The Qurʾān is, for Muslims, the revealed word of God. Hence, the interpretation of the Qurʾān (tafsīr) has emerged as one of the most revered disciplines in Islam. Given that the life of the early Muslims revolved around the Qurʾān from the beginning, one of their earliest concerns was to understand the message of the sacred text. The Prophet Muḥammad (d. 632) and his immediate followers (known as the companions) used the Qurʾān for day-to-day guidance, prayer, and spiritual enrichment, and for liturgical and congregational use. Although interpretation of the Qurʾān as a discipline developed over time, Muslims engaged with it from the beginning in less formal ways: reflecting on it, reciting it, discussing it, and attempting to explain it to each other. It was such activities that gradually led to the development of...