Review and Critique of the Theological Consensus Statements of Shiite Thought in Tafsir Majmaʿ al-Bayan (Case Study: The Living Status of Martyrs, Nullification of Deeds, and Necessity of the Imam’s Infallibility)
Keywords:
Consensus, Martyrs' lives, Abstinence of action, Imam's infallibility, Majma al-BayanAbstract
Tafsir Majmaʿ al-Bayan is one of the prominent Shiite exegeses from the 6th century AH, authored by ʿAllāmah al-Ṭabrisī. In many Qur’anic commentaries from both Sunni and Shiite traditions, one often encounters references to scholarly consensus (ijmāʿ) mentioned under specific verses of the Noble Qur’an. In Majmaʿ al-Bayan, claims of Shiite scholarly consensus appear under theologically significant verses, particularly regarding issues such as "the living status of martyrs," "the nullification of deeds (ḥabṭ al-ʿamal)," and "the necessity of the Imam’s infallibility (ʿiṣmah al-imām)." This study undertakes a descriptive-analytical approach using library-based research to examine al-Ṭabrisī’s claims of consensus on these verses. Specifically, it compares the alleged consensus mentioned in the tafsir with other theological, exegetical, and hadith sources, in order to assess the accuracy of these ijmāʿ claims. The findings reveal that al-Ṭabrisī's claim constitutes only a widely held opinion (mashhūr) rather than true consensus in the cases of "the living status of martyrs" and "the necessity of the Imam’s infallibility," while in the case of "nullification of deeds," his assertion of consensus is deemed accurate.
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