CONSTRUCTION OF TAFSIR JAMI' AL-BAYAN 'AN TA'WIL AY AL-QUR'AN; ABU JA'FAR MUHAMMAD IBN JARIR ATH-THABARI

Abstract Mastery of classical and medieval interpretive material is very necessary for the construction of new ideas in order to maintain the continuity of an interpretive tradition, and in essence is the basic foundation because it is responsible for the formation of a civilization. This is different from commentators in Indonesia who believe that the study of classical and medieval tafsir has reached a dead end, and that classical and medieval tafsir books are repetitive and boring. This article traces the intellectual journey of Abu Ja'far Muhammad Ibnu Jarir ath-Thabari, from childhood to moving to Egypt and studying with ulama. Also reconstructing the interpretation of Jami' al-Bayan 'an Ta'wil Ay al-Qur'an and detailing Muhammad Al-Fadhil bin 'Ashur's opinion regarding the meaning of bil ma'tsur which Husein adz Zahabai kept regarding the interpretation of Jami' al-Bayan 'an Ta 'wil Ay al-Qur'an. This article asserts that Ibn Jarir ath-Thabari's Tafsir represents a scientific interpretation, prioritizing the analytical side over the atsar side. As a result, this work is a pivotal moment in the method of interpretation, significantly breaking from the science of hadith. Thabari's commentary can be considered a well-rounded amalgamation of the two sides. It contains a greater number of hadith narrations than any other books of tafsir bil ma'tsur during its time. Moreover, it presents a scientific theory founded on the comparison and analysis of various opinions, which is accomplished through the examination of the 'illat of the causes of the qorinah (the indicative side of the evidence). This approach was already evident in ath Thabari became the main characteristic of tafsir bir ra'yi (interpretation by reasoning). Keywords: Thabari, bil ma'tsur, bir ra'yi, al-Fadhil bin 'Assyur.