Hadith evaluation of the thought of being the shadow of God for the sultans (Zillollahi Sultan)

Document Type : علمیه تحقیقیه

Authors

1 Razavi University of Islamic Sciences

2 Professor, Department of Quranic Sciences and Hadith, Razavi University of Islamic Sciences.

10.22034/uh.2025.52030.3616

Abstract

The thought of the shadow of God for the sultans has existed until recent centuries, and the news of the sultan being the shadow of God has been a basis for legitimizing this idea. The aim of the present article is to analyze these reports to answer the question of how is the reliability of these reports. To this end, the aforementioned reports have been examined using a descriptive-analytical method in terms of their contents, chains, date of origin, and acceptability. The findings show that the Imamiyyah narrations often attributed the shadow of God to Sultan Adel or sought to limit its time to the advent of Imam Mahdi. In terms of terminology the document of these quotes is evaluated as weak, and the oldest source found containing these reports dates back to the third century (A.H.). The existing evidences do not support the acceptance of the idea of the shadow of God by early scholars for sultans not authorized by the Imam; however, the actions of some later scholars in some cases indicate the acceptance of this idea. Although this acceptability has been challenged, and overall, it can be said that these reports are Unreliable in the aspects examined.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Ulum-i Hadith

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 14 October 2025

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 21 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 23 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 14 October 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics