Shihab ad-Din al-Alusi

Shihab ad-Din Mahmud ibn Abdullah al-Alusi (1802-1854 CE / 1217-1270 AH) was a preeminent Iraqi scholar, jurist, and Quran commentator who served as the Mufti of Baghdad. Born into a family of scholars originally from Alus (an island in the Euphrates), he displayed exceptional intellectual gifts from childhood and mastered the Islamic sciences at a young age.

Al-Alusi's crowning achievement is his monumental tafsir, Ruh al-Ma'ani fi Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim was-Sab al-Mathani (The Spirit of Meanings in the Interpretation of the Great Quran and the Seven Oft-Repeated Verses). This is one of the most comprehensive and intellectually rich commentaries on the Quran ever written, spanning over thirty volumes. It draws on the full range of earlier tafsir literature while incorporating al-Alusi's own insights in linguistics, theology, jurisprudence, and Sufi interpretation. The work engages critically with earlier commentators and provides balanced scholarly analysis.

Al-Alusi combined depth in traditional scholarship with openness to the reformist ideas of Ibn Taymiyyah, particularly regarding creed and the critique of innovations. He suffered political persecution at various points in his career but remained steadfast in his scholarly commitments. He passed away in Baghdad and his tafsir continues to be regarded as one of the great works of Quranic exegesis, studied and referenced by scholars worldwide.