Al-Tabari

The commentary by Al-Tabari is set up in a very different manner from Qutb's In the Shade of the Qur'an. Al-Tabari's commentary was harder for me to follow, which probably makes sense from the time period it was written from, as I assume that Qutb's commentary is more modern. Qutb's commentary also separates the Arabic from his writing, which was probably a decision made by the translator to make it more acceptable for english speaking readers.

I thought it was interesting that the commentary by Al-Tabari included numerous opinions and interpretations, which differed from Qutb's rigid interpretation of the Sura's importance and meanings. Qutb's commentary does echo a more fundamentalist look at the Quranic verses, as there is really no room for multiple interpretations and opinions. However, the commentaries are similar in that they both take short verses, and have lengthy interpretations of the meanings and importance.