant depth and nuance to the base text. 

Makki ibn Abi Talib (d. 437 AH / 1045 CE)

An important Andalusian tafsir combining linguistic precision with legal and theological analysis within the Maliki tradition.

Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE) 

A focused legal tafsir by Suyuti systematically extracting jurisprudential rulings from the Qur'anic text. 

Abu al-Su'ud al-Imadi (d. 982 AH / 1574 CE) 

The greatest Ottoman-era tafsir, masterfully combining the linguistic brilliance of Zamakhshari with Ash'ari theology and Hanafi jurisprudence. 

Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE) 

The most comprehensive encyclopedic work on the Qur'anic sciences ever produced, an essential reference for understanding the entire tafsir tradition. 

Qurtubi (d. 671 AH / 1273 CE) 

One of the greatest tafsirs ever written, particularly authoritative on legal verses and widely used across the Maliki world and beyond. 

Qurtubi (d. 671 AH / 1273 CE) 

One of the greatest tafsirs ever written, particularly authoritative on legal verses and widely used across the Maliki world and beyond. 

Tha'alibi al-Maliki (d. 875 AH / 1470 CE) 

An important Maghrebi tafsir drawing on the North African exegetical tradition within the Maliki school. 

Tantawi Jawhari (d. 1940 CE) 

A remarkable late classical Egyptian tafsir integrating natural sciences into Qur'anic interpretation, significant within the modernist exegetical tradition. 

Tabari (d. 310 AH / 923 CE) 

The single most important tafsir in Islamic history — the foundational encyclopedic work of the entire exegetical tradition, combining transmitted narrations with careful linguistic and legal analysis across 30 volumes. 

Tabari (d. 310 AH / 923 CE) 

The single most important tafsir in Islamic history — the foundational encyclopedic work of the entire exegetical tradition, combining transmitted narrations with careful linguistic and legal analysis across 30 volumes. 

Zamakhshari (d. 538 AH / 1144 CE)

The greatest Mu'tazilite tafsir and the most linguistically and rhetorically brilliant Qur'anic commentary ever produced, read by Sunni scholars for its unrivaled literary analysis despite its theological heterodoxy. 

Tha'labi (d. 427 AH / 1035 CE) 

An early comprehensive narrative tafsir rich in transmitted narrations, stories of the prophets, and isra'iliyyat material, widely read in the pre-modern period. 

Khazin (d. 741 AH / 1340 CE) 

One of the most widely circulated tafsirs in pre-modern Islamic education, drawing heavily on Baghawi while adding rich narrative detail. 

Qushayri (d. 465 AH / 1072 CE) 

The most important Sufi tafsir within the Sunni tradition, combining rigorous Ash'ari theology with genuine mystical insight by the author of the famous Risala. 

Qushayri (d. 465 AH / 1072 CE) 

The most important Sufi tafsir within the Sunni tradition, combining rigorous Ash'ari theology with genuine mystical insight by the author of the famous Risala. 

Ibn Adil al-Hanbali (d. 880 AH / 1475 CE) 

A vast encyclopedic Hanbali tafsir drawing comprehensively on the full range of earlier exegetical tradition. 

Baghawi (d. 516 AH / 1122 CE) 

A widely respected mid-classical tafsir known for its careful compilation of early exegetical tradition with clarity and relative theological restraint. 

Akhfash al-Awsat (d. 215 AH / 830 CE) 

One of the earliest grammatical treatments of the Qur'an, foundational for the entire tradition of linguistic Qur'anic analysis. 

Farra' (d. 207 AH / 822 CE) 

The earliest major grammatical tafsir, by the greatest grammarian of the Kufan school, invaluable for understanding early Arabic linguistic engagement with the Qur'anic text. 

Zajjaj (d. 311 AH / 923 CE) 

A significant early grammatical tafsir building on Farra' and Akhfash within the Basran grammatical tradition. 

