Shia view of the Quran

Last updated

The Shia view of the Qur'an differs from the Sunni view, but the majority of both groups believe that the text is identical. While some Shia disputed the canonical validity of the Uthmanic codex, [1] the Shia Imams always rejected the idea of alteration of Qur'an's text. Only seven Shia scholars have believed in omissions in the Uthmanic codex. [2]

Contents

History

The Shī‘ah use the same Qur'an as Sunni Muslims, however they do not believe that it was first compiled by Uthman ibn Affan. [3] The Shī‘ah believe that the Qur'an was gathered and compiled by Muhammad during his lifetime. [4] [5] [6] This completed version of the Qur'an was kept next to the pulpit of Muhammad within the Mosque of Madinah, where scholars would come to transcribe more copies. [3] Furthermore, Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei believed that Ali possessed a Quran (Tafseer) of his own, which included the divinely revealed commentary of the Quran. [7]

However, Shia have been accused since at least the 10th century by anti-Shia Sunni Muslims of espousing a theory that the contemporary Quran differs from what was revealed to Muhammad because it was (allegedly) edited to remove mention of the importance of Ali — the Shia icon and first Shia Imam. The idea that the Quran was distorted is regarded by these Sunnis as one of the most blatant examples of Shia "heresy". [8] (An example of a denunciation of tabdil — the belief that the Quran was altered — can be found in the work of the 11th century Muslim scholar Ibn Hazm replying to Christian debating point "that the Rawafid [a derogatory name for Shia] maintain that the Companions of your Prophet altered the Koran by way of omissions and additions".) [9]

According to the western Islamic scholar Etan Kohlberg, Twelver Shia did at one time believe in the distortion of the Quran — and it was common among Shia during the early Islamic centuries, [10] but waned during the era of the Būyid Amirs (934–1062).[ citation needed ] Kohlberg claims that Ibn Babawayh was the first major Twelver author "to adopt a position identical to that of the Sunnis". [11] This change in belief was primarily a result of the Shia "rise to power at the centre of the Sunni 'Abbasid caliphate," whence belief in the corruption of the Quran became untenable vis-a-vis the position of Sunni “orthodoxy”. [12] Among other reasons, the distortion was alleged to have been carried out to remove any references to the rights of Ali and the Imams, [13] the approval of their supporters and the disapproval of their enemies, such as specific Umayyads and Abbasids. [14] According to William St. Clair Tisdall, if such content had existed in the Quran then "Of course the Sunnite Khalifahs had very great reason to endeavour to suppress any such passages". [15]

Shia scholars who supported existence of Qur'anic distortion

Some Shia scholars who supported the view that the Qur'anic text had been distorted were:

Many other Shia scholars have held ambiguous attitudes towards corruption of the Quran, such as Muhammad Baqir Majlisi (d. 1698), Mulla Ahmad Naraqi (d. 1829), Morteza Ansari (d. 1864), Mohammad-Kazem Khorasani (d. 1911) and Ruhollah Khomeini (d. 1989). [19]

Tafsīr and Additional Chapters

The Shī‘ah tafsīr on several verses are different from the traditional Sunni view either through a totally different interpretation or by giving the same interpretation, but giving that interpretation a larger impact on their jurisprudence. Shia also tend to interpret the Quran more allegorically (Batin) and less literally than Sunnis. [20] For example, Shia writers, including Ali Ibn Ibrahim Qomi, usually allegorically interpret the term Bani Isra'il (sons/tribe of Israel) as a code word for the Ahlul Bayt. [21]

William St. Clair Tisdall, among other western scholars, [22] has published on the account of differences in content of a Shi'ite version of the Quran. [23]

33:33

Hadith of The Cloak

4:24

4:24, or an-Nisa, 24, also called as "the verse of Mut‘ah", is the Qur'anic verse that some Shī'ites use to prove the legality of temporary marriages (Arabic : Nikah Mut'ah ).

Sūrat al-wilāya

Sūrat al-nūrayn

Sura of Lights.

Misconceptions

There are some common disputed misconceptions and accusations about the Shī‘ah regarding their beliefs.

