Ibāḍī Tafsīr Literature

Although Ibāḍīs wrote frequently on philology, rhetoric, theology, and the sciences of Qur’an interpretation, there has been little interest in the composition of complete Ibāḍī tafsīrs until the modern period. Ibāḍī teachers taught Qur’anic interpretation to their students using Sunni tafsīrs as their reference before the publication of Aṭfiyyash’s tafsīrs in the nineteenth century. Ibāḍī commentators have based their works on Sunni tafsīrs, inserting the distinct doctrinal perspectives of their school at relevant points. Ibāḍī tafsīrs share a perspective on the necessity of interpreting the Qur’an in a non-literal manner if the literal meaning of the text contradicts Ibāḍī doctrines on God, faith, and the afterlife.