فصلنامه تاریخ فرهنگ و تمدن اسلامی
پیاپی 50 (بهار 1402)

Nowadays, meritocracy is considered an important management principle in achieving organizational success. This principle, under the human resource management section relating to job conditions, is defined in all offices proportionate to the intellectual and cultural bases of the same societies. Identifying and explaining the various dimensions of this important principle with an Islamic approach can not only provide a scientific basis for Islamic community officials and managers to serve as a model, but also lead to a fundamental transformation in order to create a discourse on modern Islamic civilization. Therefore, an attempt was made to use the method of content analysis to extract the Islamic components of meritocracy from religious texts. As a result, four components of Islamic confidence, self-health, knowledge and recognition as well as dignity and social credibility were identified, explained, and examined as the most comprehensive content, respectively.

During the early Islamic centuries, the rabats were used for military purposes, and later as hospices and places of worship for Sufis. Little attention has been paid to their scientific and cultural functions. The present study aims to answer the question of “What scientific and cultural functions the various rabats in Baghdad had during the 4th Abbasid Caliphate (448-656 AH)?”, using a descriptive-analytical method. The results of this study show that the rabats in Baghdad were mostly active in the fields of religious and traditional sciences such as preaching, Quranic recitation, hadith listening, narration, jurisprudence, issuing permits, and more. Chanting and recitation were distinctive features of the rabats. The libraries of rabats became suitable places for studying, researching, writing books, meeting and debating among scholars. Sufi women were also active and had their own dedicated rabats. During that period, the rabats of Baghdad were considered as one of the important educational centers that played significant roles in the spread of Islamic culture and civilization.

The disagreement and lack of conformity between the Umayyad and Ahl al-Bayt factions after Karbala event increased the grounds for discursive confrontation in both speech and action dimensions. This led, on the one hand, to a change in the dominant discourse structure of the Umayyads and, on the other hand, to a deepening of the achievements of the Karbala uprising. The aim of this study is to provide answers to the following questions, while presenting the Umayyad actions in facing Karbala, using the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe which considers the dimensions of discourse as both speech and behavior: “What are the reasons for the change in the dominant discourse of the two opposing factions?”, and “What strategies does the dominant discourse adopt to overcome this challenge?” The findings of the research show that the confusion of the stability of the meaning of the Umayyad discourse in a competitive environment with the Ahl al-Bayt discourse after Karbala caused the unrest of the Umayyad discourse and a change of practice from the dominant discourse to the discourse of interaction and appeasement in order to overcome the challenges of the threatened rule.

Astronomy has been the focus of rulers and common people in different historical periods due to its practical aspect in human life and also the desire and tendency of scientists to work in this scientific field. This luck and attention to astronomy continued in the Safavid and Ottoman periods, and scientists in this field left numerous works in the field of astronomy, which shows their attention and tendency to astronomy in this era. Using  a comparative method and based on first-hand historical sources and reliable research sources, the current research examines and analyzes the issue that “In the studied era, i.e. from the 10th century to the middle of the 12th century  AH/ 16th century to the middle of the 18th century CE, were rulers and common people more inclined towards astronomy or astrology? What factors were the foundation of this tendency and luck? And what effect did the changes in astronomy that took place in Europe at the same time have on the astronomical activities of this era? The findings of the research show that in the Safavid and Ottoman territories, both in the court and in the eyes of the common people, there was no separation and distinction between what was in the field of scientific astronomy and what was pseudo-astronomy and astrology, and this caused the growth of illusions and superstitions in the society. The low level of knowledge and awareness of the society, the extreme tendency of some of the rulers to superstitions that were promoted and strengthened by the courtiers, were important reasons that prevented the Muslims of this era from trying to achieve the new astronomical knowledge that Europe was passing through.

Jawar is one of the traditions of ignorance era which continued even after the advent of Islam. This tradition, which can be seen as a reflection of the political and social conditions of the peninsula before the advent of Islam, was of special importance in tribal relations. The current research seeks to find the answer to this question, "what was the nature and function of the Jawar tradition in the history of the Arab ignorance era and the beginning of the Islamic period?" The findings of this research, which was carried out in a descriptive and analytical method, show that the pre-Islamic Arabs used this tradition to ensure their security in the absence of a central government. By passing from the ignorance society to the Islamic society, this tradition underwent changes and the Prophet used it as a social contract in line with the goals of the prophetic government. In fact, Islam involved faith and righteousness in the social context of Jar and considered the preservation of neighbor as one of the cornerstones of establishing an ideal society and a benevolent behavior arising from the spirit of faith.

Bigotry is one of the most important obstacles to achieving human and social perfection. By giving the color of sanctity and immortality to his limited and imperfect perceptions, a person suffering from bigotry resists and stands in front of any right words and valid arguments that are in opposition to his ideas and thoughts. This has caused this type of thinking to be recognized as an ominous phenomenon in the path of growth and development of the individual and society in all different historical periods and among different strata of society. Knowing the causes of bigotry is one of the most important issues in preventing and fighting this kind of thinking.  This type of thinking emerged among a part of society in the Prophetic and Alavi eras. The main question of this study is, “ What are the reasons for  the Jahili and Khawarij Arabs’ tendency to bigotry?” In this research, the causes of people's tendency to bigotry have been explained in two psychological and intellectual-ideological categories, relying on reason and historical data. The present research was carried out using library documents and descriptive analytical method. Based on the findings, stubbornness, rigidity and inflexibility and some cognitive biases and abandoning thinking and rationality, following suspicion and sensationalism are among the causes and grounds of the tendency to bigotry in the psychological, ideological and intellectual directions.

The article aims to clarify the role of Western-oriented individuals in creating cultural conflicts between ancient Iran and Islam in contemporary Iran. Serious damages caused by extreme antiquarianism in social, political, religious, and especially cultural areas, including the creation of cultural conflicts between ancient Iran and Islam, demonstrate the necessity of this discussion. According to the findings of this research, most individuals who were involved in this issue were somehow related to the West. These individuals first began by instilling antiquarianism in the elite society and attracting them, and then initiated this thinking through various tactics at different social levels. This research is based on the explanatory-analytical method in content processing, and according to the achievements or the results, it is a developmental-applied research. In terms of the type of data used, it is a qualitative research using library resources.