Journal of Contemporary Islamic Studies
Volume:7 Issue: 1, Winter-Spring 2025

Abu Nasr Farabi believes in the critical influence of the arts of his own time, such as poetry, paintings, images, statues, and crafts in the utopia. The second rank of Farabi’s utopia includes ‘carriers of the religion’ who are orators, poets, music composers, and others. There is a shared task between the first two ranks, which is the translation of intellectual concepts and ultimate happiness into imaginable forms in order to make them understandable for the public. The philosopher, on the first level, uses allegories to render the intelligible into imaginable, and it is this regard for the public that makes him the prophet. The media and artists’ duty, on the second level, includes the same task of simplification of intellectual concepts and ultimate contentment. This is what makes them the ‘carriers of religion.’ But how effective is art in changing political preferences? This essay reports what is probably the first scientific study of the effect of media and art on political preferences. Using a randomized experiment, this study measures the extent to which a short film weakens misogyny.

The Qur’ān entails verses that address the Arabic customs of the Ignorance Era. In the first glance, the people of the Ignorance Era are the addressees of these verses. Nonetheless, the Divine Speech provides general and comprehensive guidance for the humans in all eras, and each and every verse of it is imbued with the eternity and guidance attributes. Reflection in this direction requires extracting and analyzing the factors that limit a verse. In this article, the critical examination of the Shī‘a and Sunnī exegesis about the Qur’ān 81:8-9 is done through a descriptive-analytical method to shed light on the wa’d custom. To this end, the way exegetes have used the semantic capacities of the terms and their solutions for the expansion of the meaning of the verse – i.e., semantic development method – are extracted. The findings of the study show that solutions such as deduction via refinement of attributes as well as the annulment of particularities and reliance on the generality of the terms and interpretive narrations have been used by the Shī‘a and Sunnī exegetes to remove the limitations of the verses and expand the signification of the verses in accordance with their original meaning. Moreover, the eternity of the Qur’ān, its transtemporality and transcendence, and its guiding of all humans in all eras are also corroborated.

The survey of Quran in the West has developed and progressed ever since the Quran was presented to Westerners in the first century of Hijri (8th century AD). The current research, with a descriptive-research method and with a critical approach, deals with the Quranic studies of Orientalists in the last 150 years. The Orientalists’ works started with text-based methods and evolved with the emergence of religious sociology and religious psychology methods in the 17th and 18th centuries. In terms of the methods of religious phenomenology, the document analysis method and the archeological method reached their peak in content and extent from the 19th century onwards. Regarding the approaches, although we are facing a significant positive progress in Quranic areas and subjects, the progress and improvement of the approaches and goals of the Quran studies of the Westerners have not been fully achieved. Mostly, a controversial and dogmatic approach has been dominant. However, in addition to these cases, realistic and fair approaches cannot be ignored in any period; in the recent times, this type of approach seems to be more prominent in Western Quranic studies. The present article states, with scientific reasons, that despite the progress it has in various Quranic fields, Western Quranic studies, contain presuppositions and biases, while the studies of Orientalists are facing serious damages.

Before the Prophethood of Mohammad (PBUH), there were certain customs and ceremonies which represented the social, moral and behavioral characteristics of the Arabian society. Under the influence of those customs and ceremonies, the economic behavior of the people was beset with deviations and disorders which did not conform with the new rules introduced by Islam. The present study seeks to detect the strategies that the Prophet adopted to eliminate incongruities from the Muslims’ economy. The study is conducted through a descriptive-analytical method and with reference to Qur’anic verses, hadiths, and historical sources which point to the Prophet’s economic practices and manners. As the results show, he used various strategies to cleanse economic activities to some extent. He also tried to facilitate the Muslims’ economic growth by taking such measures as removing many pre-Islam economic deviations, creating economic balance, preventing monopolies, putting idle resources in circulation, curbing inflation, fighting bribery, cheating in deals and hoarding, discouraging unemployment and idleness, and linking economy to ethics.

The foundations of interpretation include a collection of divine and human knowledge that the interpreter relies on to interpret the Quran. This subject consists of five essential stages, which can be summarized as follows: 1. definition, 2. organization, 3. the manner of usage, 4. resolving the conflict, and 5. the course of changes. The performance of the authors in this regard can be evaluated in two ways: formative and content-based. The main criteria for assessing the general form include addressing each stage, ensuring no additional main, avoiding the replacement of stages, and preventing the scattering, mixing, or repetition of stages. This research aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the general form performance of the authors. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the study revealed the following results Some authors have overlooked the first stage; the fourth and fifth stages have received less attention from the authors; the second and third stages are part of the performance of all authors. None of the authors have introduced any essential stages to the five stages. All existing additions either do not play a role in the foundations of interpretation, are related to the introductions of the main discussion, and are subsidiary to the topic, or  can be integrated into one of the five stages.

In the new era and with the rapid progress of science in various fields, examining the words of the Qur’ān from the ground up and with a close look is considered important and necessary. The delay in its examination and research can raise doubts in the minds of the public, in addition to distancing from the truths of the Qur’ān and blocking a huge sea of knowledge to mankind. The purpose of the article is to find the real meanings and domination of the term "couplity," considering that the progress of science and technology has fueled the conflicts in the interpretation of this term in various verses. The article using a documentary-analytical method and library resources, aims to examine the term "couplity," its different meanings, and its domination in the verses of the Qur’ān. According to the investigations, the scope of this term is broader than having a single meaning. In this respect, there are two kinds of couplity: non-controversial and discordant. The findings revealed that obviously there is no need for unusual interpretations of the meaning of the verses, and all the creatures of the world, even inanimate objects, can be included in the circle of couplity.

