ماهنامه معرفت
سال بیست و نهم شماره 8 (پیاپی 275، آبان 1399)

This study is a commentary on the wills of Imam Muhammad al-Baqarah to Jabir ibn Yazid Ja'fi about the qualities the true Shiites. The Imam said: seek the stability of dignity by removing greed, remove the humiliation of greed with the dignity of being disappointed at the favors of the others, and gain the dignity of disappointment by great effort. What is shared by the concepts of greed and cupidity is that a person suffering from these two vices wants to increase his wealth and possessions. One who is greedy wants to increase material wealth by gaining access to the property of others. Cupidity is against man’s desire to be independent and stand on his own two feet. Therefore, the feeling of dignity is one of the innate needs of human beings, which is opposed to the feeling of humiliation, abjection and coveting others’ property. The way to get rid of this vicious trait is to strengthen the feeling of disappointment at the help of others, meet one’s needs without the help of others and improve self-confidence and trust in God.

Literally, conversion means alternation and profound change. In the psychology of religion, it means changes in thoughts, beliefs, and patterns that bring about far-reaching changes in life. In the psychology of religion, conversion has been one of the most important research topics in the last century, and the findings of those studies have been used to promote religious goals and objectives and to spread those religions. However, the studies in the vast history of conversion have not been based on the Islamic teachings. The purpose of this study is to investigate and explain the psychological causes of conversion to Islam. The method of this research is descriptive-analytical. After identifying, reviewing, and extracting the points related to the research from general and specific sources, we have tried to explain the psychological factors in conversion to Islam. We have examined the evidence, arguments, and analysis by referring to the sources written by Islamic thinkers. After examining Islamic sources, fourteen psychological factors have been obtained in three categories of factors effective in the process of conversion: the characteristics of the convert, the inviter, and the religion of Islam.

Feelings and emotions play a special role in human’s behavior and actions. This influence is also seen in the realm of worship and religious behavior. It is debatable whether emotions contribute to worship and servitude or act as deterrents. The purpose of this study is to investigate the harms that emotions can inflict on the realm of worship and achievement of nearness to God. Previous studies have not explicitly addressed this issue. Therefore, in order to achieve this goal, the descriptive-analytical method and library method (collection of data from valid interpretive, narrative, and ethical sources) have been used. The findings of the study show that negative and deterring emotions such as fear and despair can prevent a person from moving towards servitude, because they prevent the true knowledge of God and, consequently, the acts of worship. The relationship between these feelings and regression in the path of servitude is a synergistic one. Therefore, the root of some sins such as jealousy can be found in feelings that are abnormal and contrary to human nature.

The guardianship of the Ahl al-Bayt is one of the important theological and doctrinal issues in Islamic culture. In the teachings of the Qur'an and hadiths, the issue of acceptance of guardianship is considered not only a characteristic of a believer, but also a condition of faith, in so far as some narrations have considered dying while not knowing the Infallible Imam as the death of an ignorant man. This important issue is achieved in the light of knowledge ,obedience, adherence and love for the infallible Imams; it many positive effects on the person who accepts the guardianship of the infallible Imams, and ensures his/her mental health. Using descriptive-analytical method and based on the Quranic-narrative approach, this study examines guardianship and how it affects mental health based on the school of cognitive psychology and according to the verses of the Holy Quran and the narrations of the infallible Imams. The results of this research show that from the perspective of the Qur'an and hadiths, accepting the guardianship of the Ahl al-Bayt in three areas of individual, social and future life, changes one’s outlook and contributes to mental health. Self-purification, true faith, social order, security, salvation and acceptance of worship are among the effects that improve the mental health of those who believe in divine guardianship.

Literally, conversion means alternation and profound change. In the psychology of religion, it means changes in thoughts, beliefs, and patterns that bring about far-reaching changes in life. In the psychology of religion, conversion has been one of the most important research topics in the last century, and the findings of those studies have been used to promote religious goals and objectives and to spread those religions. However, the studies in the vast history of conversion have not been based on the Islamic teachings. The purpose of this study is to investigate and explain the psychological causes of conversion to Islam. The method of this research is descriptive-analytical. After identifying, reviewing, and extracting the points related to the research from general and specific sources, we have tried to explain the psychological factors in conversion to Islam. We have examined the evidence, arguments, and analysis by referring to the sources written by Islamic thinkers. After examining Islamic sources, fourteen psychological factors have been obtained in three categories of factors effective in the process of conversion: the characteristics of the convert, the inviter, and the religion of Islam.

