A Doctoral Dissertation Discussing the Economic Aspects in Al-Tafsir al-Kabir by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi
The College of Education – Ibn Rushd for Human Sciences at the University of Baghdad witnessed the defense of a doctoral dissertation entitled “The Economic Aspects in Al-Tafsir al-Kabir by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606 AH / 1208 CE)” by researcher Aryam Khalid Hassan from the Department of History, specializing in Islamic History.
The examination committee was chaired by Professor Dr. Mahmoud Ali Turki and included Professor Dr. Muqtadir Hamdan Abd as a member and supervisor, along with a group of faculty members from the department. Additionally, Professor Dr. Samaher Muhi Musa from the College of Education for Human Sciences at the University of Diyala participated as an external committee member.
The aim of the research was to shed light on the aspects of Islamic economics discussed in Al-Tafsir al-Kabir, especially considering that most studies addressing this important field usually rely on historical, jurisprudential, or fiscal texts (such as those on taxation and public finance), often overlooking works of Qur’anic exegesis. This is where the significance of the study lies: it not only highlights the economic dimensions presented in the tafsir, but also undertakes the extensive task of collecting, analyzing, and classifying the relevant opinions.
The study employed an inductive, descriptive, and analytical methodology by identifying the economic themes, defining them, and explaining their rulings with reference to specialized sources and references.
The research reached several conclusions, the most notable of which is the vast knowledge of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi. He believed that learning all sciences was a religious obligation, which led him to study and write extensively across various disciplines. His most prominent work is Mafatih al-Ghayb (The Keys to the Unseen), regarded as an encyclopedic tafsir and the culmination of his scholarly life. Moreover, his economic views, in particular, were generally in alignment with those of other Islamic schools of thought, especially the Shafi’i school.