فصلنامه مشکوه
پیاپی 111 (تابستان 1390)

The status of the Household of the Prophet (S.A.W.) and the Infallible Imams (A.S.), especially the scholarly dimension of their sayings is among the issues of interest to the dignitaries of Islam. With reference to the two significant Qur’ânic and ḥadîth sources (the verse of taṭhîr and the ḥadîth of thaqalayn), this article undertakes to prove with an analytical and descriptive perspective (using the original sources) the hypothesis that the words and speeches of the Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) like that of the Prophet (S.A.W.) are authoritative and obligatory for the Muslims. In referring to the verse of taṭhîr as evidence, the writer states that it is impossible for the object of will (murâd) to violate the will of Allah; as for ḥadîth of thaqalayn, he regards the inseparability of the Qur’ân and ‘itrat (the progeny of the Prophet – S.A.W.) as the outcome of this ḥadîth.

Recognition of the Imam and the real leader in any era by the help of the inner eye has been the focus of attention to the Holy Qur’ān and the traditions of the Infallible Imams (A.S.), to the extent that the Qur’ān has declared non-enjoyment of it as blindness of the heart and pointed out its intensity on the Resurrection Day, which is referred to in traditions as dying a death of jāhiliyyat (ignorance). Only the author of Al-Mīzān has stated this notion by finding out the relationship between the two noble verses 71 and 72 of Sūrat al-Isrā’.Several ideological points are implied from this relationship, including: the relation between the eye of the heart and recognition of the true leader; the kind of relation an individual has with his Imam and its continuation till the Resurrection Day; further blindness of the heart in the Hereafter as a result of non-recognition of the Imam in this world; summoning every group along with the leader (imām) they have chosen in the world.

Among the creatures of the world of creation, man is of a more complicated personality; because man’s personality is a combination of psychological, physical, biological, and social characteristics, which develop very slowly, persuading people to adapt themselves to the environment. To understand human personality, some questions such as the following are to be answered: what is personality? Why are there various personalities? Is human personality trainable and capable to grow? What are the features of a balanced personality?This research tries to answer as much as possible the above questions, to open a new chapter in this respect, and finally explain the features and signs of the fully-developed personality.

The subject of this article is to examine the course of development of the Qur’ānic sciences and dividing these sciences into three types: 1. Sciences in the Qur’ān (‘ulūm fī al-Qur’ān); Sciences of the Qur’ān (‘ulūm li al-Qur’ān); Sciences concerning the Qur’ān (‘ulūm ḥawl al-Qur’ān). The subject of this discourse is the third type of the above. In continuing, several major issues are set forth, including: the scantiness of the writings by Shī‘a scholars on this issue in comparison to those of the Sunni scholars, although with superior contents; the necessity of taking a comprehensive look at the issue, i.e., examining the true and false matters in the course of history; and reference to the Qur’ānic collections, including: principles of the Qur’ān, main definitions and discourses, and finally the necessity of structuring in the Qur’ānic sciences.

In Islam, ḥadīth stands second as a source of knowledge about religion and consists of two basic sections of sanad (chain of transmission) and text. Since long time ago, the Muslim thinkers have made great attempts in identifying the transmitters and the chains of transmission of ḥadīth as recommended by the Infallible Imams (A.S.) in the way of safeguarding ḥadīth. The styles used by ḥadīth scholars and the authors of the four ḥadīth books in reporting sanad or its summary is varied. This has caused serious difficulties in recognition of the kind of sanad for its evaluation, which requires a research on the introduction of different sanads. Using a descriptive-analytical method and aiming at resolving the problem of identifying sanad and facilitating its reconstruction, this writing is intended to introduce different types of isnād in kutub al-‘arba‘a (the four ḥadīth books) along with various samples; so that the sanad may be reconstructed before its evaluation.

This article addresses the impact of monotheistic attitude on creating and reinforcing the spirit of hope. The writers seek to answer the question as to, according to the Qur’ānic teachings, how extensive hope is dependent upon the type of man’s world view and subject to their attitude towards the existence and the world around them. In the end, it is concluded that embracing Unity and the Oneness of the Worshipped (ma‘būd), besides considerably reducing man’s vulnerability to adversities, would prepare the ground for the foundation of real hope in humankind

One of the most important issues of the History of Islam is the succession after the Prophet (S.A.W.), which, despite the appointment of Imam ‘Alī (A.S.), the community of the time did not accept this significant appointment, leading to the creation of disunity between the two great Muslim sects, i.e. Shī‘as and Sunnīs. The factors that caused the Caliphate of Imam ‘Alī (A.S.) not to be socially accepted include:1. The existence of hidden grounds for political disagreement between some of the Prophet’s (S.A.W.) companions with the Imam;2. Displeasure of the companions and the elite with the event of al-Ghadīr and the lack of sufficient time for its propagation.3. The chaotic cultural situation and the lack of motivation for defending the rightfulness of the caliphate of Imam ‘Alī (A.S.) by people;4. The non-tolerance of the justice-seeking aspects and the upright personality of Imam ‘Alī (A.S.) by certain influential groups.

Characteristics of the Prophet (khaṣā’iṣ al-Nabī) have been among the important discourses in the sīra of the Great Prophet (S.A.W.), which, due to the sensitivity of some of these characteristics and the lack of accurate knowledge about them, have been a pretext for defamation and misconception.There are two viewpoints among the Shī‘a and Sunnī scholars in respect to this issue. Some believe that the characteristics are exclusive to the Prophet and that with the demise of his holiness these characteristics have ceased; yet, others believe that the study of these instances are essential, or even obligatory, due to the necessity of fully knowing the Prophet and defending him.In this research, characteristics of the Prophet are examined from the viewpoints of both the earlier and later Shī‘a and Sunnī scholars, and in conclusion the necessity of dealing with it has been emphasized.