JOURNAL OF HUMAN SCIENCES
Year:2008 | Volume:- | Issue:57 (SPECIAL ISSUE ON LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE)|Papers Count:21

Some theological subjects such as faith, determinism vs. free will and pre-eternity vs. Origination of the Quran constitute primary issues of concern and debate among different Islamic sects. It was the Kharitie who discussed the issue of faith for the first time. They considered Umayyad caliphs unbelievers due to the cardinal sins they committed. However, major Islamic sects such as the Ash’arite, shiite and Murjiite considered cardinal sinners as reprobates, not unbelievers. As a philosopher and theologian, sanaei pays due heed to the issues of faith and unbelief amongst other important theological subjects, e.g. monotheism, determinism vs. Free will, pre-eternity vs. Origination of the Quran, and therefore, requires a careful analysis. On the theological side, Sanaei believes that the main pillar of faith is one's true and heart-felt affirmation and acknowledgment; he considers the other two pillars, i.e. corporal practice and verbal confession, of less significance. According to his view, a Muslim will achieve faith as defined by the Quran and tradition by removing the obstacles in its realization, and such faith will bring forth immunity and security in this world and the other. On the mystical side, Sanaei's views on faith and unbelief bear some resemblance to those offered by Eynolghozat, Hussein ibn-e Mansour Hallaj and Imam Muhammad Ghazzali. Here, Sanaei believes that there is no difference between faith and unbelief since the ultimate destination of both is the Beloved. The article will conclude by discussing the main moral virtues which reinforce the spiritual of faith.

Mohteseb and his function go back to early Islam while the institution of Hasbeh was legalized as part of the judicial system in later years. In the past, the important duty of budding for good and forbidding from doing evil was left to Mohtaseb. The institution of Hasbeh took advantage of some other governmental elements such as Shahneh (the police) and Esas (military commander) that should be kept in mind in the analysis of Hasbeh. Some poets who have been dealing with the social conditions of their times have pointed out the function of Mohtaseb, treatment of criminals and the do’s and the don’ts of this institution pointing to the contradictions between Mohtaseb’s function and religious teachings. In this study, some examples of what poets considered as tyranny and oppression conducted in the name of religion and supervision are presented and discussed.

The works of Sa’di of Shiraz (557-691 A.H. solar) , the great Persian poet, prose-writer and lyricist, despite some differences, show certain affinities with those of Abuo-Ala Ma’ari (363-449 A.H. Solar) in content and form in two specific areas: 1) social criticism and 2) didactic and moral ideas. In this article, a few of the main common points between these two poets will be illustrated. Furthermore, it will be explained how Abul-Ala Ma’ari, the great Arab poet, as an expert in social criticism and the pathological study of religious societies, is considered as one of the main inspires for Persian poets since the second half of the 5th century. Finally, it will be suggested that Sa’di may have been influenced by Ma’ari’s ideas.

Sisyphe Myth is a book about vanity, or absurdity, of contemporary human being by Camus. This book, along with its myth, was one of the influential works on contemporary poets; its impact was so strong that poets such as Rahimi, Shamloo, Shafiee-e Kadkani, etc. were inspired by it. But this inspiration was different because each poet’s interpretation of this myth was fundamentally different. Generally, we may categorize Iranian poets’ attitudes towards this myth into four types: (a) poets who literally re-narrated the myth, e.g. Rahimi in “Taghdir” (b) poets who used its philosophical content and theme to create similar symbols, e.g. Shamloo in “Rood” (c) poets who discarded its philosophical content and attached a social dimension to it, e.g. Shafiee-e Kadkani in “Charkh-e Chah” and (d) poets who simply reflected its content in their poems, e.g. Shamloo in “jahan ra ke afraid?”

Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari believes that words are of two types in their formation and signification: the eminent and the apparent. In the first type, each word bears an inherent or innate relation to its signified. However, this intrinsic meaning or signification is well beyond the grasp of a layman. The word demotes from its innate eminent position and through the men of vision and understanding becomes available to the laymen. And the men of wisdom form and formulate the words with a secondary, apparent, and perceptible meaning for the common people in accordance with the appropriate to their customs and way of life. Now, in order to move from the apparent and perceptible meaning and reach the inherent and hidden signified of the word, one has no option but employ interpretation. And what can help and pave the way in this journey for the hidden meaning is allegory and simile.

Sa’di is undoubtedly one of the most important Iranian poets who has influenced literature and poetry of the other nations to a great deal. He has remarkably influenced the French poets and writers. The similarity between the diction of Sa’di and that of most French poets and writers indicates that there has been a great cultural interaction between these two nations and that Iranian literature has had great impact on French literature. Sa’di and his works have influenced the French schools of thought in many aspects, from 17th century to 20th century. In this paper, we aim to reveal some traces of this influence on some French writers including Voltaire and Jean Kebss while trying to show the readers some common aspects between them.

Mu’tazilah, anglicized as Mu’tazilite, is a theological school of thought based on rationalism within Sunni Islam. Mu’tazilite views resemble views expressed in Shiite Islam, including Ismailites. Now, Naser Khosrow, a prominent Ismailite theologian, may be studied in order to locate similarities and differences between the Mu’tazilite and the Ismailite. Common points of discussion amongst theologians are God’s attributes, seeing God, God’s word, creation, justice, determinism and free will. In this paper, similarities and differences between Ismailites and Mu’tazilites will be revealed by comparing and contrasting works of Naser Khosrow with those of Mu’tazilites.

Content criticism of literary works is rarely employed in Persian literary research; researchers and readers are often so fascinated b and engaged with the formal beauty and subject matter of the works that they take little heed of the inaccuracy or accuracy of the writings. One of the reliable texts in Persian prose, which is regarded as a main source of reference on the character of Jalaleddin Molavi and his friends and family, is a book entitled Managheb ol-Arefin written by Shams Aflaki. This book, which is written in a friendly and devoted style, is full of errors and contradictions. It presents a mythological and surrealistic picture of the past and contemporary figures, and in doing so, contradicts itself in many instances upon careful analysis. In the present article, Moavi’s father (Bahar Valad) and his grand son (Amir Aref) will be discussed.

This research is an attempt to look into the behavior of modal verbs in Azeri Turkish. Mood-Modality is of a syntactic-semantic nature and it represents the speaker’s attitude towards what s/he says. Modal verbs substantiate modality in a language. This study uses Palmer’s descriptive framework of mood and modality (1986, 2001). The research provides a corpus of two thousand sentences on the basis of which three mood types including Indicative, Subjunctive and Imperative and also two degrees of Possibility and Necessity are identified. Besides, the distinction between mood and modality is clearly established: mood is form and modality is function. In addition, three chief modalities of Epistemic, Deontic and Dynamic are recognized in Azeri Turkish.

Women have been pictured undesirably in most of the Persian literary texts. The manner in which the story of the descent of man is narrated in the Old Testament, along with allusion to in some Islamic exegeses and the reproduction of the same theme in the Persian literary texts, makes one doubt whether contempt toward women had roots in the teaching of the monotheist religions. Misogyny and an unfair conceptualization of women are not peculiar to Iranian culture or Persian literature; they are quiet pervasive and may be found in many cultures. Some anthropologists believe that such conceptualization is the result of wrong beliefs about women’s physical stature or the little role they play in the family economy or the way men wrote history. Such factors may not be ignored in the cynic approach towards women. However, the basis of such cynicism towards them goes back to the same myths according to which women played a significant role in important historical events and in the economic situation of their society. This paper intends to find an answer to questions such as: What is the relationship between women and the earth in mythology? Why did women and the earth lose their holiness? To what extent did different myths play a role in the formation of the Original sin and what role did such formation play in the way the story of the descent of man in the Old Testament was narrated?

