نشریه پژوهش های نهج البلاغه
سال بیستم شماره 3 (پیاپی 70، پاییز 1400)

Ethics refers to the carnal characteristics of man, and questioning is rooted in human thought and is discussed as ethics of thinking under applied ethics. According to Imam Ali (AS), questioning is one of the indicators which represents that people are attentive and feel responsible for society's problems. In Imam Ali's words, the ethics of questioning means observing the ethical rules in the questioning process as a necessary condition for society's prosperity, growth, and development. Despite the importance of the questioning index in the development of society, the way of observing ethical standards in the questioning process determines the constructive or destructive role of questioning in that society. Ethical questioning has a long history in religious and Islamic texts and sources. The purpose of this study is to investigate the status of ethics-based questioning through a qualitative content analysis of Imam Ali's speech, including lectures, sermons, letters, and short speeches extracted from Nahj al-Balaghah and other related sources. The results of the qualitative content analysis showed that the ethics-questioning model, according to Imam Ali (AS), has three main issues: (1) characteristics of question (being exploratory and purposeful and paying attention to the quantity and quality); (2) the characteristics of the questioner (being wise, knowledgeable, opportunism and brave) and the characteristics of the respondent ( being attentive, eager to question and answer); (3) the results and consequences of inquiry (knowledge acquisition, enlightenment, awareness, and progress).

Monitoring the performance of government officials is an essential tool for the health and development of society. This subject has been collected in various formats such as letters, sermons, and wise sayings of Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (AS) in Nahj al-Balaghah and other books. In this study, we investigate the supervision of Islamic government officials in Nahj al-Balaghah. The present article was conducted with a qualitative approach and a structural-interpretive method. In this regard, the initial information was extracted using valid documents such as Nahj al-Balaghah. The author used content analysis to extract and infer the concepts related to monitoring the affairs of government officials. The research findings show that in the managerial life of Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (AS), the appointment of good managers in critical positions and their unlimited monitoring is one of the principles of monitoring the activities of government officials. The realization of this vital issue depends on the selection of committed and trustworthy observers who consider the interests of the Islamic society. Direct monitoring and taking decisive action against violating officials play an essential role in the proper functioning of the government system. This study showed that monitoring the performance of government officials has a vital role in their personal and social protection. Paying attention to self-monitoring, recognizing responsibilities, and providing feedback to officials can effectively improve their performance. According to the research results, preventive measures are the most important component in appointing officials and selecting competent individuals.

Nahj al-Balaghah is the second written inheritance and source of knowledge in Islamic teachings. In addition to its ideological function, which is related to its theological themes, due to its rich interpretation, this magnificent work has a literary function. This feature is the result of numerous components, including the use of additional verbs to express appropriate meanings based on the context, which has been used more than four thousand times in various meanings. As it is known, verb is the main and fundamental element in the structure of the Arabic language and through its transition from singular to additional verbs leads to the development of new meanings. The present article is a theoretical research that uses descriptive analytic methods to provide examples of additional verbs (tafaʔala, tafaʔala, ifteʔal, isfteʔal) used in Nahj al-Balaghah. It also uses its lexical sources and explanations in terms of practical meanings. Based on the data analysis, the author has concluded that the additional verbs used in Nahj al-Balaghah are fully in line with the current contexts of sermons, letters, and quotes and fulfill their purposes. These verbs clearly indicate the Arabic language's capacity to produce new and diverse meanings from a single infinitive verb to its meaning expansion.

Justice is an interactive concept. In most cases, organizational justice has a one-dimensional view in which superiors have always been in a perceptual position and subordinates in an acting class. According to Imam Ali (AS) in Nahj al-Balaghah, there is a possibility of violating the rights of superiors by subordinates as a result of perceived injustice. The present article, based on the principles of relativism hermeneutics and logical analysis, tries to explain the rotational nature of justice mentioned in Sermon 216. The text was interpreted by selecting this sermon and combining it with management theories as interpreter horizons. Due to the qualitative nature of this research, a comparative approach was taken between the original text and adaptations of two commentaries, Ibn Maysam and Ibn Abi'l-Hadid, to prevent eisegesis and increase the validity. Findings show that the perception of justice of superiors is a structure that has been neglected in organizational justice. In addition, the perception of justice is a rotational perception and behavior between subordinates and superiors, which has an effect on observers. This perception affects the organization's atmosphere, and the initiators of this atmosphere within organizations are the subordinates and their perceptions. Therefore, the best intervention to manage this cycle (contrary to the current trend, which focuses on managing superiors' behavior and subordinates' perceptions) is superiors' perceptions. The consideration of some criteria in the stages, such as selection, training, promotion of managers, and organizational controls, can lead this rotation to a positive direction and promote the concept of justice in the organization.

