نشریه قرآن و علم
پیاپی 21 (پاییز و زمستان 1396)

The subject in social sciences is the human being, who has been accorded an esteemed status in the Qurʾān, unlike the perception of the West. Western man is, from beginning to end, cut off by his desire and lack of control while in the Islamic humanities, man is from God and returns to Him. On the other hand, the purpose of the development of social sciences in the Western school [of thought] is only to facilitate the enjoyment of natural gifts, comforts of life, production and consumption. On the other hand, the goal of the development of social sciences from the viewpoint of the Qurʾān is the making of a perfect human being who can act as God’s representative on earth and be a manifestation of the infinite perfections of God Almighty through his own existential and behavioral perfection.

There are many traditions regarding the inheritance of prophetic knowledge by the infallible Imams (a) therefore, by studying the views and methods of the infallibles (a), and especially Imam ʿAlī (a), we can arrive at an understanding of the correct way to approach the Qurʾān and its related sciences. The present article seeks to address the question of the role of Imam ʿAlī (a) in the development of exegesis and Qurʾānic sciences. The main focus of this paper is the study of the Imam’s position the field of Qurʾānic interpretation and his actions to prevent the distortion of the Qurʾān and Islam. Exploring the various hermeneutical methods employed by Imam ʿAlī clearly shows his vast knowledge which led to the training of many great students who would then educate the people about religion through [Qurʾānic] exegesis and narrations. Additionally, through the [development of] Qurʾānic sciences and teaching it to the companions, the Qurʾān was preserved from distortion so much so that if this was not done properly, the coming generations would have been unable to benefit from this great contribution.

The purpose of the laws and ordinances in divine religions, especially in the religion of Islam, is the material and spiritual prosperity of human beings, and the achievement of proximity with the divine as the ultimate aim and goal of human actions and deeds. This requires the difficult test of assessing the quality of deeds in order to find the best of them. The performance of actions and exercising of deeds by humans also has its own conditions therefore, a complete religion must have a complete program to cater for these preconditions. It is not possible to perform all acts in a perfect manner, in complete
conformity with divine orders and human nature, except in the shade of good health and wellbeing, both physical and spiritual. Since the Qurʾān and the pure progeny [of the Prophet (s)] are recognized as the sources of knowledge and guidance on the path to the divine, we must look for the roots and origins of the science of physical and spiritual wellbeing in these two sources, because the guides of every path must be those who are most aware of the needs of the people who travel on that path. The wellbeing of the body and soul with all its dimensions is given the title ‘Islamic medicine’, as a sign of [its origins from an] Islamic civilization, and its flag bearers are, according to the Shīʿa school of thought, the Imams and Shīʿa scholars and sages. The present article seeks to provide a proper definition of Islamic medicine, explain the position of the religion of Islam in relation to medicine, and show the superiority of Islamic medicine over other schools of
medicine. The role of Islamic medicine in the prosperity of the Islamic civilization, the unmatched position and opinions of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) regarding medicine, and the role of the Shīʿa school in spreading this divine science are also propounded.

The study of the process of scientific development in Islamic civilization indicates that the tendency of Muslims to give particular importance to different branches of science was based on the needs of the Islamic society of the day. Geography is one of the sciences that had received special attention by the Muslims since the beginning, and Shīʿa scholars played an important role in its evolution and development through the creation of
valuable works. The emphasis of the Qurʾān and the repeated recommendations of religious leaders on the necessity of gaining knowledge, as well as encouraging Muslims to travel and think about the fate of bygone nations, may be considered the most important factors for the Shīʿa interest in the science of geography. Additionally, the needs of the Muslim community as far as growing enterprise, as well as political and religious requirements, were among the motivations that led Shīʿa scholars to work
towards acquiring knowledge of geography and developing it further. This research seeks to highlight the outstanding role of Shīʿa scholars in the advancement of the science of geography in Islamic civilization until the sixth century A.H.

Ayatollah Muhammad Hadi Maʿrefat (d. 2007) was a distinguished contemporary scholar, whose views and methods in Qurʾānic sciences and exegesis have had a tremendous effect on the future of studies in this field. The deliberation of an expert jurist and scholar of law on the Qurʾānic sciences yields many benefits, especially one like him who has been innovative in all the fields that he has studied. Innovation here refers to the general uniqueness of his methodology and theory in Qurʾānic studies, in both form and content. The present paper first examines the uniqueness of his method and approach, and shows how in every subject, he put forward interesting ideas and attempted to uncover the common principles of differing perspectives. He tried to bring about harmony and avoids divisiveness, and was very well aware of the era in which he lived. He dealt wisely with the doubts and ambiguities that existed, and acted with deep insight as he attempted to draw a link between the Qurʾānic sciences and other sciences. He believed that every individual could access and understand the Qurʾān in accordance with his or her own level of learning and study. This essay then addresses his prominence and innovations in the field of Qurʾānic sciences and exegesis including his views regarding
miracles, the revelation and compilation of the Qurʾān, preservation of the Qurʾān from distortion, narrations about its distortion, the existence of intonation in the Qurʾān, the language of the Qurʾān, Qurʾānic stories, exegetical traditions, analogy and symbolism in the Qurʾān, abrogation, and decisive and allegorical verses in the Qurʾān.

The blessed Surah al-Tawḥīd is the second shortest chapter of the Qurʾān that contains the most profound discussions on the knowledge of God within it. According to the traditions, its recitation equals [the recitation of] onethird of the Qurʾān. It is further stated in a tradition that this surah is revealed for the insightful people who will come in the future. This may mean that future generations will attain a deeper understanding of the meanings of Surah al-Tawḥīd. Since the nature of the divine is one of the main subjects discussed in philosophy, and given that this surah contains within it discussions regarding the nature of the divine, it has always been given importance by exegetes and some philosophers as well. Ibn Sīnā is the first person to propound a philosophical exegesis of Surah al-Tawḥīd through the method of rational argument and hermeneutics, and thus has brought about innovation in the field of Qurʾānic exegesis. Dawānī is also the first to write a philosophical critique of Ibn Sīnā’s exegesis. The purpose of this research, which is the first to written in this regard, is to examine the innovations of Ibn Sīnā and Dawānī in the context of the exegesis of the blessed Surah al- Tawḥīd.