Iranian Journal for the Quranic Sciences and Tradition
Year:2021 | Volume:54 | Issue:1|Papers Count:12

A considerable number of the Qur’anic verses are devoted to the futuristic depiction of periods ahead, the description of the situation of the world and the state of humans in these periods. However, the unity of the nature of the following periods as well as the lack of sufficient knowledge about them have led to a complicated determination of the exact time of fulfilling these verses in interpretive works. An attention to the verses portraying the characteristics of Paradise and its residents can be applicable for decreasing the temporal position of verses and reducing this complication; Four examples of the Qur’anic word “jannah” are mentioned in commentaries: Adam’s Paradise, worldly gardens, purgatory Paradise and Paradise after the Resurrection. Having showed the grounds for creating the complication in exemplifying the descriptive verses of the future in the Qur’an, this article examines the interpretation of “Paradise” described in Surah Āl-e ‘Imrān: 133. It proves that this paradise is not included among the above examples. Paying attention to the special features of this paradise, along with other evidences in the verses and hadiths depicting the situation of the world on the Resurrection Day and the Advent of Imam of the Age, makes it clear that this paradise is a pre-resurrection paradise that will be established during the Advent and after the complete destruction of evils. In fact, this verse is a Qur’anic description of the end of the world; a Paradise that includes the heavens and the earth.

The distance at the end of a verse is a rhetorical and miraculous phenomenon in the Qur’an, which is related to the aesthetic and musical subject of the verses of a surah. However, final phrases and sentences of the verses of a surah also semantically and indicatively have a strong and close connection to the content of all verses of that surah. The question is that whether it is possible to recognize these sentences and phrases in one surah and express their relations under one rule? At least four types of indicative distances in a surah are identified: the same verses and distances, different verses and the same distances, close semantic distances, and other distances. On the other hand, a distance may have one or more relations in a surah, in addition to its semantic relation with the verse, including: the relation with the content of the surah, the relation with the context, the relation with the next verse, the distance relation of the first verse with the content of the surah, and finally the distance relation of the last verse with the content of the surah. For each of the types and relations, verses are exemplified according to the interpretations. This research uses narrative-revelatory and descriptive-analytical method to express the types of distances between verses and relations occurring in a surah.

Among the hadith sciences, Fiqh al-Hadith (Comprehending Hadith) ranks a high position. Accordingly, hadith scholars strived to understand hadith in a methodical way by applying the rules of understanding. On the other, it has been always affected by some problems. “Generalization” or conveying a hadith concept on a determined person, group, time and place to other people, groups, times and places is a problem that sometimes threatens the main purpose of the speaker’s statement. This article seeks to introduce ways of distinguishing the ungeneralizable hadith propositions from generalizable ones. It also will examine the causes of generalizability. Considering the cause of issuing hadiths, the Infallibles’ emphases, the ineffectiveness of behavior in another time, the lack of examples in today’s conditions, the Prophet and the Imam as speakers, and the addressee of hadiths, one can distinguish between generalizable and ungeneralizable hadith propositions.

The descent of the Qur’an is from a true source in which the Holy Qur’an and its appearance are its revealed form in correspondence with the formation world. On the other, the specific linguistic and ontological rules of the Qur’an make a connection between words, their meanings and truths, and show the relevance of existence and the Qur’an to each other. This relevance clarifies the nature of the interpretation, prevents others of entering the definition of interpretation, makes the use of the Qur’an as methodical and rejects the interpretation based on personal opinion. Based on the descriptive-analytical method, this article seeks to achieve the relevance of the Qur’anic words, meanings and truth from the view of Allameh Tabataba’i. The authority of appearances, the importance of Qur’anic truths and the existential connection between the outward and the inward are among the results.

A hadith can be referred when its issuance from the Infallible (AS) is proven by criticism and evaluation. One of the criticizing and validating methods of narrations is to make an investigation into the text and content of a narration and to measure it with the criteria accepted by scholars and narrators. Sheikh Ansari, a thoughtful and unique Shiite jurist, has also criticized many hadiths in his jurisprudential and principled works. Based on the descriptive-analytical method, this paper discusses the critique of the text (content critique) from Sheikh Ansari’s view. It concluded that incompatibility with definite tradition, incompatibility with certain and consensual rules, incompatibility with dignity and innocence of the Infallible (AS), measuring with historical facts, including excellent themes, and weakness of a part of the narrative content are the criteria of content critique on which Sheikh Ansari has used in hadith studies. In addition, famous action and statements, Qomis’ trust and perception of accepting a narration have been used by Sheikh to criticize a hadith.

In the sphere of Qur’anic words, “Al-Rahmān” and “Al-Rahīm” are two beautiful names of God Almighty that have a special place among the God’s names and are mentioned together in a very important verse of Bismila as well as some other verses. Clearly to achieve the Qur’anic knowledge, one inevitably needs to understand these words. However, there are different views on this issue, which are critically often considerable. An important problem in this regard seems to be the lack of effort in analyzing the grammatical structure of these words; Therefore, this research tries to discover their meanings with a grammatical structure through a descriptive-analytical method. It seems that according to the structure of “fa'lān” and “fa'īl,” the word Al-Rahmān indicates the full innate mercy of God. Also the word Al-Rahīm which is rooted in the description of Al-Rahmān refers to the continuous mercy of God, the Glorified. Accordingly, and because of some other inevitable reasons, the phrase “Al-Rahmān al-Rahīm” can be translated (in Persian) as “پُرمهرِ مهرورز” (Full Mercy and Merciful).

