Description, Explanation, and Comparative-Historical Critique of Literalist and Interpretive Readings of the “Majīʾ al-Rabb” Verses from a Phenomenological Perspective

توصیف، تبیین و نقد تطبیقی-تاریخی ظاهرگرایی و تأویل‌گرایی در آیات «مجئ ربّ» با نگاه پدیدارشناسانه
A Comparative-Historical Analysis and Critique of Literalist and Allegorical Interpretations of the "Coming of the Lord" Verses: A Phenomenological Approach
 
Ali Mehrdust¹; Jaʿfar Nekoonam²

PhD Candidate, Department of Qurʾanic Sciences and Ḥadīth, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Qom, Qom, Iran. Email: ali.mehrdust@gmail.com
Professor, Department of Qurʾanic Sciences and Ḥadīth, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Qom, Qom, Iran. Email: jnekoonam@gmail.com (Corresponding Author)

 
Abstract
The Qurʾanic verses concerning the Coming of the Lord (Majīʾ al-Rabb), particularly Qurʾan 2:210 and 89:22, have long constituted one of the principal focal points of debate in the history of Qurʾanic exegesis. At first glance, the expression "the Coming of the Lord" may suggest a corporeal, spatial, or anthropomorphic meaning. Such an understanding, however, is fundamentally incompatible with the Islamic doctrines of divine unity (Tawḥīd) and transcendence (Tanzīh), both of which categorically reject any corporeality with respect to the Divine Essence. Adopting a comparative-historical approach informed by phenomenology, this study examines the historical development of interpretations of these verses among literalist and allegorical exegetes. It seeks to demonstrate how lived experience, religious language, cultural context, and theological developments have shaped divergent interpretations of these expressions. The findings indicate that, during the earliest period, some Qurʾanic exegetes and transmitters of Ḥadīth understood the Majīʾ al-Rabb ("the Coming of the Lord") Verses within a concrete and imagistic framework, an understanding reflected in certain exegetical and narrational reports. From the subsequent centuries onward, however, with the maturation of theological and philosophical discourse, the dominant trend among Muslim exegetes shifted toward interpreting these verses as referring to the manifestation of the divine command, the disclosure of divine power, the coming of the angels, or the realization of the events of the Day of Resurrection. Literalists, relying on the understanding of the Qurʾan's earliest audience, the absence of explicit contextual evidence for figurative interpretation, and certain transmitted reports, maintained the apparent meaning of the verses. Allegorical exegetes, by contrast, invoked unequivocal (Muḥkam) Qurʾanic verses, rational principles, and the doctrine of divine transcendence to reject any corporeal interpretation. The study ultimately concludes that the earliest understanding of Majīʾ al-Rabb ("the Coming of the Lord") reflects the linguistic and cultural horizon of the Qurʾan's first audience rather than an affirmation of divine corporeality. Consequently, allegorical interpretation within the framework of Islamic monotheistic theology is both necessary and unavoidable.
Keywords: Majīʾ al-Rabb Verses; Literalism; Allegorical interpretation; Phenomenology; Divine transcendence; Qurʾanic exegesis
 
