نشریه رهیافت هایی در علوم قرآن و حدیث
سال چهل و ششم شماره 1 (پیاپی 92، بهار و تابستان 1393)

Split of the moon (shaqq al-qamar) is introduced as one of the Prophet’s miracles. This miracle is supported by evidences from the noble verse of the Qur’ān ﴾The Hour has drawn near and the moon is split. ﴿ [Q. 54:1]، and a collection of the Shī‘a and Sunnī traditions. This noble verse has been understood in several ways، of which، one concerns the split of the moon in the time of the Prophet and the second concerns the split of the moon in the future. The narrational evidences of the split of the moon is thought-provoking from several perspectives، of which، weakness of evidences، chain of transmission، and content are only a few indications of the invalidity of these traditions. The present article is arranged in a library method and with a survey and analysis of the evidences concerning the split of the moon and its conclusion is proving the insignificance of its evidences.

The Holy Qur’ān، this Divine Revelation، with its rich literature، has always fascinated the literati and poets throughout history and its lofty and profound themes have always inspired the great poets and writers. This is also very evident in the contemporary Arabic literary works. The works of the majority of the literati of this period are replete with religious and Qur’ānic words and the manifestation of many of the ideological and ethical themes of the Holy Qur’ān. They are also the best witnesses and evidences for proving the impressionability of the Arab literati form the Holy Qur’ān in all epochs. Muṣṭafā Luṭfī Manfalūṭī is one of the renowned and popular Egyptian writers that has left very good memories among the people with his beautiful and delightful stories، particularly his “Al-‘Abarāt wa al-Naẓarāt.” He was a genius in writing and literature and had a unique style in his articles and books. He was among the literati who had a high knowledge and thorough understanding of the Qur’ān’s sublime themes. As a social reformer، he attempted by relying on the Qur’ānic themes and meanings to liberate the Egyptian corrupt and backward society from the Western yoke of slavery and help them reach the lofty and prominent Egyptian cause. Relying on the descriptive-analytical method، the present research examines the thematic reflection of the Holy Qur’ān on Manfalūṭī’s written works and draws the conclusion that the Holy Qur’ān has had a significant impact on the Manfalūṭī’s self-purification، advancement of goals، and uplifting the literary level of his works.

The ḥadīth، “backbiting is more severe than adultery” (al-ghaybatu ashaddu min al-zinā)، quoted from the Apostle of Allah (S. A. W.)، by four of his companions: Abū Dhar al-Ghifārī، Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī، Jābir b. ‘Abd Allāh al-Anṣārī، and Anas b. al-Mālik is reported in the Shī‘ī and Sunnī sources – except for the Kutub al-‘Arba‘a and Ṣiḥāḥ al-Sitta. While analyzing and explaining the text of the ḥadīth، this article has tried to figure out whether or not the authenticity of the issuance of this ḥadīth of the Apostle of Allah (S. A. W.) can be verified through sanad (chain of transmission) and rijāl (scholars of ḥadīth) criteria. And if the answer is negative، what factors have caused its issuance. As for the text of ḥadīth، the important questions are: What is the reason for the severity of backbiting sin comparing adultery? Why should the person who has backbitten ask forgiveness from the person whom he has backbitten in order to be pardoned? That is because، if asking for forgiveness is done orally and face-to-face، then there is the possibility of giving rise to some disturbances such as losing one’s reputation or disputes and clashes. On the other hand، this process for forgiving backbiting has not been mentioned in the Holy Qur’ān and it is incompatible with other traditions that regard asking for God’s pardon (istighfār) as merely sufficient.

This article consists of two sections: 1. The theoretical section، which includes an introduction about aesthetic illustration and chronological order of the earlier critics who have presented beautiful illustrations of the Holy Qur’ān as well as the beautiful Qur’ānic illustrations in modern researches. 2. The comparative section، which includes a brief glance at previous researches on the aesthetic illustrations in general and the Qur’ānic conversation in particular. In this article، we have divided conversations into specific and general illustrations، and then explained the subject with a technical and aesthetical analysis، elucidated the rhetorical and aesthetical discourses including the consistency of the single words and verses، and divided them into verbal and figurative. We have given evidences for each section and have taken into consideration the technical and religious phrasing and images such as cane (symbol of power)، hand (symbol of work and whiteness)، and the ropes (symbol of the witches’ power and deception); and finally، we have given evidences of the verses of the Qur’ān for each section of the conversations، which shows to the reader its aesthetic illustration and its impact on communicating messages to the readers.

In addition to drawing attention to the individual and social responsibilities، the Holy Qur’ān has also talked about the importance of the social groups and emphasized on the efficacy of groups on individuals and other groups and the impressionability of those individuals and other groups. In the meantime، the reference groups have a significant role in the development and degeneration of individuals and communities. A reference group is a group whom one would set as a criterion for comparison، judgment، and decision making about one’s beliefs and behavior، whether one is a member of that group or not. Reference groups have also been talked about in the Holy Qur’ān، too. The Holy Qur’ān divides reference groups into two general categories: the true reference groups and the false reference groups; and provides indices and evidences for each category to place human beings in a realistic atmosphere so that they may make a true decision on a rational and spiritual basis about becoming a member in any group of the reference groups. Accordingly، the most important indices of true and false reference groups that have a bipolar nature were examined، including: guidance/misguidance، knowledge/ignorance، serving God/serving oneself، justice/injustice. In various verses، the Holy Qur’ān has brought up these indices next to one another so that while drawing attention to the relationship between them، it would emphasize their coherence and influence and effects on one another as subsystems in line with the social and cultural changes of society. According to these indices، the evidences of “the truthful”، “the pious”، etc. can be placed in the true reference groups and the evidences of “the affluent”، “the [Pharaoh’s] elite”، etc. in the false reference groups.

According to the content of the traditions that later on became renowned as “traditions of exposition” (‘arḍ) in the language of the legal theorists and jurists، the traditions whose issuance by the Infallibles is suspicious are exposed to the Holy Qur’ān and are at least rejected in case they are opposed by the Qur’ān. These traditions، that are among the sound and valid traditions in the Shī‘a sources and even regarded by some legal theorists and jurists as frequently narrated (mutawātir)، have been disfavored and even opposed to by most of the Sunnī scholars to the extent that they have been described in the Sunnī sources as among the traditions fabricated and forged by the impious and the heretics، and are characterized by such titles as setting up (waḍ‘)، weakness of sanad، opposition to the Qur’ān، contradiction with the Prophetic traditions، and denial of the authority of sunna. While explaining the Sunnī viewpoints concerning traditions of exposition، this article has propounded the most important objections and their reasons for opposition to the above-mentioned traditions and separately analyzed and evaluated.