An Interpretive Study the Verse Ikmal/Perfection Based on Evaluating the View of Contextual Incompatibility

The verse of ikmal, which is one of the leading verses on the subject of Vilayat, has been the subject of controversy among the commentators of the two major Muslim sects throughout history. Contrary to the view of most Sunni commentators, the view of most Shiite commentators indicates the meaning of the verse on the authority of Amir al-Muminin Ali (a). Of course, the narrations indicating this meaning are not limited to the sources of Shiite narration and have been reflected in some sources of Sunni narration also. On this basis, it is not unlikely that the differences in the meaning of the verse are rooted in something other than the narrations, and that is how to understand the relationship between the verse ikmal and the verse of prohibitions from unlawful food. Misunderstanding of this relationship has provided the basis for the context of contextual incompatibility in arguing for the verse ikmal on the authority of Amir al-Mu'minin (a). In this regard, a descriptive-analytical look at the view and its origin shows: whether the verse ikmal has a descending connection with the verse of the prohibitions of unlawful food or not, considering that the meaning of the verse of prohibitions does not stop, the verse ikmal is the verse of protest. This verse indicates the guardianship of Amir al-Muminin (a) in terms of meaning with the verse of the prohibitions; the narrations issued by the infallibles regarding the verse ikmal have been a clever attempt to prove the falsity of this view.