PAZHUHESH-DINI (RELIGIOUS STUDY)
Year:2006 | Volume:- | Issue:12|Papers Count:22

Since the verse 138 of the second Quranic surah contains the strange, unfamiliar term of "sibghah", it has caused some difficulty to commentators as well as translators of the Holy Quran. They have mostly considered the basic, fundamental meaning of the stem "sabgh" in Arabic as "to color" and thus have made their commentaries of the said verse upon that basis. The present essay classifies, reports, and criticizes views of philologists, Quranic commentators and translators first; surveys the said term etymologically and philologically secondly; and indicates that contrary to what is prevailing the basic, fundamental meaning of "sabgh" is not "to color" but is "to sink a thing in a liquid" thirdly. Then, expounding the relation of this meaning to the secondary meanings, it concludes that "sibghah" belongs to religious terminology of Christian, pre-Islamic Arabs beings used for the ceremony of "baptism". Negating baptism of the People of the Book, God has treated God's baptism as the true baptism in the verse in question.      

Being among primary, authentic sources of Shiism in Hadith and juristic precepts, the book Man La Yahduruh al-Faqih is a fruit of endeavors as well as extraordinary memory of the great Shia scholar al-Shaykh al-Saduq in the third Hijri century which has always been referred to by Shia scholars and mujtahids. Master Ali Akbar Ghaffarisefat, a contemporary scholar who died in 1383 S.A.H., embarked on critical editing and adding notes to that juristic collection due to suggestion and insistence of one of his great masters so many years ago and published it in order to be benefited by Islamic Hawzahs and all people. As a token of acknowledgement of services of that outstanding master to Islam and Muslims, the present essay deals with his complicated, difficult, and precise method in that work. The book "al-Hajj"of Man La Yahdur is taken into consideration in this investigation.    

To write commentary on gharib of Quran is considered among initial scholarly movements of Muslim scholars, and hadith has also played its own role in the appearance of philological investigations. In the time of tabi'in, they needed to write commentaries on gharib of Quran and that was the first step in Quranic exegesis. Writing on gharib of Quran and hadith commenced in the second Hijri century and continued up to the present time. In the present essay, we try to discuss generation of sciences of gharib of Quran and of hadith as well as their development and also major works written on them.      

According to some historical reports tadlis (misrepresentation) has been known in the era of tabi'in and some of them have done tadlis in hadiths. In that time two currents have opposed one another: Those who were in favor of tadlis, and those who were against it. The latter current was formed by attempts of Shu'ba b. Hajjaj in Iraq and was developed by such muhadiths as Shafi'i in the next era. In the era next to that of tabi'in, the current of opposition to tadlis reigned over all hadithi movements and first books were written concerning names of misrepresentators. Later on, in their mustalah al-hadith books, scholars dealt with tadlis and while dividing it into tadlis in the chain of transmission and tadlis in masters discussed sub-divisions of the former. Appearance of several works with respect to names of misrepresentators and to classification of discussions is among attempts of later scholars in this connection.      

Synonymy in Quranic terms has always been a matter of disagreement among scholars of Quranic sciences. Their disagreement is treated by some scholars as being literal caused by their negligence of purposes of each other and lack of having the same definition of synonymy. While offering a descriptive definition of synonymy, the present essay attempts to survey and criticize perspectives of such scholars and thereby expound background, conditions, kinds, proofs, causes, and benefits of synonymy.    

The present essay deals with a comparative study of the fifth, and some parts of the sixth chapters of the Old Testament concerning descendents of Adam to Noah as well as wickedness of man as a ground for the Flood. In this connection, it attempts to bring perspectives of the Quran and the Old Testament closer together, find common points without any prejudice, reduce apparent disagreements, and direct all those discussions on the basis of non-distortion - unless when such a thing is impossible.      