Numerous verses of the Qur’ān discuss the virtues of Imām ‘Alī (a) and other Infallibles (a). Shī‘a exegetes and theologians have relied on these verses to indicate the importance of the Imāmat position and prove the immediate vicegerency and walāya of Imām ‘Alī (a) after the prophet. On the contrary, some Sunnī exegetes (e.g., Fakhr Rāzī, Ālūsī, Rashīd Riḍā, and Muḥammad ‘Izza Darūza) have cast some doubts against the use of these verses by the Shī‘a scholars. Due to the significance of this issue, the criticism of the doubts cast by the Sunnī exegetes in this regard is highly important. The results of this study demonstrate that due to the differences between Shī‘a and Sunnī principles and premises about Imāmat, the Sunnī scholars have suggested doubts in the seven realms of principles of jurisprudence, jurisprudence, theology, history, language, content, and occasion of revelation. The important point and innovation of this study is that although not all of the evidences and proofs given against the Sunnī doubts in this regard are argumentative, they are mostly dialectic and rely on the Sunnī sources themselves to reject them. To present and answer the doubts, this study used the document analysis method to present viewpoints and the analytical-critical method to examine the data. Moreover, in addition to the presentation of the typology of the doubts, those doubts are examined that have not been investigated in the past or have been inspected scantily.

This article, employing a qualitative-explanatory approach and utilizing library research and document analysis, explores why Qur’ānic storytelling has not been recognized as a distinct branch of Islamic literary studies. The primary question of the study is: why, despite the growth of Islamic rhetoric, did the art of storytelling fail to gain prominence among Muslim scholars? Through an examination of available sources, the article identifies six key factors contributing to this oversight: the misinterpretation of the term "qasas"; confusion between stories, myths, history, folktales, and legends; the historical context of storytelling in pre-Islamic times; the overlap of sources for certain stories with those of other prophetic narratives; negative attitudes towards storytelling among the Imams and companions; and the influence of Israelite traditions in exegetical literature. These factors, the article argues, have hindered the development of storytelling as a prominent technique within the Qur’ān.

A theological critique of a changing whole is meaningful only when one can establish a relation among past, present, and future changes. Today, any change in architectural components result in a new definition, and in each definition, the descriptive language is disconnected from the previous definition. Such an approach fails to characterize the changes in architecture; in which case one cannot meaningfully be led to the desired condition. The philosophical approach of becoming, which has for decades been propounded by some scholars in the Islamic Academy, seems to be able to provide an appropriate framework for a critique of a changing whole from a theological view. This paper aims to identify the changing whole of architecture and direct its changes toward the divine criterion in the agential system. Therefore, “the truth” as the divine criterion, and the “direction or bias of the attributes of architecture toward the innate nature” as the measure of the divine criterion in terms of the descriptive, subjective, and objective model paves the ground for approximating the status quo of the work to its desired future condition.

The aim of the present paper is to perform a descriptive-analytic study of the relationship between views of Muṭahharī on "fitrah" and Schleiermacher on "religious experience". The meaning of "fitrah" is the insight and inclination towards God, which is established within human nature, and "religious experience" according to Schleiermacher, means feeling of absolute and all-inclusive dependence on a distinct source from Human. In this article, after defining and providing explanations about "fitrah" and "religious experience," the similarities and differences between these two concepts are discussed. One of the similarities is that both innate theology and the feeling of absolute dependence are understood by presential knowledge and heart, not by mind, and both have an internal and intrinsic origin. One difference between the two concepts is that Schleiermacher's theory was put forward after being disappointed with the effectiveness of rational explanations in proving the existence of God, and with the aim of saving and justifying religion and belief in God, whereas the theory of "fitrah" does not share this aim. It is concluded that the two theories are substantially similar and share the same purpose. It appears that many "religious experiences" occur during the manifestation of innate or fitrah-based knowledge.

This article delves into the impact of cosmopolitanism on Generation Z, a cohort born into a digitally connected world. It explores how cosmopolitanism influences the perspectives and behaviors of this generation, while proposing strategies grounded in Qur’ānic principles to address these changes. The aim is to elucidate the cognitive disparities between Generation Z and their societal norms, effectively navigating their cosmopolitan shifts. Employing Generational Theory and Social Identity Theory, the article adopts a descriptive-analytical approach. Key challenges identified for this generation include identity crises, diversity and inclusivity, individualism, unrealistic expectations, and increasing dissatisfaction. By dissecting these issues, the article seeks to foster a deeper understanding of Generation Z's mindset and offer guidance on how to navigate the evolving cultural landscape.

The neo-Mu'tazila movement in the contemporary Arab Maghreb has adapted its interpretation of Qur’ānic verses to align with modernity, influenced by Western thought. This deviation from traditional Mu'tazila, which emphasizes rational principles and monotheistic philosophy, reflects a dialogue with modernity that critiques the perception of Islamic societies as lagging behind their Western counterparts. The movement seeks to reconcile Islam with contemporary values, leading to distinctive methods of Qur’ānic interpretation. A study employing library research and analytical-descriptive methods reveals that this group encounters significant fundamental and methodological challenges, including a materialistic view of supernatural phenomena, a historical relativism of religious knowledge, and a reductionist interpretation of the Prophet's recitation. Methodologically, they exhibit an inadequate engagement with reason and a limited understanding of the Qur’ān's complexities.