Shi‘ite Interpretation of the Quran
Linda Darwish

The approach to the Quran of Shi‘ite (known as “Twelver”) Muslims differs from the Sunni approach in two main areas: in the Shi‘ite doctrine of the Imamate and in their questions regarding the authenticity of the text of the Quran as accepted by Sunnis.

First, the word Imam is typically rendered “leader” in English, but Shi‘ite usage refers specifically to Muhammad’s descendants through his daughter Fatima and her husband Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law. Though not a direct descendant of Muhammad, Ali is taken by Shi‘a Muslims to be the first Imam. Shi‘a Muslims cite traditions in which Muhammad appoints Ali to this office, for an Imam, who is considered infallible, cannot be designated by a fallible human but only by God or a prophet.

Second, the debate about the authenticity of the quranic text, common in the first centuries of Islam, was premised on the absence of any mention of the Imams in the Quran, and particularly of Ali’s right to succession. The Shi‘a argued that such mention was excised from the text and that the true Quran – rather than the text that Muslims believe the caliph ‘Uthmān produced – was with Ali. They believe that Ali’s text later came to reside with the now hidden twelfth Imam, upon whose appearing in the Last Day it will be revealed. Later generations of Shi‘a Muslims, accepting the text of the ‘Uthmānic Quran, charged the Sunnis with alteration (taḥrīf) in the interpretation (ta’wīl) of certain verses.

According to Shi‘ite interpretation, the Imams’ office of leadership is seen in quranic verses such as 4.59: “You who believe! Obey God, and obey the messenger and those (who have) the command among you,” with the latter phrase being interpreted as referring to the Imams. Shi‘a Muslims believe the Imams are the spiritual descendants of Abraham (2.124), who, along with the prophets, are appointed leaders and guides of humanity (21.73). Allah has purified them completely (33.33) and blessed them (11.73), their purified state authenticating their unique relationship to the Quran (56.77–79). No one knows the true meaning of the Quran except for Allah and “those firmly rooted in knowledge” (3.7), whom Shi‘a Muslims interpret to mean the Imams. Thus they are “the firmest bond” (al-urwa al-wuthqa) linking heaven and earth. The two seas mentioned in 55.19–23 are said to symbolize Ali and Fatima, while the pearl and coral that they produce are interpreted to refer to their sons, Hasan and Husayn, the second and third Imams, respectively.

The Imams’ unique relationship to the Quran is also expressed in early Imami traditions – notably, that of “the two weighty matters,” which speaks of a permanent link between the Imams and the Quran. It is said that nearing his death, Muhammad said: “I have left among you two weighty matters which if you cling to them you shall not be led into error after me. One of them is greater than the other: The Book of God which is a rope stretched from Heaven to Earth and my progeny, the people of my house. These two shall not be parted until they return to the pool [of Paradise].” The Quran, in other words, cannot be correctly understood without an infallible interpreter, and no one, says another tradition, knows it fully except Ali, by which he (and, by implication, his descendants) become the “proof of God.”

As recipients of divine knowledge, the Imams have infallible and comprehensive understanding of the meaning of the Quran in both its outer (ẓāhir) and inner (bāṭin) aspects, the latter containing seven dimensions. The two aspects are associated with tanzīl (coming down [of the text]) and ta’wīl (esoteric interpretation), respectively. The Imams’ knowledge of the hidden meanings of the Quran is expressed in a tradition attributed to the sixth Imam: “The Book of God has four levels of meaning: literal expression, allusion, subtleties, and deepest realities. The literal expression is for the common folk, the allusion is for the elite, the subtleties are for the friends of God [the Imams], and the deepest realities are for the prophets.”

In practice, Shi‘ite exegesis gradually moved from reliance on the sayings of the Imams, transmitted for centuries, to the theological and philosophical approaches of modern and contemporary exegetes, such as Ṭabāṭabā’ī, Faḍlallāh, and others, whose commentaries seek, without abandoning the past, to relate the Quran to contemporary concerns. We take as an example 9.28, which bars from the sacred precincts “impure” ones who associate others with God (mushrikūn). Commentators differ on whether this includes Christians and Jews. Despite Ṭabāṭabā’ī’s interest in comparative religion, his heavy reliance on medieval Muslim sources results in the perpetuation of false polemical assertions about the beliefs of Jews and Christians and the resulting impurity of their bodies. In contrast, Faḍlallāh uses logic to argue that the beliefs of Jews and Christians as portrayed in the Quran, though wrong, might not be normative and that the prohibition against impurity concerns the metaphysical realm of ideas, not persons in their physical state. These differences have practical implications for relations between Shi‘a Muslims and those of other religions.

55.19 – He let loose the two seas (which) meet
Shi‘ite Muslims interpret the “two seas” to represent Ali and Fatima, while the “pearl and coral” (v. 22) are taken to symbolize their sons Hasan and Husayn.