Seraje Monir

Abstract The issue of sudden and appointed time of death of human has long been studied from by the Islamic interpreters. Some of the verses of the Holy Quran talks about indefinite time of death as:
Pأَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَ اتَّقُوهُ وَ أَطیعُونِ * یَغْفِرْ لَکُمْ مِنْ ذُنُوبِکُمْ وَ یُؤَخِّرْکُمْ إِلی‏ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّی إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذا جاءَ لا یُؤَخَّرُ لَوْ کُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَO (نوح/ 3ـ4).
That you should worship Allah and be careful of your duty to Him and obey Me, He will forgive some of your sins and grant you to an appointed term. However, some of other verses talk about certain time of death as:
Pنَحْنُ قَدَّرْنا بَیْنَکُمُ الْمَوْتَ وَ ما نَحْنُ بِمَسْبُوقینَO(الواقعه/60).
We have ordained death among you and We are not to be overcome. The writer of this paper, firstly, based on the verses and traditions, has proved the sudden and appointed time of death; secondly, based on the various degrees of science of Allah, he has proved that diversity of death is not  inconsistent with each other because the sudden death returns to the appointed death.
 

Abstract The scriptures in every culture and language have been the main source for their followers. As the eternal miracle of the Prophet of Islam has been the Holy Quran (speech), its influence on the minds of Muslims for creating literary works has been more obvious than the scriptures of other religions. After the Holy Quran the words of the Prophet (Pbuh) and the imams and religious leaders have had the greatest influence on Muslims’ opinions and ideas and literary works of Muslim poets and writers. Although researchers have repeatedly pointed this influence and clarified several cases, still there is room for research in this field. Nevertheless, the great book Nahjolbalagha has not received its due attention. Inspired by Imam’s Ali (As)’s rhetoric and great ideas, Saadi, the unrivaled poet in Persian poetry and prose, has borrowed 200 concepts of Nahjolbalagha in his Golestan. In this article, 62 of them, from chapter 4 to 8 are presented.

Abstract The appearance of some words of the Holy Quran has made the theory of synonymy of words of this scripture prominent for some experts so that some people, whether in expressing the literal meanings of words or in expressing the interpretation of those words, have considered these words as synonyms. However, semantic analyses and attention to the context of these words show the differences and subtle nuances of meanings such as the differences of the words "Istafā" and "Ikhtāra". The word "Istafā" in the Quran refers to the selection and this selection is just for Prophets and good people, as well as the people who have purified themselves for Allah by endeavoring. Moreover, theses people have achieved a great degree and have been selected by Allah because of avoiding sins, having faith in God, and doing good deeds.  In contrast, the word "Ikhtāra" has been used in cases in which the focal point has been only humans, or where a comparison between two things has been made and then one of these things has been selected due to its virtue. Therefore, the use of these words in a context conveys a meaning that is different from another meaning in a different context. This stresses the importance of the context of the verses of the Holy Quran in order to find the meanings of the words.

Abstract Intertextuality is a theory that examines how the texts are related and how they interact with each other, which brings about the creation of a new text. According to this theory, any text is a new context of changed quotations. Intertextual relation is a useful tool for the audience to read a text. According to this theory, Fadak sermon of Hazrat Zahra (as a speaking Quran) and the silent Quran have been studied from two levels: superstructure and infrastructure. It seems that Hazrat Zahra (SA)‘s conscious interaction with  the Quran  has  made the compatibility and harmony between the hidden text and present text. Hence, in many cases, it is not possible to have a deep understanding of Fadak sermon, except in light of its qualitative relationship with the Quran. Therefore, this study investigates the intertextual relations between her sermons and the Holy Quran in order to open up new horizons about her sermons. The method used in this article is analytical documentary. The results of the study indicate that the most frequent Intertextual relations between Fadak sermon and the Quran are structural, in the form of the parallel negation, in which she (Pbuh) has been able to create a strong compatibility among her remarks and hidden text and make a conscious interaction.

Abstract The word ‘holy’ in terms of concept and meaning is of one of the most important and yet complex Quranic Words that has not been considered through a semantic approach. This study has tried to analyze this word in the Quran based on an analytical and descriptive method. In this study, by drawing on the context and relationship rule and the conceptual relation of the word ‘holy’ with its collocations and its replacement words, we have tried to pinpoint the use of the term throughout the verses. The word ‘holy’ in the Quran has a wide variety of meanings, and it has been used in 11 senses such as a gratuitous gift, a gift without loss and degradation, a gift without asking, closed with a seal, and useful. This word, based on the replacement axis, is also on the same semantic group with the words ‘great’ and ‘generous’. The discovery of the semantic components of the word ‘holy’ has revealed a minute part of the sciences hidden in the verses and indicates that the Quran is based on a systematic thought.

Abstract Translating divine titles from one language to another is a very difficult task, and even some contemporary rhetoricians of the field of translation hold that it is impossible. Nevertheless, since one of the ways of getting to know God is the Quran and He introduces Himself through his attributes in this holy book, their translation is essential. However, a wrong translation of the Divine Titles can affect the reader's mind and create an obscure misconception of God.  This article attempts to analyze Divine Titles’ translatability in verse 23 of surah “AL-HASHR” with reference to the translations provided by Andre Chouraqui and Kazimirski. To this end, through the reference to dictionaries, interpretation and philological books and with regard to subtle differences in meaning of words in terms of etymology and linguistics, we attempt to analyze the equivalents selected by these two translators. This study indicates that in selecting most equivalents, the translators have not paid enough attention to the roots and true meanings of the Divine titles, and interpretive translation or adding a confirmative adverb or adjective is suggested as a solution in understanding the exact meaning of the Divine Titles.

Abstract Natural resources has bestowed upon humans by God. However, these natural resources given to humans to take advantage of are limited and scarce. Moreover, these resources are perishable, and high rate of usage has reduced their amount in the recent years. This has raised concerns about the future generation share of the natural resources and their environmental benefits. While there are different ways to look at this problem, we discuss it from the religious point of view on how religion looks at this problem. Religious resources (the Quran, Hadiths, reasons) highlight the definite right of all humans in taking advantage of natural resource. Justice implies the recognition of the future generation’s right in using of these resources. It is suggested that the optimal solution to the above concern is to transfer benefits of natural resources to the next generation through replacing old resources with new ones. In addition, the efficient use of resources and prevention of wasting them are highly recommended.