Islamic Knowledge and Insight

In Iranian mystical literature, the symbols of light and illumination hold a distinguished position and are considered among the most frequently used elements for expressing mystical concepts. Among poets, Farīd al-Dīn ʿAttār of Nishapur employs these symbols more extensively than others. The present study examines whether the use of light in ʿAttār’s poetry is merely aesthetic and scattered, or whether it is formed on the basis of a deliberate and systematic pattern. According to the article’s hypothesis, the Verse of Light from the Qur’an constitutes the foundational basis of the symbolic system of light and darkness in ʿAttār’s poetry and is repeatedly recreated throughout his poetic works as a semantic and mystical structure. The research method is based on descriptive analysis and qualitative content analysis of poetic texts in order to scrutinize the function of image-elements related to light. The findings show that ʿAttār employs the six components of the Verse of Light as a complete mystical system. The divine manifestation in the phrase “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth” is depicted in ʿAttār’s poetry as the eternal sun and the ocean of Being. The three symbols—niche (mishkāt), lamp (miṣbāḥ), and glass (zujāja)—are respectively aligned with the body, soul, and heart of the spiritual seeker, marking the path of knowledge from the outward to the inward. The blessed tree and its oil appear symbolically as the spiritual master (pīr) and love: the master as guide and source of direction, and love as the fuel that carries the seeker toward God. Finally, the station of “light upon light” is represented in poetic images such as the annihilation of the moth in the candle and the drop in the sea—signs of the seeker’s union with the divine Truth. In contrast, darkness encompasses symbols such as the carnal self, the world, ignorance, and heedlessness, all of which prevent the vision of the light of Truth. According to the findings, the influence of the Verse of Light on ʿAttār’s poetry is not accidental or ornamental but structural and foundational; this verse provides a complete roadmap for the mystical journey from self-purification to fanāʾ fī-llāh within the poet’s worldview.

There are verses in the Holy Qur’an whose referents are not explicitly clear, leading commentators to present various interpretations. One such verse is: “He said, ‘I perceived what they did not perceive, so I took a handful from the trace of the Messenger and threw it, and thus did my soul entice me.’” (Taha, 20:96). This verse records the response of the Samiri to the question of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) regarding the calf worship practiced by the Children of Israel. The present study seeks to investigate the identity of “the trace of the Messenger” (athar al-rasul) from the perspective of exegetes—particularly ‘Allamah Ṭabāṭabā’ī—using a descriptive-analytical method. In addressing the question “Who is the Messenger?”, ‘Allamah reviews the opinions of other commentators and refutes each with rigorous reasoning. Strikingly, however, he leaves his own discussion unfinished, refraining from affirming any view, and consequently invites the reader to pursue the answer independently by considering the contextual clues.

Using a descriptive–analytical approach and a comparative method, this article examines the Qur’anic model for safeguarding the property of orphans in comparison with Iraq’s legal and executive frameworks. The study focuses exclusively on financial rights—from the death of the guardian until the orphan’s attainment of rushd (maturity) and the transfer of property. Key Qur’anic verses (al-Nisāʾ 2, 5–6, 10; al-Ḍuḥā 9) and core concepts such as property delivery, prohibition of commingling and unlawful consumption, and the test of maturity are identified and then compared with the juristic principles of luṭf (benevolence), lā ḍarar (no harm), and property retention. Subsequently, these concepts are analyzed alongside Iraqi laws and practices in the fields of personal status, civil law, guardianship, and post-2003 welfare policies. The findings show that the Qur’an’s tripartite logic of “preservation and transfer,” “continuous supervision,” and “enforcement guarantees” has been embodied in Iraq’s multilayered judicial and administrative structures and further strengthened after 2003 through social support mechanisms such as pensions, free education, and social housing. However, the absence of a “standard protocol for verifying financial maturity” and inconsistencies in supervisory enforcement—particularly across regions and underprivileged areas—remain significant gaps. The innovation of this article lies in proposing an operational implementation package that includes the development of financial maturity assessment indicators, the establishment of electronic asset registration, risk-based auditing, beneficiary transparency for guardians, and stricter criminalization of supervisory negligence—an integrated framework that aligns the Qur’an’s ethical deterrence with the judiciary’s legal deterrence.

