Science of explanation and interpretation of the
It arose after the death of Muhammad to deal with ambiguity, variant readings, defective texts, and apparent contradictions in the scripture. Starting from mere personal speculation, tafsīr developed into a system of systematic exegesis of the Qurʾān's text, proceeding verse by verse and sometimes word by word. Early efforts relied on the {{link=Hadith">Hadīth , later giving rise to a more dogmatic type of tafsīr . The most comprehensive work was compiled by the scholar al- Tabarī . Some Muslim modernists have employed tafsīr as a vehicle for reformist ideas.