According to the historical, geographical and social reconstruction of the living space of his holiness Shoaib (AS), we observe the spread of economic corruption in this context, in which the verses of the Qur’an express his concern to the social economic reforms. The purpose of this study is to discover his strategies and then to achieve a proper approach in the present era to carry out these reforms. Through juxtaposing the Qur’anic and narrative family and using interpretations, it is proved that he strived to do economic reforms through the software of communication with God, using four scientific, political, cultural, social and defensive strategies. He implemented these strategies in different ways, by which economic reforms can be carried out in the present age as well.

Supplication (du'ā) in the school of Ahl al-Bayt (AS), in addition to spiritual functions in individual self-making, has been a suitable platform for cultivating the forces for the social goals of the Imams (AS). Effective theoretical models in the behavioral system can be extracted from supplication texts. The phrases “asraha 'ilayka fī mayādīn al-sābiqīn-a”[1] and “’aqrabihim manzelat-an mink-a”[2] in the Kumayl Supplication indicate to a higher position than the closeness to God (taqarrub), i.e. “precedence in the closeness to God.” Accordingly, Kumayl Supplication is a suitable textual context for discovering the pattern related to the precedence in the closeness to God. Explaining and drawing the above conceptual model is the main question of this study. It tries to answer the question through the exploratory method of the thematic content analysis. Findings prove that Kumayl Supplication is a unified text and has a coherent content. Eliminating a serious defect and obstacle in the space of the closeness to God, it suggests a faster path for man’s journey to Him. “Forgiveness”, “honor”, “service”, “precedence” and “closeness” are the five central themes of Kumayl Supplication. These themes form a very meaningful conceptual system. “Service” as the central concept of the supplication is a physical state. In this position, the servant seeks to accomplish what God (the Commander) is willing to do on Earth. The believer’s deprivation of the service state is the result of “the spiritual deficiency caused by sin” and its attainment depends on “permanent forgiveness”. If the believer enters the level of service, he/she enters the realm of “precedence in the closeness to God.”

The issue of “Muhkam and Mutashābih” in the Holy Qur’an has been an ancient and wide-ranging issue in Quranic sciences and its interpretation. Recognition and analysis of this issue play a significant role in understanding and interpreting the Holy Qur’an, preventing the Qur’anic researcher from mistakes and self-misinterpretations. This article studies the issue based on the “linguistic indication” approach, which has recently been used in understanding and interpreting the Qur’an and Sunnah. It also compares its findings to the late Allameh Tabataba’i's views. According to this study, the elements of “verbal similarity,” “disputes in understanding” and “absence of context” are referred as significant reasons of the phenomenon “semantic similarity” in the framework of “linguistic indication”. In addition, the decisiveness of whole Qur’anic verses based on linguistic indication, relativity in resembling verses semantically, and the non-addressees’ need for learning by “Qur’anic scholars,” are important results of the research. Finally, this article leads to present a new interpretation of the verse Āl-e ‘Imrān: 7.

Combining the word “Habl” with other words, especially “umm,” has led to relatively critical metaphorical interpretations in the Arabic language and the narrative literature. Achieving the exact meaning of these narrative allusions is complex for the audience, and sometimes, the apparent meaning of the phrases is unusual. Therefore, we should choose the correct semantic equivalent of these interpretations. This study aimed to find the modern match of the phrase "هَبِلَتکَ أمُّک" (habelatka ummuk) and “similar meaning,” by examining the ancient Arabic texts, scholars’ views, the discourse space of earlier texts, the issuance contexts of narrative texts, and analytical comparison of data. The results indicated that using these terms in Arabic literature is different from common languages such as Syriac, Aramaic, and Hebrew, the monopoly of this interpretation in curse and guilt is not prevalent, these metaphorical interpretations have various uses, different expressions of wonder, warning, praise, benevolence and reprimand instead of guilt and curse in the narrative conceptology are applicable.

Every Qur’anic word is placed in a position which presents a concept that other synonymous words cannot convey. Based on the lexical analysis method and the interpretive approach, a semantic study of the words “ghayz”, “ghadab” and “sakhat” in the Qur’an indicates that they have been expressed to explain a specific concept. As such, any change in their arrangement will distort the meaning. The conceptual study of these words shows that “ghayz”, regarding to explain human emotions, is specific to infidels and hypocrites, and the essence of God and the prophets are free from it. This research proves that the word “ghadab” belongs only to God, which sometimes is a manifestation of the feelings of the prophets and believers. However, “sakhat” means the God’s highest displeasure with His servants. The manifestation of the Divine sakhat only is expressed in dealing with the hypocrites, that in return, the hypocrites feel “sakhat” against God and His Messenger.

As the first and most valid Imami School of hadith, the Hadith School of Kufa played a fundamental role in evolving the next Imami Schools of hadith. By the late of the first century AH, the migration of a Kufi Shiite tribe, the Ash'arites, to Qom led to the emergence of a hadith school in this city. The immigrant Ash'arite connection to the Hadith School of Kufa in the third and fourth centuries formed the foundation of a dynamic and influential school of hadith in Qom. This connection, in the form of scientific travels and the exchange of hadith and Imami hadith works, was generally transferred from Kufi narrators to Ash'arites. Due to this close connection to the school of Kufa, the School of Qom in the third and fourth centuries was known as the main Imami scientific circle, so that it played an important role in hadiths of the main Imami collections. This role often appeared in the form of writing hadith works in this period, which became the basis for writing Imami hadith collections, especially Kāfī and Man lā Yahzuruh al-Faqīh, in the later generations of this school.