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Draft:Kitāb Mubīn

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Kitāb Mubīn (Arabic: کتاب مبین) is a Quranic term denoting the Written Qur'an, Divine Knowledge, the Preserved Tablet, and Umm al-Kitab. The term also features in the traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), where Kitab Mubin is interpreted as Umm al-Kitab, the Imam Mubin, and Imam 'Ali (a). In a hadith narrated from Imam Musa al-Kazim (a), the Ahl al-Bayt (a) are identified as the heirs to the Kitab Mubin.

According to 'Allama Tabataba'i, the Kitab Mubin is immaterial in nature; upon its revelation to the Prophet (s), it assumed the form of Arabic rhetoric as the Qur'an to render its verses intelligible to humanity. Characteristics attributed to the Kitab Mubin include being fixed, immutable, and independent of time and space. The term is analyzed in philosophical and theological discourses concerning God's knowledge, Knowledge of the Unseen, and the Preserved Tablet.

Status and Importance

Kitab Mubin is a Quranic term[1] appearing twelve times in the Qur'an.[2] al-Kulayni (d. 329/941) narrates a hadith in al-Kafi wherein the Ahl al-Bayt (a) identify themselves as the heirs of the Kitab Mubin.[3] In al-Burhan, al-Bahrani (d. 1107/1695 or 1109/1697) cites several narrations from the Imams (a) interpreting Kitab Mubin as the Imam Mubin;[4] furthermore, narrations found in al-Amali identify the intended meaning of Imam Mubin as Imam 'Ali (a).[5]

The concept is frequently discussed in philosophical and theological contexts regarding the Imam's knowledge of the unseen,[6] Divine Knowledge, and the Preserved Tablet.[7]

Conceptology

In the Qur'an, the term Kitab Mubin appears either at the commencement of Surahs[8]—which most commentators interpret as the Written Qur'an—or within the body of Surahs.[9] In the latter case, it has been interpreted variously as the Preserved Tablet, Umm al-Kitab, Divine Knowledge, or the Written Qur'an.

The Written Qur'an

The consensus among most commentators is that when Kitab Mubin appears at the beginning of Surahs, it refers to the Written Qur'an.[10] 'Allama Tabataba'i (d. 1981) in Tafsir al-Mizan[11] and Husayni Hamadani (d. 1996) in Anwar-i durakhshan[12] adopt this position regarding the exegesis of verse 1 of Sura Yusuf: "Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the manifest Book." Makarem Shirazi (b. 1926) also posits that in verse 2 of Sura al-Qasas, the term signifies the Qur'an,[13] with Mubin serving as an adjective for the scripture.[14] In this context, Mubin implies both "clear" and "clarifying";[15] thus, the Qur'an, through its lucid content, distinguishes truth from falsehood.[16] 'Allama Tabataba'i supports this view in his commentary on the opening of Sura Yusuf.[17]

Some commentators also interpret instances of Kitab Mubin found in the middle of Surahs as references to the Written Qur'an. Shaykh al-Tusi (d. 460/1067) in al-Tibyan,[18] Shaykh al-Tabrisi (d. 548/1153) in Majma' al-bayan,[19] Muhammad Sabzawari (d. 1409/1988) in Irshad al-adh'han,[20] 'Allama Tabataba'i in al-Mizan,[21] and Makarem Shirazi in Tafsir-i nimuna[22] all maintain that in verse 15 of Sura al-Ma'ida—"Certainly there has come to you from Allah a light and a manifest Book"—the "manifest Book" refers to the Qur'an.

Sunni exegetes hold similar views. Fakhr al-Razi (d. 606/1210) in al-Tafsir al-kabir[23] and al-Baydawi (d. 695/1296) in Anwar al-tanzil[24] identify Kitab Mubin in verse 1 of Sura Yusuf as the Qur'an. al-Alusi (d. 1270/1854), another Sunni scholar, rejects the possibility that the term refers to the Preserved Tablet, the Gospel, or the Torah in this context, asserting instead that it signifies the Qur'an.[25]

Other than the Written Qur'an

Conversely, some commentators argue that when Kitab Mubin appears within the body of Surahs, it denotes concepts other than the Written Qur'an, such as the Preserved Tablet, Divine Knowledge, or the Imam Mubin.

