A Comparative Analysis of the Occasion of Revelation of the Verse of Almsgiving (2:274) in Sunni and Shia View

Abstract

There are many verses in the Holy Quran whose occasions of revelation have been attributed to Holy Prophet's household or Imam Ali (peace be upon them) in Shia narrative commentaries. Sunni commentaries, however, have attributed them to others such as the well guided Caliphs. One of these verses is the verse 274 of Surah Cow (Chapter two) whose occasion of revelation has been attributed to the people of bivouac, Othman Ibn 'Affan, Abdul Rahman Ibn 'Ouf, and Abu Baker as those who have donated alms in Sunni commentaries. Having done several studies, the present paper proves that the cited traditions are not genuine and reliable. It is while the aforementioned verse has been attributed to Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in both Sunni and Shia commentaries in many ways. In addition, the attribution does not contradict with the outer meaning of the verse. Shia and Sunni commentators believe that the verse is a general one, but Shia commentators have tried to attribute it to Imam Ali and some Sunni commentators have falsified such an attribution. Hamed Dezhabad[1] Zahra Khodaparast[2] [1] Corresponding author, assistant professor of department of sciences of the Holy Quran and Hadith, Tehran University, College of Farabi, [email protected] [2] MA graduate of department of sciences of the Holy Quran and Hadith, Tehran University, College of Farabi, [email protected]

Keywords

• covert almsgiving
• overt almsgiving
• the people of bivouac
• sunni
• shia
• imam ali