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Draft:Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm

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Al-Rāsikhūn fī l-ʿIlm (Arabic: الراسخون في العلم; those firmly rooted in knowledge) is a Qur'anic expression referring to individuals who are steadfast in their knowledge. Relying on narrations, Shi'a scholars identify the Holy Prophet (s) and the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as the primary manifestations of this title. Conversely, other scholars advocate for a broader definition that encompasses all scholars and thinkers, among whom the Prophet (s) and the Ahl al-Bayt (a) remain the most prominent examples.

Muslim commentators disagree as to whether the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm possess knowledge of the interpretation (ta'wil) of the ambiguous verses of the Qur'an. Citing narrations found in al-Kafi, some Shi'a commentators maintain that the Rasikhun are indeed aware of the interpretation of these verses. In contrast, other Shi'a and Sunni commentators argue that knowledge of the ambiguous verses is exclusive to God, and that the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm do not possess this specific insight.

Sura al-Nisa' also references Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm who hold belief in the Prophet of Islam (s) and in previous revelations. Some commentators interpret the "Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm" mentioned in this surah as referring to Jews versed in the Torah who affirmed the prophethood of Muhammad (s).

Conceptology

According to a narration from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a), the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm are those whose knowledge is free from contradiction.[1] Tabrisi, a renowned Shi'a commentator, defines them as individuals who are firm and deeply rooted in knowledge.[2] Other scholars suggest that the Rasikhun are those who have become steadfast through the abundance of their knowledge[3] and who utilize that knowledge as a means to understand life.[4] In Suyuti's book al-Durr al-manthur, a narration attributed to the Prophet of Islam (s) characterizes the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm as those who are committed to their oaths, truthful in speech, firm of heart, and chaste regarding their appetites.[5]

The phrase "al-Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm" appears in Sura Al 'Imran: "No one knows its interpretation except Allah, and those firmly rooted in knowledge say: We believe in it."[6] This verse is partially understood to refer to grasping the interpretation of the ambiguous verses of the Qur'an.[7] The expression also appears in Sura al-Nisa': "But those of them who are firmly rooted in knowledge... believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you."[8]

Do the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm Know the Interpretation of Ambiguous Verses?

Qur'an 3:7 states that the interpretation of ambiguous verses is known only to God and the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm.[9] Regarding the scope of the "Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm" in this context, two primary theories have been proposed:

  • First Theory: Some commentators hold that the "Rasikhun" are those who possess knowledge of the interpretation of ambiguous verses.[10] Mughniyya, a Shi'a commentator, supports this view, arguing that it would be theologicaly objectionable (qabih) for God to reveal a verse without anyone knowing its meaning.[11] Furthermore, the commentary of Majma' al-bayan supports this perspective by noting that the Sahaba and the Tabi'un held a consensus regarding the principle of interpreting all Qur'anic verses; they never abstained from interpreting a verse on the grounds that it was ambiguous and known only to God.[12]
  • Second Theory: Certain Shi'a[13] and Sunni[14] commentators argue that the particle "waw" (and) preceding "al-Rasikhun" indicates a fresh start (istinaf) or new sentence, grammatically disconnecting it from the previous clause. According to this view, only God knows the interpretation of ambiguous verses, while the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm merely affirm their faith in the verses without knowledge of their hidden meaning. 'Allama Tabataba'i compares this to the knowledge of the ghayb; while some verses restrict knowledge of the unseen to God, other verses[15] indicate exceptions where such knowledge is granted to others.[16]

Instances

Scholars have proposed several views regarding the specific identity of the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm:

The Prophet of Islam and the Ahl al-Bayt (a): Among Shi'a scholars, Tabrisi[17] and Ali b. Ibrahim al-Qummi[18] have narrated traditions identifying the Prophet of Islam (s) as the foremost of the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm, followed by his successors. In one narration, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a) identifies the Imams (a) as the Rasikhun, while another narration specifies the Progeny of Muhammad (a).[19] According to narrations cited by Kulayni in al-Kafi, the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm are Imam Ali (a) and the Imams succeeding him.[20] Imam Ali (a) reportedly referred to those who falsely claim this title for themselves as liars and oppressors.[21]

All Scholars and Thinkers: Some scholars interpret the term Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm broadly to include all scholars and thinkers, noting that exceptional individuals within this group serve as its primary examples.[22] Tabrisi narrates that Ibn 'Abbas counted himself among the Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm.[23] The numerous traditions identifying the Prophet (s) and Imams (a) as the Rasikhun are interpreted as highlighting the most perfect instances of the concept.[24] Similarly, 'Allama Tabataba'i viewed these narrations as the application of a general concept to its most specific and exalted instances: the Prophet (s) and the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[25]

Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm from Among the Converted Jews

