مجله تحقیقات علوم قرآن و حدیث
سال چهاردهم شماره 4 (پیاپی 36، زمستان 1396)

The theory of “abrogation in Quranic verses” has been continually debated by scholars through the ages. Any abrogation has two elements: abrogating and abrogated. According to the common theory, legislation is just for God and abrogation of the Quranic verses belongs to the age of revelation, and abrogating is done only by the Quranic verses, not any other factor. In addition, there is a different theory named “abrogation continuity”; accordingly, the verses of legal commandments (āyāt al-aḥkām) were revealed in coherence with the rational practice, and reason can realize the corruptions and benefits of the time and hence abrogate the verses that lost their useful usage. The present paper, using the descriptive-analytical method, investigates and criticizes the theory. As a result, the theory has a lot of drawbacks including: there are many traditional reasons, specifying reason cannot understand the details of legal commandments; inaccurate definition of key concepts of abrogation; disagreements between the wise that caused them not to have a same rational practice; the conflict between sending prophets and legislation continuity of commandments based on the rational practice; the contradiction between the end of prophecy and abrogation of the verses by reason; ambiguity in definition of reason and its disability of abrogating according to different abilities of human reasons; emergence of the turmoil in the religion and then loss of the validity of the religious rules.

Announcement of the hidden news is one of the most important subjects in Nahj al-Balagha. Among the sermons, letters and wisdoms of Nahj al-Balagha, Imam Ali (A.S.) informs of some deep monotheistic knowledge, secrets of creation and many of past and future events. Neither false claim nor true claim with pride store was this news, but it has exact and accurate goals to that the commentaries of Nahj al-Balagha and other related books did not pay worthy attention, may because Imam Ali (A.S.) didn’t express his goals. The government of Ali (A.S.) was stablished in conditions that only the covering of Islam had been remained and the main content of religion had been changed. The epistemological questions were forbidden, most of Imam’s followers were in ignorance, and the tricks of enemies were prominent. Considering the circumstances of issuance of traditions, the present article obtained three Imam Ali’s goals: 1) to increase Muslim’s knowledge, interpretation of Quranic verses and to prove the deep connection between Quran and Imam Ali (A.S.) as the best interpreter of the Quran after the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), 2) to prove his legitimacy to his companions, 3) to prove his legitimacy to his enemies.

The words “samā’” (welkin) and “samāwāt” (welkins) occur in some Quranic verses. A deep glance at this term may open new horizons of miraculous aspect of the Holy Quran. In this survey, the author looks at the word conceptually and analyzes the different structures and meanings for the purpose of recognizing a miraculous aspect of such a divine infinite ocean, i.e. the holy Quran. The search argues that some meanings like "Roof", "Cloud", "Rain", "Heaven and Hell Welkin" and the "Sky of the Earth" are referred as the secondary meanings of the Quranic term: “samā’” and there is a close connection between it and those meanings. The linguistic context of this word, however, especially conveys its quiddity and not merely the concept of "Up". Regarding to the syntagmatic relation of the word with others, in addition to the concepts of “majesty of the universe” and “its total submission to The Lord”, implies new concepts based on its metaphors and similes. The paper methodologically is based on library research and data analysis

Kaab al-'Aḥbār played an important role in incorporation of Israeli narrations in religious sources. Since some Shia interpreters have used his narrations in their exegeses, it seems essential to identify types of his narrations and recognize the attitude of an interpreter in applying them. According to the great number of exegeses, the present paper aims to investigate the Shiite exegeses until to the 6th century, totally 16 books are studied here, from which eight ones consist of his narrations, as follow: the commentaries of al-Qumī, Furāt-i Kūfī, Majma' al-Bayān, Jawām-i' al-Jāmi', Rawḍ al-Janān, Mafātīh al-'Asrār, and Al-Muntakhab fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān. The narrations mentioned by Kab al-Aḥbār in Shiite exegeses to the late of the 6th century are 97 ones. These may be classified into 8 categories, the most considerable are: clarifying Quranic terms, explaining verses, clarifying verses in form of presenting examples, and mentioning the details of a story. In spite of the great amount of exegetical narrations in above mentioned exegeses, the number of his narrations is rare there and it seems the exegetical method and tendency of interpreters affected at the way of applying his narrations. In facing with his narrations, interpreters pointed three attitudes: 1. Mentioning without judgment, 2. Accepting his narrations 3. Rejecting his narrations. Present evidences in exegeses prove that his narrations have not played important role in exegetical opinions of interpreters and so are not notable.

