Document Type : Original Article
Author
PhD in Islamic Theology, Lecturer, University of Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract
The claim of Jewish chosenness and its theological consequence, namely, “exclusive salvation,” is one of the most fundamental claims of the Jewish tradition that has played a central role throughout the religious and identity history of this people. This study, using an analytical-citational approach, deals with the theological evaluation of the exclusive salvation paradigm and shows that in the logic of the Quran and Imami theology, neither chosenness is considered a permanent ethnic privilege nor salvation is a matter dependent on ethnic attribution. An analysis of Imami theological verses and reports reveals that chosenness in the Islamic view has meaning only within the framework of “covenant” and “responsibility” and is devoid of any intrinsic, superiority-seeking, or ethnocentric interpretation. Therefore, the theory of exclusive salvation, which is based on the continuity of ethnic choice and divine privilege, appears incompatible with the fundamental principles of divine justice, wisdom, universal guidance, and the tradition of testing. The findings of the research show that the Islamic guidance system considers salvation to be a morally-based, conditional, and general process, and considers any exclusivity of salvation for a specific people to lack valid theological support. Accordingly, the claim of the inherent chosenness of the Jewish people is not only untenable from the perspective of the Quran and Imami theology, but in the final analysis it also fundamentally conflicts with the rational and final structure of divine guidance.
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