نشریه کتاب نقد
پیاپی 33 (زمستان 1383)

Today, apart from challenges posed by six main groups opposing Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) (that is, anti-religion heathens, anti-religious elements advocating custom, liberal politicians, extremist religious elements, and mystics), fiqh is faced with two main challenges:Emergence of scientific imprudence and prevalence of viewpoints that have nothing to do with logic and basis. Shortage of scientific courage, and dominance of a kind of covert obstruction to technique of ijtihad.Replacement of personal tastes for logical religious inferences (ijtihad), efforts made to indigenize imported western theories and to give them a religious façade, insisting on priority of omission and minimalism in the realm of religion, politicization and issuing fatwas by political parties, originality of modernism, intellectualism, persistence on pluralism, as well as prevalence of a journalistic line of thought are major manifestations of the first challenge.Ignoring new inferences in the field of scientific jurisprudence and with regard to practical fiqh (political and social commands and ethics), sufficing to personal jurisprudence, limiting application of Quran, current tradition and ration, and lack of due attention to the principle of justice as well as ignoring comprehensiveness of the religion of Islam are major signs of obstruction in ijtihad (religious inference).This paper discusses shortcomings and capabilities of contemporary jurisprudence, while proving the necessity of taking extensive scientific and basic steps on the basis of all-out study of pathology and requirements to pave the way for developing and updating the Islamic jurisprudence and increasing its efficiency.

Undoubtedly, all addressees of this article are first aware of the issue of development in human society as an outside reality and then know that responding to new questions by the Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) on the basis of continued inferences by esteemed jurists, is not only possible, but due to a background of 1400 years of incessant jurisprudential efforts, quite achievable.However, it seems that despite these agreements, there are uncertainties that need more research, especially after establishment of an Islamic government in the country.Therefore, the author first tries to elucidate important points regarding developments and their relationship to the Islamic jurisprudence. Then, he focuses on an essential point which calls for more attention from jurists under current conditions of the country (with an eye on global situation).

Methodical understanding of ethics from religious sources is among necessities of Islamic science because attributing ethical science to Islam requires that ethical science must be derived from Islam and obviously, deriving any kind of science from religion needs a correct method and logic, in the first place. This article will try to explain this question in order to take a step for responding to it; so as to be effective in evolution of ethical jurisprudence (fiqh).

The Islamic philosophy enjoys a lot of power due to various schools of thought and approaches it has fostered. However, some methodological, contextual and structural pathologies of the Islamic philosophy cannot be overlooked.In this paper, the author has described method of philosophy while explaining about its pathology. The proposed method is that philosophy, as the knowledge of the world, tries to solve philosophical issues through a logical and rational method. Then, pathology of the Islamic philosophical issues will be discussed from various standpoints both within and without religion.

This paper studies systematic and strategic identity of religion and the reason for this discussion is that efficiency of religion in managing affairs of everyday life has been largely ignored. The goal of this paper is achieving a strategy for activating efficiency of religion. The method of research is a basic method with an analytic approach and a library method of study using comparative analysis as the main tool. In this way, the indexes and characteristics of religious variables, on the one hand, and indexes and characteristics of strategic variables as well as systems characteristics, on the other hand, have been studies and their overlapping has been analyzed. The main assumption for this study is the necessity of a large-scale and systematic approach to religion and taking advantage of religious variables to draw up strategies. The final model and conclusion of this study is that religion has presented a network of needed strategies for planning in all interrelated aspects of life. If religious variables are looked upon from a strategic viewpoint, the needed structure for executive planning will ensue. Primary executive solution to attain the abovementioned model is compiling curricula for students of religious seminaries in such fields as “a creative study method”, “a creative educational method”, and “a creative teaching method” to establish needed skill for large-scale analysis and a systematic approach to various subjects as well as realization of potential capabilities for production of science and theory.Religious seminaries will be successful in producing science and theories according to religious tenets only when students use creative methods for study and research and instructors teach through a creative teaching method. Also, summarizing and simplification of textbooks should be stopped and studied texts should be promoted to the minimal applied and analytical level of understanding. At the same time, ‘dynamic fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)’ must change course from efforts made to adapt religion to the status quo to ‘strategy-making network jurisprudence’ so as to change the current situation toward adaptation with religion. In this way, it will assume a new identity that would allow it to form the future and not solely seek solutions and to present alternative models.

Semiology is a nascent science that has had great impact on religious and literary studies. The impact of this science is not limited to literary and religious realms, but it compasses many fields including hermeneutics, linguistics, philosophy, artificial intelligence and many other fields. In this paper, first the science of semiology has been described and then semiotic activities of religious ulema have been explained as well as the relationship between Semiology and the religious knowledge. Religious knowledge is command-oriented and semiotic studies on religious commands shape the main core of religious knowledge. Semiology is linked to religious knowledge through many of its achievements. In this paper, four main topics are discussed to show impact of semiology on religious knowledge. Those topics include:- Major activities in the field of semiology or semiotics by religious ulema;- Understanding the logic of religious commands;- The principle that any understanding can be given up (viewpoint of Umberto Eco);- Limitlessness of semiotic process.Any of those topics open a new chapter in religious knowledge and give a specific direction to it. What is offered to readers is a summary of a detailed written piece.Although the science of semiology or semiotics is one of the most expanded scientific fields that affects many other fields such as linguistics, hermeneutics, philosophy, religious studies…, its nature and main duty is still largely unknown and has not found its rightful status among academic circles. Semiology is a science that studies signs including linguistic and non-linguistic signs and their denotations and relationships with their subjects. Umberto Eco, one of the most renowned semiologists of the 20th century says, “Semiology deals with everything that can be called a ‘sign’”.That sign could be a word, a specific phoneme or a picture. Signs denote certain meanings, on the one hand, and try to indicate a reality, on the other hand. Semiology delves into the way a meaning is created and also studies the way signs indicate realities.Thomas Seebeck is another prominent contemporary semiologist that believed semiology to deal with the method of exchanging any kind of information or any kind of relationship. It is obvious that signs are used to make contact and, in practice, any kind of contact is established by using signs. Sometime it is said that semiology is a main branch of communications.

What is criticism? What is its relationship with value? Where does it stand? These questions in addition to tens of other questions related to criticism are important issues that seem to be necessary for development of science and innovation in knowledge. What you will read here is an explanation about the issue of criticism. In writing this paper, the author has had an eye on a recent book about criticism where several important points have been obviously ignored. The main topics discussed here include:Relation of criticism and value; Correct definition of criticism as purported by scientific circles; Status of criticism; Necessity of criticism; Efficiency of criticism.Meanwhile, I have tried to use the teachings of the Holy Quran to elucidate the above topics.