پژوهش نامه قرآن و حدیث
پیاپی 26 (بهار و تابستان 1399)

The arrangement of verses in the Quranic surahs, the proximity of the surahs and the congruence between the surahs of the same group have always been one of the important issues in Quranic sciences, which has been dealt with under such titles as the order of the verses and the congruence of the surahs. The network associations of the Quranic surahs is a new term that speaks of the structural and content connection of the surahs. Using the descriptive-analytical research method, this research work examines the network associations of the Meccan izaiyyah surahs “al-Waqi’yah”, “al-Takwir”, “al-Infitar”, “al-Inshiqaq” and “al-Zilzal” in two aspects: structural and content congruence. The findings have revealed that these surahs have some structural and literary associations, including good beginning, saj’ (a form of rhymed prose), simile, literary imagery, common tone and rhythm, which place all them in one structural group. The findings have further indicated that these surahs have some content associations, including divine monotheism, the citing the events of the Day of Resurrection, the grouping of human beings on the Day of Resurrection, and a common intent. The structural and content analyses suggest that all the Meccan izaiyyah surahs have similar melodies, and they have similar verses in form and content that reinforce their network association.

Some scholars believe that sunnah is as authoritative as the Quran and consider sunnah to be independent while being able to seek help from the Quran about the issues on which the Quran is silent. This theory is contrary to the view of Allameh Tabatabaei and his student Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, who believe that the authority of sunnah originates from the Quran and sunnah is not as authoritative as the Quran. Using the analytical method, this article has sought to critique the first view and has given such reasons as ‘the Quran is the source of all the teachings of sunnah, not part of it’, ‘sunnah owes its authority to the verses of the Quran’, ‘the Quran is the criterion for evaluating narrations’ and ‘when a conflict occurs between narrations, the narration which complies with the Quran is preferred’ in support of the second view. The findings reveal that the reasons given for the independent authority of sunnah, e.g. the revelation is the source of sunnah, there are rational reasons for the authority of sunnah, belief in the independent authority of sunnah has a modernistic nature and narrations are judged by comparing them with sunnah, are not only incomplete, but some of them indirectly consider sunnah as authoritative as the Quran and do not put it second to the Quran in authority.

One of the topics of interest to the Orientalists in the field of history of hadith and jurisprudence is the common link theory which deals with serious and various problems in jurisprudential documents and narrations. Some of these problems are: the common link of narrators, family documents, involvement of too old narrators in documents, back-ward growth of documents and argument from silence. This theory eventually concludes that, due to the policy of prohibition of narrating and compiling hadiths, jurisprudential narrations may have arisen from the minds of jurists and their time of origination is at the most the second century AH. Hence, according to the common link theory, the documents of narrations suffer from singularity and are considered weak. However, this study aims to critique and examine the views of the Orientalists on the common link theory by relying on Ja’fari jurisprudence and using the historical analysis method and reject the claim of the Orientalists that jurisprudential hadiths suffer from singularity emphasizing issues such as the authority of Ja’fari jurisprudence among Sunnis, Imam Sadeq’s (a.s.) access to Imam Ali's (a.s) book as a written jurisprudential source from the first century and the fact that some of the narrators claimed by the Orientalists to be the common link of narration were Imam Sadeq’s (a.s.) students. As a result of this research, two common link diagrams are presented as examples based on the method of the two Orientalists, i.e. Schacht and Juynboll, that invalidate the idea of ​​ common link and a part of the common link theory.

Ebtela’ (affliction) and emtehan (examination) are among the divine traditions in the field of Quranic studies, and many verses in the holy Quran deal with them. This research work has been conducted using the analytical-descriptive method and by referring to the commentaries of the Quran and the hadiths of the Infallibles (a.s.), and it aims to find out what the word tamhis conceptually means considering the context of the verse and how it is related to words such as ebtela’, fetneh (sedition) and emtehan. The results reveal that the word tamhis is more specific than the other three words. One of the reasons for this claim is that, in the holy Quran, this word has been particularly used to refer to the faithful. According to the holy Quran, for the faithful to be purified, they need to be faced with such difficult and tough conditions as fighting in the field of unequal jihad with the enemies of religion, which they undertake with patience and perseverance in order to satisfy God and reach the highest degrees of faith, i.e. tamhis of faith. The promising outcome of all this is peace, security, calmness of heart, dignity and happiness in the world and the attainment of dignity, comfort and divine proximity in the Hereafter.