From scholars’ point of views, Surah Al-Naṣr has been renowned as the last chapter of the Holy Quran. In addition, a great number of traditions also confirms that it was descended as the final chapter in the last days of the Prophet’s (pbuh) lifetime. On the other hand, the revelation of Al-Naṣr was attributed by historians to the event of Mecca victory, invigorated with many traditions reporting the descent of Al-Naṣr during the Mecca victory or even two years after Prophet’s (pbuh) death. Both ideas are approved by Quranic commentators. Relying on internal context of the chapter in which the total faith of believers has been considered as the consequence of a great imminent victory and its accommodation to epochal evidences reporting the arrival of delegations to Medina after the victory, the second idea is considered as more accurate and reasonable. Meanwhile, more reflection on chronological correspondence between Al-Naṣr and Al-Ḥujurāt proves descent of them respectively; the former revealed in a while after the Mecca victory, showing the commence of coming delegations, while the latter was revealed after some delegations had arrived and thereafter Muslim folk’s recent social difficulties had raised there. As a result, those traditions reporting the Prophet’s (pbuh) death and end of his mission confirm the descent of Al-Naṣr after Mecca victory, while some traditions stating its revelation even in less than one year to Prophet’s (pbuh) death or as the last chapter are invalid, for they are in contradiction to the internal context of the Surah and other opponent traditions.

Among the most important and hard-working Shia traditionists (muḥaddiths), it should be mentioned of Sheikh Ṣadūq in the fourth hijrī century, whose works are extended to tree hundreds. Although he has a great position in Shia', some Shia simple-minded scholars, regarding the lack of assertion of authenticity of Ṣadūq by Ṭūsī and Najāshī, have faced with him silently and even some charged him with change, summary and removing words and phrases of traditions (hadiths) relying his own opinion. Their words are applied by some temporary Sunnis scholars to propose some misconceptions against him and call him “the liar Sheikh”! The present paper through a descriptive-analytical method aims to reply two questions: 1- what are the invalidation of the misconception of being silent about Sheikh Ṣadūq? 2- what are the invalidation of the misconception of the quality of Sheikh Ṣadūq’s reports? Findings say that making doubt and being silent on the authenticity of Sheikh Ṣadūq have two contradictive and remedial responses: A) The contradictive answer: the lack of authenticity by the others is not confined merely to Sheikh Ṣadūq, B) The remedial answer: according to some evidences, he is regarded by the early Shia scholars and biographers like Ṭūsī and Najāshī as authentic. The misconception of change and removing traditions is also invalid because of the followings: 1- The diversity of the chain (of reporting), 2- issuing fatwa (ijtihad) to solve the contents of traditions, 3- cutting traditions, 4- relying on the Sheikh Ṣadūq’s traditions because of their stricter chain (of transmitters) and content.

Since it is important to recognize a Quranic chapter (sūrah) as Meccan or Median in order to reach a better understanding of verses, researches have paid a special attention to this issue from various aspects for a long time; Mixing (ikhtilāṭ) Meccan and Medinan verses in chapters is of the most important aspects, i.e. the existence of Meccan verses (26 times) in Medinan or Median ones (197 times) in Meccan, which are referred as exceptions (mustathnīat). Analyzing the above theory, the present paper argues the reasons of rejecting it, including especially: the criteria of recognition of Meccan and Medinan chapters, consideration of rhetorical aspects of verses in order to distinguish between Meccans and Medinans, the existence of incoherence among the narrations (hadīth) regarding to Mixing, the discontinuation of the semantic link between the combined verses with the earlier and later verses, and the interruption of the musical verses with the earlier and later verses.