Is Ibn Kathir's Tafsir an abridgment of al-Tabari's Tafsir?

The questioner:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner asks: Is Ibn Kathir's Tafsir considered an abridgment of al-Tabari's Tafsir? And what are the best abridgments of both?

The Shaykh:
Ibn Kathir did not say this. He did not say that he abridged it from Ibn Jarir al-Tabari's Tafsir. Although he follows his methodology in interpreting the Qur'an by the Qur'an, then by the Sunnah, then by the sayings of the Companions, and then by the sayings of the Successors, he stated that his work is an abridgment of Ibn Kathir's, or rather Ibn Jarir's. He only quotes from Ibn Jarir and from other Tafsir books. So Ibn Jarir is considered one of the sources he quotes from, may Allah have mercy on him.

The questioner:
He asks: And what are the best abridgments of both?

The Shaykh:
We do not know of any old abridgments for them. As for the new abridgments of Ibn Kathir, they are not accurate. They are not accurate because those who abridged them did not grasp Ibn Kathir's methodology and approach. Yes.