Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis

Ezra as the Son of God (Q. 9:30): A Theological Critique of the Honorific Reading

Document Type : Original article

Authors
Yusuf Farshadnia 1
Zahra GasemNejad 2
Mohammad Mahdi Ajilian Mafogh 3
Ali Akbar Kalantari 2
1 Ph.D. Candidate in Quranic Sciences and Hadith Studies, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Quranic Sciences and Hadith, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Quranic Sciences and Hadith, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
10.22034/naghdeara.2026.584740.1397
Abstract
This article examines the interpretation of “ʿUzayr is the son of God” (Q. 9:30), evaluating two exegetical positions: the honorific interpretation (bunuwwat tashrīfī) and the real sonship interpretation (bunuwwat ḥaqīqī). Using a critical-analytical method grounded in the “flow model” (al-namūdhaj al-jaryānshinākhtī) of Sūrat al-Ḥamd, which identifies three human categories representing two opposing theological paradigms, the study argues that the verse’s context, the parallel construction of Jewish and Christian claims, the term yuḍāhiʾūn, and the uniform judgment qātalahum Allāh indicate a doctrinal deviation concerning divine agency, not merely an honorific title. It critiques Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s appeal to Q. 5:18 as conflicting with surrounding verses emphasizing God’s absolute creative agency, and rejects Q. 9:31 as independent evidence. Conducted within Twelver Shīʿī exegetical traditions, the article concludes that the honorific interpretation is incompatible with the Qurʾān’s internal logic and the flow model of Sūrat al-Ḥamd.
Keywords
Divine Sonship
Divine Generation
Kun Fayakūn
Sūrat al-Ḥamd
al-Maghḍūb ʿAlayhim wa-l-Ḍāllīn
Critique of Ṭabāṭabāʾī's al-Mīzān
Subjects
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Critical Studies on the Quranic Exegesis
Volume 7, Issue 1 - Serial Number 13
September 2026
Pages 283-306

  • Receive Date 03 June 2026
  • Revise Date 29 August 2026
  • Accept Date 31 August 2026