مجله الهیات تطبیقی
پیاپی 29 (بهار و تابستان 1402)

The Concept of the Intellect (xrad) in Middle Persian literature is portrayed at various existential levels. Sometimes it is seen as an acquirable intelligence, which does not transcend the individual state; sometimes it is described as an essential and primal intellect that intuitively perceives the truths, and sometimes the highest level of the intellect is in view, i.e. Ohrmazd’s omniscient intellect. Dādistān-ī Mēnōg-ī Xrad (The Tribunal of the Divine Archetype of the Intellect), a work with a primarily metaphysical tone, emphasizes the āsn-xrad, or the inner primal intellect, and its divine archetype (mēnōg ī āsn-xrad, abridged as mēnōg ī xrad) in particular, and discusses the role of this archetypal intellect in relation to Ohrmazd, as well as to the spiritual and corporeal worlds. In the present study, we examine the concept of divine intelligence from an Islamic metaphysical perspective, explore the text to identify the divine archetype of the intellect, and establish a correlation between the concepts of Mēnōg-ī-xrad and Spǝnta-mainyu of the Gathas.

The present study aims at comparing the unity of existence and the unity of intuitions in Khajeh Abdollah Ansari’s codes of conduct and Ghiasuddin Mansour Dashtaki’s philosophical and mystical works. The study is a qualitative basic research using the descriptive-analytical method. Khajeh’s views regarding these issues are not attainable directly from his works and can only be deduced from his words about mystical positions, but Dashtaki’s views have been expressed through deep mystical comments. Khajeh Abdollah describes the unity of existence in the position of oneness and the unity of intuitions in the position of mortality, poverty, loneliness, monotheism and similitude in the form of examples. Dashtaki, however, has a comprehensive view of these issues and has clearly explained them. He has interpreted the unity of existence as the unity of intuitions and considered the unity of intuitions as unity with truth in such a way that he also recognized many existences and considers them as the shadow of true existence (i.e. God). Of course, Dashtaki could not differentiate well between the unity of existence and the unity of intuition. These two views are different in terms of perspective, but they do not differ much in terms of fundamental concepts.

Apostasy is a topic in Islamic jurisprudence that has been subject to criticism and attacks on Islam, particularly when it pertains to women. The Imamiyyah religion and the Salafiyyah approach are two contemporary discourses that have significant influence and share many commonalities, but also have differences regarding women's apostasy. This comparative analysis aimed to provide an accurate understanding of women's apostasy in these two discourses and shed light on their conflicting aspects. The research employed a comparative analytical documentary method to address the conflicting aspects of the two discourses regarding the positive consequences of rulings on women's apostasy. The study concluded that Imamiyyah distinguished between natural and national apostasies and considers gender as a fundamental concept. In its rulings on apostasy, Imamiyyah provided more lenient and liberated conditions for apostate women compared to the Salafists.

The present study tries to examine the Sermon on Mount Q, the first written book of the New Testament, and its influence on the Epistle of James. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the authors conclude that according to the Sermon on Mount Q and the Epistle of James, Jesus makes a cultural revolution in the society as a social reformer, who sees the path of social transformation in individual reform, change of cultural values, and the reversal of identities, and James as a follower of his reform has such a concern. In addition, both identities are socially representative of realist thinking on the one hand because they considered useless fighting against a powerful Roman empire as the Zealots failed. On the other hand, they are considered the representative of idealistic thinking because they sought to build an ideal society by presenting trans-ethical rules.

This study compares Ahmad Ghazali and Jean-Luc Marion's thoughts about love using a descriptive-analytical method. Despite the differences between these two thinkers in terms of thought and time, the content of their thoughts is similar in some ways. In writing Savaneh al-Oshshaq, Ghazali uses the method of esoteric commentary to discover the mysteries of Sufi, and Marion uses Heidegger's phenomenology to explain the hidden angles of the love phenomenon. According to the fact that orientalists like Henry Corbin consider the method of phenomenology in the occident tradition to be in line with the esoteric commentary (Revelation of the Veiled or Kashf al-Mahjoub of Muslim mystics), the comparison of Marion's phenomenological approach and Ghazali's interpretation seems logical in a way. These two thinkers talk about the univocality of the concept of love and do not divide love into metaphorical and real aspects. Therefore, Ghazali and Marion consider love to have the same meaning, whether in human relationships or in connection with God. Marion's main goal is to refute the metaphysical dominance over theology and negate the conceptual and like idol attitude about God, and Ghazali interprets the lived experience of mystics, crosses the narrow fence of philosophical concepts, and uses the language of allegory and mystification to explain love.

Reviewing the efforts of Christian theologians to expand religious spirituality, the present study focuses on spiritual theology and examines the criticisms and related challenges. The method of the research is historical. Firstly, it examines the history of spiritual theology from mystical theology and ascetic theology to a new discipline. Then, it deals with its relationship with other theological branches, and finally, it examines the current state of this type of study and explains its challenges. The most important challenges found through this study are individualism, personalization of religion, and lack of defined connection with systematic theology and practical theology.

