Who Are Those in Authority? Early Muslim Exegesis of the Qur’anic Ulū’l-Amr

Mun’Im Sirry

doi:10.3390/rel12070483

Abstract

The term ulū’l-amr (those in authority) is central to the Muslim understanding of leadership, although it has been understood differently by different scholars. The term appears twice in the Qur’an, namely in verses 59 and 83 of chapter 4 (sūrat al-Nisā’), which serve as the cornerstone and starting point of the entire religious, social, and political structure of Islam. This article carefully examines early Muslim exegesis of the Qur’anic ulū’l-amr and how the two verses have become the locus classicus of intra-Muslim polemics. The main point of this article is to trace the early development of the meaning of ulū’l-amr in the exegetical works (tafsīr) of both Sunni and Shi‘i Qur’an commentators during the first 600 years of Islamic history. It will be argued that it is chiefly in the tafsīr tradition that the meaning and identity of ulū’l-amr is negotiated, promoted, and contested. The diversity of Muslim interpretations and the different trajectories of Sunni and Shi‘i exegesis, as well as the process of exegetical systematization, are highlighted. While Sunni exegetes seem to engage with one another internally, Shi‘i commentators tend to polemicize Sunni exegesis to uphold their version of ulū’l-amr as infallible imams (leaders).

Highlights

Leadership is one of the most contested issues in the early development of Islam
While Sunni exegetes seem to engage with one another internally, Shi‘i commentators tend to polemicize Sunni exegesis to uphold their version of ulū’l-amr as infallible imams
Two issues formed the primary concern at the time: (1) Who should be appointed as leader of the Muslim community? (2) How should he be elected? While one group of Muslims believed that leaders must be appointed from the Family of the Prophet and chosen on the basis of either

Summary

Introduction

Leadership is one of the most contested issues in the early development of Islam. Soon after the death of the Prophet Muh.ammad, the question of succession quickly arose: who has the right to lead the nascent Muslim community? The Muslim sources include a reasonably detailed account of the heated debate over the question of succession, which “divid[ed] the community between those who favored allegiance to successors from the Family of the Prophet, ‘Alı, and those who looked back to the political leaders of the pre-Islamic era as the more worthy candidates (the clan of Banū ‘Abd al-Shām, from whom ‘Uthmān and Umayyad dynasty came) (El-Hibri 2010, p. 3)”. The second occurrence of the term, found in the same chapter (sūrat al-Nisā’), addresses the practical dimension of referring certain questions to the Prophet and ulū’l-amr: “Whenever news of any matter comes to them, whether concerning peace or war, they spread it about; if they refer to the Messenger and those in authority among them, those seeking its meaning would have found it out from them If it were not for God’s bounty and mercy towards you, you would almost all have followed Satan” (Q 4:83). Due to the centrality of these Qur’anic passages in informing early Sunni and Shi‘i conceptions of leadership, this article focuses on exegetical works (tafsır) of the first 600 years of Islamic history, covering the Umayyad and ‘Abbāsid periods. As the issue of leadership is essential to both, this article highlights the ways in which Sunni and Shi‘i exegetes both engage and polemicize with one another and among themselves through their interpretations of the Qur’anic text

Sunni Exegetical Approaches

Shi‘i Exegetical Approaches

Discussion and Conclusions