The syntagmatic (descriptive) semantic approach is an attempt to represent the words and their relations existing in the human mind. Considering this idea, the present paper, while applying this approach, seeks to provide a descriptive analysis of the concept of infaq and to explain the semantic and rhetorical function of the concepts that having a syntagmatic relation with it are sometimes used in relation to infaq. Examination of the Quranic data reveals that the words “ehsan”, “et'am”, “sadaqah”, “elhaf” and “ehfa’" are among the words which have similar meanings to infaq, and the words “akl batet”, “kanz”, “bokhl” and “shohh” are among the words that have an opposite syntagmatic meaning relation with infaq. Also, the relation between these words can be identified on the basis of their semantic components, similarity or contrast of purpose, context and common applications. In addition, each one of these words has been used with an exaggerated function, or psychological analysis and worldview explanation. Furthermore, among the words having a syntagmatic relation with infaq, there are such relations as positive and negative functional relations, causal relation and inclusion relation. Moreover, the discovery of the conceptual relations between these words and infaq is indicative of the wise and purposeful use of words in the holy Quran.

Kitab and hikmah are two concepts discussed in the commentaries of the Quran. The main purpose of the present article is the analysis of the concept hikmah when it co-occurs with kitab in the holy Quran. It is currently claimed that the concept hikmah has a different meaning from the lexical and idiomatic hikmah in the Quran in cases where it co-occurs with kitab. The research method in the present article is semantic analysis and audience analysis in the verses where hikmah has been mentioned next to kitab. Reflecting upon the audience of kitab and hikmah throughout the Quran, we find out that the prophets and their ummahs were the two addressees of kitab and hikmah throughout the history. On the other hand, from the perspective of the Quran, there are some parallel cases in some of which co-occurs with kitab. In these cases, hikmah does not just denote what it literally means, such as forbidding ignorance and firmness of language, but it has a special meaning. Among the parallels cases regarding the application of hikmah in the Quran, we can mention the following: men of wisdom’s exclusive enjoyment of hikmah in spite of the generality of teaching, repetition of the teaching of hikmah to the Prophet, the divine heavy blessing, the jealous reaction of the Jews to the blessing of hikmah, etc. Therefore, from the general approach of teaching hikmah to the Prophet’s ummah and its repetition, it is understood that at least one of the meanings of hikmah in the four verses of the Quran in which it co-occurs with kitab is the wilayah of Ali (a.s.) which should be taught to Muslims in the form of hikmah.

After more than 14 centuries, the expressive inimitability of the holy Quran opens new dimensions for thinkers every day. One of these angles is the study of the story and its relation to the element of dialog. The purpose of this article is to look into this issue in the verses of the holy Quran. For this purpose, the methods and techniques of storytelling in the Quran, the characteristics of dialog in the Quran and the historical course of the views on dialog have been examined, and later in the article, this issue has been practically dealt with in the story of Hazrat-e Maryam (a.s.). The findings indicate that the storytelling and narrative technique of the Quran was advanced before the establishment of various literary schools. This study has been conducted using the analytical, comparative and library methods.

The word istikbar (arrogance) is one of the key words in the monotheistic system of the Quran, which has found a special status as a special feature of the opponents and adversaries of the call to the truth. Given the prominent role of this issue in the human life system and its provision of corruption and moral deviations, it is necessary to represent the nature of the elements that make up the semantic network of istikbar. Using the descriptive-analytical method, the present study aims, first, to analyze the lexical concept of this word and, then, to examine the semantic relations of the word istikbar with the words which co-occur with it, so that some of the syntagmatic elements of this word such as semantic proximity, semantic contrast and semantic field are illuminated through case analysis. The results show that istikbar is in close proximity with Satan, infidels, polytheists, affluent people and voluptuaries, and concepts such as selfishness, atheism and ingratitude, fanaticism, group-preference and infiltration-seeking are included in the semantic network of istikbar. This word is further in semantic contrast with concepts such as faith, servantship, obedience, forgiveness and ‘the state of being oppressed’, and it is effective in leading man towards falsehood and the emergence of the major moral vices. Importantly, the estimation of meaning based on this linguistic mechanism is considered a methodical model and following the discovery of implicit meanings, it has tackled the degree of semantic degradation and status degradation of istikbar by Quranic standards.