Balance and transcendence are important topics in psychology. Many approaches to contemporary psychology, such as Freud's psychoanalysis of the development of personality, have accepted the principle of balance, and others, such as Maslow's humanistic approach, have referred to the principle of transcendence. The aim of this study was to examine the position of balance and transcendence in personality dynamics from the perspective of Quranic psychology, and to investigate the priority of balance over transcendence. If transcendence is acceptable, is it accepted at the same level in psychology or on a larger scale? Should balance-seeking be completely abandoned? The research methods used were descriptive-analytical and content analysis of the Quranic verses. First, theories of balance or transcendence in psychology were examined, and then the position of balance and transcendence from the perspective of the Quran was extracted. The findings of the study show that: a) In Quranic psychology, the principle of transcendence is accepted; b) In Quranic psychology, the principle of transcendence is far more comprehensive than contemporary psychology, and the long-term goals of the Hereafter and the spiritual and worldly dimensions have been covered. C) In some issues, balance is the introduction to transcendence; Therefore, it cannot be rejected altogether.

Supportive behavior is a behavior that is aimed at helping others just because of philanthropy and benevolence and not for a particular benefit. The aim of this study is identify supportive behavior and its methods from the perspective of the Qur'an and psychology. The research method in this research is content analysis. By referring to psychological and Islamic sources, the authors have studied the related concepts and identified different supportive behaviors based on the documents in these sources. The findings of study show that supportive behavior takes three forms: financial, emotional and behavioral; also the findings of study show that from the point of view of Islamic sources, supportive behavior is prohibited only when it strengthens the enemies and their enmity with Islam or when it strengthens negative traits such as laziness and feelings of humiliation. Supportive behavior methods include: cognitive supportive behaviors, emotional supportive behavior, and behavioral methods of supportive behavior. In another classification, the methods of supportive behavior from the perspective of the Quran can be divided into practical and verbal.

Supportive behavior is a behavior that is aimed at helping others just because of philanthropy and benevolence and not for a particular benefit. The aim of this study is identify supportive behavior and its methods from the perspective of the Qur'an and psychology. The research method in this research is content analysis. By referring to psychological and Islamic sources, the authors have studied the related concepts and identified different supportive behaviors based on the documents in these sources. The findings of study show that supportive behavior takes three forms: financial, emotional and behavioral; also the findings of study show that from the point of view of Islamic sources, supportive behavior is prohibited only when it strengthens the enemies and their enmity with Islam or when it strengthens negative traits such as laziness and feelings of humiliation. Supportive behavior methods include: cognitive supportive behaviors, emotional supportive behavior, and behavioral methods of supportive behavior. In another classification, the methods of supportive behavior from the perspective of the Quran can be divided into practical and verbal.

Islamic teachings consider "tolerance" as a way to deal with conflicts, contradictions and troubles in the neighborhood. In Islamic texts, this theme has been reflected through concepts such as "negligence", "tolerance of neighbor’s harassment", "lenience" and "benevolence against wrongdoings". Using the method of qualitative content analysis, this study concludes that the tolerance of neighbors in the Islamic model has hierarchical levels, i.e. the quality of interaction with "bad neighbors" has the form of a (hierarchical) continuum, starting linearly from the point of "lowest level" (tolerance of troubles and wrongdoings) and extending to the "highest level" (benevolence), and the middle level in this model is "tolerance", which includes such things as forgiveness of neighbor's sins and mistakes, forgiveness of neighbor's oppression, tolerance towards neighbor's ignorant behavior and refraining from harassing one’s neighbors. Tolerance in neighborhood relationships begins actively (away from passivity), with resistance against harsh conditions, continues with adaptation (reducing the effects of the confrontation) and eventually comes to an end by affecting the neighbor and improving the situation.