فصلنامه مطالعات تفسیری
پیاپی 4 (زمستان 1389)

Resurrection and monotheism are two major pillers of religions belief in the Divine religions; hence conviction in them makes a divide between the cultures of theists and atheists. The Holy Quran talks of belief in the resurrection just next to belief in God. Therefore, rejection of the resurrection is the very going astray and those whodecry if will receive severe punishments.Belief in the resurrection is linked with almost ace the issues treated in religions, cultural, economic, and social walks of life. One of the most important educative effects of belief in the resurrection is strengthening his/her mystical travel in this world as well as giving meaning to life and rescuing him/her from perplexity. It is in the light of belief in theresurrection that discharging one's religions duties becomes convenient.Such a conviction guarantees implementation of all the Divine laws and acts as the triggering force of purification of souls. The discussions offered are supported by references to the Quran and Islamic texts, all to highlight the educative effect of the above-mentioned belief.

Sociologists and leaders of human communities have long paid attention to the process of the change of social values to direct social changes. Sociologists believe that this process and their substitution in the past can be studied through focusing on the process of the change of the social values of human communities. One of the most significant themes of the Nahj al-Balaghah deals with social values. The first in fallible Imam Ali touches upon the process, factors, elements, and transformation of social values, especially in the Muslim community. According to the Nahj al-Balaghah, the stages oftransformation of the social values are their origination, spread, stablization, and substitution. Their changes are due to religion and religions laws, social supervision, rulers, and people´s whims

The Holy Quran is not altogether detached from the culture of its time of revelation in promulgating its doctrinal and moral teachings and religions verdicts. There are several Quranic verses that have a lot to do with the cultural components of its time of revelation; hence some of its teachings have got some similarities with the prevailing culture of the time. This phenomenon has led some people on believe that theHoly Quran was impressed by its prevailing culture. The present paper first tackles the meaning of ‘culture’ and ‘time’, the attention of the Quran, and the reason for Western scholars Orientalists, raising this issue. The Holy Quran has several ways oftackling the culture of its time: it has rebuked most of the Jahiliyyah norms and has cleansed it off. Other norms, away from Jahiliyyah ways, or rooted in man´s instinct and reasoning, have been confirmed.

Sometimes a parable is more illustrative and eloquent than elaboratin on a point in drawing the audience´s attention, Hence, use of parables is of more rhetorical value to make the audience convinced. The rationale behind Quranic parables lies in lowering sublime issues to the level of people´s understanding and their undeniableeffects. This is because this literary technique makes complex truths tangible. Hence, parables are used to make intellectual topics accessible for the public.The use of Quranic parables is but a climax of the Quranic rhetoric and artistic expression. It is also evident that the Quran pursue an aim much higher than reporting a historical event out of its stories and parables; they signify a moral and educative lesson and conclusion, the most important of which is invitation to reflection and educatingthe mankind.

The term nuzilat "revealed", as used in the case of the tafsir hadiths concerned with the Quranic verses related to Mahdism, is subject to one of the following cases: application of the verse to a case other than its original case of revelation, interpretation and thesignificance of the verse, and yet used in the sense of the meaning of the verse. There are 324 verses in the Holy Quran that have received interpretations related to Mahdism. These verses can be categorized in one of the following four categories: Those related to Mahdism, e.g., proclamation of religion (9: 33), and the removal of VWULIH ILWQDK RII WKH ZRUOG WKH YHUVHV DSSOLHG WR 0DKGLVP on the basis of exegetical hadiths, e.g. the Divine days (14: 5), and WKH 'LYLQH YLFHJHUHQW WKH YHUVHV whose significance concern Mahdism, e.g., the mysterious letters Hä Mim, and `Ayn Sin Qaf (42: 1- DQG WKH YHUVHV UHODWHG WR 0DKGLVP RQ WKH EDVLV RI interpretations, e.g., Saul and Goliath (2:249). It is understood that the Mahdism – oriented verses and hadiths do not have the same validity and significance, hence they may have references to political, military, economic, and historical aspects of Mahdism.

Fitna is used in the Nahj al-Balaghah in the sense of a Divine test that is one of the driving forces for the mankind to make progress as well as a factor to incite people to seek the truth. In addition, it is also used in the sense of the society's moving away from religion and the domination of non-Divine values over the community. This isinstantiated by making references to the Jahiliyyah period as a fitnacolored era. Besides, in most instances fitna refers to the turmoil's associated with making heresies in Islam and mingling the right with the wrong.According to Imam Ali, fitna develops secretly and swiftly. In addition to defining the fitna, hawing cognition, ignoring personal clashes and hatred, prevention from imprudent acts, maintaining prudence, following a trustworthy leader, and the leaders´ franknesswith their communities are regarded as ways of safeguarding the aftermaths of fitnas.

A study of the development of psychology on the ruins of a formertype of psychological notion on the one hand, and a study of certainQuranic verses that concern inward certitude suggests that althoughmental tranquility will change into inward certitude in the paradise,sometimes there is no mental tranquility for a believer owing tounfitting social circumstances, despite his/her having inward certitude.This suggests that achieving mental tranquility must not be theultimate goal in religions propagations, hence sorrowfulness ordelightfulness must not be emphasized in propagating Islamic,otherwise the essential differences between Islam and falsemysticisms, the use of drugs, and so forth would remain ambiguous.