Sayyid Murtada’s Rules of Interpretation in Tanzih ol-Anbiyaa

Sayyid Murtada, one of the most famous Shiite theologians in the fourth century AH, played a unique role in organizing the Shiite theological system. Although he did not leave any independent work concerning the interpretation, in numerous works, especially in Tanzih ol-Anbiyaa, he has dealt with the verses which are considered by the opposition group as negating the infallibility of prophets. He has tried to prove his theological opinion about the prophets’ avoidance from committing sins; so that at most they would commit only lapses. Therefore before dealing with the Qur'anic verses of infallibility, he has first explained about his theological principles; and then by means of these principles, which are mostly innovative, he has dissociated rebuke from the prophets. Through the analysis of Sayyid Murtada's responses, we can identify the rules by means of which he has clarified the Qur'anic verses about rebuking. These rules include: use of the main meanings of words, appealing to the secondary meanings of words, rules of osul, morphological and syntactic rules, changing the true audience of the verses which negate infallibility, denying the repulsiveness of the disputed action, relying on the prophets' human traits, relying on their prophetic characteristics, using rare readings, and even appealing to the rational principles of the author.

Keywords: Sayyid Murtada, Tanzih ol-Anbiyaa, infallibility, prophets, rebuke, interpretational rules

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* Assistant professor, department of the Qur'an and hadith sciences, Isfahan University

**Ph.D. candidate of the Qur'an and hadith sciences, Isfahan University, (corresponding author)