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Draft:Verse of Ilm al-Kitab

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Verse of Ilm al-Kitab
Verse's Information
NameVerse of Knowledge of the Book
Suraal-Ra'd (Qur'an 13)
Verse43
Juz'13
Page255
Content Information
Cause of
Revelation		The denial of Muhammad's prophethood by Meccan polytheists
Place of
Revelation		Mecca
TopicVirtues of Imam Ali (a) • Imamate
AboutTestimony regarding the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (s)
OthersComparison with Asif b. Barkhiya
Related VersesQur'an 27:40


Qur'an 13:43 (Arabic: آيَة عِلْم ٱلْكِتَاب, the Verse of ʿIlm al-Kitāb, lit. 'Knowledge of the Book') constitutes the final verse of Sura al-Ra'd. In this verse, God cites an individual possessing "knowledge of the Book" as a witness to the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (s), juxtaposed with the testimony of God Himself.

In Shi'a theology, this verse serves as a pivotal scriptural proof for the excellence and Wilaya of Imam Ali (a). Supported by numerous narrations, Shi'a exegetes maintain that the figure described as possessing the "knowledge of the Book" is the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a). This station is frequently contrasted with the "knowledge of a part of the Book" attributed to Asif b. Barkhiya (who transported the throne of Bilqis), thereby positing that Imam Ali's (a) knowledge and authority are absolute and comprehensive, distinguishing him from the successors of previous prophets.

Text and Translation

Context and Exegesis

The verse was revealed in response to the Meccan polytheists who challenged the Prophet (s) with the assertion, "You are not a messenger." To refute this negation, the Qur'an invokes two distinct witnesses:

  1. Allah: The ultimate witness.
  2. "He with whom is the knowledge of the Book": A human witness who confirms the truth of the Prophet's (s) mission.

Identity of the Witness

Scholarly opinion regarding the identity of this witness is divided along sectarian lines:

  • Sunni View: Many Sunni commentators identify the individual as 'Abd Allah b. Salam, a Jewish scholar who converted to Islam. They posit that "the Book" refers to the Torah, and that his testimony confirmed the prophethood of Muhammad (s) based on biblical prophecies.[1]
  • Shi'a View (and Critique of the Sunni View): Shi'a scholars reject the identification with 'Abd Allah b. Salam on chronological grounds. They argue that because Sura al-Ra'd is a Meccan Sura—revealed years prior to the Hijra—and 'Abd Allah b. Salam resided in Medina and accepted Islam only after the Prophet's (s) arrival there, it is historically implausible for a Meccan verse to rely on the testimony of one who was, at that time, a non-believer in Medina.[2]

Consequently, Shi'a exegetes conclude that the description applies exclusively to Imam Ali (a), who was present in Mecca, was the first male believer, and whose heart was the vessel of Divine knowledge.

Theological Significance: "Of the Book" vs. "From the Book"

A fundamental theological distinction is drawn through a comparison of this verse with Qur'an 27:40.

  • Sura al-Naml (27:40): Describes Asif b. Barkhiya (the successor of Solomon)—who transported the throne of the Queen of Sheba in the blink of an eye—as:

عِندَهُ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ (ʿindahu ʿilmun min al-kitāb) "One who had knowledge from (a part of) the Book."

  • Sura al-Ra'd (13:43): Describes the witness to the Prophet (s) as:

عِندَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ (ʿindahu ʿilmu l-kitāb) "He with whom is the knowledge of the Book" (Generic/Whole).

Conclusion: The distinction between the preposition min (indicating partitive knowledge) in the former and its absence in the latter implies a qualitative difference: whereas Asif possessed a fragment of the ocean of knowledge, the figure in Sura al-Ra'd holds the completeness of the Divine Knowledge accessible to humanity. Since Asif could perform supernatural acts with only partial knowledge, the station and authority of the one possessing full knowledge (Imam Ali) are understood to be unfathomable.[3]

Narrations

  • Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported: "I asked the Messenger of God (s) regarding the utterance of God, 'and he with whom is the knowledge of the Book.' He replied: 'That is my brother, 'Ali b. Abi Talib.'"[4]
  • Imam al-Sadiq (a) is recorded as having placed his fingers upon his chest and declaring: "By God, the knowledge of the Book, the whole of it, is with us."[5]

See Also

Notes

  1. ↑ Al-Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 9, p. 336.
  2. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 11, p. 387.
  3. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 10, p. 256.
  4. ↑ Al-Baḥrānī, Al-Burhān, vol. 3, p. 275; Al-Ḥaskānī, Shawāhid al-tanzīl, vol. 1, p. 400.
  5. ↑ Al-Kulaynī, Al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 229.

References

  • Al-Baḥrānī, Hāshim b. Sulaymān. Al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Qom: Muʾassasat al-Biʿtha, 1416 AH.
  • Al-Ḥaskānī, ʿUbayd Allāh b. ʿAbd Allāh. Shawāhid al-tanzīl li-qawāʿid al-tafḍīl. Tehran: Wizārat al-Thaqāfa wa al-Irshād al-Islāmī, 1411 AH.
  • Al-Kulaynī, Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb. Al-Kāfī. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1407 AH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.
  • Al-Qurṭubī, Muḥammad b. Aḥmad. Al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Nāṣir Khusraw, 1364 Sh.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1390 AH.
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