Qorb (Closeness or Proximity) in the Sufi dictionary is a mystical state and means obedience that brings the obeyer close to the obeyed. The authors of this study intend to investigate the opinions of Ibn Arabi and Izz al-Din Kashani about mystical closeness, the type of perception, innovation, and commonalities and differences of these two Sufi thinkers using a descriptive-analytical method based on library documents. Based on the results of the research, they consider Qorb-e Nawafel (recommendation) to be superior to Qorb-e Farayez (obligation) and link the reason of superiority to divine love. True Qorb in the view of the two is not reaching God and observing him; rather, in Kashani's opinion, this type of closeness is connected to a special passion, in ascending levels, which is continuous and permanent. In Ibn Arabi's view, mystics are constantly observing proximity, and this observation is nothing but the manifestation of God. Both of them believe that God-given knowledge is special for close people. It is one of the requirements to reach real closeness. Both believe that God-given knowledge is reserved for mystics who are close to God. By linking mystical closeness to the two categories of ‘spiritual gathering’ and ‘internal dispersion’, Kashani believes that in complete closeness, the seeker's soul in the place of gathering, despite the attribute of humility in its servitude, also has the attribute of perfection and ascension to high levels. However, by distinguishing this type of interpretation, Ibn Arabi believes that some great Sufis, because of their belief in closeness in the position of spiritual gathering and distance in the position of separation, have included the knowledge of distance in the matter of closeness. Kashani calls the manifestation in the non-material as distant manifestation, and the manifestation in material as close manifestation. Both thinkers believe that getting close to God depends on research and science in the position of servitude or worship.

Understanding the connection between soul and body is one of the complex issues in psychology. Psychologists emphasize the two-way connection between the soul and the body. In this research, an attempt has been made to analyze three types of links between the two in the Holy Quran: 1) the effect of the mental state on the physical state (spiritual-physical), 2) the effect of the physical state on the mental state (physical-spiritual), and 3) the effect of the mental state on another mental state (spiritual-spiritual). The verses indicating the connection between cognition and tears, the effect of sin on the face and appearance, hearing the divine verses and the trembling of the skin, and the relationship between the piety of the heart and lowering the voice, are among the signs of spiritual-physical connection. And the verses that emphasize the connection between crime and hardness of heart, and sin and rust of the heart, are a sign of physical-spiritual connection. The verses that express the connection between divine mercy and the softness of the heart, thoughtfulness, and the opening of the locks of the heart, refer to the spiritual-spiritual connection. The philosophical basis of these three types of mutual influence between the mental and physical states should be sought in the two theories of the soul’s ‘Spiritual temporarily and endurance’ and its ‘Physical temporarily and endurance’. In the present study, using the method of rational analysis, the verses related to each of the three types of links have been re-examined and their psychological foundations have been explained.

The current research aims to answer the question of how the hermeneutics of Eric Hirsch's objectivism can be criticized and evaluated based on the criteria of the author in Allameh Tabatabai's interpretive theory. A descriptive-analytical investigation of the hermeneutic view of Eric Hirsch’s objectivism shows that Hirsch, with his belief in the meaning and purpose of the author, and paying special attention to the stability of meaning and preventing the interference of the interpreter’s mental world in understanding the meaning of the work, stands against interpretive subjectivism and its consequences such as pluralism and relativism. He presents the approach to the author based on criteria such as emphasis on the author, the ability to determine the meaning, and the distinction between the meaning of the text and the reaction of the interpreter. The criticism and evaluation of his view in the interpretive theory of Allameh Tabataba'i indicates that although Hersch uses these criteria in his approach to the author in order to preserve the role and meaning of the author, he calls for a quantitative and qualitative expansion of the understanding of the text and the work without limitations. However, his author-centered point of view leads to limitations in understanding the text, wrong perceptions mixed with deviations in interpretation, or the loss of the author's intention.

The present study explains the causes of the intellectual changes of Ahl-e Haqq from its beginning to the present era using a descriptive-analytical method and a review of its main texts. The Yarsanians (Ahl-e Haqq) have linked the origin of their religion to the era of Imam Ali (AS) based on the manifestation of God's nature and attributes. At the beginning of its formation, this religion had a thought similar to Kisanian. Belief in three infallible imams was one of the religious features of this religion in the early centuries. In the 11th century, due to intellectual developments, the Yarsanians were inclined towards the Imamiyyah approach and the thinking of Sufis and mystics. This study answered the question that, according to the texts of Ahl-e Haqq, what the intellectual and religious developments of Ahl-e Haqq are. The findings of this research show that the period of innate emergence and the formation of families played a role in the evolution of this religion. In the era of Sultan Ishaq, the arrogance about the religious authorities intensified compared to the previous periods, and from the 11th century onwards, the intensity of the arrogance about the leaders of this religion decreased a little. Examining the attitude of Ahl-e Haqq in different periods is another goal of this study.