In Tafsir al-Qur’an al-Karim by Mulla Sadra, the theory of Substantial Motion (al-harakah al-jawhariyyah) not only plays a key role in explaining the verses of creation but also exerts a fundamental influence on his interpretive approach toward these verses. This theory guides Mulla Sadra’s perspective away from a literal and static understanding of creation toward a dynamic and continuous conception of existence. Based on his understanding of Substantial Motion, which emphasizes “the continuous movement of existence, the intrinsic renewal of being, and the instability of essences,” Mulla Sadra interprets the Qur’anic verses related to “the emergence of human states and transformations” as well as “the changes in the conditions of the heavens and the earth” not as fixed or singular occurrences, but as reflections of an ongoing existential and transformative process. This profound influence enables him to move beyond the realm of mere words into the very fabric of beings and phenomena. Through his illuminative (kashfi) methodology, he attains philosophical–mystical interpretations that signify an eternal and flowing creation, consciously avoiding the pitfalls of imaginative conjecture and figurative reduction, which he regards as erroneous and impermissible. Accordingly, Substantial Motion empowers Mulla Sadra to employ deeper metaphysical meanings, offering a philosophical and mystical exegesis of the verses of creation that transcends all static interpretations. In his view, the universe itself becomes a living and ever-renewing sign (ayah) of divine lordship.

In Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi’s Illuminationist philosophy (Ḥikmat al-Ishrāq), knowledge and being are founded upon light, and the faculty of imagination plays a fundamental role in connecting sensory perception, intellect, and illuminative intuition. By positing the existence of the ʿālam al-mithāl (the imaginal world) or the detached world of imagination, Suhrawardi introduces an ontological level that mediates between the sensible and the intelligible realms, wherein imaginal forms serve as intermediaries that transmit meaning from the luminous world to the human mind. The imaginative faculty within human beings—identified as the connected imagination—functions as the instrument for perceiving and reflecting these imaginal forms. From this standpoint, cognition is not merely the result of sensory or rational perception but rather a luminous process in which imagination acts as an epistemic mediator. Adopting an analytical–philosophical approach, this article examines the epistemological status of the faculty and world of imagination within Suhrawardi’s Illuminationist framework. First, the ontological and luminous foundations of the imaginal world are elucidated; then, the hierarchical stages of knowledge—from sensation to illumination and presence—and the mediating role of imagination in linking these stages are analyzed. In the final section, the expressibility or inexpressibility of imaginal knowledge and its relation to luminous truth are explored from the perspectives of Suhrawardi and his interpreters, Henry Corbin and Yazdanpanah. The findings indicate that in Illuminationist philosophy, imagination is not a fictive or illusory faculty but rather an ontological and epistemological level that enables the manifestation of luminous truth through symbolic and intuitive forms. Thus, imaginal knowledge in this system constitutes a luminous and presential mode of knowing attainable only through illumination and the purification of the soul.

Aesthetics, as one of the most significant domains of the philosophy of education, plays a determining role in the development of various dimensions of human personality. The present study aims to examine and comparatively analyze the views of Allameh Mohammad-Taqi Jafari and John Dewey regarding aesthetics grounded in moral education. Adopting a qualitative approach and employing textual analysis of the primary sources related to the ideas of these two prominent thinkers, the study explores the key concepts of aesthetics, its relationship with moral education, and the educational implications of each perspective. The research method is descriptive-analytical and inferential. The findings reveal that in Allameh Jafari’s thought, beauty and morality possess an existential and essential connection; the experience of truth and human perfection depends on the recognition and understanding of the beauties of creation and art. Accordingly, aesthetic education serves as a foundation for deepening knowledge and cultivating moral virtues in human beings. Conversely, John Dewey, by emphasizing the aesthetic experience, considers emotional growth and creativity as factors that enhance moral sensitivity and responsibility, viewing art as a context for the formation of human and social values. Despite differences in their ontological and epistemological foundations, both thinkers emphasize the importance of aesthetic education and its impact on the moral and personal development of human beings. The implications of this study suggest that attention to aesthetic dimensions in education can play a significant role in moral education, the creation of shared meaning, and the reinforcement of human values within Iran’s educational system.

