Seraje Monir

Abstract In this paper we first briefly review the attitude of Peripatetic philosophers and their latest findings regarding the proofs for the existence of God based on the proof of the righteous and the demonstration of necessity and possibility. Next comes Mollasadra's specific attitude toward the proof of the righteous. The important point is that the author of the paper has investigated the roots of Mollasadra's thought and has illustrated under the influence of what factors he has adopted such an attitude.

Abstract The term “Essence of Scripture” has been used in three verses of the Holy Qur’an. Differing views have been articulated with regard to this term, and there seems to be no global consensus on the issue. Some consider the three occurrences of this term to be the same and in line with the Guarded Tablet. Others see differences among the three uses of this term. It seems that we should differentiate between the three uses, while we take all three into account. Focusing on the style of these verses, we can arrive at the conclusion that this term refers to different things in differing situations. Hence, we may claim that this term has a relative meaning in Quranic verses and in different contexts conveys distinct senses; for instance, in one verse it refers to a part of the book revealed to the holy Prophet (PBUH), in another to the origin of legislative affairs and in the third verse to the source of formative issues. All three uses of this term share a common meaning component: connection to divine source and revelation.

Abstract In the Holy Qur’an differing names are used to refer to the resurrection with “Resurrection” being the most frequently used one. In dictionaries all these names are usually defined to mean resurrection and this implies their being synonymous. Moreover, sometimes due to people's deeply-seated mental beliefs, the exact meanings of these names are not well understood. The present paper, relying on Arabic language and culture and the style of Quranic verses as well as the subject analysis of these words, enumerates twelve other names for this day and analyzes them content-wise. The researcher found out that each of these names amazingly refers to one of the characteristics of resurrection and each has been used for a particular purpose including warning, preventing the readers from polytheism, disbelief and sin as well as creation of certainty in people who raise doubts about whether resurrection takes place or not.

Abstract The servants of God usually, in places for praying, request Him to fulfill their material and spiritual needs, most importantly to protect them from harm and death. With a contrastive methodology, this paper aims at investigating the quality of praying in sacred books (the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Qur’an). It first focuses on the etymology of the word praying and then examines its status in different holy books. Then a brief comparison is made between different perspectives. According to the Old Testament, the place of praying is synagogue; in the New Testament church is the place for praying and in the Qur’an, mosque. The Old Testament emphasizes that the place of praying should be made of stone, be located in a high area of land and be the place for sacrifice. The New Testament focuses merely on believers and in the holy Qur’an the believers, the place and the time are all emphasized. Unlike the New Testament, the Old Testament has laid down some rules for entering the place of praying; the Qur’an has forbidden the unbelievers from entering the Holy Mosque. The Holy Mosque, with regard to its Islamic praying-social orientation, cannot be compared to any other place of praying; such orientation does not exist in Judaism and Christianity.

Abstract One of the issues of importance in Islam is the investigation of the history of traditions in order to find out why writing down the traditions was discouraged. Had the holy Prophet (PBUH) forbidden writing of traditions? If so, why would a large number of his companions write the Prophetic traditions? On the other hand, if writing the traditions down was not forbidden by Mohammad (PBUH), what prevented this activity and what purpose it had? The author of the present paper has reached the conclusion that the claim that the Prophet has prohibited people from writing the traditions down is unfounded and cannot be true. Rather, it seems that after the decease of the holy Prophet (PBUH), it was the then government, particularly the second Caliph, which prevented the prophetic traditions from being written down and it had been for the purpose of laying a solid foundation for their newly established government. Therefore, although the companions of the Prophet were asked to write the traditions down, they were not allowed to do so, except for those traditions approved by the then government; consequently, many prophetic traditions were isolated or ignored and people were kept unaware of the practice of the Prophet, especially the traditions regarding caliphate and this ensured that the new government was backed up ideologically.

Abstract The Qur’an, the greatest and everlasting miracle of the holy Prophet (PBUH), has been the target of criticism by all opposing authors in East and West. The Qur’an, however, has invited its opponents to struggle and this invitation will persist till Doom’s Day. In the second century (AH), a group of the opponents of the Qur’an suffered the same defeat as that experienced by the unbelievers at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an. This paper examines the doubts of this group regarding the Qur’an along with the responses of Imam Sādeq (PBUH) to those doubts. This will disclose the thoughts of those who raise doubts and also illustrates the role of the Shiites and the disciples of Imam Sādeq (PBUH) in defending the Qur’an. Thus, the present papers is developed in three sections: first, those who raise doubts are briefly introduced; then the defenders of the holy Qur’an are introduced and the paper concludes with the discussion of Quranic doubts and their criticisms according to Imam Sādeq (PBUH).

Abstract The present study is an attempt to reflect and expound on demonstrable and intuitive ways of knowing Allah. The Transcendent God in His holy Qur’an and Imam Ali (PBUH) in Nahj al-Balāghah have addressed these two ways of knowing God in especial ways. The first way (demonstrable theology) is reflecting upon the world of creation by means of wisdom and thought which are based upon knowledge of the Transcendent God and through the creatures finds a way to substantiate the Creator; the second way (apocalyptic theology) which relies on internal and divine vision, is the safest, firmest and at the same time the most difficult way of knowing God; the purified men, with the special attention and guidance of the Almighty, benefit from this method spiritually.