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The issue of Majīʾ al-Rabb ("the Coming of the Lord") has long occupied a central place in Qurʾanic studies and Islamic theology, giving rise to an enduring debate between two principal interpretive approaches: literalism and allegorical interpretation. At first glance, the expressions wa-jāʾa rabbuka ("and your Lord comes") and yaʾtiyahumu Allāh ("Allah comes to them") appear to denote a form of divine coming or presence which, if understood according to its ordinary and literal sense, would imply divine corporeality and spatiality—an implication fundamentally incompatible with the Islamic principles of divine transcendence (tanzīh) and absolute monotheism (Tawḥīd). Consequently, throughout the history of Qurʾanic exegesis, commentators have either upheld the apparent meaning of these expressions or interpreted them figuratively on the basis of linguistic, rational, and theological evidence in order to preserve their non-corporeal significance.
From this perspective, phenomenology offers a valuable analytical framework for examining this interpretive divergence. Rather than assessing one interpretation as correct and another as erroneous, it investigates how meaning emerges within the horizon of the lived experience of both the earliest recipients of the Qurʾan and subsequent exegetes. Literalism, therefore, is understood not merely as an exegetical error but as a historically conditioned mode of interpreting the sacred text. Likewise, allegorical interpretation is viewed not simply as a rationalistic response but as an attempt to reconcile Qurʾanic language with the doctrines of divine transcendence, divine justice, and the epistemological coherence of Islamic theology.
The principal question addressed in this study is how the interpretation of the Majīʾ al-Rabb ("the Coming of the Lord") Verses evolved from their apparent meaning to rational, theological, and rhetorical interpretations, and how this transformation relates to religious experience, ordinary language, and the cultural contexts of the exegetes. It argues that the earliest understanding of these verses emerged within the imagistic worldview of early Arabian society and was influenced by certain narrational and intertextual traditions. With the subsequent development of Islamic theology and philosophy, however, transcendental and figurative interpretations gradually became the dominant exegetical paradigm.
Research Findings
A historical examination of the Majīʾ al-Rabb ("the Coming of the Lord") Verses demonstrates that literalist exegetes, both in the earliest period and in certain later interpretations, emphasized the literal meaning of the divine "coming." This approach is reflected in a number of narrations, early exegetical works, and comparative readings alongside other religious traditions. Within this interpretive framework, majīʾ signifies a form of divine presence on the Day of Resurrection, sometimes described as occurring together with the angels, clouds, or cosmic signs. Some later literalists, while explicitly rejecting rational allegorical interpretation, preferred to suspend judgment regarding the modality of this coming, although certain formulations nevertheless tended toward anthropomorphism or the affirmation of direction and location with respect to God.
In contrast, allegorical exegetes—including Muʿtazilī, Ashʿarī, Shiʿi, as well as several mystical and philosophical scholars—interpreted the Majīʾ al-Rabb ("the Coming of the Lord") Verses in light of unequivocal (muḥkam) Qurʾanic passages, particularly those affirming God's incomparability with creation. According to this interpretation, the coming of the Lord signifies the manifestation of the divine command, the disclosure of divine power, the coming of the angels, the arrival of the Day of Resurrection, or the direct realization of the divine will. This approach is not only more consistent with the doctrine of divine transcendence but also fully utilizes the figurative, metaphorical, and symbolic capacities of Qurʾanic discourse.
Another significant finding of this study is that theological developments in Islamic intellectual history played a decisive role in the transition from literal interpretation to allegorical exegesis. During the early period, when theological and philosophical doctrines had not yet been systematically formulated, exegetical interpretations largely remained at the level of transmitted reports and ordinary linguistic understanding. As theological controversies emerged, however, the need to provide a rational defense of divine unity and transcendence encouraged exegetes to adopt non-corporeal interpretations. Consequently, later exegetical works increasingly sought to reconcile the imagistic language of the Qurʾan with rational-theological principles.
From a phenomenological perspective, the most significant feature of the earliest understanding of these verses is not the affirmation of divine corporeality but the emergence of meaning within the sensory and linguistic horizon of the Qurʾan's first audience. In addressing that horizon, the Qurʾan employed expressions that initially evoke the imagery of presence and coming; nevertheless, such imagery does not necessarily imply corporeality. Early literalism should therefore be understood primarily as an interpretation grounded in the horizon of lived experience rather than as an ontological assertion concerning the Divine Essence.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that the Majīʾ al-Rabb ("the Coming of the Lord") Verses originated within a particular linguistic and cultural context and gradually came to be interpreted, under the influence of theological, philosophical, and rhetorical developments, through transcendental allegorical readings. Although literalism has historical roots in the understanding of some of the earliest audiences and exegetes, it cannot, by itself, provide conclusive evidence for a corporeal interpretation of these verses. By contrast, allegorical interpretation, grounded in the principles of divine unity, unequivocal Qurʾanic verses, and rational argumentation, offers a more coherent and theologically consistent understanding of these expressions.
The phenomenological perspective further demonstrates that this exegetical disagreement is not merely a linguistic dispute but reflects differing horizons of understanding, religious experience, and epistemological frameworks throughout Islamic intellectual history. Accordingly, the allegorical interpretation of the Majīʾ al-Rabb verses is not only justified but indispensable for preserving the coherence of Islamic theology and safeguarding the doctrine of divine transcendence.
 
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