Journal of Codicology and Manuscript Research (In persian: Pizhūhish/hā-yi nuskhah/shināsī va taṣḥīḥ-i mutūn)

Journal of Codicology and Manuscript Research (In persian: Pizhūhish/hā-yi nuskhah/shināsī va taṣḥīḥ-i mutūn)

Two Distinct Versions of the Mystical Exegesis Bahr al-Haqāʾiq wa al-Maʿānī: A Codicological Analysis

Document Type : Original Article

Author
mohammad reza movahedi
Faculty member, University of Qom
10.22034/crtc.2025.234164
Abstract
Two distinct recensions of Bahr al-Ḥaqāʾiq, the Arabic mystical tafsīr by Najm al-Dīn Rāzī, have come down to us. The first is a longer and older version, fragmentary and marked by numerous textual lacunae. The second is a shorter, more coherent recension, widely preserved across manuscript collections worldwide. The extended version is densely interwoven with quotations from earlier exegeses—particularly al-Thaʿlabī’s al-Kashf wa-l-Bayān—and reflects the formative stage of Rāzī’s interpretive voice. In contrast, the concise version offers a more refined and independent commentary, presenting the author’s mystical insights directly, continuing up to Sūrat al-Najm. Significant differences among manuscripts—including in prefaces, sūra arrangement, terminology, and style—alongside the existence of abridgments by later mystics such as ʿAlāʾ al-Dawla al-Simnānī and Shams al-Dīn Sāwajī, necessitate thorough codicological investigation. This study analyzes selected manuscripts and internal textual features to argue that Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad b. Ḥasan al-Sāwajī, a close disciple of Rāzī, prepared a revised and abridged version of the original tafsīr in Shushtar, likely under his teacher’s supervision. Most later copies appear to derive from this version. Thus, al-Sāwajī emerges not merely as a transmitter, but as a textual architect whose editorial intervention played a decisive role in shaping the final authoritative recension of Bahr al-Ḥaqāʾiq.
Keywords
codicology
mystical exegesis
Bahr al-Ḥaqāʾiq
Najm al-Dīn Rāzī
Shams al-Dīn Sāwajī
Subjects

عدم تعارض منافع

نویسندگانی که نام‌هایشان ذکر شده است تأیید می‌کنند که هیچ وابستگی یا مشارکتی با هیچ سازمان یا نهادی که منافع مالی (مانند حق‌الزحمه؛ کمک‌های آموزشی؛ شرکت در سخنرانی‌ها؛ عضویت، استخدام، مشاوره، مالکیت سهام یا سایر منافع مالی؛ و شهادت کارشناسی یا ترتیبات مجوز اختراعات) یا منافع غیرمالی (مانند روابط شخصی یا حرفه‌ای، وابستگی‌ها، دانش یا باورها) در موضوع یا مواد مورد بحث در این دست‌نوشته ندارند.

Conflict of Interest 

The named authors confirm that they have no affiliations or involvement with any organization or entity with financial interests (such as fees; educational grants; participation in lectures; membership, employment, consulting, stock ownership, or other financial interests; expert testimony or patent licensing arrangements) or non-financial interests (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge, or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

 

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  • Receive Date 08 August 2025
  • Revise Date 21 September 2025
  • Accept Date 09 October 2025
  • Publish Date 21 March 2026