Islamic Studies of Orientalists

Islamic Studies of Orientalists

Review of Valerie Hoffman and Wim Raven's Viewpoint about the adaptation of Imam Hussein's suffering and salvation From Crucifixion of Jesus

Document Type : Original Article

10.22034/iso.2025.2053037.1122
Abstract
One significant issue raised in Orientalist scholarship concerning the authenticity of Shia beliefs is the claim that the Shia concept of Imam Hussain's (AS) suffering and redemptive role was borrowed from the Christian doctrine of Jesus' (AS) sacrifice. Valérie Hoffman and Wim Raven advance this claim in the Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology, this article examines Christian and Shia perspectives on the suffering and redemptive roles of Jesus (AS) and Imam Hussain (AS), respectively, to critically analyze and evaluate Hoffman and Raven's thesis. The research findings demonstrate that the concepts of suffering and redemption in Christianity and Shiism are fundamentally divergent. Within the Christian framework, true suffering originates from Adam's Original Sin, and true redemption is achieved through Jesus' (AS) sacrificial death for humanity's salvation. Conversely, the Shia perspective posits that human nature (fiṭrah) is inherently pure and divine. Imam Hussain's (AS) uprising served to awaken this primordial nature, emphasizing resistance against oppression and the struggle against tyrannical rulers. This constitutes a profound and essential divergence from the Christian understanding of Jesus (AS), thereby rendering untenable any claim of wholesale borrowing or questioning the authenticity of core Shia beliefs
Keywords


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 February 2026

  • Receive Date 09 February 2025
  • Revise Date 06 June 2025
  • Accept Date 19 October 2025