Although precepts of mutual relation between men and women are not discussed in the jurisprudence in one specified status, they are dealt with in some different discussions. Such a relation is taken into consideration in four realms of looking, touching, voice, and body coverage by the writer the last of which being discussed in the present essay. Here, classification of different realms considered by jurists is mentioned, surveyed, and analyzed; and through presentation of a new model in classification the theory of legitimacy of reasonable look is chosen on the basis of authentic proofs in the realm of jurisprudence. According to that theory, such a looking of man and woman at one another which is justified in the realm of behavior of The Wise is legitimized in the realm of shariah. However, since, in obedience to satanic carnal soul, the eye penetrates into private limits of individuals without any reasonable aspect, in the realm of shariah, as in the realm of reason, such a look is considered blameworthy, forbidden, and finally destructive.      

Al-Shaikh al-Tusi's works, which are fifty books and treatises, are written in such a variety of topics as theology, Quranic exegesis, jurisprudence, juristic methodology (usul al-fiqh), history, supplications, and answers to questions. To recognize the precise topic of his works in addition to their titles given by rijali scholars, a brief introduction to their contents and substantiated minuteness peculiar to such discussions is the topic with which the present essay deals.      

Master Ghaffari is a hard-working hadith researcher who has devoted over fifty years to edition and research in Shia hadith texts and has thereby become a sophisticated critique in recognizing true hadiths from untrue ones. The present essay attempts to present the criteria of criticism of hadith in his opinion chiefly through his nothes on hadiths in the following manner: (1) Criteria of criticism of text of hadith including: presentation of hadith to the Holy Quran, presentation of hadith to the certain hadith, criticism of hadith on the basis of necessities of the sect, criticism of hadith according to its content, criticism of hadith on the basis of common sense, (2) Criteria of criticism of chain of transmission of hadith including: criticism of hadith on the basis of class of transmitters, criticism of chain of transmission on the basis of unusual methods among Shia, and (3) Criteria of criticism of text and chain of transmission of hadith including: criticism of hadith on the basis of valid history, criticism of hadith through another authentative hadith, criticism of hadith on the basis of other transcriptions and Various sources.      

The Holy Quran introduces special foundations for questioning some of which being determination of limits of the question as well as mentioning cases in which questioning is prohibited - such cases as questions (a) whose answer may cause some problem to the questioner, (b) which are concerning ambiguous affairs, (c) the purpose of which is to equivocate in doing something, and (d) whose knowledge belongs solely to God. Another foundation of the Quran in this respect is to refer to authorized people in order to receive the answer - who are called ahl al-zikr in the Quran whose clearest instantiation is ahl al-bayt.      

Jinns are unseen creatures from whom we know nothing but what is narrated by the Truth or His Prophet. Thus, Quran and hadiths contain what can discover their reality and any effort, therefore, to know them out of the realm of Quran and prophetic tradition is a kind of aborative deed. Through investigation in the Quran and prophetic sunnah, we find verses and hadiths which unveil what jinn is created from, mention the beginning of their creation as well as their kinds and types; their food and drink, their marriage and reproduction; their habitats and time of their exit from them; their power to move and transmit rapidly; ascension of some of them to heaven; their power to do hard labor, to penetrate into man's body, to kidnap man, to make him fly, and to appear in various forms; the purpose of their creation, and their beliefs and religions.  

Besides being difficult, the analysis of the period of Imam Ali's sovereignty is also elucidating and illuminating. Sunni scholars have dealt with incidents of that period with some precaution, due to its involvement to the companions. Fortunately, in contemporary times we see that some intellectuals have entered such involvements with a critical approach. One among them is Umar Abu al-Nasr who, in his book "al-Harb al-Ahliyya bayn Ali and His Enemies", has praised some of Imam Ali's positions while criticizing some of his other political positions. The present research is a criticism on that criticism nullifying Abu al-Nasr's proofs and authorizing Imam Ali's political positions in that time on the basis of religious values, commitments of a just governor, and Imam Ali's thinking comprehensively and thoroughly.    

The celebrated Shia scholar, al-Shaikh al-Tusi, is of great and magnificent status in the Shia scholarly-cultural evolution. Thinking thoroughly and knowing his time as well as the needs of the sect in his era, al-Tusi dealt with research and writing, made Shia jurisprudence dynamic, offered moderation and comprehensiveness to Shia jurisprudence through emphasizing intellectuality and reasoning in addition to the Book and sunnah in composing his works, and found some solutions in order to preserve Shia against existing threats. The present essay intends to expound al-Tusi's role in Shia Juristic, hadithi evolution as well as bases of his own juristic evolution.      