In Shiite narrations, the inevitable signs of the uprising of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) have been dealt with, and it is necessary to determine their true number and examples. The present article deals with this issue, and, following an examination of the Shiite narrations, it provides a clear picture of the inevitable signs of the uprising of Imam Mahdi (a.s.). After analyzing 17 signs cited in the narrations, it was concluded that, in Shiite narrative sources and according to the specific criteria for distinguishing inevitable signs from the uncertain ones, only the following four signs are reliable: 1) the uprising of al-Sufyani, 2) Khasf al-Baydaʾ (an incident in which the Earth will swallow the land al-Bayda), 3) the murder of zakiyyah (pure) soul and 4) the Heavenly call. However, on the basis of the same narrations and criteria, the inevitability of 1) Yamani, 2) Khasfas apart from Khasf al-Baydaʾ, 3) Dajjal, 4) the Bani al-Abbas dispute, 4) the descent of Jesus (a.s.), 5) a cry in the month of Ramadan, 6) the outflow of fire from Aden, 7) the appearance of a hand in the sky, 8) smoke, 9) the rising of the sun from the west and 10) the Ahjar al-Zayt incident has been seriously criticized. Some of them do not have a considerable narrative evidence, and some others are signs of the Day of Judgment, and they have been mistakenly or negligently taken for the signs of the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.).

Examining the relationship between the verses of a surah and the semantic structure is a new method in interpreting the Quran. The semantic structure says that each surah has a main purpose and all the verses and issues discussed in the surah are related to that purpose. The examination of the context of the verses and the utilization of other methods of discovering the purpose of the surah clarified that the purpose of the Surah al-Ahzab is “to relieve the pressure exerted on the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) by different groups of the society”. One of the benefits of delineating the semantic structure of surahs is to help resolve interpretive disputes. In Surah al-Ahzab, there is an interpretive dispute about the tat-hir (purification) verse. Relying on the context of the verses, the Sunnis believe that “Ahl al-Bayt” in the tat-hir verse refers to the wives of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.), and considering the narrations of the Infallibles (p.b.u.th.), the Shiite commentators hold that “Ahl al-Bayt” refers to the five pure individuals, i.e. Prophet Mohammad, Hazrat-e Fetemeh, Imam Ali, Imam Hasan and Imam Hussein (a.s.). However, a careful study of the context of the verses, the semantic structure and purpose of Surah al-Ahzab refutes the Sunnis’ evidence which is the context of the verses.

Ya’juj and Ma’juj are signs of apocalypse in Islam, Christianity and Judaism. One of the sources of cognition is ma’surah narrations and hadiths (those originated from the Infallibles) and the advent of Isra’iliyyats by the fabricators of narrations with contradictory themes has added to the complexity of this puzzle. Influenced by narrations and the role of social developments in knowing their identity, Muslim commentators have come up with different conclusions in different periods. Social events and developments such as the Mongols’ attack have been instrumental in recognizing their identity. The new assertion that images of all parts of the earth are transmitted to satellite cameras, and not finding a dam as old as the one mentioned in religious scriptures and congruent with its features has put the contemporary commentator in a new predicament. This article has collected and criticized the opinions of prominent contemporary commentators, and reliance on rational reasons, empirical evidence and narrative sources devoid of interpretation are the result of this study. According to the findings, the Mongols tribe has no congruity with the two tribes, and the interpretation of arrogant states is also in conflict with narrations. The group without covering corresponds to Ya’juj and Ma’juj and is the preferable view, but the passage of time will reveal more facts about these two groups whose rising is one of the signs of Imam Mahdi’s (a.s.) appearance.

This article analyzes and critiques the contemporary Muslim intellectuals' views on the issue that the Quran has been influenced by the Arab culture of the time of revelation in describing the blessings of Paradise, and ultimately concludes that, in introducing a small part of the infinite blessings of Paradise desired and wished by all  human beings in all ages, God has optimally utilized the words, perceptions and conventions of the people of the time of revelation without losing touch with reality or being influenced by the culture of the age relying on rational principles and being consistent with the  initial addressees of the Quran. However, in introducing this limited portion of the blessings of Paradise, He also points out their inherent differences with their worldly counterparts, and at the same time, announces the existence of numerous spiritual blessings and countless other blessings which are beyond human imagination.