Draft:Verse 6 of Sura al-Saff
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| About | Good tidings of Jesus (a) about the mission of Prophet Muhammad (s) |
Verse 6 of Sura al-Ṣaff (Arabic: آیه ۶ سوره صف) expresses the address of Jesus (a) to the Children of Israel, in which he introduces himself as a Prophet of God, confirms the Torah, and gives good tidings of the coming of a prophet after him named "Ahmad". According to some exegetes, the good tidings of the coming of a new prophet also indicate that the new religion is more complete and superior.
In Shi'a exegeses, the good tidings of the Paraclete in some versions of the Gospel have been identified with the word "Ahmad", and its meaning is mentioned as "highly praised". Also, it is stated in a narration that Imam al-Rida (a), in his debate with the Catholicos (Jāthalīq), recited parts of the Gospel of John regarding the good tidings of the appearance of Prophet Muhammad (s), his Ahl al-Bayt (a), and his Umma, and the Catholicos confirmed its authenticity.
Good Tidings of Jesus (a) about the Mission of Muhammad (s)
Verse 6 of Sura al-Saff is a report of the speech of Jesus (a) addressing the Children of Israel, in which he introduces himself as a Prophet of God, confirms the Torah, and gives good tidings of the coming of a prophet after him named Ahmad.[1] The verse continues that when he came to them with clear proofs, they called it "manifest magic". Regarding the interpretation of this part, two views are raised: some consider it referring to the reaction of the Children of Israel to Jesus (a), while others interpret it as related to the confrontation of opponents with the invitation of the Prophet of Islam (s) and their denial of his miracles.[2]
According to Sayyid Muhammad Taqi al-Modarresi, a Shi'a exegete, this verse indicates the continuity of divine missions; meaning that Jesus (a) introduces his mission as a continuation of the mission of Moses (a) and in connection with the mission of Muhammad (s).[3] Hussain Wahid Khurasani also considers the lack of denial of this good tidings by Jewish and Christian scholars in the Early Islam as a confirmation of its authenticity.[4] Allama Tabataba'i, citing Verse 157 of al-A'raf and Verse 29 of al-Fath, believes that the good tidings of the appearance of the Prophet of Islam (s) also existed in the texts of the Gospel.[5]
It is stated in a narration that Imam al-Rida (a), in his debate with the Catholicos, referred to the good tidings of the appearance of Prophet Muhammad (s), his Ahl al-Bayt (a), and his Umma in the Gospel of John, and the Catholicos confirmed the existence of such contents in the Gospel.[6]
Good Tidings of a More Complete Religion
According to Allama Tabataba'i, the good tidings of a prophet after Jesus (a) is a sign that the invitation of the next prophet is more complete and comprehensive.[7] Nasir Makarim Shirazi also interpreted the expression "good tidings" as a sign of the perfection of Islam compared to previous religions.[8]
Application of Ahmad to Paraclete in the Gospel
al-Tabrisi in Majma' al-bayan mentions two possible meanings for the word "Ahmad": "one who praises much" and "one who is praised much".[9] In Tafsir-i nimuna, by examining existing Gospels, the word Paraclete, which appears as "Pārāqlīṭā" in Syriac texts and "Periklytos" in Greek texts, has been interpreted as the equivalent of Ahmad.[10] Some Shi'a scholars have considered this word to refer to the good tidings of Jesus (a) about the Prophet of Islam (s).[11] Muhammad Sadiqi Tehrani (d. 1390 Sh/2011) in the book Bisharat al-ahdayn stated that Christian scholars changed the word "Periklytos" to "Paracletos" to avoid admitting the good tidings of the appearance of the Seal of the Prophets.[12]
Ja'far Subhani, a Shi'a exegete, in the book Ahmad-i maw'ud-i Injil applies the word Ahmad to the Paraclete of the Gospel.[13] However, some believe that only the principle of Jesus' (a) good tidings about the coming of "Ahmad" can be derived from the Qur'an, and proving the existence of this word or its equivalent in the text of the Gospel is a subject of debate.[14]
Notes
- ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 9, p. 593; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 9, p. 419; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 24, p. 72.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 24, pp. 72–73.
- ↑ Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, vol. 28, pp. 344–345.
- ↑ Waḥīd Khurāsānī, Risāla tawḍīḥ al-masāʾil, Introduction, pp. 94–95.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 19, p. 253.
- ↑ Ḥuwayzī, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 313.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 19, p. 252.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 24, p. 73.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 9, p. 420.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 24, pp. 74–75.
- ↑ Muntaẓirī, Risāla istiftāʾāt, vol. 2, p. 55.
- ↑ Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Bishārāt-i ʿahdayn, p. 13.
- ↑ Sulaymānī Ardistānī, "Qurʾān-i Karīm wa bishārat-hā-yi payāmbarān", p. 56.
- ↑ Sulaymānī Ardistānī, "Qurʾān-i Karīm wa bishārat-hā-yi payāmbarān", p. 56.
References
- Ḥuwayzī, ʿAbd ʿAlī b. Jumʿa... al-ʿArūsī al-. Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn. Qom, Ismāʿīliyān, 1373 Sh.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.
- Mudarrisī, Sayyid Muḥammad Taqī. Min hudā l-Qurʾān. Tehran, Dār Muḥibbī al-Ḥusayn, 1st ed, 1419 AH.
- Muntaẓirī, Ḥusayn ʿAlī. Risāla istiftāʾāt. Qom, n.p, 1st ed, n.d.
- Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Muḥammad. al-Furqān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi-l-Qurʾān wa al-sunna. Beirut, Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1406 AH.
- Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Muḥammad. Bishārāt-i ʿahdayn. Qom, Shukrāna, 1392 Sh.
- Sulaymānī Ardistānī, ʿAbd al-Raḥīm. "Qurʾān-i Karīm wa bishārat-hā-yi payāmbarān". In Faṣlnāma-yi Haft Āsmān, no. 16, Zimistān 1381 Sh.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1352 Sh.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan... al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1367 Sh.
- Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan... al-. al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, n.d.
- Waḥīd Khurāsānī, Ḥusayn. Risāla tawḍīḥ al-masāʾil. Qom, Madrasat al-Imām al-Bāqir (a), 9th ed, 1428 AH.