Comparative Shiʿi Theology

The indicative identity of the Nabi (Prophet); A Comparative Study of the Views of Mufid and Tusi

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Ali khani

noPhD Graduate, Department of Qur’anic Sciences and Hadith, University of Quranic Sciences and Islamic Studies, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/jcst.2026.90147.1279
Abstract
The indicative identity of the Nabi (Prophet) highlights the social and propagational dimension of the prophet and emphasizes his responsibility in conveying divine revelation to people. The present article with a descriptive-analytical method is an answer to the question that from the perspective of the Shaykh Mufid and Shaykh Tusi, is a Nabi (Prophet), like a Rasul (Messenger), responsible for conveying divine revelation or not? The purpose of the research is to compare the viewpoints of the Shaykh Mufid and Shaykh Tusi, about the necessity of conveying revelation by the Nabi (Prophet). Based on the findings of this research Shaykh Tusi, based on the lexical meaning of Nabi, believe that both a Nabi and a Rasul (Messenger) have the same duty in conveying God’s message to the people. but, Shaykh Mufid believes that the concept of Nabi has a more inclusive and extensive, because the concept of Rasul is limited to having the mission of conveying, while this condition is not included in the definition of Nabi. Therefore, from Shaykh Mufid's perspective, the term Nabi should be understood as the possessor of news and the receiver of news, not the conveyer of news. this meaning does not necessitate the promulgation of the news and conveying it to others, and it is consistent with his interpretation of the generality of the Nabi over the Rasul. The apparent meaning of verses such as (Al-Baqarah:213, Al-Hajj:52, Maryam:51, Al-Furqan:31) casts doubt upon Shaykh Mufid’s view regarding the generality (encompassing nature) of the Nabi over the Rasul concerning the mission of conveying divine revelation.

Keywords

Indicative identity
Shaykh Mufid
Shaykh Tusi
Nabi (Prophet)
Rasul (Messenger)
Subjects
The Holy Qur’an.
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Comparative Shiʿi Theology
Volume 6, Issue 11
September 2026
Pages 391-415

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