مجله کتاب قیم
پیاپی 21 (پاییز و زمستان 1398)

Nowadays, the structural analysis of the chapters in the Quran is a new approach adopted by Quran researchers. This approach serves to detect the objective and the conceptual pivot of individual chapters so as to plot their geometrical maps. It is, thus, made possible to prove the coherence and harmony of the verses in each chapter, the revelation basis of the arrangement of verses and the miraculous nature of the Quran as well as to resolve interpretation differences and find appropriate responses to the orientalists who have questioned the coherence of the Book. Of the various approaches at hand for the detection of chapter objectives, the comprehensive approach is specifically favored for its emphasis on intra- and extra-textual features. Through a descriptive-analytic method, this research seeks to substantially detect the structure and the objective of ‘Al-Ahzab’ chapter. As the results show, the chapter includes ten subjects, each with its own objective. All those subjects, however, fulfill the pivotal objective of the chapter which is to show how to obey God and the prophet in political, military, social and domestic matters on the purpose of reinforcing Muslims and Islamic leadership.

Some interpreters of the Quran have introduced a new approach in the field by considering certain verse symbolic. As they believe, some verses contain certain profound facts that can be identified only by skipping the denotations and delving deep into the words. As a proof, they argue that the Quranic sublime concepts cannot be expressed in words just like ordinary everyday communications are; hence, the use of symbolic language is essential for the accurate understanding of those concepts. These interpreters take resort to a set of proofs based on ration and narration. This study was conducted through a descriptive-analytic method, and the results indicated that the advocates of symbolic interpretation justify themselves mainly by pointing to the same approach of dealing with Quranic verses adopted by Imams. The other justifications include the commonness of symbolic expressions in the Arabic language and the Holy Quran, inability of human mind to perceive metaphysics completely, clarification of complexities and elimination of contrast between the Quran and science.

The rational abolition theory, which was proposed in the 19th century and developed in the 20th and 21st centuries, postulates that jurisprudence should be based on religious principles but can be adjusted to the contexts and occasions that arise. An important concept underlying this theory is ‘the cultural basis of decrees’. That is to say, nonritual affairs are a part of culture and make up a virtual set of rules in Islam, hence allowed to be abolished and replaced with rational ones. Using a descriptive-analytic method, the present study verifies the theory on the basis of the concept that underlies it. As the results show, for certain reasons, the theory is not credible enough. They include the existence of too many minor cultural cases that are vague due to lack of knowledge of the Jaheli era, applicability of cultural considerations even to ritual affairs (Note that those who advocate the theory believe that rules can be changed by agreement, while most scholars believe ritual rules are fixed), the triple approach of Islam to cultural rules, i.e. maintenance, modification and abolition (with the implication that culture cannot serve as the only factor in this regard), the role of culture as a context where rules are implemented not corroborated, lack of consensus among the scholars in different eras, irreplaceability of Quranic decrees with culturally modified rules, freedom of Quranic rules from time limits and textual evidence in the Quran for the time-inclusiveness of its decrees.

In the field of principlism, the term ‘Quran’ has never had a fixed meaning. So far, the term has been used with different definitions and parameters. In the 5th and 6th centuries A.H, the Quran used to be referred to as ‘widely quoted’ and ‘voluminously recorded’, and these two definitions were preferred over ‘miracle’. In the 7th century, however, the perception of the Book was revised, and ‘miracle’ was raised as its major feature. The present study seeks to elaborate on the reasons as why ‘miracle’ emerged as a replacement for the previously used terms of reference to the Quran. The study is conducted through the paradigm shift method, namely reading history texts on the purpose of detecting the development trend of a concept. As the results indicate, the high frequency of criticism on the features ‘widely quoted’ and ‘voluminously recorded’ in the scientific dialogues of the 7th and 8th centuries was the major factor that made scholars shift to the feature ‘miracle’.

The story of Talut narrated in verses 244-252 of the chapter ‘Al-Baqhareh’ in the Quran is quite consistent and interactive with the verses before and after it. This internal conceptual coherence is intended to convey certain messages in a brief manner. Reflecting an important historical period of Israelites, the story illustrates the principle of balance formation through repulsion and conquest as its main theme. In addition, subsidiary concepts and the story content interact with the main theme dynamically and synergistically. One of those subsidiary concepts is the balance between the will of God and the tact of man. That is to say, God intends to make a balance in human communities and obliges man to do his best in this case. Man can do his best but through such merits as patience, resistance, submission, reliance and invocation. The dynamic relationship between the theme and the content of the story is contributed to by its literary structure. This structure is characterized by the specific choice of words, expressions and clauses, the use of dramatic elements, cohering rhetorical styles and effective techniques of developing the major and minor characters, an appropriate and timely conclusion, and the statement of the main theme in the last verse of the story. All these textual tokens serve to convey the message to the audience and establish it in his mind.

It is possible to find materials in the Holy Quran regarding foreign policy in general and its principles in specific. What is occurring currently in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran can be, thus, evaluated against the Quran. Through the method of content analysis and semantics, this research seeks to shed light on the principle of ‘wisdom’ in Ayatollah Khamenei’s policies and his speculations on the Quran. The study is conducted first by defining wisdom and its parameters as introduced in the Quran and then by comparing and contrasting them with Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks on the issue. As indicated by the results, the wisdom that he has put to practice in the foreign policy is well integrated with the wisdom imparted in the Quran. This is because the one who is endowed with Quranic wisdom has a stout mindset and can practice rationally rather than emotionally. From the viewpoint of the Quran, a wise man has a true perception of the world and knows how to take the advantage of the current conditions in favor of his policies.

