The Position and Role of Purification in Educational Discourses (Happiness Discourse, Health Discourse, Austerity Discourse and Quranic Discourse)

The present research sought to investigate the role and position of purification in educational discourses, namely, happiness, health and austerity discourse in comparison to Quranic discourse. The research method is qualitative focusing on inferential-analytic and comparative-analytic methodology. The population of the study consisted of the books, documents, and educational databases related to purification and discourse making. The sources which covered research parameters were purposefully selected and deeply studied. The findings revealed that in all three discourses, purification enjoys the highest position. In the happiness discourse the education process is twofold: a section on purification and a section on instruction. The position and role of purification equals that of instruction. In health discourse, purification is the whole process of education and enjoys an irreplaceable and invaluable position. In austerity discourse, instruction does not enjoy any position in the process of education since this perspective believes that purification is knowledge-inducer and does not need instruction. In this view the process of education is twofold: a section on purification and a section on tahlieh (decorate oneself with moral virtues); purification is both a precondition for actualization of tahlieh and aim of education. In Quranic discourse, the process of education is twofold: instruction and purification. Such discourse disagrees with discourse of austerity and that of health while close to that of happiness. Ultimately, in formal education, purification should equal instruction in terms of position and the necessary compatible plans should be provided.