فصلنامه مشکوه
پیاپی 121 (زمستان 1392)

The present article addresses one of ‘Allāma Ṭabāṭabā’ī’s theories, which semantically discusses part of the Qur’ānic verses and, due to their specific structure, has taken multifaceted perspectives and led to implying certain aspects of meanings. In this article, the hermeneutic, linguistic, and semantic backups in relation to understanding the Qur’ān in the above-mentioned theory are discussed and reviewed. From the hermeneutic perspective, in this theory, the traditional viewpoint on one hand and the modern viewpoint on the other, can be taken into consideration. From the linguistic perspective, in addition to the general and conventional rules of language as the base for the Qur’ānic significations, paying attention to the characteristics of language and its culture can result in the extension and deepening of its significations. Similarly, from the semantic perspective, significant elements such as double-facetedness, having exterior and interior, having tanzīl (revelation) and ta’wīl (esoteric exegesis) are important in the semantics of the Qur’ān.

The reference of ḥadīth to the Qur’ān has been introduced as one of the most important criteria for criticizing a text as well as resolving the conflicts among traditions. Employing this criterion in criticizing texts can be accompanied with pathologies and risks, which if neglected, would put the reference of ḥadīth to the Qur’ān with a serious challenge, to the extent that it might lead to the violation of the intention for using this criterion. Considering the importance of identifying these pathologies, the present writing tries to address the most important and influential risks, among which can be incorrect recognition of the field and subject of the tradition, improper understanding of the concept of opposition, and negligence of the intention behind is criterion.

Purity of the mind and good behavior of a person in society is among the most important teachings of the Qur’ān and Islam، in light of which the ground is paved for man’s growth. The fine quality and precision of the religious teachings in improving human psyche is an issue that، if sufficiently attended to، can solve many of our present social problems. Given this necessity، the problem of spying on one another or on others’ affairs (tajassus) was studied and it was perceived that if a sense of spying others prevails among the people of a society، the psychological health and hygiene of that society will become severely vulnerable; and it has to be regarded a moral disease that can affect a wide range of people’s behavior. The base and criterion of this research is the statement، wa lā tajassisū (And do not spy [on one another]) in āya 12 of Surat al-Ḥujarāt; and some traditions related to this subject are also analyzed in terms of their content and typology with the aim of enhancing public knowledge concerning the consequences of the abnormal conduct of spying on others’ affairs.

The collection of innate attributes, manners of behavior, and the rules that regulate the relation of man to God is known as ethics of servitude, which comprise of both virtues and vices.Ethics of servitude contains fundamental principles that if man’s relation to God would be based on its positive and value-aspects, it is considered as virtue and leads to one’s happiness and perfection; but if it would be based on its negative dimensions, i.e. counter-value bases, it is regarded as vice that leads him toward decline and downfall.In the present article, the most fundamental infrastructures of ethics of servitude have been examined in two parts of values and counter-values and with reference to the traditions related in Uṣūl al-Kāfī it is clarified that achieving true happiness is feasible only through approximation to God and establishing a relationship based on the doctrinal bases introduced in Islamic traditions.

Ziyārat al-Jāmi‘a al-Kabīra is one of the most important epistemic texts related from the Infallible Imams (A.S.). According to many scholars and experts of ḥadīth, this ziyārat enjoys a sound chain of transmission (sanad). Ziyārat al-Jāmi‘a al-Kabīra is fully concordant and compatible with the Holy Qur’ān and it can be said that the quintessence of tawḥīd governs over all the phrases of this ziyārat. Thus, the objections raised concerning some phrases depicted as incompatible with the Holy Qur’ān and the unity of Divine Actions of the Supreme Creator, are invalid.

Mashhad is regarded as one of the biggest pilgrimage centers of Iran and the world of Islam. From the beginning of the 10th/16th century and simultaneous to the rise of the Saffavid rule, the number of Shī‘a pilgrims to pilgrimage centers, including Mashhad, gained an increasing pace. The presence of pilgrims in this city has left considerable cultural, social, and economic impacts on the local people residing in this city. Many tourists and travelers who in the Qajar period arrived in Iran from different parts of the world as well as people from different parts of Iran visited this city and wrote the account of their observation in the form of various travelogues. The present article is intended to describe, with reliance on these sources, the complexities and situations of pilgrimage in this city during the Qajar reign and thereby to examine the impacts and consequences of the presence of pilgrims on the social context and countenance of this city.