فصلنامه فرهنگ رضوی
سال دوم شماره 7 (پاییز 1393)

This paper aimed to focus on the political positions of Imam Reza(AS) toward his political rival and enemy, i.e. Mamoun to present some theoretical inferences and through this research, it aimed to answer the political questions of the contemporary world. The policy of Imam Reza(AS) can be investigated in two aspects of "his policy toward Mamoun" and "the policy towards Imam". Political behavior does not occur in vacancy, but it occurs in an interactive environment and through a chain of actions and reactions and it is a strategic behavior. The question raised here is: “What was the logic of interactions of Imam Reza(AS) with Mamoun?” It is hypothesized that Imam’s knowledge of Mamoun was inspired by his knowledge about Satan and the triple tactics of bribing, threatening and hypocrisy focused on the relationship between leader and the followers. This Investigation was based on the acceptance of succession to the crown by Imam Reza(AS). Initially, Mamoun planned to seduce the Imam to the crown or to use hypocrisy in that regard, but when the Imam divulged Mamoun's his hidden intentions, this phase ended very quickly. Luring Imam Reza(AS) into accepting the caliphate and then offering him the successorship, followed by “threatening” to induce the “image that Imam was being lured” in non-discerning public opinions were some of the Mamoun’s tactics that were all neutralized by the Imam and turned them into opportunities.

Considering the special historical context in which Imam Reza (AS) lived, the hadiths narrated by the Imam is of especial significance, among which the hadith of Selselah Al-Zahab (The Golden Hierarchy) is of great eloquence and attractiveness. The necessity of scrutinizing the statements of Imam Reza (AS) is an important issue that had often been carried out from mystical point of view over the past centuries. Given the significant advance in Western Linguistics, it sounds necessary to reexamine the Hadiths through the concepts borrowd forom Semiotics and Text Linguistics. The current study thus sets out to explore the The Golden Hierarchy hadith thorough the lens of semiotics. The main research question here is: “What are the structural and cohesive features the Hadith in terms of contextual formation and the factors involved in it?” Using the concepts borrowed form semiotics in the form of operationalized concepts of Halliday’s linguistic analysis approach, this paper examines the structural features and the textual integrity of this noble hadith. The results of the study indicate that the text of this noble hadith is at the highest possible level of Halliday’s analytical perspective in terms of all textual cohesive elements.

One of the main tasks of the Imams (AS) was the promotion of Islamic teachings, paving the way for strengthening these teachings and educating the Islamic community to attain perfection and salvation. Undoubtedly, this strategy had been carried out through several measures, one of which was through teaching prayers and its promotion on different occasions so that the Islamic lifestyle be established among the public. Through systematic and analytical study of the propositions expressed in the prayers of Imam Reza (AS), this study aims to reexamin and deduce the functions of this religious and innate instrument for educating individuals in the Islamic community and to elaborate on educative methods of the Imam (AS) for the guidance of people and the Islamic community that is the very realization of an Islamic lifestyle. Therefore first, using content analysis method, the expressive forms and orientations of each of the prayers of Imam Reza were extracted and categorized by their subjects. Then, we analyze them to identify the ideological structures governing these prayers and to discover educational strategies which could be used in our own educational system and ultimately to promote the Islamic lifestyle.

In illustrating literary manuscripts that has aways been carried out under the influnce of the religious beliefs of the artists and their patrons, the hadiths narrated by the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) and his Ahlul-Bayt (AS) have widely been inspired from. The artists’ approach toward the content of such hadiths has resulted in certain manifestations of analogical, symbolic and abstract processing in the narrating hadiths through paintings which are used to transfer Shiite beliefs through a visual language. The main sources of illustration for the Shiite artists are the hadith collections like Oyoun Akhbar Al-Reza that particularly deals with the virtues and miracles of Imams (AS). One of the illustrated manuscripts which has dealt with Shiite beliefs is Falnameh Tahmasebi in which some illustrations attributed to Imam Reza (AS) have been used. The illustration might have been drawn form the hadiths collected by Sheikh Sadough. Having explored the life of Sheikh Sadough, the present research sets out to critically and descriptively study the characteristics of Razavi illustrations in the Falnameh and the way the hadiths drawn from the collection of Sheikh Sadoogh have been reflected in. According to some studies, the Shiite Art has, inspired by the pure teachings of Shiism, tried to reflect the extraordinary efforts of religious and artistic elites of different time periods.

The function of family as a social unit has an undeniable role in establishing the social interactions and reactions; thus if constructive and well-functioning, the family will ensure the health and happiness of a society. Under the influence of healthy relationships governing the family, the individuals learn how to constructively communicate and interacte with society. On the contrary, the more the family has a bad and chaotic functioning, the more threatened the health of a society will be. This study which is a descriptive research carried out based on document analysis, is mainly aimed at exploring the obstacles of and solutions for strengthening the family as an institution from the perspective of Razavi teachings and lifestyle. Regarding the subject and method of the research mentioned above, all relevant information and references of the subject were collected and the research findings were analyzed qualitatively. The results of the study indicate that adhering to religious teachings and following the infallible Imams’ lifestyle and thoughts are significant barriers against the obstacles facing the strengthening of family. To strengthen the ties between family members, an emotional atmosphere should be provided and the legitimate needs and demands of the parties should be understood. Putting the teachings of Islam, especially the lifestyle and teachings of Imam Reza (AS) into practice directly controls the individual behaviors and indirectly strengthens the family ties through improving relationships among family members.

One of the striking features of the personality of Imam Reza (AS) was his deep spiritual relationship with Allah which is manifested in his plentiful worships and piety. He observed certain moral principles during his lifetime and indeed, following his spiritual lifestyle, the human can receive certain mental and spiritual relaxation. This study, taking the life of Imam Reza (AS) into consideration, tries to address such question as “How did the eighth Imam (AS) live with ultimate peace of mind?” The results of the study indicate that by following the eighth Imam’s spiritual lifestyle, man will rely on Allah and by maintaining patience when facing problems, he will be satisfied with what Allah has destined for him. He will thus take life easy and reaches peace of mind accordingly. The methodology of this paper is qualitative and based on descriptive and analytical approach.

The remaining monuments and the works from the historic travel of Imam Reza(AS) to Iran such as footprint locations, mosques, inscriptions, petroglyphs, coins, etc. have kept the Razavi culture alive throughout history. The petroglyphs erected in Imam Reza(AS) footprint locations are among the most valuable religious works that in addition to documenting such migration, give us much information about the historical events. Investigating the footprint locations of Imam Reza(AS) and reevaluating the erected petroglyphs there, we can determine the exact immigration route of Imam Reza(AS) in Iran and to realize the significance of such petroglyphs in the Shiite movement in Yazd. Given that Imam Reza (AS) had some short stays in Yazd and its suburbs (Abarkooh, Kharanegh, Dehshir, Farashah, etc.) on his journey to Marv, this paper used library and field studies to investigate those monuments in Yazd which were blessed by the Imam’s presence, known as "Footprint Locations of Imam Reza (AS)”.