Interpretation is one of the significant terms in comprehending the instructions of the Qur'an. In the prophetic narrations, the prophet Muhammad (SAW) has introduced himself as the "owner of Tanzil " and Imam Ali (AS) as the "owner of taʾwīl". Due to the differences between the meaning of this word and its scope among experts, the analysis of Imam Ali's words seems necessary. Therefore, in the present study, researchers studied the word interpretation (taʾwīl) and its basis through a descriptive-analytic method in Nahj al-Balaghah. Based on the findings, interpretation has always been a spiritual concept and included various meanings. The perfect example of those who know the interpretation are Muhammad (SAW) and the Ahl al-Bayt, and other believers, depending on the circumstances, are the ones who adhere to knowledge are aware of interpretation. In the analysis of the principles of interpretability of the Quran in Nahj al-Balaghah, it was found that, contrary to the opinion of some who oppose Quran's taʾwīl, without any doubt, this holy book has taʾwīl. Since Quran is silent, it has inner aspects and various similarities and differences. Thus, it needs interpreters who define the taʾwīl of the Quran.

Many considered Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (AS) decisive in dismissing all the agents of Ottoman, particularly Mu'awiyah but did not talk about the methods of dismissing them. The article proves that the Imam retained at least five of Ottoman's agents. It also claims that sending of Amarat ibn Shahab to Kufa was one of Saif Tamimi's invalid reports. The Imam dismissed other agents through two general methods. The article uses a descriptive-analytic and a documentary method to explain the method of dismissing the Ottoman agents. Through analyzing the 75th letter of Nahj al-Balaghah, this article indicated that Imam followed the best method to dismiss Mu'awiyah in three stages and solved the problem of the ruler of Levant without bloodshed. It was Mu'awiyah who did not respond to the letter of the Imam and his ambassador, and by inciting Talha and Zubair and then declaring war opposed the Amir al-Mu'minin and rejected any cooperation with him.

One of the significant issues in theoretical monotheism is expressing the relationship between accurate positive attributes and the divine essence. In this regard, there are three main views: the abundance of attributes on the essence (Ash'arite approach), the representation of the divine essence of attributes (Mu'tazilite approach), and the objectivity of attributes with the divine essence (Imamiyya and philosophers' approach). In the first sermon of Nahj al-Balaghah, Amir al-Mu'minin Ali (AS) considers the perfection of sincerity as the denial of attributes from the divine essence. Numerous interpretations have been made to explain this narration. The present article uses a descriptive-analytic method to analyze the views of Muslim mystics and study the relationship between divine names, attributes, and essence based on the first sermon of Nahj al-Balaghah. Based on the research findings, it was revealed that mystics in the field of ontology believe that there is no adjective and determination in the first stage, that is, the essence of the unseen, and in the second stage, manifestations and appointments appear. The first stage is the same as the denial of attributes, and the second stage is when the divine names and attributes are manifested and determined. This level is the objectivity of the divine essence with the divine names and attributes. Mystics consider the divine names to be existential and truthful, so the view of those who believe in rational validity or negative meanings for the names is rejected by them.

Human being is a social species. Individual relationships shape the structure of society. These relationships require particular etiquette to establish a valuable and effective interaction between people. One of the most important of these etiquettes in the development of social culture is communication skill. This skill requires familiarity with its components and issues, which can be achieved by studying religious texts, especially Nahj al-Balaghah. This article aims to identify the components and issues of communication skills based on the wisdom of Nahj al-Balaghah. It uses a descriptive-analytic and a library method to deduce and explain instances of this skill and its issues in Nahj al-Balaghah. Research findings indicated that communication skill might reach its highest level of effectiveness in these cases; in the case of speaking thoughtfully, remaining silent in time, understanding the audience and situation, making eloquent sentences, asking a question if needed, using the information and experience, and advising others, and observing confidentiality. In the meantime, talkativeness, lying, flattery, arguing, and suspicion can seriously damage practical communication. Therefore, what can be deduced from the wisdom of Nahj al-Balaghah as a model and indicator is that the principle that governs all the components and the basis of being away from communication issues is the conscious control of the tongue.

This study was conducted to compare the symbol and its meanings based on Nahj al-Balaghah and the theory of artistic symbolism. In this qualitative study, data were selected through purposive sampling. Then, some sermons, letters, and wisdom of Nahj al-Balaghah were analyzed. This research pursued to answer two fundamental questions. One is how illustration is realized in Nahj al-Balaghah? And how image is expressed in Nahj al-Balaghah in terms of its features and components? Therefore, the results showed that Nahj al-Balaghah processed the symbol with the image in diverse formats. In some cases, it included the image within the words and then represented to the audiences. Also, the main components of the image in Nahj al-Balaghah were six that could be explained based on psycho-physical theorists' objective and subjective criteria. According to the findings, the verbal illustration of Imam Ali (AS) can display many religious truths and monotheistic teachings in a tangible and objective form and be a good representation of the realities. In other words, to fulfill its artistic mission, Nahj al-Balaghah has ideally been able to convey religious concepts, beliefs and convictions in the form of visual art.