Investigation of the Quran and Islamic hadiths indicates that Islam has always cared about environment as a vessel for man's life and evolution and several Islamic laws are founded on this basis. Islam considers man responsible with respect to environment and treats the nature as a trust in man's hand. Thus, it has considered some rights for the nature and made man preserve such rights. Those rights, including rights of animals and other natural affairs, are mentioned in the Islamic jurisprudence.      

Certitude and doubt are among most significant issues in the realm of religious sciences. Jurists have also emphasized that fundamental teachings of the religion should not be accepted through taqlid and must be a matter of certainty by believers. In the Quran, believers are introduced as those who are certain of God's signs and unbelievers as those who are not certain of divine signs but are always in doubt concerning them. Here this question is raised whether any kind of doubt in beliefs leads to infidelity and whether one cannot be considered a believer unless he is heartily certain of religious propositions. Investigating uses of certitude and doubt as well as other similar terms such as confidence, mirya, and rayb in the Quran and surveying context of respective verses, the present essay deals with answers of those questions.      

What is the relation between religion and government according to the holy Quran? Answers of thinkers to this question have been different. Some believe that they are totally different and religion has nothing to do with government. Some other hold that they are partly different and religion can present general governmental approaches. The third group maintains that there is no conflict between the two and everything necessary for governing a society is found in the religion. Presenting and criticizing those three perspectives, the present essay will deal with its own theory. The accepted theory is that the relation between religion and government is general and particular. That is, general approaches, structure of the government, and sometimes some principles and particular affairs are included in the religion; but codification of a thorough governmental system needs data of man's reason as well. By religion is meant Islam in the present essay.      

One serious discussion in the realm of philosophy of religion is existence of multiple religions and perspective of religious pluralism. Some different positions are taken with respect to multiplicity of religions one among which begin religious pluralism. The present research has dealt with motivations of such a perspective. While the appearance of religions is negation of pluralism indicating exclusivity, it should be seen that which factors have caused religious pluralism. The said perspective is of various readings, but what the term itself indicates is the truth of claims of different religions and that any religion is a real way to achieve the truth - this being called cognitional, philosophical truth pluralism. Such a reading is naturally associated with metareligious look. In the present research it is indicated that none of the causes of tendency to such a perspective proves truth-pluralism, although some of them confirm social, ethical, or theological pluralism      

Mulla Sadra's commentary on the Quran can be considered a comprehensive sample of philosophical exegesis. Experts on methods of exegesis have chiefly surveyed philosophical commentaries under the title of intellectual commentary. This essay, however, maintains that the governing intellectuality over philosophical commentary is not pure intellectuality, but an intellectuality based on and caused by a philosophical system. Thus, foundations of philosophical exegesis are not merely axioms of intellect; rather, foundations of such a commentary should be searched in that philosophical system. In the present essay it is attempted to introduce most fundamental principles and rules governing Mulla Sadra's commentary - principles based on which his opinions and positions can be understood and expounded.      

"The traditional jurisprudence" is the prevailing perspective of Jurists concerning Islamic precepts in which Quranic juristic verses and respective hadiths are usually taken into consideration. In this perspective, some parts of the Quran- about 500 to 800 verses – are used in the process of religious understanding of precepts and the remaining, especially Quranic stories, are taken away from the realm of juristic research less attention being paid to them. "The Quran-pivoted, comprehensive jurisprudence" is a juristic approach to the whole Quran in which all verses concerning beliefs, ethics, stories, etc. are taken into consideration in addition to the juristic verses.      

The present writing is a research on the definition of istighfar, its mode, and repentance-seeking of prophets whose various readings are taken into consideration here. It should be said in this connection that prophets' confession and their repentance-seeking is not contradictory to God's commands - such a contradiction being the reality of sin. We have numerous intellectual, Quranic, and traditional proofs necessitating prophets' infallibility and sin-avoiding. Thus, if something implies that they have committed some sins it should be interpreted as something else and not common sins. The same discussion can be used concerning saints as well - as we see that words and supplications of holy Imams are full of regret and repentance-seeking.