فهرست مطالب babak mashhadi

The Quran is the eternal miracle of the Prophet and includes the plan for the guidance and salvation of mankind. Many orientalists, including Rippin, consider this divine book a literary or historical text. This research attempts to analyze some of Andrew Rippin’s Quranic foundations with a descriptive-analytical method to highlight their shortcomings compared to the correct Quranic foundations. Some of Rippin’s Quranic foundations are as follows: The Quran does not provide a method of exegesis, and Muslims’ understanding of the Quran is mainly based on the life of the Prophet. The Quran should be examined as a literary or historical text. The Prophet gradually wrote the Quran. Differences in readings indicate ambiguity in certain Quranic verses. This research shows that the Quran, the hadiths of the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt provide methods for the tafsir of the Quran. The Quran is an eternal miracle of God which should be interpreted with correct methods, not with opinion-oriented method (tafsīr bi ra’y). Not only the meanings and words, but also the arrangement of the verses of the Quran is based on divine revelation, and the Prophet is not the author of the Quran. The difference in readings should be evaluated according to authentic sources to determine the correct reading. As long as Orientalists such as Rippin are not guided to the revelatory aspect of the Quran, they cannot provide a fair and accurate evaluation of the Quran, its structure, and its teachings.

The article “Jinn,” written by Jacqueline Chabbi, is one of the articles in Brill Encyclopaedia of the Quran, which despite useful content, has some weaknesses. This research tries to analyze these weak points with a descriptive-analytical method, based on authentic Islamic sources, so that the doubts are identified and answered. Some of the shortcomings of this article include the author’s emphasis on the limitation of the power of jinns, considering “jinn” and “Satan ”to be equivalent, referring to ethnographic research to examine a Quranic category, weakness and ambiguity in describing the nature and function of jinns, the influence of the Quran from popular culture regarding jinns, and considering some verses of the Quran to be polemical, regardless of the nature of polemics in Muslim literature. This research shows that jinns are responsible beings, including both righteous and wicked, and are not equivalent to devils, but some are among them. Jinns have certain powers, one of which is the ascension to the heavens, which has faced restrictions after the Prophet’s mission for the interests of Islam. In addition, the Quran is not influenced by the culture of the time and it describes the realities about the devils. The nature of polemics in Muslim literature is different from what the author has in mind. Therefore, the author's influence from the Bible and other historical and cultural writings has caused her to present an incomplete and, in some cases, unrealistic and ambiguous description of the subject of “jinn.”

This study aims to explore the portrayal of nature in the Quran and the Bible, examining its characteristics, functions, and man’s relationship with it comparatively with an Emphasis on the Perspectives of Imam Khamenei. Both holy texts reveal that all objects and living beings celebrate God’s praise (tasbīḥ), certain lands, like Mecca and Jerusalem, are blessed and distinguished, and the creation of the earth and heaven is purposeful. Additionally, they underscore that human sin can have an impact on nature and that disobedience of divine laws will result in unpleasant consequences. The Quran and the Bible also promise rewards for the righteous who remain steadfast in their faith, as they are declared the inheritors of the earth in this life and the afterlife. As a vicegerent of God, man is responsible for caring for nature and other creatures. This research reveals that nature is sacred and should be treated with respect and care, as it is a divine tool that can serve as a rewarding or punishing instrument by man’s deeds. Those who wish to pave the way for the just rule of the righteous and revive nature and spiritual life should cultivate faith, wisdom, and righteous deeds, and strive to improve their surroundings through knowledge and labor. The key to resolving the current environmental issues lies in embracing the religious teachings found in the Quran and the Bible.

Ritual purity (Ṭahāra) is an important Quranic command requisite for prayer and certain rituals. Despite their positive points, the Orientalists’ views on this topic are deficient or incorrect. This research attempts to analyse some of their views with a descriptive-analytic method to highlight their shortcomings and present genuine Islamic views on this topic. Some of the Orientalists’ views on ṭahārah are as follows: words derived from the root ṭ-h-r refer to the requisite state of ritual purity or the process of achieving this state.  The purpose of ablution (wuḍū) is to perform the prayer as God wills. Water has the power to repel demons. The prophet was influenced by the religious culture of his time in performing ritual purity. Muṭahharūn (the purified) are those who have repelled evil away from themselves or have performed ritual ablution. Ritual purity is a symbolic state in the context of ritual worship. The results of the present research are as follows: The word ṭahāra in the Quran refers to the state of purity, which according to the context in which the word appears, refers to the physical, spiritual, or both aspects. The ultimate purity is achieved by abstaining from any material or spiritual impurity at the level of one’s thoughts, attributes, and deeds. The purpose of wuḍū is to attain spiritual purity and submit to God’s guardianship, and to attain proximity to God. It is the state of physical or spiritual purity caused by using water according to the Divine command that removes evil impurities. The Quran is a miracle in its wording and content, which was revealed to the Prophet by God, and the Prophet was not influenced by the culture of his time in performing ritual purity. Muṭahharūn can refer to the angels, the purified servants of God, or those who have performed major or minor ablutions. Ritual purity is a real spiritual state needed for spiritual growth and proximity to God. As long as the Orientalists are not awakened to the revealed nature of the Quran, one should not expect them to present a fair and true picture of Islamic teachings and rulings.