The Preserved Tablet or Umm al-Kitab

According to certain Quranic scholars, in most verses where Kitab Mubin appears mid-Sura, it signifies the Preserved Tablet.[26] The earliest source to attribute this meaning to the term is Tafsir Muqatil b. Sulayman.[27] Proponents of this view include Shaykh al-Tabrisi in Majma' al-bayan[28] and Makarem Shirazi in Tafsir-i nimuna[29] regarding verse 61 of Sura Yunus ("...and there is not as much as the weight of an atom in the earth or in the heaven... but it is in a manifest Book"). Similarly, Sultan'alishah Gunabadi (d. 1327/1909) in Bayan al-sa'ada[30] applies this interpretation to verse 6 of Sura Hud.

Commentators such as Ha'iri Tehrani (d. 1921) in Muqtaniyat al-durar[31] interpret the term in verse 59 of Sura al-An'am ("...nor anything fresh or dry but it is in a manifest Book") as Umm al-Kitab. In al-Kafi, al-Kulayni narrates a hadith from Imam Musa al-Kazim (a) in which the Imam, interpreting verse 75 of Sura al-Naml, regards Umm al-Kitab and Kitab Mubin as synonymous, identifying the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as the possessors of this Book.[32]

Continuing his interpretation of this verse, Ha'iri, alongside Shaykh al-Tusi,[33] Shaykh al-Tabrisi,[34] and Makarem Shirazi,[35] equates Umm al-Kitab with the Preserved Tablet. In al-Asfar, Mulla Sadra (d. 1050/1640) discusses verse 59 of Sura al-An'am, categorizing Kitab Mubin into two types: first, the Preserved Tablet, which is immutable (identified as the universal celestial soul or Umm al-Kitab); and second, the Tablet of Erasure and Affirmation. He posits that both are contained within the Kitab Mubin.[36]

Divine Knowledge

In their interpretation of verse 59 of Sura al-An'am, scholars such as Sharif Lahiji (d. 1088/1677),[37] Fayd Kashani (d. 1091/1680) in Tafsir al-Safi,[38] and Husayni Shirazi (1928-2001) in Tabyin al-Qur'an[39] assert that Kitab Mubin corresponds to Divine Knowledge. Consequently, in this context, Kitab Mubin is defined as the encompassing knowledge, administration of creation, and predestination of all beings.[40] Zamakhshari (d. 538/1144), a Sunni exegete, also interprets this verse in al-Kashshaf as a reference to Divine Knowledge.[41]

Imam Mubin

al-'Ayyashi narrates a hadith from Husayn b. Khalid in his tafsir, wherein Imam al-Rida (a) explains Kitab Mubin as the Imam Mubin.[42] According to some researchers, the term Imam Mubin signifies the preeminence of this "Book" in possessing awareness, imparting knowledge, and knowing events prior to their occurrence.[43] In al-Ihtijaj, Ahmad b. 'Ali al-Tabrisi (d. 588/1192) references the Sermon of Ghadir, in which the Prophet (s) identifies Imam 'Ali (a) as the Imam Mubin—the Imam of the God-wary in whom all the Prophet's knowledge is gathered.[44] Sayyid Hashim al-Bahrani in al-Burhan cites several narrations interpreting Imam Mubin in verse 12 of Sura Ya-Sin ("...and We have numbered everything in a manifest Imam") as Imam 'Ali (a).[45] This interpretation is accepted by various Shi'a commentators.[46]

Manifest Imam or Imam 'Ali (a)

