Philosophy of Religion Research

Examining the Tafkik School's Use of Qurʾan 2:259 to Prove Corporeal Resurrection

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 Ph.D. Candidate in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Ph.D. Candidate in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, University of Qom, Qom, Iran.

Abstract

The concept of resurrection (maʿād) constitutes a fundamental pillar of the Islamic worldview. Numerous interpretations and theories have been proposed regarding its types and nature. Advocates of the Tafkik school argue that a substantial body of Qurʾanic verses and narrations—both in explicit and apparent meanings—affirm a corporeal (elemental) resurrection. They accuse their opponents of “unrestrained allegorical interpretation,” “misunderstanding the apparent meaning of the Qur’an,” and even “opposing its explicit texts,” ultimately leading to charges of heresy and deviation. Given the extensive volume of relevant sources, this study focuses exclusively on Qurʾan 2:259, which recounts the story of ʿUzayr (Ezra) or the prophet Irmiyā (Jeremiah). Employing a descriptive-analytical method with a critical approach, the study argues that the Tafkiki reading is shaped by subjective presuppositions imposed upon the verse. The central question of this verse and those that follow does not concern how the dead return to life or in what form, but rather how the divine agent enacts resurrection, and what the nature of this revivification is. The author contends that the verse in question is unrelated to eschatological resurrection, and its core semantic axis concerns the metaphysical reality of time and its relationship to different realms of existence. The verse suggests that humanity's limited perception of time stems from its continuous embeddedness within temporal experience. Ultimately, the study concludes that the apparent meaning of the verse neither substantiates the claim of corporeal resurrection nor refutes Mulla Ṣadra’s theory of imaginal resurrection.

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Main Subjects

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Philosophy of Religion Research
Volume 23, Issue 2 - Serial Number 46
December 2025
Pages 181-196