While Sunnis and the Shī‘ah accept the same text of the Qur'an, some, such as Muhibb-ud-Deen Al-Khatib,[ citation needed ] claim that Shī‘ah dispute the current version, including that they add two additional sūratayn , an-Nūrayn and al-Wilāya. [24] This accusation of tahrīf "tampering" is antithetical to scholars and is considered polemical. [25] [26]

Shī‘ah Muslims consider the accusation that they are using a different Qur'an as one of the misconceptions about the Shi'a. The Shī‘ah recite the Qur'an according to the Qira’t of Hafs on authority of ‘Asim, which is the prevalent Qira’t in the Islamic world. [27]

The issue of Tahreef [tampering] has been a matter of disagreement between many classical Shia scholars. It has been mentioned that the likes of Muhammad Baqir Majlisi (author of Bihar al-Anwar), Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (author of Kitab al-Kafi), Ni'matullah Al Jazaa'iri (author of Anwar Al Nu'maniyyah, d. 1701 [28] ) and Al Ayyaashi (author of Tafsir Ayyashi) among others were of the view that the present Qur'an is not the same as was revealed to Muhammad ibn Abdullah and omission/corruption has taken place. Overall, it is claimed that the Shia have more than 1,000 hadiths ascribed to the Shia Imams which indicate the distortion of the Quran. [29]

According to Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, the difference of opinion among the scholars and jurists was as follows:

No one from the people claimed…’: meaning, those other than the Imāms (as). What is meant by ‘the entire Qur’ān’ is all its words and letters, and what is meant by ‘as it was revealed’ is its arrangement, declensions, vowellike and vowelless diacritics, and the length of verses and chapters.

This is a refutation of the faction that claims that the Qur’ān is what is in the known copies and as read by the reciters of the seven variant readings and their likes.

Our associates differed concerning that; al-Şadūq ibn Bābawayh and a group opined that the Qur’ān did not alter from how it was revealed and nothing was deleted from it, while al-Kulaynī and al-Shaykh al-Mufīd—may Allāh sanctify both of their souls!—and a group opined that the whole Qur’ān is with the Imāms and what is in the copies is some of it. And the Commander of the Believers [`Alī] (as) compiled it as it was revealed after the Messenger, and went out to the hypocritical Companions, but they did not accept it from him and rather approached its compilation during the reigns of `Umar and `Uthmān, as it will soon be detailed in Kitāb al-Qur’ān. [30]

Some accused Shī‘ah of alleging that Fatimah had her own Mus'haf (Qur'an), the Mushaf of Fatimah, which was allegedly three times larger than the current Qur'an. Again, Shī‘ahs reject this as a misrepresentation of facts aimed at discrediting them. According to Momen Shiite Imams had certain books (including of Fatimah (Mashafe Fatimah) a book revealed by Gabriel to Fatimah to console her on the death of her father) in their possession, none of them were Quran. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq was a Shia Muslim scholar, jurist, and theologian, and the sixth imam of the Twelver and Isma'ili branches of Shia Islam. Known by the title al-Sadiq, Ja'far was the founder of the Ja'fari school of Islamic jurisprudence. The hadith recorded from al-Sadiq and his predecessor, Muhammad al-Baqir, are said to be more numerous than all the hadith preserved from the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the other Shia imams combined. Among other theological contributions, he elaborated the doctrine of nass and isma, as well as that of taqiya.

In Shia Islam, the Imamah is a doctrine which asserts that certain individuals from the lineage of the Islamic prophet Muhammad are to be accepted as leaders and guides of the ummah after the death of Muhammad. Imamah further says that Imams possess divine knowledge and authority (Ismah) as well as being part of the Ahl al-Bayt, the family of Muhammad. These Imams have the role of providing commentary and interpretation of the Quran as well as guidance.

Zayd ibn ʿAlī, also spelled Zaid, was the son of Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, and great-grandson of Ali ibn Abi Talib. He led an unsuccessful revolt against the Umayyad Caliphate, in which he died. The event gave rise to the Zaydiyya sect of Shia Islam, which holds him as the next Imam after his father Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin. Zayd ibn Ali is also seen as a major religious figure by many Sunnis and was supported by the prominent Sunni jurist, Abu Hanifa, who issued a fatwa in support of Zayd against the Umayyads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad al-Baqir</span> Fifth of the Twelve Shia Imams

Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir was the fifth imam in Shia Islam, succeeding his father, Zayn al-Abidin, and succeeded by his son, Ja'far al-Sadiq. His mother, Fatima Umm Abd Allah, was the daughter of Hasan, making al-Baqir the first Imam who descended from both grandsons of Muhammad, namely, Hasan and Husayn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad al-Mahdi</span> Twelfth and last of the Twelve Shia Imams

Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Mahdi is believed by the Twelver Shia to be the last of the Twelve Imams and the eschatological Mahdi, who will emerge in the end of time to establish peace and justice and redeem Islam.

Ḥafṣah bint ʿUmar, was the fourth wife of Muhammad and daughter of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, the second caliph of Islam. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers".

