Jump to content

Draft:Verse 121 of Sura al-Baqara

Add links
From wikishia
Verse 121 of Sura al-Baqara
Verse's Information
Suraal-Baqara (Qur'an 2)
Verse121
Juz'1
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Medina
TopicTheological
AboutIntroducing believers from the People of the Book


Qur'an 2:121 describes individuals who, through the recitation of their celestial scripture, attain faith in both the book and the messenger who delivered it. According to Ibn 'Abbas, this verse was revealed in honor of Ja'far b. Abi Talib and his companions, who migrated from Abyssinia to Medina. In his exegesis, Abd Allah Jawadi Amuli posits that the phrase "those to whom We have given the Book" encompasses a broad spectrum, including such groups as the companions of the Prophet (s) and scholars of the Israelites. With respect to the phrase "ḥaqqa tilāwatihi" (the due right of recitation), commentators assert that fulfilling this right entails not only the correct recitation and comprehension of the Qur'an's meanings but also the active implementation of its teachings.

Introduction and Text

According to Abd Allah Jawadi Amuli, Qur'an 2:121 affirms that equitable recipients of the divine scripture—those who recite it with contemplation and act upon its precepts—cultivate faith in the book and its bearer.[1] He further argues that the verse's application is not restricted solely to the specific historical instances of its Occasion of Revelation.[2] As noted by al-Tabrisi in Tafsir Jawami' al-jami', the concluding segment of the verse addresses disbelievers who, by distorting the scripture, have forsaken guidance for misguidance.[3]

Occasion of Revelation and Clarification of the Book

The commentary Majma' al-bayan recounts three potential occasions of revelation for this verse:[4]

  1. According to Ibn 'Abbas, the verse refers to the "people of the ship"—a group of 40 companions led by Ja'far b. Abi Talib who traveled from Abyssinia to Medina. This group comprised thirty-two Abyssinians and eight monks from Syria, including the figure Bahira.
  2. Al-Dahhak (al-Dahhak b. Muzahim al-Hilali, d. 102/720 or 105/723, a prominent exegete and companion of Imam al-Sajjad (a))[5] posits that the verse was revealed concerning Jewish converts to Islam, such as 'Abd Allah b. Salam, Shu'ba b. 'Amr, Tammam b. Yahuda, Ibn Yabin, and Ibn Suriya.
  3. Qatada b. Di'ama and 'Ikrima maintain that the verse alludes to the companions of the Messenger of God (s).

Al-Tabrisi interprets "the Book" (al-Kitāb) as the Torah in the context of the first two possibilities, and as the Qur'an in the third.[6] In Tafsir Tasnim, Abd Allah Jawadi Amuli cites Quranic verses describing the undistorted Torah and Gospel as light and guidance, arguing that "Book" in this context signifies any authentic heavenly scripture.[7]

Recipients of the Heavenly Book

Shi'a exegetes offer varied interpretations of the phrase "those to whom We have given the Book":

Meaning of the Due Right of Recitation

Exegetes present diverse perspectives on the concept of the "due right of recitation" (ḥaqqa tilāwatih):

  1. Tafsir-i nimuna defines it as the practice of those who combine correct recitation and comprehension of the Qur'an's meanings with the active application of its teachings.[11]
  2. Ibn Mas'ud, Mujahid, and Qatada interpret it as adhering strictly to the Torah without distortion—practicing its lawful commands and avoiding its prohibitions—although they identified the "Book" in this context as the Qur'an.[12]
  3. Muhammad b. Sa'ib al-Kalbi suggests that "recitation" implies "description," and that the pronoun in "yatlūnahu" refers to Prophet Muhammad (s). According to this view, the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) accurately describe the Prophet to inquirers based on their scriptures, thereby affirming their belief in Prophet Muhammad (s).[13]
  4. A hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a) interprets the due right of recitation as pausing to implore God for Paradise upon reading verses mentioning it, and seeking refuge in God when encountering verses describing Hell.[14]

Another hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a) attributes the true recitation of the book to the Shi'a Imams (a),[15] a point some exegetes view as identifying the exemplars of those who fulfill the due right of recitation.[16]

Disbelievers and Losers

Regarding the final clause ("As for those who deny it, it is they who are the losers"), some exegetes identify the disbelievers and losers specifically as the Jews, while others interpret the reference as encompassing all disbelievers. In Al-Tibyan, Al-Shaykh al-Tusi—concurring with al-Tabrisi in Majma' al-bayan—favors the broader interpretation due to the generality of the verse's phrasing.[17] Moreover, "loss" (khusrān) is interpreted as the forfeiture of faith and its rewards,[18] the waste of one's life and deeds, and the deprivation of victory, salvation, worldly prosperity, and heavenly blessings in the Afterlife.[19]

Notes

  1. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 6, pp. 379, 387.
  2. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 6, p. 382.
  3. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Al-Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ, 1377 Sh, vol. 1, p. 76.
  4. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 1, p. 374.
  5. ↑ Al-Ṭūsī, Rijāl al-Ṭūsī, 1427 AH, p. 94.
  6. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 1, p. 374.
  7. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 6, p. 386.
  8. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 1, pp. 265-266; Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 1, p. 411.
  9. ↑ Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 1, p. 411.
  10. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 6, p. 382.
  11. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 1, p. 431.
  12. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 1, p. 374.
  13. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 1, pp. 374-375.
  14. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 1, p. 375.
  15. ↑ Al-Baḥrānī, Al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, 1416 AH, vol. 1, pp. 315-316.
  16. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 1, p. 266; Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, 1389 Sh, vol. 6, p. 395.
  17. ↑ Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, vol. 1, p. 442; Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 1, p. 371.
  18. ↑ Ḥusaynī Shāh ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Tafsīr ithnā ʿasharī, 1363 Sh, vol. 1, p. 256.
  19. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 1, p. 371.

References

  • Al-Baḥrānī, Hāshim b. Sulaymān. Al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Muʾassasat al-Biʿtha, 1416 AH.
  • Ḥusaynī Shāh ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Ḥusayn b. Aḥmad. Tafsīr ithnā ʿasharī. Tehran: Mīqāt, 1363 Sh.
  • Jawādī Āmulī, ʿAbd Allāh. Tafsīr-i Tasnīm. Qom: Isrāʾ, 1389 Sh.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.
  • Al-Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr. Jāmiʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1412 AH.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Qom: Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 1417 AH.
  • Al-Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Al-Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ. Tehran: Dānishgāh-i Tihrān, 1377 Sh.
  • Al-Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Nāṣir Khusraw, 1372 Sh.
  • Al-Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1415 AH.
  • Al-Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan. Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Edited by Aḥmad Qaṣīr al-ʿĀmilī. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, [n.d].
  • Al-Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan. Rijāl al-Ṭūsī. Qom: Muʾassasat al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 1427 AH.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikishia.net/w/index.php?title=Draft:Verse_121_of_Sura_al-Baqara&oldid=206274"