Comparative Evaluation of the Interpretative Basis of the Incorruptibility of the Holy Qurʾan from the Perspective of Allameh Tabatabaie and Ayatollah Javadi Amoli

The immunity of the Qurʾan from distortion is one of the most important interpretive bases of most commentators (including Allameh Tabatabaie and Ayatollah Javadi Amoli). Allameh Tabatabaie has explained the interpretive basis of "non-distortion of the Qurʾan " in seven sections, which are: The similarity of the current Qurʾan  with the Qurʾan  of the time of the Messenger of Allah, validating the narratives of the non-distortion of the Qurʾan, criticism of the reasons of those who believe in distortion of the Qurʾan, analyzing the unification of the Qur'anic Musḥafs during the period of Uthman, analysis of the collection of the Qur'an between two volumes at the time of the Companions and criticism of the narratives leading to distortion. On the other hand, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, in explaining this interpretive basis, emphasizes things such as rational reasons, narrational reasons, the frequency of the Qurʾan, the testimony of history, the harmony of the Qurʾan with ʿItrat, the fame achieved by the testimony of scholars of the two sects. The comparison of the bases of two commentators shows that they both agree on the principle of immunity of the Holy Qurʾan from distortion, and this is one of the common bases of interpretational principles of the two commentators in the interpretation of the Qurʾan. But on the other hand, in explaining the details of the issue, they have differences of opinion with each other, and the analysis of these commonalities and differences shows an innovation in the views of Ayatollah Javadi Amoli. In this article, the view of the two mentioned commentators regarding the basis of incorruptibility has been discussed with a descriptive-analytical method and in a comparative manner. The result shows that one of the principles of Ayatollah Javadi Amoli is that he considers the order of the verses in the surahs and the order of the surahs to be a divine command, and he attributes the collection and editing of the Muṣḥaf to the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah the Almighty. While Allameh Tabatabaie does not believe that the Qurʾan was compiled in full complete version during the lifetime of the Prophet (pbuh), and believes that the efforts to arrange the surahs are individual. This issue is the root of the difference of opinion of two commentators in explaining the immunity of the Qurʾan from distortion, which seems Ayatollah Javadi Amoli’s statement to be more correct in this regard. Also, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli considered Allameh Tabatabaie's argument in proving the incorruptibility of the Qurʾan as requiring a thin distance and criticized his words, which seems to be an accurate observation.