فصلنامه اسلام و مطالعات اجتماعی
سال یازدهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 42، پاییز 1402)

The modern Islamic civilization encompasses a collection of ideas, beliefs, sciences, arts, and industries inspired by the teachings of Muslims. This civilization is responsible for the flourishing of human life in both worldly and spiritual domains. Recognizing that humans are multidimensional beings composed of material and spiritual dimensions, this civilization aims to actualize the full potential of human capabilities. However, the fundamental question remains: Can such a civilization, attributed to Islam, actually come into existence, or is it merely a theoretical construct of religious thinkers? Today, due to the lack of sufficient research in the practical realms of religion, our society has adopted a reductionist view of the functions of religion. In light of these circumstances, it is necessary to evaluate the Islamic civilization's prospects by considering the thoughts of Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani, who, in addition to discussing foundations and jurisprudence, has a forward-looking approach to the concept of the advent of the Mahdi. Therefore, this work aims to explore the feasibility of achieving a modern Islamic civilization through a descriptive-analytical method, relying on the ideas of Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani. The author concludes that, according to Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani's perspective, it is essential for society not to settle for the existing state but continuously strive to build a better future. This future-building process must draw upon religious capacities to enable Muslims to achieve a comprehensive transformation and progress from confrontation with Western civilization to flourishing within the framework of religion in both the religious and worldly realms. This visionary literature indicates the possibility of attaining a modern Islamic civilization in the present era on the path towards the establishment of the anticipated Medina.

The aim of this research is to infer the foundations of social justice based on practical rationality from the perspective of Allameh Tabatabaei. This qualitative study utilizes the practical inference method of Frankena to elucidate the topic. To achieve this goal, the concepts related to practical rationality in the works of Allameh Tabatabaei are examined, and the foundations of social justice are inferred in two categories: pre-social foundations and post-social foundations. The pre-social foundations include the employment of knowledgeable individuals based on the governing laws and the fair service and interaction with peers, the credibility of social justice based on rational sciences in the course of sound nature, religious justice by instilling faith in rights and practical obligations, and individual justice through acquiring virtuous ethics through scientific indoctrination and practical repetition. The post-social foundations encompass social justice by placing each member of society in an appropriate position and ensuring equal rights, political justice in terms of the participation of members in establishing the government, appointing officials, and legislating within the framework of divine regulations, ownership through legitimate human possession of their properties, economic justice through growth and development of accessible wealth in accordance with Islamic principles and collective interests, and social rights by forming families for the preservation of future generations.

Instrumental rationality perceives money as a merely efficient tool for maximizing individual interests, manifested in the form of interest. Zimmel, departing from technical rationality, presents a philosophical and theological understanding of money. Zimmel considers interest as a necessary aspect of pure money but does not elaborate on it in detail. In this article, using a descriptive-analytical method, we revisit the meaning of money according to Zimmel and its relationship with interest. The research findings indicate that modern money has an inherent identity relationship with interest. Money has three layers of meaning: the formal layer, the pure will layer, and the theological layer. The formal layer of money contradicts the concept of interest rates, while in the pure will layer, money stimulates the economy and establishes a bond between subject and object through interest. In the theological layer, where money replaces God, interest becomes a form of religious tribute paid to money. Due to the separation from pure existence and the real divine, humans seek self-expansion and self-enrichment through exploiting lower classes by realizing interest.

Occupations in which gender is considered as a condition for employment, alongside other requirements, are known as gendered occupations. The prevailing feminist perspective in today's world, under the slogan of gender equality, strives to make all occupations gender-neutral. The achievement of this perspective has resulted in the disintegration of the family unit, the marginalization of women's identity, sexual harassment, and neglect of the economic and managerial role of men. On the other hand, a conservative approach has replaced gender roles in the environment with gender roles in occupations, portraying all occupations as gendered in Islam. The result of this perspective is the deprivation of women from accessing many social resources and opportunities. This article, using a descriptive-analytical method and employing established rules in the jurisprudential approach, based on the analysis of Islamic verses and narrations, separates gender roles in the environment from gender roles in occupations. It distinguishes between shared and gendered occupations and introduces ten gender principles, along with the primary principle in occupations, as the Islamic policy for the employment of both men and women.

With the advent of modernity in Iran, the concept of "city" in its contemporary sense was born and has undergone numerous transformations since then. As these transformations have posed challenges in the physical structure of the city in terms of housing, urban facilities, and transportation, this research, adopting a thematic approach, aims to explore these challenges and their resolution by social policymakers, urban planners, and religious scholars. Using a descriptive-analytical method and relying on available data from documentary sources, the study delves into the question of how urban transformations have influenced the emergence of challenges to the religious life of women in Iran. Thus, after examining urban transformations in the Qajar, Pahlavi, and post-revolutionary periods, it elucidates the challenges that have arisen as a result of these transformations and have affected the religious lives of women. The findings reveal that housing transformations have created challenges such as hindering the internalization of the hijab requirement, depriving women of the capacity for religious literacy through domestic gatherings, and more. Transformations in urban facilities have led to challenges such as the demand for women's presence in public spaces as a feminist demand, the reinforcement of consumerism, and so on. Changes in transportation have brought about challenges such as an increase in women's inclination to travel at night in the city.

Although assessing school readiness in children prior to entering primary school is an important initiative of the Ministry of Education, one of its main challenges is the lack of a native theoretical model containing the dimensions and indicators of school readiness. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the dimensions and indicators influencing the assessment of school readiness in children prior to entering primary school. To achieve this goal, preschool textbooks and curriculum objectives, first-grade textbooks, a teacher's guide in descriptive evaluation, and the opinions of first-grade teachers were examined using a semi-structured interview method, employing a qualitative approach and thematic analysis. The thematic analysis resulted in the extraction of 5 overarching themes, 9 organizing themes, and 220 basic themes. The findings revealed that motor skills, language and speech skills, cognitive skills, socio-emotional skills, and general competencies are the constituent dimensions of school readiness. While previous studies have addressed overarching themes, considering the multidimensional nature of school readiness, it was necessary to determine the basic themes as well. In this study, the motor dimension was further divided into gross and fine motor skills; the cognitive dimension was divided into general knowledge, memory, mathematics, and visual-spatial reasoning; the socio-emotional dimension was divided into peer interaction and interaction with adults; and the general competency dimension was divided into responsibility and positive attitude towards school. The basic themes were categorized under the relevant sub-dimensions, providing a basis for the development of assessment tools for this important construct by educational authorities.

Yoga, from the perspective of religious studies, is considered one of the six philosophical systems of Hinduism and a practical method of mysticism in this tradition. However, today yoga is predominantly recognized as a form of exercise worldwide. Most studies on the evolution of yoga in the modern era and its relationship with its philosophical and mystical roots have focused on Western societies. This article aims to address the question of whether the pioneers of Iranian yoga embrace spiritual dimensions in yoga or not. The data for this research, consisting of published interviews with 26 Iranian yoga pioneers in the "Yoga Knowledge" journal, were analyzed linguistically through descriptive analysis, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The analytical model consisted of five variables found in New Age spirituality. The results showed that 96% of these individuals described and explained yoga in terms of self-realization and self-development, 84% referred to introversion, and 42% mentioned living in the present moment. Additionally, 61% of them considered yoga as a means of connecting with the spiritual realm, and 77% described it as a life-enriching practice. The findings of this research can contribute to the understanding and critique of yoga's nature as one of the emerging forms of spirituality.