Wāḥidī Nīsābūrī

Views Al-Wāhidī presents himself as the heir to the most significant author of tafsir, Abu Ishaq al-Zajjaj (d. 311/923). Al-Zajjāj became a key figure in classical tafsīr because of al-Wāhidī's master, al-Tha'labi. However, because of al-Tha'labī's hermeneutical approach, Zajjāj was just one of many exegetes who filled his work. In contrast, the main focus of Wāhidī's work is Zajjāj's interpretations. Al-Tha'labī and al-Wāhidī were significantly responsible for Zajjāj's rise to prominence in the classical tradition. The Mu'tazilites were well known for employing philological interpretational methods in their Quranic commentaries, and this methodology was permeating the mainstream Sunni tafsīr tradition. It was not al-Zamakhshari's doing, nor was Zamakhsharī's accomplishment a reflection of the depth of this relationship; A significant cultural transfer of the philological heritage of Qur'anic interpretation into Sunnism was orchestrated by Al-Wāhidī. One of the most fascinating parts of the history of classical tafsīr is the mapping of this process. The Ahl al-Ma'ānī (People of Meaning), a new category of exegetical authority, would also be crucial to al-Wāhidī, giving them power beyond that of any previous exegetical school. The term "Ahlal-Ma'ānī" refers to any experts who use linguistic expertise alone to analyse the Qur'an.

Al-Wahidi believed he had an advantage over most, if not all, of the previous exegetes because of his philological training. Al-Basit's introduction makes it apparent that he thought that literature and grammar were the cornerstones and essential components of exegesis, and that the writings of earlier exegetes were deficient inasmuch as they had not been employed. In fact, he asserts that the early layer of tafsir itself needed to be explained in a number of ways in order to demonstrate how it was an explanation of the Quran. Furthermore, al-Wahidi is impatient with non-philological interpretations and chooses not to support or contradict them because they are not feasible nor defended by philology. Therefore, al-Wahidi asserts that the writings of his predecessors were merely an approximation of what the Quran said and not a complete explanation.

Muslim exegetes reacted to the rise of philology as an independent discipline by putting forward two key positions about the Qur'an. First, they argued that philological methods could reinforce Sunni interpretations of the Qur'an by offering linguistic support for theological and spiritual readings. Second, they asserted that the Qur'an possesses a miraculous linguistic quality known as iʿjāz, its unique inimitability. From this perspective, the Qur'an was treated as a foundational linguistic reference, studied alongside pre-Islamic poetry, which early philologists had traditionally used to illustrate the richness of the Arabic language. Over time, however, the Qur'an would surpass Jāhilī poetry as the primary source for grammatical and rhetorical examples in Arabic linguistic scholarship. Although some academic voices quietly questioned aspects of this theological framework, belief in the Qur'an's inimitability remained uncontested among all Muslim sects. One of the earliest exegetes to fully engage with philology while striving to uphold Sunni interpretive principles was al-Wāḥidī, who worked to preserve the coherence and integrity of Sunni Qur'anic interpretation in the face of evolving scholarly approaches.

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali was asked why hasn't he written a book tafsir. He replied: “What our teacher al-Wāḥidī wrote suffices”. According to mediaeval biographers, the titles of al-Ghazali's well-known three works on fiqh were most likely taken from al-Wāḥidī's three Quranic commentaries.

Tafsir al-Basit ("The Large Commentary"), this is considered al-Wāḥidī's magnum opus and the pinnacle of Islamic exegetical scholarship. Tafsir al-Wasit ("The Middle Commentary"), thought to have been conceived at some point during the composition of al Basit, this work signifies al-Wāḥidī's return to the traditional methodology and its comprehensive hermeneutical interpretation of the Quran, which his mentor al-Tha'labi had accomplished. Tafsir al-Wajiz ("The Short Commentary"), the first brief commentary on the Quran in mediaeval times is called Al-Wajlz, and it was specifically prepared in answer to the need for a handy work for a wider audience. Asbab al-Nuzul ("Occasions or circumstances of revelation") Sharh Diwan al-Mutanabbi, considered the best commentary on poetry by Al-Mutanabbi Al-Tahbir fi al-Asma' al-Husna Al-Du'at ("The Supplications") Al-Maghazi ("The Expeditions") Al-Ighrab fi al-I'rab ("The Explanation of the Prophet") Naf' al-Tahrif 'an al-Quran al-Sharif ("The Refutation of Distortion from the Noble Qur'an").