محمد مولوی - Associate Professor, Department of the Qur’ān and Ḥadīth Sciences, Faculty of Islamic Sciences and Researches, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran

Related to the seventh verse of the Chambers chapter, there is a narration received from two transmission paths, one by Kulaynī in the book Al-Kāfī and the other one in the commentary attributed to ‘Alī b. Ibrāhīm Qumī. In this narration, the word “faith” is introduced as Imām ‘Alī (a), and the words unbelief, wickedness, and rebellion are claimed to be the three first caliphs. Suchlike narrations that regard the inward and esoteric meanings of the qur’ānic verses need to be treated very carefully so that no incorrect narration is attributed to the Infallibles (a) or no narration certainly issued by an Infallible (a) is discarded due to the lack of the necessary attention and investigation. Therefore, in this article we aim at showing that along the textual criticism, the criticism of the chain of transmission of suchlike narrations can be effective in identifying the sound narrations from the unsound ones. Thus, after determining the chain of transmission of the narration, we have explored the transmitters of the chain of transmission, and have shown that the chain of transmission of this narration is weak due to the existence of some famous extremists in it. Then, the content and implication of the narration is examined using the content analysis criteria, and it is found that the content of this narration seriously contradicts the content of some other narrations and the practice of Ahl al-Bayt (a).

Faith, esoteric interpretation, Interpretive narrations, Chambers chapter, unbelief, wickedness, Rebellion