On the prostration of angels to Adam, when referring to various exegeses, provided under Ayeh (verse) 34 in Surah (chapter) Baghara in the Holy Quran or other relevant Quranic verses, one will notice the scrutiny made by exegesists and at times their contrasting views on the various aspects of this issue. In Hafez’s Diwan, the event is alluded to only once; it is in a verse of one of his lyrics in which most verses, explicitly or implicitly, address a person whose trait, besides being embellished with internal and external perfections, is “a grace bestowed upon him beyond human limits”. And it is this divine grace which is the cause of angels prostrating themselves before Adam against any signs of polytheism. Although researchers on Hafez have ignored the delicate issues underpinning his verse mainly due to its apparent simplicity, we may, in careful analysis, find this verse of Hafez wrapped in an aura of ambiguity owing to its brevity, unknown addressee and allusions. This article intends to analyze and clarify the various underlying details and delicacies of this verse, using the ideas and views of various interpreters and Hafez analysis.

Jahngosha-ye Joveyni History, in the first glance, seems to be eulogizing and praising the Mongols, especially Jenghiz Khan, proceeding to introduce this barbaric tribe as a divine sign and an indication of God’s power and might over people who have gone astray from His path and are in need of a new guidance. However, upon careful analysis, one will find that the Chronicler, Joveyni not only is unsupportive of the Mongolian thought, acts and deeds but also shows history and opposition towards Mongols and on many occasions discloses the many brutal acts of savagery, crimes and felonies of this barbaric tribe who quench their thirst by killing. This article, by offering and analyzing extracts from Joveyni’s history book, aims to show how the historian employs paradox as an effective tool in his writing to criticize the state of events and expose the Mongolian tyranny and oppression while keeping himself safe from their harm.

In this article, we will study the pictures of “time” in Mahmoud Dolat Abadi’s “Jaye Khali-ye Solouch”. For this purpose, we will see whether the fear of “time” exists in these narrative characters and in the narrator’s imagination. Then, in case this fear exists, we will show how it is expressed, and why. Therefore, our attempts aim at answering these questions. Of course, our studies do not deal with the philosophical aspect of Dolat Abadi’s thought. On the contrary, the main interest is in the basic essence, or in other words, the imaginative pictures; the artistic pictures which should be taken as symbols, and not as the signs of which Ferdinand be Saussure has spoken. The chosen method of reading a text is based on Gilbert Duran’s view of imagination analysis. Choosing this scientific method, we also clarify our purpose: an attempt to naturalize this imaginative theory using Persian works.

A critical review of Bakhtin’s life, works, thoughts and theorizing indicates that the sociopolitical conditions and thinking trends of this time constituted a complex web of factors and components providing the proper grounds for the emergence of a figure such as Bakhtin. The Stalinist despotic and monologic astmosphere, along with Bakhtin’s own personal life experience, played a pivotal role in forming his thoughts and works as a philosopher, linguist, critic and literary and social theorist. Likewise, Hafez was influenced by the socio-political conditions and philosophical thinking of his time. In fact, Hafez’s poems are indicative of the monologic and dialogic worlds of hid time, with the aim to criticize the former. The present article intends to look into the socio-political conditions in which Hafez grew and emerged and their reflection in his poems. It also aims to identify those two dialogic and monologic worlds, the qualities which characterize them, their values and inhabitants, which were derived from Hafez’s own experiences.

Preaching is one of the old methods of teaching and expanding religious and mystic subjects among common people. Sufis used this method in their monasteries, too. Since many great Sufis were preachers or sermonizers with written works, preaching methods have definitely affected their writings. In this article, preaching methods in Mowlavī’s Majālis-e Sab’i have been reviewed. The addressability of prose, the use of dialogue as a methods, the translation of Quranic verses and Hadith (tradition), the incorporation of prayers an worship at some points n speech, reference to stories, anecdotes, examples and allegories in order to explain and determine the subject, reference to poems, the description of scenes and manners using story writers’ methods and finally the use of alliteration are characteristic of such meetings. The linking device of the subjects in the meetings is the principle of association. In Mowlavī’s Meetings, rhetorical methods like repletion, emphasis, questioning and so on are used to suggest the matter to the addressee. The use of the above methods depends on the circumstances.

