JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE TAFSIR STUDIES
Year:2018 | Volume:32 | Issue:2 (6) |Papers Count:12

Abul A'la Maududi is one of the most prominent and influential contemporary commentators in Indian Subcontinent. He is a reformist and combatant thinker whose most important work, "Tafhim Al-Quran (Understanding the Quran)", is considered a socialmodern exegesis translated into different languages. The position of the exegesis and proximity-oriented thought of its author multiplies the importance of studying his exegetic views, particularly those about the verses related to the virtues of Holy Prophet's household (peace be upon them). Using content analysis method, the present paper reviews these views and their differences with that of other Shia and Sunni commentators. The findings show Maududi has different approaches to these verses due to his religious biases, despite his proximity-oriented thought. His most important exegetic methods to treat and pass the verses related to the virtues of Holy Prophet's household are maintaining silence about some famous ones accepted by Shia and Sunni commentators, providing exegeses contrary to popular ones, and ostensive justification of some other verses. Although he criticizes and rejects some dogmatic Salafi views, he follows the Salafi way in treating the verses related to the virtues of Holy Prophet's household.

The present paper compares and analyzes Ayatollah Ma'refat and Ibn 'Ashour's exegetic views about the verse of Imamate (2:124). Ayatollah Ma'refat believes that "Imam" is an infallible guide who is superior to a prophet and messenger and must be obeyed in religious and worldly affairs. Ibn 'Ashour, however, believes that a messenger may commit minor sins. Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was seemingly a messenger before experiencing his trails, and his position as an Imam was different from that of a messenger, because hadiths define "messenger" as a person who communicated with descending angels when he was awake. Thus angels descended and brought good news about having a baby to Prophet Ibrahim when he was awake, indicating that he was a messenger before the trails. Moreover, it is contrary to the outward meaning of the verse to predicate the term "Imam" upon the meaning of "messenger", which lacks valid intellectual and transmitted frame of references and is a personal opinion. The generalization and application of the term "tyrants" cannot be limited to capital sins and idolatry without any valid frame of references and minor sins cannot be excluded from it. Accordingly, the verse means infallibility upon any tyranny and sin. Intellectually speaking, the belief that Imam or messenger may commit minor sins leads to people's distrust in them and violation of the aim of prophets' mission.

The phrase "those in authority" is only mentioned in the verses 59 and 83 of the Surah Al-Nisa' (The Women) and is terminologically disputed by Shia and Sunni scholars. Many great Shia scholars regard infallible Imams (peace be upon them) as the only referents of the phrase in the verse 59 and "infallibility" as the necessary condition of "those in authority", based on the context of the verse and several hadiths. The specification of the referent of the phrase in the verse 83 has divided Shias into two groups. One group infers the necessity of infallibility and regards the Holy Prophet's Household as the determinate referents, citing intra-textual proofs and several hadiths. Having a different conception of the context of the verse, the other does not limit the referents to infallible Imams, and holds that Imams are not the only referents of the phrase, citing some hadiths, which seems more plausible. Opposing Shia view about the verses, most Sunni scholars regard several other groups such as legitimate rulers, scientists, jurists, and people of Hall and Aqd (those whose opinions are what count) as the referents of the verses, citing some incomplete proofs which suffer from some shortcomings.

Several Quranic verses mention the vision and seeing God on the Resurrection. Corporealists and anthropomorphists regarded God as man having body, its parts and organs, and interpreted such phrases as "God's Face" and "God's Hand" mentioned in some Quranic verses as having outward meanings. On the contrary, Mu'tazilites and Imamiyyah believe that Essence of Creator has no body and dimension, and cannot be seen. The present paper reviews the concept of divine vision through comparing the views of two interpreters and theologians, i.e. Sheikh Tusi (b.460 AH), the author of Al-Tebyan Commentary and Abu Mansur Maturidi (b.333 AH), the founder of Maturidism and the author of "Ta'wilat Ahl-Al-Sunna (Sunni Esoteric Exegeses)". Like other Shia scholars and adhering to hadiths and infallible Imams' guidance, Sheikh Tusi did not accept divine vision, believed that divine vision, whether in the world or hereafter, negates monotheism, and provided some arguments for it. On the contrary, Maturidi appealed to some hadiths and outward meaning of some Quranic verses in terms of divine vision, accepted divine vision on resurrection day, and argued that believers will vision God on that day, although he believed in incorporeality of God in terms of monotheistic issues. No doubt, he did not specify the quality of such vision which is so-called without howness. He negated the perception and comprehension of God, not divine vision.

The phrase "I am about to place a viceroy in the earth" as a part of  the verse 30 in Surah Baqarah (The Cow) is regarded one of the most used and challenging phrases in the history of Islamic sciences. Commentators, theologians, mystics and philosophers have expressed different views about the identity of viceroy and the succeeded one. The present paper seeks to review and analyze these views in order to identify the correct ones. To this end, it provides a general review on the identity of viceroy and the succeeded one, enumerates and describes different proposed views comprehensively, and judges them based on the analysis of the context of relevant verse and hadiths. It first reviews the concept of the succeeded one and concludes from the analysis of the relevant verse and hadiths that the succeeded one mentioned in the verse is the Most High God. Then it examines possible probabilities and proves that the only accepted probability is that God's viceroy should have special referents and appointed by God.

