|
The Verse of Stoning (Āye Rajm) from the Second Caliph to Moḥammad ibn ʿĪsā ibn ʿUbayd
|
Seyed Reza Moaddab   , Mohammad Sohrabi1 |
|
|
|
Abstract: (17 Views) |
| In Sunni ḥadīth sources, a narration regarding rajm (stoning) appears, suggesting that this punishment was legislated through a verse of the Qur’an rather than merely established by the Prophetic Sunnah. The absence of this verse in the ʿUthmānic codices, however, has reinforced suspicions of textual omission (taḥrīf bi’l-naqṣ) in the Qur’an. In response, Sunni jurists proposed the theory of naskh al-tilāwah wa-baqāʾ al-ḥukm—the abrogation of recitation while maintaining the ruling. Most Shīʿī jurists, while rejecting this type of abrogation, have not offered an alternative interpretive response. Nevertheless, a narration in Kāfī explicitly refers to the existence of a verse of stoning and implies its inclusion in the Qur’an. An examination of the contextual background of the Sunni narration, along with an analysis of the identity of one of the transmitters in the Shīʿī chain—Moḥammad ibn ʿĪsā ibn ʿUbayd—reveals connections between certain non-juristic motivations and the propagation of the so-called verse of stoning. This linkage indicates that the discussion surrounding the Āye Rajm extends beyond the domain of jurisprudence into broader historical and political dimensions. Drawing upon historical analysis, this article seeks to demonstrate how political motivations contributed to the fabrication and dissemination of the verse of stoning among Sunni transmitters, and how the narration affirming its existence eventually found its way into Shīʿī ḥadīth culture. The findings suggest that both the Āye Rajm and the related narrations lack epistemic credibility and should, therefore, be excluded from strictly scholarly inquiries within the fields of Qur’anic studies, ḥadīth, and jurisprudence. |
|
| Keywords: Verse of Stoning (Āye Rajm), Second Caliph, Moḥammad ibn ʿĪsā ibn ʿUbayd, Qur’anic Omission (Taḥrīf bi’l-naqṣ), Naskh al-Tilāwah (Abrogation of Recitation). |
|
|
Full-Text [PDF 446 kb]
(10 Downloads)
|
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/11/15 | Accepted: 2025/11/15 | Published: 2025/11/15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Send email to the article author |
|
|
|
| Add your comments about this article |
|
|
|
