Human Vicegerency in the Holy Qur’an according to Sunni and Imami Shi‘i Exegetes: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This study examines the concept of human vicegerency in the Holy Qur’an through a comparative analysis of selected Sunni and Imami Shi‘i exegeses. It begins by analysing the linguistic meaning of the root kh-l-f and its various Qur’anic usages, before exploring the existential foundations associated with vicegerency, including knowledge, human dignity, trust, servitude, and responsibility. It also analyses the views of a number of exegetes regarding the verses of Adam’s creation, the teaching of the names, trust, empowerment, and ruling with justice. The study adopts an analytical-comparative method while distinguishing between the direct meaning of the Qur’anic text, the exegete’s interpretation, and later theological or jurisprudential constructions. The findings reveal a broad area of agreement between the two exegetical traditions in linking vicegerency with knowledge, responsibility, obedience, and the establishment of justice, despite differences in certain interpretive aspects and applications. Some Imami exegetes emphasise the concept of divine vicegerency, while certain narrations associate the trust with wilayah and the verse of empowerment with Imam al-Mahdi. By contrast, some Sunni exegeses relate empowerment to the Muslim community, the Prophet’s Companions, or the Rightly Guided Caliphs. The study concludes that these differences do not constitute a complete division in understanding vicegerency, but rather reflect varying exegetical emphases, narrative applications, and theological and jurisprudential developments within the two traditions.