The "Deficiency of Intellect" Sermon in Nahj al-Balāghah:An Examination of the Approaches of Commentators and Researchers

Nahj al-Balāghah, the collection of Imam Ali’s (AS) sermons, letters, and sayings, has attracted the attention of commentators and exegetes since its compilation. In the contemporary period as well, numerous scholars have written commentaries on the entire work or on selected sections. Among its sermons, Sermon ۸۰, commonly known as the "Deficiency of Intellect" sermon, has received exceptional attention because it contains explicit statements criticizing women. The present study investigates the following question: ‘How have Muslim commentators and researchers approached this controversial sermon?’ If they have defended or endorsed it, or alternatively criticized or rejected it, ‘What intellectual assumptions and methodological approaches have informed their positions?’ The purpose of this study is not to analyze the content of the sermon itself, but rather to examine the foundations and reasons underlying the diverse interpretive approaches adopted by commentators and scholars toward the sermon and its implications. The significance of this study lies in both its historical and social dimensions. Historically, the sermon has become intertwined with longstanding Sunni-Shiʿi debates. Socially, its implications, particularly in the modern era, have become the subject of intense scholarly discussion and controversy. Moreover, given the considerable body of research devoted to this sermon, a systematic analysis of the various interpretive approaches has become increasingly necessary. Using a descriptive-analytical method based on library research, this study first describes how commentators and researchers have engaged with Sermon ۸۰ and then analyzes the intellectual premises underlying their interpretations. The findings indicate a clear distinction between the approaches of classical, traditional commentators, who generally extended the sermon’s criticism to women as a whole, and those of most contemporary researchers. A number of modern scholars have attempted either to question the authenticity of the sermon’s chain of transmission or, while affirming the dignity and status of women, to defend its attribution to Imam Ali (AS) by offering contextual and interpretive explanations. The study concludes that classical Sunni commentators, such as Ibn Abī al-Ḥadīd, although acknowledging that the sermon was delivered in the context of the Battle of the Camel and ʿĀyishah’s participation in that conflict, nevertheless regarded its criticism of women as consistent with the patriarchal worldview of their own historical context. Some contemporary traditionalists have adopted a similar position. In contrast, many modern scholars, finding the condemnation of women incompatible with their inherent human dignity and rights, have sought to reinterpret the sermon in a manner consistent with contemporary understandings of women’s status. Others have rejected attributing the sermon to Imam Ali (AS) altogether, arguing that its content is incompatible with the teachings of the Qur’an.

کلیدواژه ها:

Nahj al-Balāghah ، Sermon ۸۰ ، Women in the Teachings of Imam Ali (AS) ، Approaches of Commentators and Researchers ، the "Deficiency of Intellect" Sermon