جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "کثرت گرایی دینی" در نشریات گروه "علوم قرآن و حدیث"

One of the theological topics that has always been of interest to Muslim Quran scholars and has been specially analyzed and studied in recent years is "pluralism" or "religious pluralism". Some contemporary religious modernists, such as Abdul Karim Soroush, have cited some verses of the Holy Qur'an in which the straight path is mentioned in indefinite form, and have considered it as a reason for the multiplicity of the straight path and have claimed religious pluralism. Among the verses that have been cited are: “Indeed, you are on a straight path” (Zukhruf / 43), ”on a straight path” (Yasin / 4), “and guided him to a straight path” (Fath / 2), “and guides you to a straight path” (Nahl / 121) which in the first three verses, guidance on the straight path, is related to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and in the fourth verse, is related to the prophet Ibrahim (AS).The approach of the present article, which is organized by descriptive-analytical method, using the opinions of Quranic commentators and thinkers, especially Allameh Tabatabai, considers the mentioned verses as a reason for regarding, valuing and respecting to the straight path and rejects the citation of these verses on religious pluralism. The path to happiness and the religion of truth is considered to be the religion of Islam, which solely contains the Straight Path.

Religious pluralism is a theory that seeks to interpret and explain the plurality and diversity of different religions. Pluralists believe that legitimacy, and consequently salvation, is not limited to one religion, rather, all religions may have legitimacy and save their followers. One of the sources they have cited to prove their claim is the some verses of the Holy Qur'an. They are verses that consider the truth of religion as submission to God, introduce the faith and righteous deeds as the cause of salvation, point to the existence of different laws for different nations, and seem to have somehow accepted their existence or legitimacy. In this study, with a descriptive-analytical method and according to the general rules of interpretation of texts, the weakness of the citation of pluralists and the lack of implication of these verses on their claim have been explained. These rules include paying attention to the continuity and semantic connection of the verses of the Holy Quran with each other, paying attention to their status, paying attention to the authentic narrations in the commentary, and not objecting to the interpretation of the text with definite rational principles.

Religious pluralism and trueness of religions has been known as one important problem in the fields of religious studies and philosophy of religion. What meant here lies in a reasonable and Quranic consideration toward completion of the discussion and agreement between reason and religion. The study has been followed by the conclusion that it is not impossible for a religion to be true and other religions be false and salvation and happiness be limited in the true religion. And it should be, finally, stated that in spite of limitation of trueness in one religion, the followers of all religions may live in peace as explained by the language of the holy Quran.

The question of “authenticity” of religions and “salvation” of their respective adherents is a long-standing one. However, it was only in the 20th century that it was formulated into a discipline by John Hick and his predecessors. The question has been addressed with a number of different approaches, and this paper intends to have a look on them. Advocates of pluralism argue that all religions of the world, despite their different and conflicting claims about a single Reality, are capable of leading their adherents to salvation and to the Real, and bringing them happiness and virtue. This is the view of John Hick on epistemological religious pluralism, and is explained and criticized in this paper. This paper then discusses the views of the Quran and Mutahhari on authenticity of religions. Mutahhari believes there is a unity in all divine religions and that “Islam” [lit. surrender to the truth] is the only religion sent by God to his prophets, from Adam to Muhammad. He further believes that “Islam” has had different manifestations throughout history and in different periods of time, and that the last and most perfect manifestation of it was sent down to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam and the last prophet of God.