In Sura al-Nisa', God refers to those Rasikhun fi l-'Ilm who hold belief in the Prophet of Islam (s) and in previous revelations.[26] Some commentators identify the subjects of this verse as the People of the Book[27] and Jews[28] who were knowledgeable of the Torah and declared to the Prophet (s), "O Muhammad, what you have brought is the truth."[29] Others have specifically identified Abd Allah b. Salam and his followers—believers in the Torah—as the referents of this verse.[30] The verse is thus seen as praising those Jews of faith and virtue who are firmly rooted in knowledge, believe in God, and affirm both the revelation of the Prophet of Islam (s) and those of the prophets before him.[31]

Notes

  1. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 245.
  2. ↑ Ṭabarsī, Majma' al-Bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 698-699.
  3. ↑ Ḥusaynī Shīrāzī, Tabyīn al-Qur'ān, 1423 AH, p. 61.
  4. ↑ Mudarrisī, Min Hudā l-Qur'ān, 1419 AH, vol. 2, p. 251.
  5. ↑ Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, 1404 AH, vol. 2, p. 7.
  6. ↑ Qur'an 3:7.
  7. ↑ Qumī, Tafsīr al-Qumī, 1404 AH, vol. 1, pp. 96-97.
  8. ↑ Qur'an 4:162.
  9. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, Beirut, vol. 2, p. 400.
  10. ↑ Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-Dīn, 1395 AH, vol. 2, p. 649.
  11. ↑ Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 2, p. 14.
  12. ↑ Ṭabarsī, Majma' al-Bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 701.
  13. ↑ Balkhī, Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān, 1423 AH, vol. 3, p. 264; Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 3, p. 28.
  14. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-ghayb, 1420 AH, vol. 7, p. 145; Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, 1404 AH, vol. 2, p. 7.
  15. ↑ Qur'an 72:27.
  16. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 3, p. 28.
  17. ↑ Ṭabarsī, Majma' al-Bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 700.
  18. ↑ Qumī, Tafsīr al-Qumī, 1404 AH, vol. 1, pp. 96-97.
  19. ↑ Ḥuwayzī, Nūr al-thaqalayn, 1415 AH, vol. 1, p. 315.
  20. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 213.
  21. ↑ Nahj al-balāgha, edited by Subḥī al-Ṣāliḥ, sermon 144, p. 201.
  22. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i Nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 439.
  23. ↑ Ṭabarsī, Majma' al-Bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 700.
  24. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i Nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 2, p. 439.
  25. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 3, p. 70.
  26. ↑ Qur'an 4:162.
  27. ↑ Ṭabāṭabā'ī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 5, p. 138.
  28. ↑ Ḥusaynī Shīrāzī, Tabyīn al-Qur'ān, 1423 AH, p. 114.
  29. ↑ Ṭabarsī, Majma' al-Bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 3, p. 215.
  30. ↑ Balkhī, Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān, 1423 AH, vol. 1, p. 264.
  31. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i Nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 4, p. 210.

References

  • Balkhī, Muqātil b. Sulaymān. Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān. Edited by 'Abd Allāh Maḥmūd Shiḥāta. Beirut: Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth, 1423 AH.
  • Ḥusaynī Shīrāzī, Sayyid Muḥammad. Tabyīn al-Qur'ān. Beirut: Dār al-'Ulūm, 1423 AH.
  • Ḥuwayzī, 'Abd 'Alī b. Jum'a. Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn. Edited by Sayyid Hāshim Rasūlī Maḥallātī. Qom: Intishārāt-i Ismā'īliyān, 1415 AH.
  • Sayyid al-Raḍī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn. Nahj al-balāgha. Edited by Subḥī al-Ṣāliḥ. Qom: Hijrat, 1414 AH.
  • Suyūṭī, Jalāl al-Dīn. al-Durr al-manthūr fī l-tafsīr bi-l-ma'thūr. Qom: Kitābkhāna-yi Āyat Allāh Mar'ashī Najafī, 1404 AH.
  • Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Muḥammad b. 'Alī. Kamāl al-Dīn wa tamām al-ni'ma. Edited by 'Alī Akbar Ghaffārī. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1395 AH.
  • Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan. al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān. Beirut: Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth al-'Arabī, n.d.
  • Ṭabāṭabā'ī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān. Qom: Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1417 AH.
  • Ṭabarsī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Majma' al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qur'ān. Tehran: Nasir Khosrow, 1372 Sh.
  • Fakhr al-Rāzī, Muḥammad b. 'Umar. Mafātīḥ al-ghayb. Beirut: Dār Iḥyā' al-Turāth al-'Arabī, 1420 AH.
  • Qumī, 'Alī b. Ibrāhīm. Tafsīr al-Qumī. Edited by Sayyid Ṭayyib Mūsawī Jazā'irī. Qom: Dār al-Kitāb, 1404 AH.
  • Kulaynī, Muḥammad b. Ya'qūb. al-Kāfī. Edited by 'Alī Akbar Ghaffārī and Muḥammad Ākhūndī. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1407 AH.
  • Mudarrisī, Sayyid Muḥammad Taqī. Min hudā l-Qur'ān. Tehran: Dār Muḥibbī al-Ḥusayn, 1419 AH.
  • Mughniyya, Muḥammad Jawād. al-Kāshif. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1424 AH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i Nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.
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