The tafsir of al-Qurtubi is perhaps one of the most compendious of them all and is certainly among the most famous. As its title, al-Jami’ li Ahkam al-Qur'an - The General Judgments of the Qur'an, suggests, its main focus is on the rulings and judgments to be found in the Qur'an. However, in the course of doing that, al-Qurtubi examines all the relevant sciences necessary, such as the hadith pertaining to the ayahs, events in the sirah, what the Companions, their Followers and other noted people of knowledge said about the ayahs, essential aspects of Arabic etymology, syntax and usage, copiously illustrated by examples, and much more.

In this volume, the author continues through the second juz’(two hizbs) of Surat al-Baqarah, stopping to examine ahkam/judgments in greater detail including the changing of the qiblah, hajj, retaliation, fasting, wills and bequests, menstruation, marriage and divorce, fighting in the Way of Allah, Talut and Jalut, and lending Allah a generous loan, a list, however, which hardly does justice to the range of subject matter and depth of treatment of this extraordinary work.