A Critical Examination of the Foundations of Yūsif Shuʻār's View Denying the Possibility and Occurrence of Prophethood and Imamate in Childhood with Reference to Qur'anic Verses and Hadiths

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran.

Abstract

The question of prophethood and Imamate during childhood has been a longstanding topic in Islamic theology, especially within the Shi'a tradition. Yūsif Shuʻār, a contemporary scholar who claims adherence to the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), denies both the possibility and historical occurrence of childhood prophethood by critiquing the Qur'anic verses related to the prophethood of Jesus. As a result, his stance implicitly challenges the legitimacy of the Imamate of certain Shi'a Imams, specifically Imam Jawād, Imam Hādī, and Imam Mahdī (AS), who are believed to have assumed the Imamate at a young age. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology and an intra-religious critical framework, the present study investigates the foundations of Shuʻār's argument. By utilizing both rational and transmitted sources, including Qur'anic verses; Hadiths from Sunni and Shi'a traditions, and authoritative commentaries, the analysis demonstrates that the denial of childhood prophethood lacks robust scholarly support. Instead, Shuʻār's position is based on problematic assumptions, such as conflating prophethood with messengership, overreliance on context, unwarranted interpretation of Qur'anic verses, and neglect of explicit scriptural evidence, including the verse, "And We gave him judgment while still a child," (Maryam: 12) as well as narrations regarding the prophethood of Solomon during childhood. The findings suggest that both prophethood and Imamate are divinely appointed offices, and that God possesses the capacity to grant the requisite intellectual and spiritual perfection to His chosen servants at any age. Additionally, the traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt explicitly differentiate between the ranks of prophet and messenger in childhood and affirm the possibility of Imamate at an early age. Thus, Shuʻār's position not only contradicts the apparent meaning of the Qur'an and established prophetic tradition, but also, due to its unsound interpretive methodology, marked by excessive and selective reliance on the Qur'an alone, does not succeed in undermining the doctrinal foundations of Twelver Shi'ism regarding prophethood and Imamate in childhood.

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