مجله منهاج
پیاپی 10 (بهار و تابستان 1389)

Some verses in the Holy Quran have been revealed commemorating the holy Prophet’s (p.b.u.h.) household. Hazrate Zahra (p.b.u.h.), the Prophet’s daughter, is a member of the holy Prophet’s (p.b.u.h.) household according to his statement, “She belongs to the Prophet’s household”, following the revelation of Tathir Verse (Ahzab, 33). Therefore, some of the Quranic verses are about Hazrate Fatima (p.b.u.h.) and her family. This research work probes into the relationship between the Quran and Hazrate Zahra (p.b.u.h.) using the interpretations and narrations. There is a description of the Holy Quran in her highly eloquent sermon which is considered her viewpoint about this Holy Book. The Holy Quran consolidates the standing of her Excellency and she describes the status of the Divine Book.

Tavassol and tavakkol are among the important, controversial topics in the field of doctrinal issues. In this article, these terms are defined in a way that is compatible with "monotheism" on the one hand, and "free choice" and "responsibility" on the other, and that their boundaries are safeguarded. The article further presents some deliberations on these issues, particularly on tavakkol. Meanwhile, a controversial definition of tavakkol is presented and a viewpoint on tavassol is challenged. The present criticism has an evaluative approach toward the strength of the respective deliberations and the potency of the analyses under criticism because the individual presenting these deliberations has gone farther in his revision of the doctrinal principles which requires assessment of his academic competence.

Parables, which include intellectual, ideological, and spiritual issues, are more or less utilized in different sources, especially in the Holy Quran, to convey the intended messages because passing of time makes a parable transparent in meaning and leaves no doubt about it – so much so that proper utilization of a parable leaves a deep impact on the audience and leads to changes in their behavior and emotions. Parables cause learners to obtain a deeper sense out of what they lean, especially in philosophical, ethical, and educational discussions. They can also be utilized in the treatment process of mental and emotional diseases. Therefore, they can play a significant role in training individuals, in general, and in offering them Islamic religious training, in particular. Besides exploring the contemporary Shiite interpretations, the present article examines utilization of parables as a training method from a psychological point of view so that it can be better understood and efficiently employed in training individuals. The research method used here is descriptive and documentary.

Examination of the word ‘Book’ and its Quranic application suggests that in some cases it has been utilized with its popular meaning, i.e. the Quran. Of course, in a lot of cases, it has a different meaning from the Quran and the chances are that the Quran be a part of the truth of ‘the Book’ which has been referred to under such titles as the Manifest Book and the Hidden Book in the Quran. Presenting the most important meanings of the word ‘Book’, this paper explores the relationship between this word and such terms as lohe mahfuz (the guarded tablet) and the Manifest Imam, while it is argued on the basis of a large number of Shiite narrations that the word ‘Book’ refers to Ali-ibn-Abi-Talib, the commander of the faithful.

Several historical, Quranic narrations have been introduced in Sahihe Bukhari and Sahihe Moslem on the commencement of revelation, the quality of revelation, compilation of the Quran, and Aisha’s personal copy of the Quran. We have evaluated these narrations, first, on the basis of the Quran and rational analysis, and, then, on the basis of the Hadiths from the Prophet’s household (a.s.). We have ultimately come up with the conclusion that the famous narration “bad’ vahy”, (the commencement of revelation) which begins most of the books on the history of the Quran lacks soundness. The narrations on the quality of revelation, compilation of the Quran, and occurrence of distortion conflict with the fundamentals of the Quran and wisdom and they are not sound in terms of textual standards, either.

Revelation is the word of God and as the Holy Quran says it is a heavy and weighty discourse. One of the aspects of the weight of revelation is its impact on the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) due to the emergence of such conditions as interruption in his worldly life which has been called a state of coma by some Companions, sweating, etc. Emergence of such conditions may denote that the Prophet did not have the preparedness and capacity for receiving the revelation. However, according to some narrations from the infallible (a.s.) which relate the emergence of the state of coma specifically to receiving the revelation directly and without the mediation of Gabriel and according to some Quranic verses which speak of the enormity of the direct word of God, there are no grounds for posing the aforementioned point, because an individual, however strong, loses his strength when faced with a stronger force. Of course, in some narrations reported from the Companions, there are some exaggerations about the rophet’s (p.b.u.h.) condition at the time of receiving the revelation which are not ompatible with his dignity. Although there are some conditions and complications associated with the revelation which are undeniable and also necessary for making connection with the world of sublimity and receiving revelation, these exaggerations have caused the Orientalists to make mistakes and consider revelation merely some kind of collapsing and epilepsy condition, while the Companions were not capable of describing the reality of the impact of the revelation on the soul and body of the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and could only describe his condition using their worldly understanding. What confirms this proposition is the fact that the complications resulting from collapsing and epilepsy such as shaking and forgetfulness following it were never observed on the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), but rather, thanks to the assistance of the Lord, he managed to remember the Word of God and convey it to the people.

Debate is among the effective educational methods. It has been mentioned in the Quran and it was frequently practiced by the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and the infallible Imams (a.s.). This point indicates that the debate is of important and remarkable capacity in explanation and conveying the practical religious teachings and sublime religious principles. Due to the strong impact of debate on the growth and dynamism of thought and contemplation, an attempt has been made in this article to explain the various aspects of the viewpoint of the Quran and sunnah on debate and its effects and consequences in education giving an analysis on its divisions from the perspective of the Quran.