SHIITE STUDIES
Year:2008 | Volume:6 | Issue:3 (23)|Papers Count:9

Shi'ite political fiqh is a part of public fiqh, for which reason is considered as a source. In this paper, two types of rationality, evolutionary and inflexible, are distinguished, and their implications for Shi'ite fiqh are compared. It is argued that only an account of rationality with an evolutionary nature can led to the development of the fiqh from within. An inflexible account of rationality that does not take historical changes and evolution into consideration cannot be of help in this regard. Therefore, Shi'ite religious scholars should not confine rationality to such an inflexible account.

In this article, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir Sadr's views on social philosophy are discussed. Sadr is a prominent Islamic and Shi'ite scholar in Islamic fiqh, philosophy and economics, but he has not dealt with social philosophy or philosophy of history in a separate piece of work. Nevertheless, whose views in this regard can be found in his vanous works, including some on the Qur'an and history written right after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The author argues that Sadr has no innovative view on social philosophy, and, in some cases, has restated other philosopher's accounts, while having conflicting standpoints, in others

In this article, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir Sadr's views on social philosophy are discussed. Sadr is a prominent Islamic and Shi'ite scholar in Islamic fiqh, philosophy and economics, but he has not dealt with social philosophy or philosophy of history in a separate piece of work. Nevertheless, whose views in this regard can be found in his vanous works, including some on the Qur'an and history written right after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The author argues that Sadr has no innovative view on social philosophy, and, in some cases, has restated other philosopher's accounts, while having conflicting standpoints, in others

After Prophet Mohammad's departure from this world, and by the territorial expansion of Islamic society, various deviant sects appeared among Muslims. Shi'ite Imams, as the Prophet's successors, devoted their lives to spreading righteous beliefs, and combating deviations among Muslims. Imam Redha, who lived in the capital during the reign of the Caliph Ma'moon, an advocate of the Mu'tazilah,was confronted with a variety of deviant sects including the Shi'ite Extremists (Qolat), the Mu'tazilah, the Waqefiyya, the Sufis, and the Mofawwadha. In this paper, the ways In which the Imam dealt with such sects is considered.

One of more recent works on the Qur'an by non-Muslims and Orientalists is the Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe, and published in Leiden (the Netherlands). Since 2000, five volumes of the Encyclopaedia has been published, comprising one thousands entries. The authors of the Encyclopaedia have stated a variety of accounts on Qur'anic topics such as its literary style, content, history and the like, and sometimes have challenged Shi'ite views, without having sufficient knowledge of the subject. In this paper, the views of the authors have been examined on the basis of Shi'ite account, from a scholarly perspective.

The Shi'te faith is based on the Qur'an and the sunna of the Prophet Mohammad and his twelve successors, calling for justice, awareness and ijtihad. It has given direction and richness to Iranian culture. Combination of Shi'ite beliefs and Iranian culture gave Iranians a distinct identity, and has led to the flourishing of their culture. Iranian artists and architects have created pieces of art imbued with Shi'ite spirituality. This has been reflected particularly in Shi'ite mosques, whose design cannot be understood but through appreciating Shi'ite beliefs. Various elements in the structure of a mosque such as its spatial relations, decoration and lighting reflect such beliefs. In this study, the authors compare twelve Shi'ite mosques with twelve Sunni ones, mainly from the spatial relations point of view, in order to investigate the different impacts of the two Muslim denominations on the design of their worship places.

The issues of God's will and predestination have for a long time attracted the attention of Muslim scholars, who have discussed the subject from various points of view, being influenced by different social and theoretical factors. The dispute over the issues has led to the creation of diverging sects among Muslims. In this paper, those versus of the Qur'an that attribute the guidance and misguidance of people to God's will are examined, by referring to AlHima Tabiitabii'ei's views on the subject. It has been argued that it is ultimately people's own deeds and wish that lead to their salvation or damnation, though this is carried out according to Divine laws and through a chain of causes and effects. Therefore, there is no determinism in the guidance or misguidance of people.

Poetry and literature have been valued very highly among the Shi'a. It may be said that the Shi'ite Imams' skill in poetry and their encouraging of true-hearted poets persuaded them to compose for the sake of God, rather than for their own material wishes. On the other hand, the Shi'ite revolutionary movements of the Umayyad and Abbasid periods provided a rich context for the development of Shi'ite poetry and literature. This has been so particularly after the event of Ashura and the martyrdom of Imam Hossein (PBUH) and his companions. Another important event that has inspired Shi'ite poetry and prose during centuries is the event of Ghadeer, when Prophet Mohammad appointed Imam Ali as his successor. Some Shi'ite elegist and their laments are examined in this paper.