Students from all sides of the worlds came to it seeking knowledge.

Students from all sides of the worlds came to it seeking knowledge. (Augustan Le Bon) says, ‘Scientists, artists and men of literature from all nations and countries; Greeks, Persians, Copts and others came to Baghdad and made it the center of culture in the world.’ Abul Faraj al-Isfahani said that al-Ma’moon was often alone with philosophers.

He liked their company and felt pleased with their discussions though he knew that people of knowledge were the choice of Allah from among His creatures and the elite of His people.[^5] Prevailing Sciences 1. Sciences Of The Qur’an From among the sciences of the Qur’an, there are: A. Recitation This branch of knowledge studies the recitation of the Qur'an. It has been found in seven ways and each way is ascribed to a reciter.

From the famous reciters in the Abbasid age were Yahya bin al-Harith ath- Thimari (d.154 AH), Hamza bin Habib az-Zayyat (d.156 AH), Abu Abdurrahman al-Muqri (d. 213 AH) and Khalaf bin Hisham al- Bazzaz (d. 229 AH).[^6] B. Tafsir (interpretation) It is the interpretation of the Holy Qur'an and explaining its meanings. The commentators of the Holy Qur'an had two ways in their interpretations.

The first is the interpretation due to the transmitted sayings of the Prophet (a.s) and the infallible imams. This is the way that has been followed by most of the Shia commentators like in Tafsir al-Qummi, Tafsir al-Askari and Tafsir al-Burhan. Their evidence on that is that the infallible imams were singled out with the knowledge of the Qur'an as it was in its reality and fact.

Imam Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (a.s) says, ‘No one can claim that he has (the knowledge of) all the Qur'an; its esoteric and apparent knowledge except the guardians.’[^7] There are many evidences proving that we must refer to the infallible imams in interpreting the Qur'an.

Sheikh at-Toossi says, ‘Interpreting the Qur'an is not possible except by relying on the true traditions of the Prophet (a.s) and the infallible imams whose sayings are evidence like the Prophet’s.’[^8] The second is the interpretation due to opinion that is to rely on the reasonable accounts related to approval.

The interpreters of the Mu’tazilites and other sects have followed this kind of interpretation and did not pay any attention to the sayings of the infallible imams concerning the interpretation of the Qur'an. They depended in their interpretations on that which they approved reasonably.