Miṣbāḥ al-ẓulumāt fī tafsīr al-Tawrāt” and Its Methodology An Analysis of the Text Together with a Critical Edition of Its Prologue and Three Parts

Miṣbāḥ al-ẓulumāt fī tafsīr al-Tawrāh, is a Qurʾānic-Midrashic commentary on the Pentateuch, written in Persian in Kāẓimayn (Kadhimiya), which is now a northern neibourhood of Baghdad. The author is Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn b. Muḥammad (fl. 1224/1809), whose identity is not known to us. He was a Shīʿī Iranian scholar resided in Iraq. According to the prologue, the author was interested in learning about other religions from his youth.  Being particularly attracted to the Torah he learned Hebrew and had some debates with the Jews of Baghdad.  The commentary was written between 1216-1226/1801-1811. He wrote this commentary by the order Mīrzā ʿĪsā Qāʾim-Maqām Farahānī (d. 1237/1822), the minister of the Qajar Crown Prince and the ruler of Azerbaijan Abbas Mirza (d.1249/ 1833).

Miṣbāḥ al-ẓulumāt consists of a prologue and four parts. The Prologue, contains twelve preliminary subjects. It provdes, some knowledge about Jewish beliefs, and explans some theological–historical keywords, and other things which might be  helpful for a Muslim reader. The complete text of this volume is preserved in a manuscript in the Gulpāyegāni Library in Qum (no. 137020).

The main body of the text of Miṣbāḥ al-ẓulumāt (excluding the Prologue) is extant in three codices (no. 50, 51, 52, so one vol. was lost) in the Library of Āstan-i Quds-i Raḍawī in Mashhad.The work was given the title of “tarjuma-yi Tawrāt” (Translation of the Torah). in three volumes . Because of the missing folios from the beginning of the text, it was impossible to identify its author.

Part One. Translation and commentary on the Genesis, the MS. is imperfect, due to some missing folios from beginning. it starts with the verse 2: 9 (no. 50). Part Three, Exodus: this volume is lost. Part Three, the whole Leviticus up to numbers 18 (no. 52). Part Four, numbers 19 up to the end of Deuteronomy (No. 51).

The present study consists of four chapters. The first chapteris devoted to the author, Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn b. Muḥammad, the social circumstances that led to the transition of the situation from polemical writing to commenting on the Hebrew Bible and some textual studies. In the second part, deals with the methodological issues, the principles and tools for interpretation, and Arabicand Hebrew sources of Miṣbāḥ al-ẓulumāt. The author has not determined the foundations of his interpretation. In any way, he used these four methods: 1. Using the midrashic sources; 2. Interpreting the Pentateuch by the Qurʾān; 3. Interpreting the Qurʾān by the Torah; 4. Intertextual exegeses between the Qurʾān and the Talmud.

In the third chapter  a critical edition of the prologue of Miṣbāḥ al-ẓulumāt up to the end of Genesis Three is provided. The uniqueness of the manuscript of each part. and some mistakes by the scribs caused some difficulties in producing an edition, which have been notified. Finally, after reviewing on the preceding topics, some essential issues for future studeis have been presented.