نشریه هفت آسمان
پیاپی 53 (بهار 1391)

Due to the appearance of intellectual systems among Muslims, different interpretations, which can be categorized in different disciplines, were given of beliefs, especially those of man and human perfectness. The term "perfect man" was first coined by Ibn Arabi. He interpreted this teaching in a way that the theory of perfect man could be derived from it. Ibn Arabi's worldview is based upon two principles: The Glorified Truth and perfect man. This theory in turn has also had a key role in shedding light upon different aspects of other teachings like guardianship (Vilayah) in mysticism. It will be considered that in many cases "perfect man" has been defined more exactly. This article is concerned to examine the theory of Perfect Man from the viewpoint of Ibn Arabi, and consider the necessity of his presence at all times. By combining different mystical and Hadith views in an innovative way, and by presenting the theoretical mysticism as a base system for exegesis, Ibn Arabi managed to apply various mystical concepts and explain the necessity of the perfect man. The in-depth knowledge of perfect man from the viewpoint of Ibn Arabi involves the knowledge of its relationship with other systematic elements of his theoretical issues.

The present article is concerned to find an answer to this question: What is the categorization and structure of the exegetical methods and tendencies? The knowledge of this problem leads at least to the evaluation of the existing exegeses and knowledge of some of their weak points and strong points; it will also help make judgments on the exegeses. To find an answer to this question, first a definition has been given of the exegetical methods and tendencies by using library resources and reviewing the relevant literature; and then, based on this definition the existing Shiite exegeses have been categorized. Exegetical tendency consists in the orientations, which arise from the exegete's goals and concerns, his specialty and knowledge, or the expectations of the readers. The exegetical method consists in the way in which the interpretation of the Quran is offered. Based on this definition, the Shiite exegetical tendencies have been categorized into six groups: 1. Literary 2. Jurisprudential 3. Theological 4. Philosophical 5. Ordinal 6. Social. The Shiite exegetical methods have also been categorized into the following groups: 1.Language of exegesis 2.the way in which the exegesis is offered 3. And thematic exegeses.

The ritual of sacrifice is among the oldest rituals of all religions, including primitive and developed ones. By offering gift and sacrifice to God or gods, man has always tried to please them and prevent their anger. The Holy Quran regards the divine command as the origin of sacrifice in religions: "And for every nation have we appointed a ritual, that they may mention the name of Allah over the beast of cattle that he hath given them for food". These rituals have changed a lot in different periods for different reasons. The rituals of sacrifice have some similarities such as praying to God while offering the sacrifice; they also have differences such as the status of sacrifice in the Divine Law, and the way in which it is performed. Judaism is one of the living religions, which is similar to Islam. The ritual of sacrifice has also changed in Judaism. Since the ritual of sacrifice depended entirely on the Jewish holy temple, destruction of the temple put an end to this ritual. In later periods, the Jews developed alternatives to the ritual of sacrifice. In this article, I set to work to consider different aspects of the ritual of sacrifice in Judaism, such as its origin and background, its status, types of sacrifice, developments of the ritual of sacrifice, etc.

The date of Zoroaster has always been one of the controversial issues, which have attracted the attention of the great scholars and orientalists. Some orientalists hold that Zoroaster lived around 600 B. C. Some others reject this view and maintain that he lived much earlier. Dr. Alireza Shapur Shahbazi has written this article based on historical facts. Having rejected Herzfeld, Taqizadeh, and Henning as regards this date, in this article he puts forward his view based on the Zoroastrian traditional calendar, holding that Zoroaster lived around 1000 B.C. This writing has attracted the attention of the Italian great expert in Iranian studies, Gherardo Gnoli; and, his invaluable book entitled Zoroaster’s Time and Homeland is concerned with a critical examination of Shahbazi's views.

The present article is a translation of "FARR (AH)" in Encyclopedia Iranica. Its author is one of the well known experts in ancient culture and languages; and several works of this orientalist have been translated into Persian. This article is among the most comprehensive works on the concept of Farr in ancient Iran. According to the most likely etymology and the semantic function, XѵARƎNAH (Farr) means "glory". In all Iranian dialects, except Avestan and Pahlavi, the form had initial f. In contemporary Persian, two forms of this term are used. In this article, the origin, history, and the literal and metaphorical meanings of this word will be examined.

Myth, as viewed by those who believe in it, is a real story; but its reality is not historical so that it can be established by historical evidence; nor is it a reality which can be established through rational arguments. It is the story of realities caused by gods at the beginning of the world; and it is from this point that the myth obtains its reality. In addition, it differs from false stories, in which there is no god, and no mention of the momentous and big events like those of the beginning of time. The awe-inspiring nature of the true story or myth is the other side of its coin of truth. That is why the people who believe in myth don’t speak of it everywhere. However, unless the myth is examined in context, it will turn into a worldly and false story.

Consciousness is one of the most complex phenomena of the world. As philosophy of mind, together with psychology and cognitive sciences, developed, consciousness was seriously studied in the twentieth century. Many attempts have been made to explain the nature of this mysterious phenomenon and the way in which it has come into being; as a result, different theories have been offered about it. There are two major approaches to the problem of consciousness: naturalistic and theistic. In this article, J. P. Moreland considers a variety of naturalistic theories of consciousness, showing their weak points. Then, he proceeds to consider the capability of the theistic approach to explain consciousness; and based on the two criteria which he has first established for preferring a scientific theory, he regards the theistic approach a more plausible one.