Jurist/Theologian/Quranic Commentator/Historian
Nāṣīr al-Dīn ʿAbd-Allāh ibn ʿUmar Bayżavī was born at Bayża, north of Shiraz, to a family of jurists. In 680/1281, he attained the position of chief qāżī of Shiraz, but it is unclear how long he held that position. Bayżavī’s broad interests and wide-range of knowledge are exemplified by the different types of works he wrote, which include: jurisprudence, grammar, logic, Quranic commentary and history. The most famous of Bayżavī’s works is certainly his commentary on the Qur’an entitled
Anwār al-tanzīl wa asrār al-ta’wīl. The exact date of Bayżavī’s death is unclear, however, the following dates have emerged as the most likely: 684/1285-6, 685/1286-7, 691-2/1292-3, 708/1308-09, after 710/1310-11, or in 716/1316-17.