Sharif Lahiji narrates a tradition from Abu Rabi' al-Shami wherein Imam al-Sadiq (a), interpreting verse 59 of Sura al-An'am, identifies Kitab Mubin as the Manifest Imam (al-Imam al-Zahir).[47] In Bihar al-anwar, 'Allama al-Majlisi (d. 1110/1699) records a narration from Ya'qub b. Ja'far b. Ibrahim in which Musa b. Ja'far (a), responding to a Christian inquirer, interprets Kitab Mubin in the verse "Ha, Mim. By the manifest Book"[48] as Imam 'Ali (a).[49] Similarly, Nabati in al-Sirat al-mustaqim cites Ibn Abi 'Umayr, stating that Imam al-Sadiq (a) considered the intended meaning of Kitab Mubin in verse 59 of Sura al-An'am to be Imam 'Ali (a).[50]

Other Meanings

Other interpretations of Kitab Mubin posited by commentators and researchers include a Divine Book,[51] the Prophet of Islam (s),[52] the Pen,[53] and the realm of creation[54] or the universe of existence.

Characteristics

According to scholars such as Makarem Shirazi and 'Allama Tabataba'i, when Kitab Mubin is understood as a concept distinct from the Written Qur'an, it possesses the following characteristics:[55]

  • Kitab Mubin is situated within Umm al-Kitab (or the Preserved Tablet itself),[56] which was neither legible nor composed in the Arabic language.[57]
  • It is not of a material nature, akin to paper or tablets;[58] rather, upon its revelation to the Prophet (s), it descended in the form of Arabic words (the Qur'an) to render its verses comprehensible to humanity.[59]
  • It contains the hidden affairs of the heavens and the earth. The Unseen comprises that which is imperceptible to human senses, such as the concealed actions of servants, inner intentions, and the mysteries of the cosmos.[60]
  • The creation of the heavens and the earth was executed according to God's knowledge within the Kitab Mubin and follows a pre-existing divine plan contained therein.[61]
  • This knowledge exists prior to creation and endures after the destruction of objects, remaining independent of time and space.[62]
  • The knowledge inherent in Kitab Mubin is fixed and unchangeable.[63]

