نشریه رهیافت هایی در علوم قرآن و حدیث
سال چهل و چهارم شماره 2 (پیاپی 89، پاییز و زمستان 1391)

Based on the Prophet’s (S. A. W.) ḥadīth، “Whoever memorizes forty traditions from which my community benefits in their religious affairs، the Exalted and Almighty Allah will raise him on the Day of Resurrection as a learned jurist and a scholar،” the ḥadīth scholars undertook some compilations that were known as “forty traditions” (arba‘ūna ḥadīthan). Since the 2nd/9th century to the present era، thousands of books have been written in this field. The reporting، categorizing، and analyzing the ups and downs of these ḥadīth components in various centuries of ḥadīth history have been taken into consideration from the perspective of historic-ḥadīth processology. The results achieved suggest that in the early centuries، acting according to the outward aspects of the traditions in personal dimension became important and in later centuries، with the expansion of the domain of these types of books in form، language، and type and also in terms of content and subject in social and ideological dimensions، the ḥadīth experts focused their attention on the actualization of the Holy Prophet’s (S. A. W.) objectives of issuing these traditions. This change of approach to writing arba‘īns brought about redoubled blessings in terms of uplifting the society’s level of ḥadīth knowledge.

Illustration in speech field is the art of portraying concepts with the help of words and phrases with specific methods carried out to increase their efficacy on the addressee and a better and faster conveying of the material. This art is employed beautifully in Nahj al- Balāgha، which، by making use of nature، human being، living creatures، etc. in the vertical and horizontal axes of speech، has created beautiful and effectual images. On the horizontal axis، that is in every single sentence، simple images like beauty، magnificence، greatness، etc. have been displayed. Different warm and lively images colored with various rhymed prose، rhetorical forms، symbols، allusions، stretch of imagination، and spiritual elements are available in this axis. Sometimes، even without using a specific form، novel images have been created or the very Qur’ānic images have been directly employed. On the vertical axis، i. e.، the general structure of speech، with which reasonable and logical communication is made between the components، novel and matchless images have been created.

This article defines، delineate، and determine the Revelational communication pattern in light of three current viewpoints concerning Revelation. At first، the background of the discourse is touched upon and the main patterns of communication situation، including the patterns of Saussure، Shannon، Moles، Buhler، and Jacobson in relation to the Revelational communication pattern، are examined. Then، the three viewpoints of regarding the nature of Revelation as propositional، experimental، and enunciatory are analyzed، the strengths and weaknesses of each one of them are pointed out، and it is emphasized that the enunciatory function displays the nature of the Revelation language more efficiently. This article shows that a better viewpoint about the nature of Revelation is obtained through the combination of the two viewpoints that regard Revelation as being propositional and enunciatory، which is phrased as risālī (Prophetic-mission) or Islamic Revelation.

The Muslim Qur’ān researchers and exegetes have all ben unanimous that any ta’wīl (esoteric interpretation) or commentary of the Book of Allah has to begin with words، which are the only tools for analyzing discourse، or rather، the formation of our system of thought. So، words are not only tools for expressing our beliefs but also their formatives، as well. The words in the Qur’ān are of so established consistency that can by themselves be used as tools for analysis of discourse. Examining the keywords such as “Allāh” and “faith” and studying the selection of names in such Qur’ānic sūras as Sūrat Al-Dukhān، this article is intended to demonstrate that it is only through these words that the Qur’ānic texts or the texts of the sūras can be analyzed.

Reliance on traditions (aḥādīth) in the realm of obligatory precepts requires the preliminary conditions of authoritative (ḥujjiyat). However، since some have in relation to rules of conducts (sunan) relied on the rule of “tolerance in the evidences of sunan” and have consequently brought up the tolerance in the conditions of authenticity of sunan; and irrespective of the truth or untruth of resorting to the rule in the field of the preferable religious acts (mustaḥabbāt) and the detestable things (makrūhāt)، which is disagreed upon by the proponents and the opponents، the question is whether – given the applicability of the rule itself – this tolerance can be extended to the medical traditions. The subject followed up in this article is the application of this rule in medical traditions. As the studies indicate، it seems that the execution of the rule of tolerance in the realm of medical traditions face serious obstacles.

The verses of the Qur’ān apparently talk about the six-day creation of the heavens and the earth but the new science views the process of the formation of heavenly bodies and the earth in a longer time span and does not approve the formation of the universe in a period of a few days. Thus، many of the contemporary Qur’ān researchers have withdrawn from the formalistic and generally accepted (mashhūr) perception of early exegetes – believing in the creation of the heavens and the earth in a period of six conventional days – and esoterically interpreted the expression sittata ayām (six days) as six eras and stages. In the meantime، it is also to be noted that in scientific circles the explanation of natural phenomena cannot be referred to as a supernatural frame of reference and the interference of an unseen superior force cannot be anticipated and counted on; whereas، the Qur’ān’s expression is based on the unconditional presence and interference of a superior unseen and supreme force. Therefore، since the religious viewpoint is not restricted to the closed presuppositions of science، it would not be necessarily restricted and obligated to the outcomes of the scientific calculations، either; and can maintain that the extrasensory forces have involved in this respect. Nevertheless، in the present age، the experiential science is respectful and creditable enough as not to ignore its outcomes and data with such an analysis. Actually، such a viewpoint would confirm the notion of contradistinction of the Qur’ān and science. Consequently، if a single argument is supposed to be chosen، the esoteric interpretation (ta’wīl) of sittata ayyām as six periods and eras seems to be the only determined and preferable argument.