A Study of the Reasons for not Mentioning the Name of Imam Ali (a.s.) in the Holy Quran from the Perspective of Expression Stylistics in the Holy Quran

The Holy Quran is the supreme book of guidance and the most important revelatory source unanimously acknowledged by all Muslims. The necessity of recognizing the Imam and the successor of the great Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h.) and the indication of some narrations as to the existence of the name of Imam Ali and the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s.) in the holy Quran is one of the challenges that made Muhaddith Nouri, in responding to the opponents of Imam Ali's (a.s.) immediate caliphate, be inclined towards the distorted idea that the Quran is imperfect, relying on some narrations. Hence, the present study aims to examine the aforementioned narrations and analytically criticize the arguments of those opponents and Muhaddith Nouri’s idea. In doing so, using the descriptive-analytical method, first several answers are given to reject the claim in question; then the style of the holy Quran in expressing its content and the method of making inferences from it are explained, and Abu Basir’s sound hadith from Imam Sadeq (a.s.), according to which the reason for not mentioning the name of Imam Ali (a.s.) in the Quran is the style of the Quran in stating divine knowledge, is explicated. The findings of this study indicate three characteristics, i.e. the general statement, the internal expansion and external expansion of the holy Quran, which elucidate why the names of Imam Ali and other Imams (a.s.) have not been mentioned in the holy Quran. Moreover, ignoring the documentary inspection of the narrations, it has been illuminated that mentioning the name of Imam Ali (a.s.) in the interpretive additions of some of the companions’ copies of the Quran or in sound narrations is indicative of “explanatory interpretation” or the expression of purpose, the occasion of revelation and examples of the Quranic  verses,  not the existence of his name in the text of the Quran.