پژوهش نامه اسلامی زنان و خانواده
سال سوم شماره 7 (زمستان 1389)

Parents make use of methods and patterns on the basis of the characteristics which they want their children to bear. For this reason, they want to know how they should be and which pattern works better for their children's education. Researchers have classified the most well-known educational patterns used by parents into three major types: A) Lenient; B) Strict; C) Authoritative. Different educational methods in the families have various impacts on the formation of the child's character and his social, sentimental, emotional and rational growth and education. As for the impacts of "lenient", "strict" and "authoritative" methods, they have been clearly explained and it has been argued that the first and second methods have negative impacts on child education because moderation is not observed in them. Thus, they are not suitable methods for education and guidance of children. The "authoritative" method that has considerable positive features can guarantee the growth of the potentials and capabilities of children and it can help them blossom and attain perfection. Thus, it has been introduced as the best educational method.

Knowledge of intellectualism is essentially based on knowledge of the meaning of "intellectual" and of a stratum which in today's social custom is referred to with this name. For this reason, this article aims to study the meaning of the term "intellectual", its origin in the West and Iran and the intellectual's motive in their approach towards women's issues. A major part of this study delves into the intellectual foundations of which the intellectuals have availed themselves to review and interpret religious texts and which are somehow related to women's issues. These foundations lay out the intellectual's views and standpoints in three (i.e. methodological, religious and philosophical) parts. Given that the non-religious intellectual's attitude towards jurisprudence (Ijtihad) and divinity is not so important, the attitudes of "religious intellectuals" concerning methodological and religious foundations only have been mentioned. The "Final Word" in this article provides analysis and a brief conclusion of the entire discussion.

Mate selection is one of the most sensitive events during youth age which normally makes an individual face crisis and conflicts in determining reliable and necessary criteria and applying them to the concerned individual and finally going ahead with the decision. There are two sets of standards, criteria and characteristics which must be taken into consideration: A) Criteria as a part of the prosperous life of an efficient family. B) Criteria as the requirements of perfection. In this study, the criteria which have been explained and clarified include the following: 1. faith and correct belief, 2.piety, 3. good morals, 4. physical and psychological well-being, 5. family and genealogical originality, 6. external beauty, interest and attachment, 7. educational qualification, 8. equal status of man and woman and the special qualities of a girl.

One of the baseless and false theories that existed in the past religions and also found its way into Islam is that woman is an inferior entity and the cause for Adam’s sin and deception. It is said that Adam was seduced and deceived by woman and therefore it led to creation of a negative attitude towards woman’s character in the entire world. This paper reviews and analyzes the origin of this idea including the Old and the New Testaments and commentaries of the Quran so as to find the basic difference between the Quran and what is said about Adam and Eve in Torah and Gospel. The object of this analysis is to reintroduce the Quran’s attitude in regard to this issue. The Holy Quran maintains that the woman is an independent entity and that Adam’s temptation by Eve is untrue, thus rejecting all false and incorrect assumptions about woman’s personality.

The present study is an analysis of the "role of mother's characteristics in religious education". In line with this objective, endeavor has been made to present and illustrate the mother's Islamic character as the most effective factor influencing a child's religious education. According to Islam, a normal personality is one that the three existential layers of his personality (i.e. vision, tendency, action) are bound for God. While explaining each layer, issues relating to religious education process have been elaborated. For this reason, a mother's vision and understanding of religion, her situation and that of the child have been evaluated and assessed separately together with issues relating to the child's religious education. Finally, when it comes to sentiments and actions, the various aspects of a normal mother's personality and the way the child is influenced by the mother have been analyzed.

The family is the best way to meet man's needs and it is the best place for a child to grow emotionally, socially, mentally, and even physically. Nevertheless, in the present age the family system is faced with problems and challenges that are gradually undermining its base. The most important factor that contributes to the continuity and stability of family or its instability and breakdown is assessed on the basis of family ties, emotional relationships among family members especially the husband and wife. There are different factors that contribute to the stability or instability of the family. They are generally divided into individual and social factors each having its own specific impacts that cannot be evaluated separately from the other. This article seeks to explain the factors so as to show, by way of introducing beliefs, ethical codes, cultural and religious traditions, a way for the growth and stability of the family.

The Quran is the book of prosperity and guidance and its stories are a part of the revelation which descended upon the Holy Prophet (pbuh) but they were sent down for the human beings so that they may understand them and learn a lesson from them. God, the Exalted, considers Chapter Yusuf as having one of the most beautiful stories regarding the lives of the Prophets and He describes it as "the best of stories". There are a lot of educational and social doctrines in the verses of this chapter as they narrate the chronology of the events. In this article, some of those messages have been discussed and explained. They include proper management, trust (in God), chastity and continence, modesty, beauty of speech, benevolence, forgiveness and forbearance, mindfulness and recognition of God's rights as well as His bounties under all circumstances, self-esteem against the sins, keeping secrets, patience, tolerance, humility towards the parents etc. However, the most important message in this chapter relates to the oneness of God and monotheistic education.