Qoran Shenakht

The descent of angels and the Spirit (rūḥ) on the Night of Qadr (Laylat al-Qadr) represents one of the Quran's key teachings concerning the divine system of guidance. The central question of this research is to determine the worthy addressee of this descent through a comparative approach grounded in the theological foundations of Shīʿa and Sunnī traditions. This article, by proposing an analytical framework and employing a conceptual analysis of the verses along with a comparative examination of the views of prominent exegetes from both schools, seeks to identify the addressee of the descent. The principal hypothesis is that the divergence in interpretations is rooted in two distinct models: the "wilāʾī-tadbīrī" (guardianship-governance) model in Shīʿa exegeses, which regards the descent as pertaining to the cosmic governance (tadbīr takwīnī) of the universe and thus necessitating an infallible addressee; and the "ʿibādī-barakātī" (devotional-blessing) model in Sunnī exegeses, which views the descent as honorary and mercy-oriented, encompassing all righteous believers. The findings indicate that the question of the addressee of the descent is directly linked to the theological foundations of the two schools, particularly the doctrines of imamate and infallibility ('iṣma) in Shīʿism, and that without attention to this foundation, a comprehensive understanding of the descent of angels and the Spirit remains unattainable.