Audience Study of Verse "Covenant of Prophets" and Evaluation of Its Interpretive Narratives in Shiite and Sunni Sources

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Teachings, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran

Abstract

The verse "Covenant of the Prophets" (Q. 3:81) is considered one of the problematic verses in interpretative sources. Several types of interpretative narratives of this verse have led to the emergence of disparate opinions in the field of audience study of this verse. Some exegetes have considered the annexation of "Covenant" to "Prophets" as an annexation to the pledgers and have attributed the address of the verse to the Prophets. Some others however have deemed the annexation of "covenant" as an annexation to the "obtainers covenant" and then have assigned the address to the nations or imagined all the prophets and them to be addressees of the verse. This research has investigated the meaning and example of the verse by using the descriptive-analytical method and considering textual and meta-textual evidence while criticizing the exegetes' opinions. Then, by presenting a new reading of the "Covenant of the Prophets," it has introduced the central concept of the verse as a warning to "People of the Book" to observe "a Covenant concerning the Prophets." Then, by scrutinizing the chain of interpretative narrations and comparing these narrations with the verse, it has revealed the discordance of these narrations with the apparent meaning of the verse, and traces of the deviants like "Seif ibn Omar" and "Ahmad ibn Muhammad Sayyārī" in forging the narrations and distorting the verse. The other result of this research is the inaccuracy of citation to the verse in confirming some theological ideas like the theory of "Raj'at (return)" and "Dhar Universe."
 

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Main Subjects

References

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History

  • Receive Date: 15 January 2023
  • Revise Date: 26 February 2023
  • Accept Date: 28 February 2023

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