Document Type : Academicm and Research
Author
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Quranic Sciences of Malayer, Ulum-i Quran va Maaref-i Quran-i Karim University, Qom, Iran. Email: h.noruzi@quran.ac.ir
Abstract
Highlights
The Instances of the Promised Nation in the Vicegerency Verse with a Critical Approach to Fakhr Razi *
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Quranic Sciences of Malayer, Ulum-i Quran va Maaref-i Quran-i Karim University, Qom, Iran. Email: h.noruzi@quran.ac.ir
The religion of Islam, as the last and most complete heavenly religion, has described the future of human beings very clearly in the form of the Mahdism thought. Based on the teachings of the Quran, the final and global governance belongs to the righteous and oppressed and a person from the progeny of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) will establish security, servitude to God, and extensive universal justice at the head of the promised people and with divine help and efficient management. Even though belief in the vicegerency of the promised people is accepted in all Islamic denominations and sects; however, there are differences in opinion regarding the instances, place and time, and how the promises in the verse will be realized. The main issue of this study is comparatively studying the Shiite and Sunni views regarding the promised people with emphasis on the views of Fakhr Razi. Fakhr Razi, like many Sunni scholars, believes that the content of the verse was realized in the time of the companions of the Prophet and the verse denotes the caliphate and imamate of the four imams – Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali (peace be upon him) – and the promised people refers to the companions of the Prophet; however, considering the chaotic political and social situation of the time of Imam Ali, he denies that the verse denotes the Imam. Based on the semantic denotation of keywords, the cause of revelation, the contents of verses and narrations, and the definitive history of the Shiites and Sunnis, it is clear that the vicegerency verse refers to the time of the reappearance and governance of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance)..
Keywords: vicegerency verse, verse 55 of the al-Nur Chapter, Fakhr Razi, the promised people s
In numerous verses including the vicegerency verse, the Quran promises the coming of a time when the oppressed and righteous believers will inherit the earth by triumphing over the disbelievers and polytheists and establish a just government at the huge global scope with divine help, Islam will prevail over all religion and global security, sincere servitude to God, and ease will be created in the lives of people. One of the verses that makes an important promise to the righteous servants is the vicegerency verse. In many narrative and historical Shia and Sunni sources, it has been reported that when the Muslims migrated to Madinah, different tribes rebelled against them. The Muslims faced many threats, had an insecure life, were always in a state of military alertness, and had their weapons with them day and night. In this unsafe intellectual, social, and security environment, the vicegerency verse [al-Nur: 55] was revealed and it gave glad tidings that victory will be achieved:
Allah has promised those of you who have faith and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the earth, just as He made those who were before them successors, and He will surely establish for them their religion which He has approved for them, and that He will surely change their state to security after their fear, while they worship Me, not ascribing any partners to Me. Whoever is ungrateful after that—it is they who are the transgressors.[1]
Like some other Sunni exegetes, Fakhr Razi believes that the promised people applies to the Rashidin Caliphs (the first four caliphs after the Prophet) because they conquered great lands, spread the divine religion, and established the security of the Islamic society. Many Shia and Sunni exegetes, such as Tabarsi and Tabatabai, consider that the promised people applies to righteous believers and some exegetes believe it applies to the Prophet and the Ahlubayt while some believe it applies to the Prophet and the companions.
Fakhr Razi and most of the Sunni exegetes believe that the certain extent of the address of the verse extends to the companions. In determining the referent of the promised people and the realization of the promises of the verse, Fakhr Razi applies its meaning to the imamate of the four imams and writes: the verse denotes the imamate of the four caliphs and at the same time, it does not include the Imamate of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) due to the chaotic social and political situation of that time.
Fakhr Razi’s view and that of many of the Sunnis in applying the contents of the verse to the period of the caliphate of the four caliphs is rejected for many reasons.
The verse of vicegerency is actually an answer to an implied question as if it had been said in light of previous verses: what rewards are there for one who obeys God and the Prophet? Or what has been considered for those who possess true faith? And in reply it was stated: God has given them the promise of vicegerency on earth and there is no contradiction in God’s promises. Even though Fakhr Razi has criticized the actions of some of the Rashidin Caliphs in terms of the mentioned obedience in the Quran, he applies the meaning of the verse of vicegerency to the period of the caliphs!
In the phrase “just as He made those who were before them successors” the comparison of the vicegerency of the believers and the righteous of the nation of the Prophet to that of past people shows that the topic of successorship is a continuous process as a divine custom. Fakhr Razi and some others have said: the “people of the past” refers to past prophets such as David and Solomon.
However, according to the verse, first, divine vicegerency is a divine custom that was also present among previous people. Second, the vicegerency in the verse is a glad news for the nation and refers to a specific vicegerency. Third, the meaning of the internal and external context of the verse refutes Fakhr Razi’s view. Fourth, the undetermined specific referent from the previous nations itself conveys the absoluteness and extent of divine vicegerency.
The phrase “and that He will surely change their state to security after their fear” indicates the lifting of fear and changing that to absolute security and the exegetes and hadith experts do not share the same analyses regarding how fear changes to security. Fakhr Razi’s view regarding the verse of vicegerency is incomplete because according to indisputable historical reports even in the Sunni sources there were many deviations such as apostasy, despotism, injustice, insecurity, oppression, etc. in all the periods of governance of the caliphs. The verse of vicegerency speaks of a monotheistic society in which religiosity, seeking justice, lifting of oppression and discrimination, and security is global and in which sincere monotheism unmixed with polytheism prevails and, undoubtedly, at the head of its governance is the proof of God and the Infallible Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) according to verses and narrations.
It seems that Fakhr Razi’s view relies on the circumstances of revelation whereas, first, the circumstance of revelation conveys the insecurity and fear of the believers of that time and following which the verse was revealed. Second, the circumstance of revelation does not limit instances, and assuming the relative acceptance of the contents of the verse compared to the time of the Companions, it does not mean that the contents of the verse are limited to that time. Third, the historical event that showed the cause of revelation of the verse of vicegerency increased the patience, perseverance, and spirit of hope in the future in the believers with its content; however, the complete example of the glad tidings of such a society will only be realized in the time of Imam Mahdi.
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* Received: 2023 Jul 27 | Received in revised from: 2023 Sep 07 | Accepted: 2023 Sep 19 | Published online: 2023 Dec 21
[1] Qarai translation
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا مِنکُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَیَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِی الْأَرْضِ کَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِینَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِینَهُمُ الَّذِی ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا یَعْبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشْرِکُونَ بِی شَیْئًا وَمَن کَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِکَ فَأُولَٰئِکَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ ﴿٥٥﴾
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