An Investigation of the Context Uncertainty of the Verse of Wilayah (With an Emphasis on the Fakhr Razi’s View of the Verse)

Those who are against Shia school of thought have raised a lot of doubts and questions on the verse of Wilayah (Ma'idah: 55). One of these questions is the fourth question of Fakhr Razi while explaining the verse of Wilayah. Fakhr Razi, based on the context, claims that since the previous verse (Ma'idah: 54) is about Abu Bakr and the strongest reason for the validity of his Imamate and the caliphate, therefore the later verse (Ma'idah: 55) cannot be concerned with the wilayah of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). If not, there will be a contradiction. Therefore, he concludes that the Shia argument, that the verse of Wilayah is a proof of the Imamate of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) is incorrect. But to the Shia scholars and theologians, the verse in question (Ma'idah: 54) does not imply the Imamate and the caliphate of Abu Bakr, but this verse does not concern Abu Bakr and his alleged traditions are also unreliable by document and indication. After a full explanation of Fakhr Razi's claim, the author of the present paper evaluates it in a comparative discussion and demonstrates that these two verses are in full coordination and alignment.