نشریه حکمت اسرا
سال دوم شماره 1 (پیاپی 3، بهار 1389)

What follows is the message of ÀyatullÁh JawÁdÐ ÀmulÐ to the congress in honour of ÀyatullÁh ÀqÁmÐrzÁ JawÁd TehranÐ. In addition to extolling the late jurisprudent and exegete and thanking the conveners and participants of the symposium, the author goes on to investigate some of the fundamental matters concerning the Noble QurÞÁn and its understanding.

After the time of Avicenna, the Proof of the Truthful (burhÁn e ÒiddÐqÐn)—being unique in the fact that it does not use ideas of motion or contingency—became one of the outstanding proofs for the existence of God in the philosophical and mystical works of the Muslim world. The mystics, while critiquing the proof put forward by Avicenna, themselves produced proofs that had the characteristics of the Proof of the Truthful. The article at hand outlines and analyses both their criticisms and their new offerings to the field up until the tenth century of the Islamic era.

Muslim scholars have applied the Rule of ‘Al-WÁÎid’ to various sciences and subjects. The article expounds and analyses some of the usages of the Rule in such sciences as metaphysics, natural philosophy, and the principles of jurisprudence.

The eminent exegesis and commentary of the QurÞÁn entitled TasnÐm, is the product of the research and compilation of the lectures on the tafsÐr of the QurÞÁn by ÀyatullÁh JawÁdÐ ÀmulÐ. One of the most outstanding features of the TasnÐm is the method and order employed with respect to both content and structure. In this commentary, personal preferences, rational and popular vagaries, and the assumptions of various sciences have not been imposed on the QurÞÁn. The article at hand studies the general principles and sources that inform the proper understanding and exegesis of the QurÞÁn according to this exceptional book.

Wisdom is a divine gift granted to whosoever God wants. If a person acquires the reality of wisdom, which is informed by sound understanding and correct action, he has come by a ‘great good’ indeed. As the bestowal of wisdom on behalf of God is not a vain act, it stands to reason that the recipients of wisdom should strive to prepare the grounds and acquire the capacity to receive the same. Hence, it is the prophets and the saints, as well as their followers, who are worthy enough and who have the aptitude of wisdom.

The idea of ‘sanctity’ or ‘grace’ (walÁyah) in Islamic mysticism paints such a realistic and sacred picture of the universal order that it reveals the existence of a nexus that transcends all lower delimitations and that ties the Perfect Man to Reality as such. The article that follows goes through various religious and mystical texts so as to present a clear picture of walÁyah. It continues by investigating its various divisions and dimensions, as well as its concomitants and particularities in Islamic mysticism.

The ontological and epistemological roots of evil and the relevance of the problem to the divine essence, attributes and acts, has always warranted the attention of thinkers and intellectuals. Hence the field of theodicy and the continuous efforts of philosophers and theologians to defend the principle of divine justice by responding to the objections at hand. ÀyatullÁh JawÁdÐ ÀmulÐ approaches the problem of evil in a comprehensive way that is based upon the QurÞÁn, rational demonstration, and mysticism. He expounds on the nature of evil—making a distinction between the practical resolution of the problem and the philosophical causes of evil—and goes on to present two practical resolutions (evil as privation, and the ‘best order’ argument). The present study looks into how this problem is dealt with in the works of the ÀyatullÁÎ.