Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
Abstract
The verse “یَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْهُ” is among those passages that, throughout the history of Qurʾānic exegesis, have been the locus of disagreement and scholarly debate among commentators of the two traditions. In particular, determining the intended meaning of “shāhid”, especially in relation to the status of Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (ʿa), has attracted serious attention from scholars of both schools. Employing a descriptive–analytical method, this study examines the interpretive positions of Shīʿī and Sunni exegetes regarding the concept and referent(s) of “shāhid.” It seeks to answer the following question: how do commentators of the two schools differ, and where do they converge, in their explanation of this key term? The findings indicate that Sunni exegetes identify “shāhid” with various referents, such as the Messenger of God (ṣ), Jibrīl (ʿAmīn), and the Qurʾān itself; at the same time, some of them among other possibilities have also admitted the potential linkage of the verse to the virtue of Imam ʿAlī (ʿa), without explicitly rejecting or denying that possibility. By contrast, Shīʿī report-based exegetes, by appealing to abundant narrations and multiple exegetical evidences, have unambiguously identified “shāhid” with Amīr al-Muʾminīn ʿAlī (ʿa) and interpreted the verse as conveying a statement of the virtue and affirmation of his position as Imām. The study’s final analysis concludes that, on the basis of the available report-based data, the verse’s internal contextual flow (siyāq), and the coherence of the interpretation, applying “shāhid” to Imam ʿAlī (ʿa) possesses greater scholarly strength. Accordingly, the Shīʿī interpretation within the framework of the evidence from transmitted reports can be assessed as more defensible and closer to the scriptural narrations.
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razaghiharekandehe,H . (2025). Examining the Rāwiy (Prophetic) Exegesis of the Two Communities Concerning the Verse یَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْهُ. Ala’ Al-Rahman Exegetic Studies, 3(11), 7-25.
MLA
razaghiharekandehe,H . "Examining the Rāwiy (Prophetic) Exegesis of the Two Communities Concerning the Verse یَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْهُ", Ala’ Al-Rahman Exegetic Studies, 3, 11, 2025, 7-25.
HARVARD
razaghiharekandehe H. (2025). 'Examining the Rāwiy (Prophetic) Exegesis of the Two Communities Concerning the Verse یَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْهُ', Ala’ Al-Rahman Exegetic Studies, 3(11), pp. 7-25.
CHICAGO
H razaghiharekandehe, "Examining the Rāwiy (Prophetic) Exegesis of the Two Communities Concerning the Verse یَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْهُ," Ala’ Al-Rahman Exegetic Studies, 3 11 (2025): 7-25,
VANCOUVER
razaghiharekandehe H. Examining the Rāwiy (Prophetic) Exegesis of the Two Communities Concerning the Verse یَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْهُ. Ala’ Al-Rahman Exegetic Studies. 2025;3(11):7-25 (In Persian).