Islamic Theology and Religious Studies
Year:2021 | Volume:17 | Issue:64|Papers Count:10

One of the important issues of philosophical psychology is that of immateriality or materiality of human soul. Philosophers and rational theologians defend of immateriality; yet narrative theologians and the followers of the Tafkikist view defend its materiality. Those of Tafkik, presenting the theory of "materiality of the soul as being a subtle body" have viewed in the field. They have used various rational arguments to prove their view. In this research, by a library-based method and by studying the works the Tafkikists, some evidences can be achieved and after analyzing the evidences, they can be put into two categories: one is "positive proofs" with different types of "the soul`s being different with science and reason", "connection with the spirits of the past" and "difference between the effects of the soul and those of the immaterial beings" and the other is "negative proofs" with the types of "perception of universal and simple beings by the soul", "intuitive knowledge of the soul to itself", "lack of the soul`s perception in sometimes" and "the soul`s being needless of material means". Reflecting on these arguments, it would be clear that they lack sufficient strength to prove the Tafkikistchr('39') claim; moreover, each of the proofs may be taken as being opposed with several criticisms.

One of the old and lesser known arguments in Islamic and Shiite theology to prove the existence of God is an argument called the proof of the occurrence of attributes. In this argument, considering the occurrence of special attributes for bodies and also essential need of each spacio-temporal being to an immaterial creator, the existence of an immaterial creator, ie God, as the creator of the attributes of these beings is proved. The background and various interpretations and evolutions of this argument have not been studied in the history of Imami theology so far and little is known about this theological argument. Therefore, in the present article, following the Imami theological texts, its background, historical developments and various interpretations are recognized and explained, and finally, this argument is evaluated. The present study indicates that despite the incompleteness of this argument, some Imami theologians in different periods and schools of Imami theology have used different interpretations of the argument to prove the existence of God and have considered it as a complete argument.

The main issue of the present study is the conformity of "Yā man dalla `alā dhā tihi bi dhā tih" as mentioned in Du`aʿ i sabā ḥ with different expositions of the Siddiqin proof. The most important exposition has been examined by descriptive-analytical method; the findings of this research show that it can only be claimed based on Allameh Tabatabai`s exposition that this sentence refers to the Siddiqin proof. In this account, the necessity of existence has been based on the originality of existence and following this Divine necessity has been proved and it seems that this is the same meaning meant by Imam Ali (as) in the above mentioned sentence. But according to Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra`s statements, this sentence may not be counted as an example of the Siddiqin proof. What meant by Ibn Sinachr('39')s is imkā ni mā huwi and impossibility of circle or unlimited chain of causes and the caused have been used by him, and in Mulla Sadrachr('39')s, philosophical principles such as originality and analogical state of existence and causal relation are used. In both expositions, the existence of God is relied on something other than Itself.

In this study, by a comparative method and analyzing the components of communication, content, belief, motivation and tendency, semantic relationship of prayer, du`aʿ , in Islamic culture and "desire" in the law of attraction is discussed. Prayer is based on the components of which desire and faith are the pillars, but the most important concept in the law of attraction is desire. As understood by the findings of the study, prayer/desire and faith/belief may not be taken to be in agreement in Islam and the law of attraction. Prayer is based on rationally realistic and defensible ontological foundations, and epistemologically viewing, it seeks superior content and its goal is to promote human existence. Instinctive need, ontological poverty, knowledge`s state of being agent for awareness, transcendence-giving love, existential perfection-seeking and moral life are viewed as the foundations and requisites of prayer in Islam. But in the law of attraction, serious critiques against the foundations of "desire" can be proposed. In addition, it may not be defensible in terms of the purpose and dimensions of perfection-seeking.

God`s being of a child is of those attended issues in different religions and denominations. The question of the study follows as: what may one say about God`s childbearing on the basis of Ibn Sina, Mulla Sadra and Allameh Tabataba`i`s reasonable principles on the third verse of the chapter Tawhid? The method of the study is analytical and descriptive and the findings are offered in tables and logical propositions. On the findings of the research, Ibn Sina has based God`s impossibility of childbearing on the necessity of common nature of the father and the child; Mulla Sadra has proposed three proofs in the field of which the third is more defensible with regard to his philosophical foundations; while the first and the second are not defensible as not being correctly explained and not being in agreement with his principles of the departure movement. And Allameh has based the impossibility on God`s uniqueness of Existence.