“Work” is one of the main factors in social growth in all societies. Societies that ignore this fact will face many serious problems. The importance of work is more obvious, especially in the new age in which the desire for improvement had increased. The literature of each nation is a mirror which reflects its slow and fast movements, images (of itself and the worlds), actions and reactions, and active and passive roles. Therefore, studying the work and its reflections in the Persian literature can help to grasp a better understanding of the place and importance of ‘work’ within the Iranian society. This article aims to analyze some poems composed by the poets and satirists of the Qajar and Pahlavi eras in order to understand the thoughts and beliefs in the Iranian culture toward “work”. To this end, an analysis of the content of satiric writings of these two historical periods is conducted in order to provide a better understanding of people’s views in this respect. The findings show that there is a negative view about work and capital in the literature of these two eras and honest work does not receive due credit and value in the public eye.

The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat and Prince Ehtejab by Houshang Golshiri are among the most famous and disputable Persian contemporary novels in prose which have undergone numerous studies. However, the genre of these two works has not yet been definitively identified. Hence, the present article, after a quick look at the emergence of Surrealism in France, a brief explanation on the insights and approaches of the writer of this movement and especially mentioning the criteria of the Surrealist novels, aims to demonstrate the manifest and remarkable presence of the features of such novels in the two reputable Persian masterpieces in order to finally conclude that. The Blind Owl is a Surrealist novel in its full extent and that Prince Ehtejab, parallel to it, enjoys a similar place.

Mahdi Akhavan Thalith, an outstanding contemporary Persian poet, produced prominent works in the realms of poetry, literary theories, and novel. His profound congnizance of the background of Persian literature is proven by every single poem he composed; this is certainly and important characteristic of his perseverance in the world of literature. His devotion to the traditions of Persian literature is not confined to canonical literature; rather, he made extensive use of the rich folk resources for creating his masterpieces, a prominent example of which is hid poem “The Story of the City of Sangestan [The Rockland]”. Although this poem was composed in the light of inspirations from folk stories, the use of certain rhetorical techniques, as well as commingling literary language with a folk vernacular, makes this poem stand higher than other stories. These traits signify that Akhavan Thalith is indeed a creative poet, over against his mastery of Persian culture and literature.

In her poetry, Parvin uses “monazere” (debate) between two objects. Using conventional imagery, she develops the debate by providing a thesis and a conventional anti-thesis. Her own observation then appears at the end as a synthesis. The major themes of Parvin’s poetry are determinism or destiny, the description of the state of the people against the exploitation of the upper class, and the plight of the widows, the aged, and the destitute. Parvin wrote about men and women, of different social groups and backgrounds. Through these figures, she holds up a mirror to others, showing them the abuses of society and their failure in fulfilling their moral commitments. Likewise, in these debates, she eloquently expresses her basic thoughts about life and death, social justice, ethics, education, and the grave importance of knowledge.

Most researchers of intertextuality consider Bakhtine’s view, especially his polyphony and dialogism, as the point of departure in their discussions. This owes to the fact that it was Bakhtine’s ideas which paved the way for Julia Kristova, as the founder of intertextuality, and resulted in a new approach in literary and art theorizing and criticism. Bakhtin confronted at least three dominant movements in his time; movements attributed to linguists, formalists and literary critics, all of which, despite their differences, shared common views on textual studies. Bakhtine believed in the hyper-linguistic and intertextual relations, specifically social hypertexts, and knew that they had a significant effect on literary texts. He had diverse and thorough ideas, yet in this paper, we are only trying to focus on the ideas which are related to intertexts, namely Dialogism and Polyphony. Therefore, this paper is trying to address one major problem and that is “the study of the relationship between Bakhtine’s Dialogism and Kristova’s Intertextualism and the impact of the former on the latter”.