The term Rafida is a derogatory nickname used by Sunni Muslims to describe the majority of Shia Muslims, that is, those of them who 'reject' the legitimacy of the early Muslim caliphs in favor of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Rooted in early Islamic history, the term Rafida is still used in Sunni polemics against Shi'ism. The charge that Shias have rejected the Truth is frequently cited by Sunni extremists to justify their acts of violence against the Shia community. This nickname has been reinterpreted favorably by some Shia scholars to signify Shias' rejection of their oppressive Sunni rulers.

The history of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, is the timeline and origin of the written compilations or manuscripts of the Quran, based on historical findings. It spans several centuries, and forms an important major part of the early history of Islam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatima</span> Daughter of Muhammad (c. 605–632)

Fatima bint Muhammad, commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra', was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun Caliphs and the first Shia Imam. Fatima's sons were Hasan and Husayn, the second and third Shia Imams, respectively. Fatima has been compared to Mary, mother of Jesus, especially in Shia Islam. Muhammad is said to have regarded her as the best of women and the dearest person to him. She is often viewed as an ultimate archetype for Muslim women and an example of compassion, generosity, and enduring suffering. It is through Fatima that Muhammad's family line has survived to this date. Her name and her epithets remain popular choices for Muslim girls.

Abu Sa'id Aban ibn Taghlib ibn Rubah al-Kindi was an outstanding jurist-traditionist and an associate of Muhammad al-Baqir, but also of Zayn al-Abidin and Ja'far al-Sadiq. Al-Baqir is reported to have praised Aban as, "Sit in the mosque of Kufa and give legal judgment to the people. Indeed I would like to see among my Shia, people like you." He was one of the great reciters and recited the Qur'an in a special way that was famous among reciters. ShaykhTusi quoted Muhammad bin Musa bin Abi Maryam Sahib al-Lula'u as saying that he was the most prominent person of his time in this art. In addition to Quran and Hadith, Aban was also an expert in all sciences of jurisprudence, literature, vocabulary and syntax. According to TusiJafarSadiq, he once appointed him for a literary debate with the claimant.Shia scholars have considered him to be Thiqa, and scholars of Sunni scholars such as Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Yahya Ibn Moin, Abu Hatim and Nasa'i have confirmed his trustworthiness. He is considered one of the frequently quoted jurists of Ja'far's period, When he died al-Sadiq is reported to have said, "I would love to have my Shi'a like Aban b. Taghlib," and "his death grieved my heart." Aban's name appears in a good number of traditions, mostly of a practical nature. The Sheikhs of Hadith of Aban except for the 3 mentioned imams and Anas bin Malik are as follows: Sulayman b. Mihran al-A'mash, Muhammad Ibn Mankader, Simāk bin Kharasha, Ibrahim bin al-Ashtar, Abu Basir al-Asadi, Aasim bin Abi al-Najud, Abu Amr Ishaq ibn Mirar al-Shaybani, Minhal b. Amr al-Asadi, Hakem Ibn Utaiba, Abu Ishaq Amr Ibn Abd Allah Sabiei, Fuzil Ibn Amr Fuqaimi., Jahm bin UthmanMadani, Udi bin Thabit, Talha bin Masraf, Atiyya b. Sa'd b. Junada al-Awfi, IkrimahMoli Ibn Abbas and Umar bin ZarHamdani.

Twelver Shīʿism, also known as Imāmiyya, is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term Twelver refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams, and their belief that the last Imam, Imam al-Mahdi, lives in Occultation and will reappear as the promised Mahdi.

Criticism of Twelver Shia Islam dates from the initial ideological rift among early Muslims that led to the two primary denominations of Islam, the Sunnis and the Shias. The question of succession to Muhammad in Islam, the nature of the Imamate, the status of the twelfth Shia Imam, and other areas in which Shia Islam differs from Sunni Islam have been criticized by Sunni scholars, even though there is no disagreement between the two sects regarding the centrality of the Quran, Muhammad, and many other doctrinal, theological and ritual matters. Shia commentators such as Musa al-Musawi and Ali Shariati have themselves, in their attempts to reform the faith, criticized practices and beliefs which have become prevalent in the Twelver Shia community.

Tafsir Ayyashi is an Imami Shia exegesis of the Quran, written by Mohammad ibn Masoud Ayyashi also known as al-ʿAyyashi.