Nasafi (d. 710 AH / 1310 CE) 

One of the most important Hanafi tafsirs, widely taught in Central Asian and South Asian madrasa curricula alongside Baydawi. 

Razi (d. 606 AH / 1209 CE) 

The greatest rational and theological tafsir in Islamic history — an encyclopedic monument of Ash'ari kalam, philosophy, and natural science applied to Qur'anic interpretation across 32 volumes. 

Razi (d. 606 AH / 1209 CE) 

The greatest rational and theological tafsir in Islamic history — an encyclopedic monument of Ash'ari kalam, philosophy, and natural science applied to Qur'anic interpretation across 32 volumes. 

Qasimi (d. 1332 AH / 1914 CE) 

An important late classical Syrian tafsir in the reformist tradition, combining classical methodology with modernist intellectual concerns. 

Panipati (d. 1225 AH / 1810 CE) 

The most important tafsir produced in South Asian Islamic scholarship, combining hadith-based and rational exegesis within the Naqshbandi Sufi tradition. 

Ibn Atiyya al-Andalusi (d. 541 AH / 1146 CE) 

One of the most important Andalusian tafsirs, combining linguistic precision with legal and theological breadth, highly praised by Ibn Khaldun. 

Raghib al-Isfahani (d. 502 AH / 1108 CE) 

The single most important lexicographical work on Qur'anic vocabulary, still in use in traditional Islamic education worldwide. 

Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) 

The single most influential methodological introduction to Qur'anic interpretation ever written, shaping the approach of every subsequent hadith-based tafsir tradition. 

Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) 

The single most influential methodological introduction to Qur'anic interpretation ever written, shaping the approach of every subsequent hadith-based tafsir tradition. 

Al-Azhar Committee (early 20th CE) 

A concise tafsir produced by Al-Azhar's scholarly committee, significant for its institutional authority and accessible style. 

Al-Azhar Committee (early 20th CE) 

A concise tafsir produced by Al-Azhar's scholarly committee, significant for its institutional authority and accessible style. 

Baqa'i (d. 885 AH / 1480 CE) 

The most systematic and comprehensive treatment of Qur'anic coherence and inter-verse relationships ever produced. 

Mawardi (d. 450 AH / 1058 CE) 

A careful and systematic tafsir by the great Shafi'i jurist and political theorist, focused on linguistic precision and legal analysis. 

Bursawi (d. 1137 AH / 1725 CE) 

The most important Ottoman Turkish Sufi tafsir, combining Naqshbandi spiritual insight with comprehensive classical exegetical learning across 10 volumes. 

Alusi (d. 1270 AH / 1854 CE)

One of the greatest tafsirs of the late classical period, encyclopedic in scope and widely considered among the five greatest tafsirs ever produced. 

Sabuni (d. 1442 AH / 2021 CE)

A widely used modern synthesis of the major classical tafsirs, valued for its clarity and accessibility in contemporary madrasa education. 

Khatib al-Shirbini (d. 977 AH / 1570 CE)

A widely used Shafi'i tafsir of the Ottoman period, known for its methodological clarity and reliable legal analysis.

Ibn Qutayba (d. 276 AH / 889 CE)

One of the earliest and most important works systematically addressing apparent contradictions and difficulties in the Qur'anic text. 

Abd al-Razzaq Al-San'ani (d. 211 AH / 826 CE) 

One of the earliest surviving tafsir collections in hadith form, an essential primary source for the transmitted exegetical tradition. 

Jilani (d. 561 AH / 1166 CE) 

A Sufi-inflected tafsir by the founder of the Qadiri order, important within the spiritual exegetical tradition while remaining within Sunni theological bounds. 

Mahalli (d. 864 AH / 1459 CE) and Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE)

The most widely used tafsir in traditional Islamic education worldwide — a concise line-by-line commentary notable for its accessibility, precision, and unmatched pedagogical influence. 