The concept of tawhid in Islamic thought is of such a central part that other concepts such as resurrection, prophecy and Imamate owe their meanings to it. This research claims that Imam Khomeinichr('39')s political-theistic thought has been also derived from a theistic view of the world. The present research has dealt with the monotheistic nature of Imam Khomeinichr('39')s political discourse with a descriptive-analytical method and in the framework of discourse theory. The findings of this study indicate that monotheism as a central signifier of Imamchr('39')s political discourse has given special features to the discourse proposed by him, which in a positive dimension has led to different perceptions of other political thinkers about the concepts of freedom, justice and independence. The negative dimension has led to the demarcation with everything other than God, which results in self-belief and self-reliance.

In this research, with an analytical-descriptive method, the effects of two collateral causes on one caused from the point of view of Muchr('39')tazilites and Imamiyyeh as well as human ability and Divine power are studied. As is understood by the findings, The Muchr('39')tazilites, including Abd ul-Jabbar, while believing in the primacy of human ability over action, also believe in the power of God over all contingent beings. But in the conflict between the power of God and the power of man over an action, they have considered only man as capable and have tended to delegation. In Imamiyyeh, some of the first theologians (from the companions of the Imams) consider both God and man to be capable in such a way that human ability is conditioned on the health of the limbs and joints and the health of the body, and the fulfillment of the action depends on the cause caused by God. . Some have agreed with the Muchr('39')tazilites and some have spoken of Godchr('39')s power as being more effective than that of man. Contemporary theologians have defended both the power of God and the power of man by recognizing human power as being based on that of God.

The concept of sacred is one of the most widely used concepts among theorists of religious phenomenology and functionalism in the analysis of the roots and definition of religion based on the distinction between sacred and non-sacred. The main issue of research in this paper, with a descriptive-analytical method, is to examine the position, meaning and application of the concepts of sacred and non-sacred in the theology of these two schools with emphasis on the views of Durkheim, Otto and Eliade. The research findings show that in Durkheimchr('39')s functionalism, the truth of religion is not belief in a supernatural god, but he considers the separation of the sacred from the non-sacred as the functions of society; But in Ottochr('39')s phenomenology, the essence of religion is an experience of the sacred, which is uniquely experienced in a mysterious and terrifying way for every human being and has an indescribable transcendent quality. On the other hand, the process of religious symbolism and dialectics of the sacred is one of the most important concepts which has been considered in the phenomenology of the Eliade.

The problem of the present research is to explain the position of women in the thought and practice of contemporary Salafi currents. The method of the study is a causal and library-based one. The problem of this research can be solved with regard to three points: 1. a study of the court Salafi that regulates its jurisprudential views with the strategies of the government, industrial jurisprudence and expediency, that is the precedence of political expediency over religious rules; 2. a study of the jihadist Salafi movement, which, with its uncommon fatawa, while criticizing the official Salafism, has a jurisprudentially centrifugal view on the issue of women and 3. a study of the reformative Salafism which jurisprudentially viewed, its rules are in accordance to the taste of Sharichr('39')a and relies on fiqhi maqasidi, purpose-based jurisprudence. This view remains faithful to Sharichr('39')a and refrains from extremist and inhumanistic views in the field. The findings of the study emphasize the categorization of these views according to the validity of the type of jurisprudential view. In such a way that, despite their being common in the principles of epistemology, ontology and anthropology, in fiqhi maqasidi and fiqhi sana`ti, technical jurisprudence, different views towards women have been formed, influenced by socio-cultural status and historical geographical destiny.

In new theology, kalami jadid, the "theory of creation" is known as contrasted with the "theory of evolution"; Because in the theory of evolution, the stages of the emergence of life are explained naturally without any role by a conscious creator in it; In contrast, creationists insist on the agency of the conscious Creator. Meanwhile, some theist scientists proposed the theory of intelligent design to open a place for immaterial agents among natural ones. The question now is whether the Qurchr('39')an also considers the creation of beings as opposed to their natural creation and evolution. Based on the intra-histological analysis of the word creation, this study clarifies that the Qurchr('39')anic creation refers to the emergence of beings by arranging the components of an organ in a temporal and step-by-step manner with the intervention of natural agents; that is, all the stages of the organ formation are depend on the command and will of God. In fact, the view of creation in the Qurchr('39')an is a description of creation from a natural and evolutionary view, but the view of command, amr, or kingdom, malakut, is dedicated to the esoteric view of phenomena and the role of the Creator. This explanation results in the lack of duality of creation and evolution. Of course, the Qurchr('39')an rejects the theory of intelligent design, because this theory recognizes the effect of Godchr('39')s command among other causes.