# Is al-Zamakhshari's tafsir al-Kashshaf worth reading? *Al-Kashshaf and al-Zamakhshari: a linguistic legend with Mu'tazili beliefs* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/10/ - Date: 2020-07-14 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (45:21–49:45) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=2721s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/ **Topics:** Tafsir and verse study; Creed and the schools of theology; Scholars and imams of the past **Question as asked:** Can you please review al-Kashshaf of al-Zamakhshari, if you have studied it? **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth praises al-Kashshaf as linguistically overwhelming and al-Zamakhshari as a legend, while noting the Mu'tazili oddities in it; the Mu'tazila were great scholars, often over-demonised. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says some scholars over-demonise the Mu'tazila, who were in their own right great and intelligent scholars of Islam, though some of their views were a bit warped. **Evidence, his words at 47:09:** “I think sometimes some scholars just over demonize them it's not that's not really fear they were in their own right legends you know they they were really intelligent really great scholars of Islam” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=2829s) ## Longer summary A question asks him to review al-Kashshaf of al-Zamakhshari. Mufti Abu Layth calls al-Zamakhshari a legend whose intelligence, ingenuity and linguistic ability are untouchable, a pioneer of the Arabic rhetorical sciences with works such as Asas al-Balagha [?]; he was a Hanafi in fiqh but a Mu'tazili in creed and adamant about it, which is why Hanafis rarely quote him. He mentions Mu'tazili views such as that God is bound to do what is best and that a grave sinner is no longer a Muslim, but says some scholars over-demonise the Mu'tazila, who were great, intelligent scholars in their own right. He explains al-Zamakhshari's title Jar Allah, the neighbour of God, from his years beside the Kaaba when it was relatively empty, and names other Mu'tazili thinkers such as al-Jahiz [?] and Qadi Abd al-Jabbar, great thinkers with some warped views that appear as oddities in al-Kashshaf. ## Sources and names cited - al-Kashshaf - al-Zamakhshari - Asas al-Balagha [?] - balagha (rhetoric) - Mu'tazila - Hanafi school - al-Jahiz [?] - Qadi Abd al-Jabbar - Ka'bah ## Transcript (machine tier, 45:21–49:45) [44:43] behave like this so yeah you know let you know how to let you we'll let you know how to let you know it's I guess the situation is we just kind of screwed I guess you know it just comes back and you know with this small deal I can say a meanie of the jugs no problem but there is one the jar with the big deal okay this is the problem people it's the [45:20] it's the D everywhere we're going so what is the war is going on people might be a fight not worth mentioning can you please review Alka chef buys a machete if you've studied it um right so the kashaf of zoom actually is an amazing you know Mom some actually is is is a legend in hanafi filk he's somebody [45:55] who you know you can't you can't really touch when it comes to his he's kind of his intelligence his ingenuity his linguistic abilities he his tough seed known as Alka chef is so I mean it's overwhelming from a linguistic perspective and he's amongst the pioneers of things like almond Padilla and Illman you know what you have rhetoric with in Arabic he's amongst the pioneers in that his book assassin Bella and these kind of things or and he was a [46:34] Hanafy in in fact I actually have a Hanafy thick book of his somewhere but he's not often quoted by the hanafis many hanafis were Martha Zilla by the way but he was Martha's Ely so he wasn't from the SUNY school and he was he was very adamant about that and yeah so he had some weird beliefs not all the MARTA silly beliefs are necessarily weird but some of his beliefs were yeah so this [47:09] thing of God can't allow certain things to happen God is mandated to act by what is always the better situation God is you know they place these kind of impositions on God but uh to be fair mean it was like you know I think sometimes some scholars just over demonize them it's not that's not really fear they were in their own right legends you know they they were really intelligent really great scholars of Islam I mean some actually he was he [47:48] was called here his lock up his title was Gerald LA the the neighbor of God and that's because he he was for a huge part of his life he lived in Makkah and was always found by the Kaaba he would just be leaning against the Kaaba and just you know or sitting by the cat by just doing work obviously the Kaaba in that day and age wasn't this commercialized day and age where people are always there doing ambra it was very kind of empty a lot of the times throughout history empty relatively to today I mean there'd be some people there but is nothing like today so yeah [48:27] I mean and luxury he not just him you know the other martyrs illa the you know these people amongst them whether you gonna look at ahead one of the greatest earliest kind of other beasts got a deep scholars literature scholars of literature and and a great humanist great intellectual people like Holly Algebra II called the abdul-jabbar people like they'll I love people like you get all of these there's so many of [49:06] them and they and they were great thinkers but some of their views were just a bit warped that's all so sometimes Inka chefs have seed it has some of the oddities early yet he's kind of at his early Creed where he will say you know this thing's supporting if you I I assume his does support as well that if you commit a sin you're no longer a Muslim that's one of the main Creed's of the Methuselah but also other things as well that God is mandated to always do it's good and you know and and this and ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment a6H5lYE4MN8/s/10. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/10/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.