Mahalli (d. 864 AH / 1459 CE) and Suyuti (d. 911 AH / 1505 CE)

The most widely used tafsir in traditional Islamic education worldwide — a concise line-by-line commentary notable for its accessibility, precision, and unmatched pedagogical influence. 

Maraghi (d. 1952 CE)

A significant early 20th century Egyptian tafsir in the modernist tradition, clear and accessible while remaining within classical methodological bounds. 

Ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi (d. 327 AH / 938 CE)

One of the earliest comprehensive hadith-based tafsirs, an essential primary source for the transmitted exegetical tradition predating Ibn Kathir's more famous work of the same name. 

Ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH / 1373 CE)

The most widely read tafsir in the contemporary Sunni world, combining transmitted narrations with Ibn Kathir's careful hadith criticism and independent analysis. 

Ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH / 1373 CE)

The most widely read tafsir in the contemporary Sunni world, combining transmitted narrations with Ibn Kathir's careful hadith criticism and independent analysis. 

Ibn Abd al-Salam al-Sulami (d. 660 AH / 1262 CE) 

An important Shafi'i tafsir by the great Syrian jurist known as Sultan al-Ulama, combining legal precision with spiritual depth. 

Ibn Abi Zamanin (d. 399 AH / 1008 CE)

An important Andalusian tafsir drawing on the early transmitted tradition within the Maliki school. 

Ta'wilat Ahl al-Sunna — Maturidi (d. 333 AH / 944 CE)

The most important early Hanafi rational tafsir, by the founder of the Maturidi school of theology, foundational for Central Asian and South Asian Sunni exegesis.

Sam'ani (d. 489 AH / 1096 CE)

An important Shafi'i tafsir of the mid-classical period, combining transmitted and rational exegesis with careful attention to theological orthodoxy. 

Tustari (d. 283 AH / 896 CE) 

The earliest surviving Sufi tafsir in Islamic history, by one of the greatest early mystics, brief but extraordinarily influential on the entire subsequent tradition of spiritual exegesis. 

Tustari (d. 283 AH / 896 CE) 

The earliest surviving Sufi tafsir in Islamic history, by one of the greatest early mystics, brief but extraordinarily influential on the entire subsequent tradition of spiritual exegesis. 

Muqatil ibn Sulayman (d. 150 AH / 767 CE)

The earliest surviving complete tafsir in Islamic history, a foundational primary source for the entire exegetical tradition despite its controversial status among hadith scholars. 

Attributed to Ibn Abbas (d. 68 AH / 687 CE), compiled by Firuzabadi (d. 817 AH / 1414 CE) 

If the attribution to Ibn Abbas is accepted in any part, this represents the earliest layer of the entire tafsir tradition — the companion-era exegesis of the Prophet's own cousin and the greatest Qur'anic scholar among the companions. 

Attributed to Ibn Abbas (d. 68 AH / 687 CE), compiled by Firuzabadi (d. 817 AH / 1414 CE) 

If the attribution to Ibn Abbas is accepted in any part, this represents the earliest layer of the entire tafsir tradition — the companion-era exegesis of the Prophet's own cousin and the greatest Qur'anic scholar among the companions. 

Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi (d. 741 AH / 1340 CE) 

A concise and methodologically clear Maliki tafsir from Andalusia, known for its elegant organization and reliable synthesis of earlier exegetical tradition. 

Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi (d. 741 AH / 1340 CE) 

A concise and methodologically clear Maliki tafsir from Andalusia, known for its elegant organization and reliable synthesis of earlier exegetical tradition. 

Ibn al-Ha'im (d. 815 AH / 1412 CE)

An important late medieval linguistic tafsir focusing specifically on Qur'anic vocabulary and grammatical analysis. 

Wahidi (d. 468 AH / 1076 CE) 

The shortest and most concise of Wahidi's three tafsirs, widely used for its clarity and accessibility as an introductory text. 

Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 597 AH / 1200 CE)

A comprehensive encyclopedic tafsir covering the full range of exegetical opinions on every verse, produced by the great Hanbali polymath of Baghdad.