Al-Tusi's Concept of Imamah in al-Tibyan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an: A Review of the Doctrine of Imamah in Modern Muslim Socio-Political Models

Abstract

Purpose - This study examines how Abū Ja'far Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī constructs the doctrine of imāmah in al-Tibyān fī Tafsīr al-Qur'ān and how this classical exegetical construction can be traced through subsequent Imāmī scholarship into the modern doctrine of wilāyat al-faqīh. It addresses a gap in scholarship that has generally treated al-Ṭūsī's exegesis and modern Shī'ī political thought as separate fields. Design/methodology/approach - The study employs qualitative library research and thematic analysis. Primary data consist of al-Tibyān, with relevant Qur'ānic verses identified through keyword-based selection. Al-Ṭūsī's exegetical arguments are classified according to naṣṣ, 'iṣmah, and wilāyah, while Talal Asad's concept of discursive tradition is used to trace their intellectual transmission across subsequent generations. Findings - The findings demonstrate that al-Ṭūsī integrates naql and 'aql to construct imāmah as divinely sanctioned leadership centered on the Ahl al-Bayt. This exegetical framework subsequently became a stable reference point for later Imāmī jurists, particularly Naraqi, whose expanded conception of juristic authority provided an identifiable link to Khomeini's formulation of wilāyat al-faqīh. Research implications/limitations - The study is limited by its library-based design, primary focus on al-Tibyān, reliance on secondary sources for parts of the intellectual genealogy, and contextual rather than fully weighted comparison with Sunnī khilāfah. Originality/value - The study contributes an exegetical genealogy connecting classical Shī'ī tafsīr with modern political thought and extends the application of discursive-tradition theory to Qur'ānic hermeneutics.