Quranic Sciences and Tradition

Quranic Sciences and Tradition

A Comparative Evaluation of al-Ṭabarī’s and al-Qurṭubī’s Views on the Superiority of Mary over Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ Based on the Sunni Tradition

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
1 .Associate Professor, Department of Ahl al-Bayt Studies, Faculty of Theology and Ahl al-Bayt Studies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
2 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Isfahan؛ Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic History, Faculty of History, Civilization, and Political Studies, Baqir al-Olum University, Qom, Iran.
10.22059/jqst.2026.411783.670611
Abstract
Comparative studies in Qur'anic exegesis, particularly those examining the views of exegetes from different Islamic schools of thought, provide an important opportunity for understanding exegetical methods and critically evaluating their underlying principles. Among prominent Sunni exegetes, Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī and Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Qurṭubī hold a particularly significant position because of their scholarly influence. One noteworthy issue in the works of these two exegetes concerns the superiority of Mary over Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ, a position that does not correspond with the view held by many Sunni scholars regarding the superiority of Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ. In Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī, this issue assumes broader dimensions, as al-Qurṭubī, in addition to affirming Mary's superiority, also defends the possibility of her prophethood. Employing a descriptive-analytical and critical approach, this study examines the foundations and evidence underlying the views of al-Ṭabarī and al-Qurṭubī, drawing on Sunni exegetical, hadith, biographical, and theological sources and evaluating their arguments according to the internal principles of the Sunni tradition. The findings demonstrate that al-Ṭabarī's and al-Qurṭubī's views concerning Mary's superiority lack support consistent with the dominant principles of the Sunni scholarly tradition. Moreover, the Qur'anic and transmitted evidence they invoke is open to criticism with respect to its semantic implications, chain of transmission, and compatibility with the broader body of relevant textual evidence. Furthermore, al-Qurṭubī's claim concerning Mary's prophethood encounters serious difficulties within the theological and exegetical principles of a substantial number of Sunni scholars. Accordingly, this study demonstrates that the critical evaluation of this position is both possible and methodologically justified without relying on extra-sectarian premises, but rather solely through principles and sources accepted within the Sunni exegetical tradition.
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