Qantarat al-Baradān (1), where he became renowned for his scholarship and widely known for his understanding and preeminence. He remained there until his death.

Through these extensive travels, al-Tabarī acquired learning unmatched by anyone of his age, becoming the foremost scholar and jurist of his time. He learned Shāfi‘ī jurisprudence from al-Rabī‘ ibn Sulaymān in Egypt and al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Za‘farānī in Baghdad. He learned Mālikī jurisprudence from Yūnus ibn Abd al-A‘lā; the sons of Abd al-Hakam—Muhammad, Abd al-Rahmān, and Sa‘d—and Ibn Akhī Wahb. He learned Iraqi jurisprudence from Abū Muqātil in Rayy and obtained elevated chains of transmission in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Kufa, Basra, and Rayy. He thus attained mastery of every discipline: the Quranic sciences, hadith, jurisprudence, grammar, poetry, and language.

[Scholars’ Praise for Him]

Ibn Jarīr al-Tabarī possessed such physical and moral qualities that he became one of the godly scholars held up as exemplars. The foremost scholars attested to his preeminence and leadership, his vast learning coupled with humility, and his prodigious memory and intelligence. Crowning all these qualities were his asceticism, chastity, and scrupulous piety.

The hadith master Abū Bakr al-Khatīb al-Baghdādī said of him:

“He was one of the leading imams of scholarship. His pronouncements were regarded as authoritative and his opinions were consulted because of his knowledge and merit. He had mastered a range of disciplines in which no one of his age could rival him. He had memorized the Quran, knew its variant readings, possessed deep insight into its meanings, and was well versed in its legal rulings. He was thoroughly knowledgeable about the prophetic traditions and their chains of transmission, distinguishing their sound reports from the unsound and knowing their abrogating and abrogated texts. He knew the opinions of the Companions and Successors, as well as the differing legal opinions of those who came after them concerning legal rulings and questions of what is lawful and unlawful. He was also versed in historical events and reports. He also authored the book