Section
On the second category: disagreements in exegesis that arise from inference
As for the second of the two causes of disagreement—namely, that which is known by rational inference rather than by transmission—the greater part of its mistakes comes from two sources that emerged only after the commentaries of the Companions, the Successors, and the generation that followed them in excellence. The tafsirs that transmit solely the statements of those early authorities are almost entirely free of either of these two flaws. Such works include the Tafsīr of ʿAbd al-Razzāq (1), Wakīʿ (2), ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd (3), ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Ibrāhīm Dahhīm, and likewise the Tafsīr of Imām Aḥmad, Isḥāq b. Rāhwayh, Baqī b. Makhlad, Abū Bakr b. al-Mundhir, Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah, Sunayd, Ibn Jarīr, and Ibn Abī—
(1) Abd al-Razzaq ibn Hammam ibn Nafi al-Himyari al-Sanani was one of the eminent imams and hadith preservers. He narrated from Ibn Jurayj, Hisham ibn Hassan, Thawr ibn Yazid, Mamar, and Malik; the leading and trustworthy scholars of the Muslims travelled to him and narrated from him. Imam Ahmad said: “I did not hear anything from him, but he was a man who liked accounts about people.” He was born in 126 AH and died in 211 AH.
(2) Waki ibn al-Jarrah ibn Mulayh al-Riqashi al-Kufi was one of the eminent imams. He narrated from Hisham ibn Urwah, Ibn Awn, and Shubah. He was among Imam Ahmad’s teachers and belonged to his scholarly generation. Ahmad said: “I have not seen anyone like him in knowledge, retention, and precision, together with humility and scrupulousness.” He died in 196 AH.
(3) Abd ibn Humayd ibn Nasr al-Kassi narrated from Ali ibn Asim, Muhammad ibn Bishr, Abd al-Razzaq, and al-Nadr ibn Shumayl; Muslim and al-Tirmidhi narrated from him. Ibn Hajar states in al-Taqrib: “Reliable and a hadith preserver.” He died in 249 AH.