SHIITE STUDIES
Year:2010 | Volume:8 | Issue:2 (30)|Papers Count:7

During the Shah Ismael reign, scholars like Muhaghegh Karaki had come to Iran, but this matter become more serious during the reign of Shah Tahmasb I and became a basic policy for the state.In the light of this Safavid policy, a group of religious scholars from Djabal 'Amel came to Iran and naturally influenced the cultural, religious and political conditions of the society in the Safavid era. Transmitting their thoughts and scholarship in various fields, the Djabal 'Amelian Scholars trained a generation of Iranian jurists which later managed political affairs in the Safavid government. Their efforts to legislate the Safavid government were very effective. In one hand, they enriched the Shi'a jurisprudence in political and governmental aspects, and in other hand, they helped the Safavid State as a Shi'a government in order to seem as a legitimate government to the people.

Sacred architecture traditionally had been the highest ground for spiritual evolution and transcendence of humans. The peak height and flourishing of the art of the sacred Islamic architecture can be found in the mosques. In this regard, it seems that the mosques that formed in the golden period of the Shi'i spiritual, financial and political power in this country had an especial spiritual identity. Therefore, this writing, by examining two of the artistic and architectural Shi'i and Islamic masterpieces of this country, that is, Masdjed Imam and Masdjed Shaykh Lutfullah in Isfahan, tries to review the sacred principles dominated the designing of the Shi'i mosques. To attain this important goal, the methods of descriptive-analytic and comparative research and the methods of examining texts, resources and visional documents are used. The results gained in this research include introducing unity and uniqueness suppositions, assonance with nature, innovation and the presence of geometric impressions and paints as the sacred suppositions dominated the designing of Shi'i mosques, and giving suggestions for designing today mosques on the basis of these suppositions.

In the middle of Uldjaytu reign (703-716 A.H), that in the result of sectarian conflicts between the two major Sunni groups, the Hanafis and the Shafi'is, when the Mongols of Iran were about to apostasy from Islam, Shi'ism played an important historical role and, by the conversion of Uldjaytu to Shi'ism (709 A.H), it had been prevented from the renewal of Mongolan traditions and costumes in Iran. The active and influential presence of Shi'ism in the religious arena of Iran in this period of time, in addition to being in the benefit of Islam and the Muslims, gave the Shi'a the opportunity to familiarize the Iranian society with their religious beliefs. Although the official recognition of Shi'ism did not continue after Uldjaytu, it had so many effects on the Iranian religious changes in the next periods that its consequence being the official recognition and establishment of Shi'ism in the Safavid period.

One of the traditionally controversial theological issues among the Muslim theologians, is to attempt to understand the meaning and quality of the prophets and Imams infallibility; so that in explaining the subject of infallibility, we find different approaches and resolutions that with belief in each one, this concept would have different structure from the other case. As if one understands infallibility accompanied with an approach that is indescribable by human knowledge, it would have a granted concept; but if one understands it accompanied with experiential and acquired approach, it would be the effect of the two phenomena of knowledge and willing, and access to it would be possible in different degrees.In this paper, by excavating in Shi'i thinkers' thoughts, it is attempted to examine the viewpoints that thinkers had suggested and finally it emphasizes that infallibility is a transcendental characteristic which not only did not distinguish the infallible from his/her other fellow mankind, but also this characteristic is one his/her optional perfections.

An exegetical tendency is the effect of beliefs, needs, taste and expertise of the exegetes in Quranic exegesis. The Shi'a exegetes, like other Quranic exegetes, have legal, theological, philosophical, social and literal tendencies, although the Shi'a exegetes defined all these tendencies within the framework of Ahl ul-Bayt school of faith. In this writing, the history, features, subjects, exegetical tendencies and the most important Shi'i commentaries in each case are introduced in detail.It also had been mentioned that there were also other exegetical tendencies among the Shi'a such as mystical, hadith and scientific tendencies. In the recent decade there have arisen interdisciplinary tendencies in exegesis like educational, managing, political etc. about the Qur'an.

Iranian playing a role in meta-national arena, from the very beginning of Islamic Revolution, had a deep impression among the societies. At the same time, this atmosphere expansion that formed by the release of the energy latent in Shi'ism and had a religious nature, brought about the heads of rival countries and other meta-regional role players to sensitively pursuit and control the new process.Gradually, when the Islamic Republic of Iran's meta-boundaries were assuming an operational form and Iran's impressiveness among the other countries was taking an objective manifestation, there also showed different responses from the contrary side that were conducted in the form of confronting policies. The goal of these proceedings was to prevent the atmosphere expansion of Shi'i power which came into being by the effect of Islamic Revolution of Iran.This essay wants, by analytic method, to examine the variety of obstacles and practical and theoretical ways that were adopted in contrary to the Shi'i taking power and its revival and in relation to the after-revolution Iran's playing role. This various kinds are divided into eight parts of "religious-legal, organizational, politico-military, popular, physical, theoretical, publication and electronic".

Of course the virtues and merits of Imam 'Ali (peace be upon him) as a perfect man had a broad reflection not only among the Muslims, but also among the followers of other religions, so that many books, essays and poems written in this field are resulted. This unique character, after fourteen centuries, continues to fascinate the great lords, the literati and the thinkers of other religions, especially the followers of the Christian faith, to his endless virtues. In this regard, the Christian poet and literate, 'Abd ul-Masih Fath ul-lah al-Intaki, in "the 'Alawid Ode", (Kasida al-'Alawiah), praised and described Imam 'Ali (p.b.u.h.), including his knowledge in matters like Quranic exegesis, recitation, Theology, jurisprudence, tasawwuf (mysticism) and syntax. This essay examines Imam 'Ali's Knowledge from the point of rhetorical elements.