Recognition is one of the most favored topics to discuss in Islamic studies. It is also of great importance in other fields of study. Basically, recognition is of two types, direct and indirect. To learn the sources and obstacles of these two types is a great concern. In this regard, the Quran can be of help. The book gives hints to the characteristics of these two kinds of recognition and refers to their sources and obstacles. Using a descriptive-analytic method, the present study analyzes the corresponding parts of the Quran with the result that the Book makes a distinction between the ways these two recognitions are gained. According to it, direct recognition regards the reality or the obvious self of things, while indirect recognition stems from the appearance of the things around. The Book also introduces certain sources with which to gain each recognition type. It is understood from the verses that man is born with no indirect recognition but he has some sort of innate direct perception. An example of the latter is self-awareness. From the point of view of the Quran, the sources of recognition at the disposal of man are nature, reason, history and heart. The obstacles to recognition have been deemed to be dependence on physical senses, imitation of the past people and following one’s whims and desires.

The prophet (pbuh) and his descendants are the real interpreters of the word of God, and the remarks quoted from them serve as a source of rules and principles of how to interpret the Quran. Since there is no complete interpretation of the Quran left behind by those saints, it seems necessary to derive certain interpretation principles from the sources at hand. Of 3786 quotations reported by Koleyni in his book ‘Osoul-e Kafi’, 678 are the interpretation of Quranic verses and words. Through a descriptive-analytic method, this study examines those Quranic items and presents a dichotomy of the interpretation principles used in them. The first type includes basic principles referring to the intelligibility of the Quran for everybody, the ability of reason to verify the Quran, and the semantic strata in the Book. The second type of principles is methodic addressing the Quran as a reference for its own interpretation, the place of the prophet (pbuh), the cultural concepts and the linguistic features in the Book, generalization of verses, and the intellectual level of the audience.

Mullah Mohsen Feyz Kashani (1598-1680) was an eminent and influential Imami Shia scholar in Islamic studies especially ethics and Hadith. One of his valuable publications is the book ‘Al-Mahajjatul Bayza’ which is an elaboration on Mohammad Ghazali’s ‘Ehya oloum-e Din’. This work presents and interprets a lot of quoted statements in ethics and sometimes in jurisprudence. In this study, the text of the book is reviewed and the principles of understanding Hadiths are derived as meant by the book author. For this purpose, a descriptive-analytic method is used. As the results of the study show, to translate and interpret Hadiths, Feyz Kashani has paid attention to such points as the precise meanings of words, figurative usages, literary figures, the role of context, global context clues, dubiety of statements, rationality, the circumstances in which statements were made, deductions of priority, and reconciliation of contradictory Hadiths.

The analysis of religious quotations belonging to an era shows that they have been formed in direct connection with the social events in that very era. In this regard, the remarks quoted from an Imam (pbuh) mostly represent the social contexts of his own time. Through an analytical method, this study aims at the role of Umayyad caliphs’ policies in what was quoted from Imams in the first century A.H and how the quotations were interpreted. According to the results of the study, the words of Imams under the Umayyad rule make references to certain social disorders mainly including elimination of Imams from political arenas and religious jurisprudence, banning anti-government remarks, backing up adverse traditions and cultures such as Judaic traditions and Jaheli culture, dependence on denotations of words for interpretation, fatalism, preference of personal decrees over the Quranic ones, jurisprudence based on wrong methods and sources, desanctification of the Quran and the prophet, ruining the image of Imams and their followers, and propagation of immoralities. Versus all this, the Alavi camp took certain measures including the delineation of human thoughts, opposing the notions of incarnation of God and his unrecognizability, undermining the notions of fatalism and divine concession, rejection of advice or inductions from non-Muslims, advertising the scholastic credibility and political patronage of Imams, devaluation of Umayyads and refusing their heretic manners.

One of the quotations in Hadith books points to Imam Sadeqh’s blood relation to Abu Bakr on two sides and the Imam’s hope of being favored by him in the other world. What this quotation implies is the Imam’s feeling of honor in this relation and his approval of Sunni manners. The quotation has been reported by Daraqutni, a Sunni scholar, in four untenable ways and by Erbeli, a Shia author, through Jannabezi, a Hanbali Sunni scholar. The quotation by the latter is untenable too because some of the narrators involved in it are Levantine. Using an analytic-critical method, this study seeks to critically examine all the documents of the quotation made by Daraqutni as the first narrator of the remark, the frequency of references, and the ways it has been documented in both sects of Islam. As it is found, the credibility of what is quoted from the Imam can be disputed because it is in conflict with other reports and quotations in Sunni and even Shia sources. There are also some Quranic, rational, semantic and documented pieces of evidence against it. By evaluating the correspondence between this quotation and other remarks quoted from Imam Sadeqh, the paper firstly concludes that pride should be taken in obedience to the good not in family relationships. Secondly, due to what occurred between Abu Bakr and Imam Ali and his wife after the Prophet’s death, it is hard to believe the studied quotation.

Reasoning on the basis of Hadiths, i.e. religious quotations, and historical reports should be done in a substantial manner. Whatever Hadith or historical report can be examined according to two types of evidence: contextual and meta-contextual. The latter refers to the reflection of a remark in the space where it is made. The concept of ‘incongruity’ applies to the evidence in such a context. As it is understood from the analysis of a body of evidence in this regard, incongruity may be defined as the rate of the incompatibility of the context of an utterance with the meta-context of that utterance. This study is concerned with incongruity in the space of reasoning throughout the history of Hadith, Quran and interpretation (i.e. historical theology). Since most acts of reasoning in the field of theology have ignored the level of the incongruity involved, they are evaluated as poor and inadequate. This is where paying attention to that concept finds significance.