Tafsir Furat Kufi is an exegesis of the Quran by Furat Ibn Furat Ibn Ibrahim al-Kufi and is one of the oldest Shia Quranic commentaries, basing itself upon hadith. The traditions used by this book are mainly narrated either from Muhammad al-Baqir, Jafar al-Sadiq or Ali's disciples such as `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Asbagh Ibn Nubata; although there are some that relate to one of the companions of Muhammad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mushaf of Ali</span> Codex of the Quran

The Mushaf of Ali is a codex of the Quran that was collected by one of its first scribes, Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Ali is also recognized as the fourth Rashidun caliph and the first Shia imam. By some Shia accounts, the codex of Ali was rejected for official use after the death of Muhammad in 632 CE for political reasons. Some early Shia traditions also suggest differences with the official Uthmanid codex, though currently, the prevalent Shia view is that the recension of Ali matched the Uthmanid codex, save for the order of its content. The Twelver Shia believe that the codex of Ali is now in the possession of their last imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who would reveal the codex when he reappears at the end of time to eradicate injustice and evil.

Verse of <i>walaya</i> Quranic verse with contested meanings

The verse of walaya is verse 5:55 of the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. This verse specifies three authorities as the only sources of walaya for Muslims. In Sunni Islam, walaya in this context signifies 'friendship' or 'support', whereas Shia Muslims interpret it as 'spiritual authority' because of its exclusivity.

The verse ofikmal al-din or the verse ofikmal refers to verse 5:3 of the Quran, the central religious text in Islam. Included in this verse is the passage,

This day those who disbelieve have despaired of your religion. So fear them not, but fear Me! This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My blessing upon you, and have approved for you as religion, submission [to God].

Canonized Islamic scripture are texts which Muslims believe were revealed by God through various prophets throughout humanity's history—specifically the Quran and Hadith. Muslims believe the Quran to be the final revelation of God to mankind, and a completion and confirmation of previous scriptures. It was believed to have been revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad from 620 CE to 632 CE, and canonized in an official, unified text during the caliphate of Rashidun Uthman, around 650 CE.

Verse of <i>tabligh</i> Arabic Islamic Word

The verse oftablīgh refers to verse of 5:67 of the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, which reads

O Messenger! Convey that which has been sent down unto thee from thy Lord, and if thou dost not, thou wilt not have conveyed His message. And God will protect thee from mankind. Surely God guides not disbelieving people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali in hadith literature</span>

Ali in hadith literature collects some of the statements about Ali ibn Abi Tlib, attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, also recognized as the fourth Rashidun caliph in Sunni Islam and the first imam in Shia Islam. The two men enjoyed a close relationship, for Ali was raised in Muhammad's household as a child and a young Ali later played a pivotal role in the formative years of Islam. The most controversial such prophetic saying (hadith) was delivered at the Ghadir Khumm in 632 CE and gave Ali the same spiritual authority as Muhammad, according to the Shia.

