Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī and the revelations of the Qurʾān

Abstract

The early Muslim scholar, Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī (d. 124/742) is known for his involvement in Islamic jurisprudence and the Sīra, the biography of the Prophet Muhammad. But to what extent did his study extend to the Qurʾān? His tradition material includes accounts of the formation of the text edition of the Qurʾān and one of his sīra traditions shows a growing interest in the asbāb al-nuzūl, the reasons or circumstances of revelation of Qurʾānic verses. Could we consider al-Zuhrī as an early Qur'anic exegete or rather as one who is particularly interested in the revelations in relation to his fiqh- and sira-material?