Israʼiliyyat

Israʼiliyyat (in Arabic: إسرائیلیات "Israelisms") is a sub-genre of tafsīr and Ḥadīth which supplements Quranic narratives. Isra'iliyyat may derive from Jewish, Christian or Zoroastrian sources. In the early years, Isra'iliyyat were widely accepted. Only by the time of Ibn Taimiyya and Ibn Kathir, the term Isra'iliyyat began to denote content considered dubious or as un-Islamic. In modern times, Turkish Quran commentators still allow for usage of Isra'iliyyat, while they are rejected by half of the Arab Quran commentators.

The Qaṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ usually contain the same materials, but avoided criticism of foreign import. Whether Qaṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ is a subdivision of Israiliyyat or the other way around, remains a scholarly debate.

Israiliyyat frequently appear in Qur'anic commentaries, Sufi narratives and Islamic literature. They are used to offer more detailed information regarding earlier prophets mentioned in the Bible and the Qur'an.