The verses including divine providence and will have caused theological disputes due to their external differences. Ash'arite commentators regard these verses as proof of determination. One the contrary, Imamiyyah commentators believe that the extensiveness of divine providence and will does not negate free will. In his works, Ayatollah Ma'refat has scrutinized these verses. He regards the term "providence" mentioned in the Holy Quran as a special term resulted from divine wisdom, and interprets most of the verses related to divine providence and will accordingly. Alusi, an Ash'arite commentator, has also referred to divine wisdom and man's free will in his commentaries of most verses related to divine providence. Given their works, the present paper compares their views in order to find their similar and different views and approaches in this regard. It also compares their exegetic views in the dimensions of linguistics, theology, and exegetic method, and criticizes Alusi's views.

In recent years, some orientalists have conducted studies on Shialogy (Shia studies) and Shia hadith. The review of the process of these studies shows that they have different approaches in terms of method, attitude, and different dimensions of hadith-related issues, which show their attitudes towards different dimensions of Shia hadith-related issues. Some of these studies are about the Shia hadith resources, the review of which shows their different approaches, including publishing approach and correcting Shia hadith books, descriptive bibliography, methodological approach of hadith collections, and comparative studies approach. Using a descriptive-analytical method and searching many studies by orientalists on Shia hadith, the present paper reviews those related to Shia hadith resources, recognizes their approaches, and criticizes some of their view.

The exegeses written in the second century ('AH'), particularly Zayd Ibn Ali and Abdul Rahman Ibn Zayd's exegeses which are regarded important and "comprehensive", have distinct position. The present paper compares these two exegeses, using an analyticaldescriptive method. The results show that despite their authors' common exegetic methods and approaches, they have had a distinct method in using hadiths, intellectual views, the way of referring to the Quranic verses, and applying exegetic principles. Zayd Ibn Ali has greatly used a literary method, approach, and usages in his exegesis, while Abdul Rahman Ibn Zayd has particularly used the method of interpreting the Holy Quran by itself, and paid particular attention to Ayat Al-Ahkam (the verses of injunctions).

Both Sunni and Shia commentators have referred to the hadiths narrated by Holy Prophet's household (p.b.u.t) from the beginning of compiling exegetic sources. Sunni commentators have differently approached to these hadiths. Some of them have cited and criticized them extensively and fairly, while others have rarely referred to them and criticized them unfairly. The present paper seeks to show how Ibn Jawzi, the famous Sunni commentator in the sixth century ('AH'), have attended and approached to these hadiths. The results show that these hadiths have not a proper and considerable position in his exegesis, because he had not only referred to them in very few cases, but also has criticized them unfairly. Many hadiths attributed to Imam Ali and other Imams in his exegesis are regarded weak hadiths.

Islam commands all women, free or slave-girl, to observe sexual chastity. Sunni and Shia commentators, however, have provided different interpretations for the verse 59 of the Surah Al-Ahzab (The Allies) which is about the slave-girl's covering. One of these interpretations prohibits slave-girls from covering their bodies and commands free women to cover their bodies in order to be differentiated from slave-girls. Although most Sunni people accept such an interpretation, it faces some criticisms due to its contradiction with Quranic teachings about the prohibition of obliging to commit adultery, generality of the commands mentioned in verses related to hijab and badness of adultery, inconsistency in the texts of occasions of revelations and their contradiction with the philosophy of hijab. Furthermore, the application of such interpretation in the society caused social corruptions during the caliphate of the Second Caliph, undermining the obligation of hijab by some critics in modern times. Moreover, Shia scholars hold that Quranic and narrative evidence indicate the prohibition, permission and even obligation of slave-girl's covering. After all, Quranic, narrative, and intellectual analyses negate the view that slave-girl's covering should be differentiated from that of a free woman, and Shia hadiths are related to the praying of the slave-girl and the conditions of concealment.

Commentators and researchers of the Holy Quran have long studied infallibility as an important theological subject. The attribution of "sin and asking pardon of God" to the Holy Prophet of Islam which is mentioned in several verses of the Holy Quran is related to his infallibility. The present paper seeks to compare and criticize the views of Ayatollah Ma'refat, as a representative of Imamiyyah exegetic school, and Fakhr Razi, as a representative of Ash'arite exegetic school, in this regard. The findings show that Ayatollah Ma'refat argues for Holy Prophet's infallibility during all his life, and regards "sin" a social sin, and "asking pardon of God" by Holy Prophets as his need for growth, perfection, and enjoying divine help, while Fakhr Razi, in his analysis, relates infallibility of Holy Prophet to the time after his prophecy and sin to the time before it. The paper regards such cases as believers' sin, avoidance of the better deed, and permissible minor sin as the some possible answers.