References of the Verse “Allah, and whosoever hath knowledge of the Scripture, is sufficient witnessbetween me and you”

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Abstract

Among the issues which is debated between Shi’i exegetes and some of
Sunni exegetes are the references of the verse “Allah, and whosoever hath
knowledge of the Scripture, is sufficient witness between me and you”. Shi’i
exegetes and some of Sunni exegetes are of the opinion that the reference
of this verse is Imam Ali (A.S). On the other hand, some Sunni exegetes think
that ‘Abdullah Ibn Salam, Jew and Christian scholars, and “all believers” are
three more references of this verse.
Studying various views if the Sunni and Shi’i exegetes and analyzing these
views, this article has criticized applying the verse to references other than
Imam Ali (A.S) and emphasized the claim made by Shi’i exegetes. Hadiths
quoted from the Household (A.S), Companions, and Followers who have
regarded Imam Ali (A.S) as the only reference of this verse, extent of the
Imam’s knowledge, disagreement between applying the verse to other
verses on the one hand and historical documents on the other are among
objections posed against the view adopted by Sunni exegetes