References

  1. ↑ "Shīʿism and the Qurʾān". Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an . Leiden: Brill Publishers. 2004.
  2. ↑ Modarressi, Hossein (1993). "Early Debates on the Integrity of the Qur'ān: A Brief Survey". Studia Islamica (77): 5–39. doi:10.2307/1595789. JSTOR   1595789.
  3. 1 2 Shirazi, Muhammad (2004). The Qur'an made simple. Vol. 10. London,UK: Fountain Books. pp. xxiv.
  4. ↑ Shirazi, Muhammad (2001). The Qur'an - When was it compiled?. London,UK: Fountain Books. pp. 5, 7.
  5. ↑ Shirazi, Muhammad (2004). The Qur'an made simple. Vol. 10. London,UK: Fountain Books. pp. xxi, xxiv, xxv.
  6. ↑ Shirazi, Muhammad (2008). The Shi'a and their Beliefs. London,UK: Fountain Books. p. 29.
  7. ↑ Brunner, Rainer; Ende, Werner, eds. (1 January 2001). The Twelver Shia in Modern Times: Religious Culture and Political History (illustrated ed.). BRILL. p. 187. ISBN   9789004118034.
  8. ↑ Kohlberg & Amir-Moezzi 2009, p.24
  9. ↑ Israel Friedlaender (1908). "The Heterodoxies of the Shiites in the Presentation of Ibn Hazm" (PDF). Journal of the American Oriental Society. American Oriental Society. 29: 61–2. Retrieved 11 April 2015. As for their argument regarding the Rawafid and their contention that the Koran readings were interpolated, the Rawafid do not belong to the Muslims. They consist of a number of sects, the first of which arose twenty-five years after the Prophet's death. It was originally the response of some people abandoned by Allah to the call of those who beguiled Islam, a party which followed the course of the Jews and Christians as regards falsehood and heresy. They are divided into various sections. The most extravagant of them assume the divinity of Ali b. Abi Talib and of a number of people besides him. The least extravagant of them believe that the sun was twice turned backwards for Ali.' How can one be indignant over lies coming from people whose lowest rank in lying is such (as described)?" He then proceeds elaborately to refute this charge. He cleverly beats the Rawafid with their own weapons by pointing to the fact that Ali himself, "who according to most of them is a god, a creator, and, according to some of them, a prophet endowed with speech, while in the opinion of the rest he is an infallible Imam, the obedience to whom is a religious command imposed by Law," did not object to the Koran in its present shape and, while Caliph, did not fight the interpolators, which would have been his sacred duty. "Thus the mendacity of the Rawafid becomes evident, and praise be unto Allah, the Lord of (all) Created Beings!" A brief reference to the same subject is contained Ed. IV, 14615: "unless the Rawafid fall back on ignoring the Quran and (assuming) omissions and additions in it. This is something whereby becomes evident their impudence, ignorance and stupidity.
  10. ↑ Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Sayyari (2009). Kohlberg, Etan; Amir-Moezzi, Mohammad Ali (eds.). "Revelation and Falsification: The Kitab al-qira'at of Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Sayyari: Critical Edition with an Introduction and Notes by Etan Kohlberg and Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi". Texts and Studies on the Qurʼān. BRILL. 4: vii. ISSN   1567-2808.
  11. 1 2 Kohlberg & Amir-Moezzi 2009, p.27
  12. ↑ Kohlberg & Amir-Moezzi 2009, p.26
  13. 1 2 Kohlberg & Amir-Moezzi 2009, p.vii
  14. ↑ Kohlberg & Amir-Moezzi 2009, pp.20, 24
  15. ↑ William St. Clair Tisdall (1913). Zwemer, Samuel Marinus (ed.). "Shi'ah Additions To The Koran" (PDF). The Moslem World. 3 (3): 229.
  16. 1 2 Abdolkarim Soroush (2009). The Expansion of Prophetic Experience: Essays on Historicity, Contingency and Plurality in Religion. BRILL. p. 145. ISBN   9789047424369.
  17. ↑ Robert Gleave (2000). Inevitable Doubt: Two Theories of Shīʻī Jurisprudence. BRILL. pp. 64–5. ISBN   9789004115958.
  18. ↑ Rainer Brünner (2004). Islamic Ecumenism In The 20th Century: The Azhar And Shiism Between Rapprochement And Restraint (revised ed.). BRILL. p.  336. ISBN   9789004125483. The Sunni reproach that the Shiites believe in another, i.e. falsified, Koran was already encountered in the heresiographic literature of the twentieth century and was emphatically denied by the Shia, whereas the Shiite defenders of a tahrif theory such as al-Tabrisi or his student Agha Bozorg al-Tehrani always remained in the minority.
  19. ↑ Kohlberg & Amir-Moezzi 2009, pp.28–9
  20. ↑ Diane Morgan (2010). Essential Islam: A Comprehensive Guide to Belief and Practice . ABC-CLIO. p.  34. ISBN   9780313360251.
  21. ↑ David Cook (2008). Contemporary Muslim Apocalyptic Literature (reprint ed.). Syracuse University Press. pp. 103–5. ISBN   9780815631958.
  22. ↑ Nöldeke, Theodor (2013). The History of the Qurʾān: By Theodor Nöldeke. Leiden - Boston: Brill. ISBN   978-90-04-21234-3.
  23. ↑ "William St. Clair Tisdall, Shi'ah Additions To The Koran, In: The Moslem World, Vol. III, No. 3, July, 1913, pp. 227-241" (PDF). Muhammadanism.
  24. ↑ "Shi'i Qur'an". bahai-library.com.
  25. ↑ "al-shia.com". www.al-shia.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2003.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  26. ↑ "al-shia.com". www.al-shia.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2003.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. ↑ "Noorullah Website - Is the Qur'an Corrupted? Shi'ites View". 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009.
  28. ↑ Sajjad H. Rizvi (2010). "Sayyid Niʿmat Allāh al-Jazāʾirī and his Anthologies: Anti-Sufism, Shiʿism and Jokes in the Safavid World". Die Welt des Islams. BRILL. 50: 224–242. doi:10.1163/157006010x514497 . Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  29. ↑ HADDADIAN ABDORREZA; MOADDAB SEYYED REZA. "A STUDY ON TRADITIONS OF DISTORTION IN AYYASHI EXEGESIS". Hadith Studies. 4 (8): 141–166.
  30. ↑ "مرآة العقول في شرح أخبار آل الرسول، ج3، ص: 1". gadir.free.fr.
  31. ↑ Momen, Moojan (1985). An Introduction to Shi'i Islam. Yale University Press. pp. 39, 183. ISBN   978-0-300-03531-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.