نشریه تاریخ و فرهنگ
سال پنجاه و دوم شماره 2 (پیاپی 105، پاییز و زمستان 1399)

Shaykh Ṣadūq has been praised for two reasons: The large number of his Mashāyikh and the various Hadith travels that he took. Nayshābūr was one of his destinations. His trip to this city was advantageous both to himself and to the residents of this city. The present study aims to identify Nayshābūr as a city in the 3rd and 4th centuries A.H./ 9th and 10th centuries A.D., and also to explain the accomplishments of Ṣadūq in this city, as he travelled to collect Ḥadis and seek inspiration to write and preserve Ḥadis and Shīʿa resources. The study also focuses on identifying Ṣadūq’s Mashāyikh in Nayshābūr (especially the non-imamī Mashāyikh and distinguishing between the various schools and sects in Nayshābūr and how the residents showd academic tolerance towards opposing views.The writer belives that Nayshābūr is the most important city -coming after Qum and Ray (where Ṣadūq resided) - to have provided him with Ḥadis knowledge.

The shift in societal needs from the mid-19th century led to major changes in historiocism and historiography. From the 20th century onwards, the pace of these changes could be determined and organized in three main paradigms.Some historians believe that the past may be reconstructed in the process of being reproduced. Others have stated that such a practice is impractical duo to the number and magnitude of events. Therefore, the historian’s purpose is to somehow construct the events, inspired by the past. Such an inspiration is sometimes related to present or future discourses. At its best, it is close to the heart of the matter at hand. This setting has laid the foundations for total explanation and adopting some ideology in the field of history. The third group of scholars are skeptical and believe that deconstruction is a better practice in understanding the past comprehensively.The present study draws on major resources and aims to introduce, compare, analyse, and evaluate each of these models and their findings. Such methodological arrangements highlight the status of Iranian historipgraphy. Hopefully it would offer a good starting point towards departing from some of the dead-ends in the field of historiography.

In Islamic and Shīʿa culture, historical subjects dealing with anthropological aspects have often been neglected. The Baqīʿ cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in Islam and a pilgrimage site for Shīʿa muslims assumes considerable importance in anthropological studies.The present study explores the cemetery through the early Hijri centuries/c. 7th century A.D., adopting the anthropological approach. It is concluded that Baqīʿ has mostly served a social-ritaulistic function during this time. From a social point of view, the cemetry was used for residence, performing prayers, or forming assemblies. From a ritualistic point of view, it was used for various death rituals of Ḥijaz residents.Some of the anthropological and cultural features of this cemetery were revealed in the second century A.H. Most importantly, the cemetry aquired a legendary status among the Arabs and certain beliefs were formed regarding this divine and impressive state. Additionally, the cemetery grew in importance because of its identity. Concurrently with the stabilization of sect-related and religious identity, signs of sect-related and religious quarrels show up in the death rituals and especially burial rites at Baqīʿ.

Conducting the mourning rituals of Āshūrā and Āshūrānegārī were highly useful practices in order to preach Shīʿīsm and Shīʿa doctrines during the Ṣaffavīd period. Among such works, Buḥrānī’s Madīna Maʿājiz al-aʾīmma played a crucial role. Therefore, it proves necessary to analyse the citations used in this work in reference to Shīʿa resources.The present essay adopts the mixed method of research. Data is collected through library research, while statistics and citations are provided in tables and charts in order to recognize the citation rate after counting the number of citations to Shīʿa and Sunnī resources. The study reveals that 95% of the book’s citations refer to Shīʿa resources, with the remaining 5% referring to Sunnī resources. All in all, the book does not hold a high academic standing because it has made use of unreliable contemporary resources. Buḥrānī has used such resources in an act of favoring Sunnī manuscripts and as a kind of ultimatum presented to the Sunnīs. Most of the Shīʿa resources used by Buḥrānī are related to rituals, pilgrimage, and manāqib. On the other hand, most Sunnī resources cite and refer to historical events.

The world of wonders and mysterious phenomena provides man with amusement and at times fills him with dread. Wonders are a source of fascination to him. Man has always expressed a strong desire for understanding such phenomena and making contact with them. This desire is represented in the culture and literature of some human societies in forms of imagination, legend, and myth. Muslims, too, were extremely fond of this topic. The publication of multiple books titled ‘Ajāyib-Nāmih (Books of Wonders) in Islamic culture and civilization proves this fact. In composing such works, Muslim authors relied on the books written by the ancients, as well as anecdotes told by their own contemporaries and perhaps personal observations. They were intrigued by a wide array of wonders, ranging geographically from a large part of the Great Muslim land, to non-Muslim countries located near and far from it. Among the countries referred to as Dār al-Kufr (The Abode of Unbelief), China was perceived as a mysterious land in the Muslims’ mind and imagination. This was due to a its long distance and a lack of communication between the Muslims and the Chinese, resulting in a lack of knowledge about the culture.  The present study aims to explore the portrayal of this large country (China) as explained in the Muslim ‘Ajāyib-writers up to the ninth century A.H./fifteenth century A.D., using the descriptive-analytical method.

The historical book of Islam and Asia by Chiara Fermichi was published in 323 pages at Cambridge University Press in New York in 2020. The alumnus author of SOAS, London, and current associate professor at Cornell University teaches in Islamic studies, the Asia region and Southeast Asia.Research Literature: Fermichi has other works in this field than the present book. Like the article "Islamic Studies or Asian Studies" (2016)? Recent researchers have also researched Islam and regional studies. Among them, Chinese Muslims and the Islamic Revival of the Global Ummah from Stewart (2016), secularism and religion in the management of Islam in Singapore by M.N. 'Uthman (2018); Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the medieval Malabar coast, from S. R. Perang (2018) and other sources that the author has used as a source in his book....................In this book, Fermichi explores how Islam was formed in Asia, the history, society and cultures of this region from the 7th century AD to the present day