The issue of the Qur’an’s miraculous nature (iʿjāz al-Qurʾān) is one of the most significant topics in Qur’anic sciences and Islamic theology, holding a central place in establishing the prophethood of the Prophet of Islam. However, what bears fundamental importance is the manner in which this miraculous nature has been understood and interpreted within the exegetical tradition of Islam. As one of the foundational theological and Qur’anic concepts, iʿjāz has drawn attention not only from linguistic and rhetorical perspectives but also from epistemological, philosophical, and interpretive dimensions. Two of the most prominent exegetes who have engaged deeply with this issue are Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, the eminent Sunni theologian and exegete, and Allameh Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaei, one of the most distinguished Shi‘a scholars and commentators of the Qur’an. This study, based on a descriptive–analytical and comparative approach, examines the interpretive methods of Fakhr al-Razi and Tabatabaei with a focus on their methodological principles in explaining the miraculous nature of the Qur’an. The comparison emphasizes the logic underlying their interpretive methodologies, their epistemological foundations, and their respective approaches to the concept of iʿjāz. The primary aim is to extract the intellectual and exegetical frameworks of each scholar regarding the Qur’an’s miraculous nature and to analyze how their theological, philosophical, and interpretive orientations influenced their explanation of iʿjāz in their works. The findings indicate that Fakhr al-Razi, in his Tafsir al-Kabir (The Great Commentary), approaches the subject from a theological perspective, exploring iʿjāz through discussions such as the possibility of imitation (muʿāraḍah), eloquence (balāghah), and divine omniscience. His method is analytical, argumentative, and characterized by the inclusion of multiple viewpoints. In contrast, Allameh Tabatabaei, the philosopher–exegete of the modern era and a representative of the rationalist Shi‘a school, in his al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān, while elucidating the various dimensions of iʿjāz, pays special attention to the inner structure and conceptual coherence of the verses. He perceives the Qur’an’s miraculous nature not merely at the level of expression and language but also in its layers of meaning, guidance, and intellectual system. Moreover, Tabatabaei treats iʿjāz as a semantic and guiding system rather than a purely theological construct, whereas Fakhr al-Razi, adopting a dialectical and persuasive approach, seeks to affirm iʿjāz within the framework of theological argumentation.

Human beings, due to their negligence in obeying God and the Imams (peace be upon them) and the loss of these opportunities, will regret and feel remorse on the Day of Resurrection, when there will no longer be a chance for recompense. For this reason, one of the names of the Day of Resurrection in the Qur’an is Yawm al-Ḥasrah (“the Day of Regret”), because people will have lost all worldly opportunities to atone for their sins or perform more virtuous deeds, and thus will experience nothing but regret and sorrow. In fact, ḥasrah and taʾassuf can be understood as forms of grief and remorse arising from missed opportunities, whose causes have been referenced in various verses and narrations. In the Holy Qur’an, words carry particular emotional connotations that reflect human psychological and emotional states in diverse situations. Among these, the two terms ḥasrah and taʾassuf occupy a special place, as both express a negative yet meaningful emotional experience. This study, relying on a descriptive–analytical method and drawing upon exegetical sources as well as semantic linguistics and pragmatics, examines the meanings of these two terms in the Qur’an. The primary aim is to uncover the conceptual, syntactic, and functional distinctions between ḥasrah and taʾassuf within the Qur’anic context. The findings indicate that ḥasrah primarily refers to an experience oriented toward the past, characterized by an inward, existential sense of sorrow over lost opportunities; whereas taʾassuf often carries a cautionary or preventive function and, in certain contexts, even reflects the Prophet’s emotional response toward people’s behavior. Morphological and syntactic analysis also reveals differences in the derivatives and usages of these two terms across verses, illustrating precise semantic distinctions.

These distinctions are not only significant for a more accurate understanding of the Qur’anic text but also contribute meaningfully to the interpretation of verses and the analysis of their semantic layers. Accordingly, the linguistic analysis of the words ḥasrah and taʾassuf can play an essential role in deepening comprehension of the Qur’an’s messages.