فصلنامه مشکوه
پیاپی 127 (تابستان 1394)

The article on Imam al-Riḍā (A.S.) is the most important entry of the Astan Quds Razavi Encyclopedia. Heir apparency, the process for accepting it, Imam al-Riḍā’s (A.S.) itinerary from Madīna toward Marv, and how he was martyred, are among the key discourses dealt with in this article. Another issue brought up here include touching upon the Imam’s ethical and socio-political sīra and his scholarly status.

The Qur’ān is an All-Wise Book that contains the primary and secondary principles of not only the life of the Muslims but that of the humanity as well. The fundamentals of the defense and strategy against enemies’ contingent invasions is one of those principles. In this article, the verse 60 of Sūrat al-Anfāl (that orders to provide for defense equipment) is studied from the viewpoint of ‘Allama Tabataba’i. This verse addresses the general public, who, when necessary, should spare no effort in uplifting the military power of the Muslim troops.

The Holy Qur’ān has not merely claimed about the existence of God; rather, it has accompanied its claims with reasoning and argument. One of the arguments of which different versions have been presented in the Holy Qur’ān is the argument of the “possibility in the sense of need” (imkān-i faqrī). This argument is among the accurate arguments on proving the existence of God, according to which the existence of God is proved by way of proving the essential and existential poverty of beings other than God and their essential need for the existence of an essentially self-sufficient Creator. At least five versions have been presented in the Holy Qur’ān for this argument: the versions concerning the creatures to be regarded as signs, the essential poverty of creatures, perishing and annihilation of creatures, vitality and self-subsistence of the Most Exalted Creator, and attribution of actions to God. These versions are reappraised in this article with the help of various Qur’ānic verses.

The sīra of the Infallibles (A.S.) implies that the Qur’ān has been perpetually present in their life, to the extent that they have always viewed themselves as addressed by the Qur’ān and in some cases, when engaged in recitation, they have stated as “conversation with the Word of Allah” a phrase emphasizing the gist of the speech or in response to the question raised in the verse or as obedience to the Divine command as expressed in that verse. Recitation in such conditions is one of the basic pillars of tartīl recitation in the sīra of the Infallibles. While extracting such propositions and as their typology, this research tries to achieve a comprehensive and well-documented pattern in the sīra of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) and the Infallible Imams (A.S.) in dealing with the Qur’ān and to explain the main and true tartīl recitation.

One of the realms in the field of Islamic studies that properly and competently reveals and proves the magnificence of Islam is the study of and knowledge about the Islamic civilization – as one of the major history-making civilizations. Ustad Mutahhari is among the Muslim scholars and thinkers who has expressed special approach and interest in the Islamic ccivilization and its related issues in line with ideological defense of Islam. This study attempts to analyze and elucidate the viewpoint of Ustad Mutahhari concerning the inner elements of the weakness, backwardness, and degradation of the mentioned civilization with the library-documentary method. The findings of the research suggests that he has discussed various and numerous elements in ideological, intellectual, cultural, scientific, and social dimensions with a special interest and concentration.

The literary and epic letter of Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. ‘Abbās Khawrazmī (323/934 – 368/978) to the Shi‘as of Nayshabur can be discussed and explored into as a clue to the recognition of the situation of Shi‘as in the Eastern lands of the Islamic Caliphate in fourth/tenth century. Attending to the type of discourse in this treatise would pave the ground for further deliberation on the historical discourses, especially the intra-institutional Shi‘ī anthropological researches. It is through this process that we may believe its historical realities as they were and step toward learning the lessons provided thereby.

Over 120 years has passed since the publication of the first atlases such as Times Atlas and Goode’s World Atlas. These valuable collections have been mainly produced with an educational objective.Meanwhile, such cultural atlases as Shī‘a Atlas, the Qur’ān Atlas, Philosophy Atlas, Qibla Compass Atlas, and Prophet’s Traditions Atlas are at the focus of interest of research institutions, both in their reference to sources for book and article productions and in their information processing and its presentation. On the other hand, they have been quite welcome by the readers’ community in various areas. The main part of the present article deals with the road map for the research and writing of Razavi Atlas, which is undertaken for the first time by the Islamic Research Foundation as a novel example enjoying the successful experience of similar previous works.