Notes

  1. Ḥarīrī, Farhang-i iṣṭilāḥāt-i Qur'ānī, 1384 Sh, p. 307.
  2. Faqīhī-zāda and 'Īsā'ī, "Nigāhī Qur'ānī bi chīstī-yi 'Kitāb Mubīn' wa barrasī-yi irtibāṭ-i ān bā Qur'ān-i Karīm...", p. 195.
  3. Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 226.
  4. Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 426-427.
  5. Shaykh Ṣadūq, al-Amālī, n.d., vol. 1, p. 235.
  6. Bahādurī, "Naqd-i shubha-yi ta'āruḍ-i āyāt-i 'ilm-i ghayb dar Qur'ān", pp. 39-40.
  7. Mullā Ṣadrā, al-Ḥikma al-muta'āliya, 1981, vol. 6, p. 295; Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i durakhshān, 1380 AH, vol. 5, pp. 338-345.
  8. See: Qur'an 12:1; 26:2; 28:2; 43:2; 44:2; 27:1.
  9. See: Qur'an 5:15; 6:59; 10:61; 11:6; 27:75; 34:3.
  10. Faqīhī-zāda and 'Īsā'ī, "Nigāhī Qur'ānī bi chīstī-yi 'Kitāb Mubīn'...", p. 200.
  11. Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1350 AH, vol. 11, p. 74.
  12. Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i durakhshān, 1380 AH, vol. 9, p. 7.
  13. Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 16, p. 9.
  14. Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 16, p. 9.
  15. Muṣṭafawī, al-Taḥqīq, 1368 Sh, vol. 1, pp. 366-368.
  16. Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 16, p. 9.
  17. See: Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1350 AH, vol. 11, p. 74.
  18. Shaykh Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, n.d., vol. 3, p. 75.
  19. Shaykh al-Tabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1408 AH, vol. 3, p. 270.
  20. Sabzawārī, Irshād al-adh'hān, 1419 AH, pp. 114-115.
  21. Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1350 AH, vol. 5, p. 244.
  22. Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 4, p. 321.
  23. Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1411 AH, vol. 18, p. 67.
  24. Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 3, p. 54.
  25. Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-ma'ānī, 1415-1416 AH, vol. 6, p. 363.
  26. Faqīhī-zāda and 'Īsā'ī, "Nigāhī Qur'ānī bi chīstī-yi 'Kitāb Mubīn'...", p. 197.
  27. See: Balkhī, Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān, 1423 AH, vol. 1, p. 564; vol. 2, p. 243; vol. 3, p. 316.
  28. Shaykh al-Tabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 5, p. 203.
  29. Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 16, p. 9.
  30. Sulṭānalīshāh Gunābādī, Bayan al-sa'ada, 1408 AH, vol. 2, p. 320.
  31. Ḥā'irī Tihrānī, Muqtaniyat al-durar, 1337 Sh, vol. 4, pp. 182-183.
  32. Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 226.
  33. Shaykh Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, n.d., vol. 9, pp. 179-180.
  34. Shaykh al-Tabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 9, p. 67.
  35. Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 21, p. 9.
  36. Mullā Ṣadrā, al-Ḥikma al-muta'āliya, 1981, vol. 6, p. 295.
  37. Sharīf Lāhījī, Tafsīr Sharīf Lāhījī, 1373 Sh, vol. 1, p. 768.
  38. Fayḍ Kāshānī, Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, 1415 AH, pp. 124-125.
  39. Ḥusaynī Shīrāzī, Tabyīn al-Qur'ān, 1423 AH, p. 146.
  40. Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i durakhshān, 1380 AH, vol. 5, pp. 338-345.
  41. Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, n.d., vol. 2, p. 31.
  42. 'Ayyāshī, Tafsīr 'Ayyāshī, n.d., vol. 1, pp. 361-362.
  43. Qayyūm-zāda and Shākir, "'Ilm-i Imām (a) bi Qur'ān wa chagūnigī-yi ān", pp. 162-163.
  44. al-Tabrisī, al-Iḥtijāj, 1403 AH, vol. 1, pp. 59-60.
  45. Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, 1375 Sh, vol. 4, pp. 568-571.
  46. See: Sharīf Lāhījī, Tafsīr Sharīf Lāhījī, 1373 Sh, vol. 1, p. 768; Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 425-427; 'Arūsī Ḥuwayzī, Tafsīr Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1415 AH, vol. 1, p. 723; Qummī Mashhadī, Tafsīr Kanz al-daqā'iq, 1381 Sh, vol. 4, pp. 343-344.
  47. Sharīf Lāhījī, Tafsīr Sharīf Lāhījī, 1373 Sh, vol. 1, p. 768.
  48. Qur'an 44:1-2.
  49. al-Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1368 Sh, vol. 48, pp. 85-87; Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 479.
  50. al-Nabāṭī, al-Ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm, 1384 AH, vol. 1, p. 211.
  51. See: Shaykh Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, n.d., vol. 4, pp. 155-156; Maybudī, Kashf al-asrār, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 379.
  52. Shaykh al-Tabrisī, Majma' al-bayān, 1408 AH, vol. 3, p. 270.
  53. See: Sulṭānalīshāh, Bayan al-sa'ada, 1408 AH, vol. 2, p. 134.
  54. See: Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 5, p. 272.
  55. Faqīhī-zāda and 'Īsā'ī, "Nigāhī Qur'ānī bi chīstī-yi 'Kitāb Mubīn'...", p. 201.
  56. Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 21, p. 9.
  57. Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1350 Sh, vol. 2, p. 17.
  58. Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1378 Sh, vol. 7, p. 182.
  59. Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1378 Sh, vol. 11, p. 101.
  60. Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 15, p. 534.
  61. Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1378 Sh, vol. 7, p. 182.
  62. Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1378 Sh, vol. 7, p. 182.
  63. Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1378 Sh, vol. 16, p. 538.

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