Quranic Sciences and Tradition

Quranic Sciences and Tradition

An Examination and Evaluation of the Application of the “Īyāka Aʿnī wa-Ismaʿī Yā Jārah” Principle in al-Ṣāfī A Comparative Study with al-Mīzān

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
. Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jqst.2026.416732.670665
Abstract
The principle of “Īyāka Aʿnī wa-Ismaʿī Yā Jārah” (addressing one person while intending another as the actual addressee) is a well-known interpretive principle used in Qur'anic exegesis to explain indirect forms of address. Nevertheless, methodological disagreements persist concerning its scope of validity and the criteria governing its application, particularly in al-Ṣāfī. This study aims to critically examine the application of this principle in al-Ṣāfī, with particular emphasis on a comparative analysis with al-Mīzān. Employing a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach, the study examines the exegetical applications of the principle in the two works. The findings indicate that Fayḍ al-Kāshānī, relying on the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Household of the Prophet) and the principle of ʿiṣma (infallibility), adopts a broader scope for the application of this principle. By contrast, ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī, emphasizing the authoritative force of the apparent meaning of the text, textual context (siyāq), and rhetorical evidence, restricts the transfer of the apparent addressee to cases supported by valid evidence. The verses cited by Fayḍ al-Kāshānī can be classified structurally into five distinct groups. In two groups—verses containing conditional constructions referring to impossible suppositions and verses containing the law-lā construction of impossibility—the linguistic structure of the verses themselves is sufficient to resolve the apparent conflict with the principle of ʿiṣma, and there is therefore no need to transfer the addressee. By contrast, in certain declarative and reproachful verses containing threats, the application of the principle can be justified only in light of contextual and rhetorical evidence. Overall, the comparative analysis demonstrates that the disagreement between the two exegetes concerns less the validity of the principle itself than the manner in which interpretive evidence is prioritized. Accordingly, the validity of applying this principle to any given verse should be assessed on the basis of the combined evidence provided by lexical, contextual, rhetorical, transmitted, and theological considerations. The present evaluation is conducted according to five criteria: compatibility with the apparent meaning of the verses, consistency with their context, reliability of transmitted evidence, rhetorical principles, and the theological foundations of Imami Shiism.
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