The Quran is the eternal miracle of the Prophet Muhammad and contains the plan for the guidance and salvation of mankind. Many Orientalists, including Rippin, view this divine book and eternal miracle as a literary text and examine it with such an assumption. This research aims to comparatively analyze some of the Quranic foundations of Imam Khamenei and Andrew Rippin through a descriptive-analytical approach in order to highlight the authentic Quranic foundations in comparison with the views of Orientalists. Some of Rippin’s Quranic foundations are as follows: The Quran is neither a Divine book nor an eternal miracle; the Quran does not present any exegetical method for its interpretation; the difference in readings is a justification for the Quran’s miraculousness; the occasions of revelation are merely literary devices. In contrast, Imam Khamenei regards the Quran as a guiding book that is not limited to any specific time or place; he believes in the linguistic and semantic miraculousness and inimitability of Quranic verses and the wisdom behind their arrangement; he examines the difference in readings through appropriate means such as verifying the authenticity of narrators, the context of verses, and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad; he considers the occasions or context of revelation as appropriate devices for a better understanding of the verses. As long as Orientalists such as Rippin are not guided into the revelatory nature of the Quran, one should not expect them to have a correct understanding and a fair evaluation of the Quran and its verses.

The article “God and His Attributes,” written by Gerhard Böwering, is one of the entries of Brill Encyclopaedia of the Qur’ān, which despite its scholarly merits, has some weaknesses. This research tries to analyze specific weak points with a descriptive-analytical method, based on authentic Islamic sources so that the doubts are identified and answered. Some of the shortcomings of this article include a lack of thorough and genuine attitude toward the concept of God, His Attributes, His Best Names, and certain Qur᾽ānic concepts such as the meaning of al-raḥma, the formation of the skies, and the Prophet’s ascension (miʿrāj) to heaven. The writer shows that Bowering’s attitude toward the topics mentioned above is influenced by his probing about the peri-Islamic milieu, his view about the Qur’ān as a text written and edited by the Prophet, and early Sunni exegeses and hadith collections without analysing their authenticity or their compatibility with scientific findings. Bowering’s attitude towards the Qur᾽ān has resulted in certain judgments about the content and form of this Divine book which are distant from the sublime spirit of the Qur᾽ān which is a revelation both in concepts and wordings. As long as the orientalists such as Bowering are not enlightened to the revelatory nature of the Qur᾽ān, one should not expect a thorough and realistic attitude towards the Qur᾽ān and its teachings.

Translating the Qur᾽ān into English is one of the most important duties ofscholars who are proficient in the English language and Islamic teachingsand culture to convey the incomparable teachings of this eternal Divinemiracle to the seekers of truth. It is essential to know and use theappropriate translation to communicate the pure wisdom of the Qur᾽ān.Therefore, in this research, an attempt has been made to compare fourfamous English translations of the Qur᾽ān by George Sale, Pickthal,Arberry, and Qarai with a descriptive-analytical approach in terms ofvocabulary, grammar, and exegesis, focusing on the opening verses of theSūra al-Jinn to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each translation andto enable the reader to gain a deeper insight into the best translation. Thisresearch shows that Sale's and Pickthal's translations have someweaknesses in the translation of words and phrases. Arberry᾽s translationalso has weaknesses in terms of grammatical structure, vocabulary, andcommunication of meaning. Compared with the translations mentionedabove, Qarai᾽s phrase-for-phrase approach is considered to be the mostaccurate in terms of style, structure, vocabulary, and meaning. Therefore,those who attempt to translate the Qur᾽ān into foreign languages shouldhave acquired the necessary skills and mastery of the source and targetlanguages in order to be able to convey the noble teachings of the Qur᾽ān.