This is a study of one of the most important works of medieval commentary on the Qur'an which is still in use today, and an exploration of the nature of scriptural interpretation in Islam.

Bruce Fudge is Assistant Professor of Arabic in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Ohio State University.

1. The Genre of Scriptural Commentary in Islam 2. Al-Tabrisi: A Twelfth-century Exegete of Khurasan 3. Language and Knowledge in Majma' al-bayan 4. Commentary and Qur'anic Narrative 5. Qur'anic Hermeneutics and the Mu'tazila. Conclusions