Islamic Knowledge and Insight

The present study examines, from a jurisprudential and legal perspective, the concept of the “final breath of life” (unstable life) in cases of homicide. The final breath of life constitutes an intermediate condition in which an individual stands on the threshold of death; limited vital signs (such as a weak heartbeat, respiration dependent on mechanical ventilation, or minimal basic biological activity) persist, yet a return to independent and stable life (stable life) is practically impossible. The central question of this research is whether terminating this condition (for example, by withdrawing life-sustaining support) may be regarded as constituting the requisite physical conduct necessary to satisfy the material element of homicide (the deprivation of the life of a living human being possessing full inviolable life), or not. Using an interpretive–analytical method and drawing upon the sources of Imāmī jurisprudence, legal doctrine, and medical science, the findings indicate that in Imāmī jurisprudence the final breath of life is often equated with the separation of the soul from the body, and the individual in such a condition is regarded as legally equivalent to a deceased person; accordingly, acts committed against such a person are considered offenses against a corpse rather than homicide. Article 372 of the Islamic Penal Code (enacted in 2013) explicitly reflects this jurisprudential distinction within Iranian criminal law and allocates responsibility among the involved parties: the first person (the one who creates the condition of unstable life, such as by inflicting the initial injury) is subject to qiṣāṣ (retaliation in kind) or payment of diyah (blood money) for the inflicted injury, while the second person (the one who terminates the final breath of life, such as by withdrawing support without causing a new direct injury) is deemed to have committed an offense against a corpse. Consequently, such conduct generally does not fulfill the material element of homicide or may lack criminal characterization altogether (within the framework of forensic medical determination and the consent of the legal guardian). The central role of Imāmī jurisprudence in defining death on the basis of the separation of the soul, the role of medical science in the precise diagnosis of brain death and unstable life, judicial interpretation of Article 372, and the challenges arising from legislative gaps concerning the precise boundary between life and death constitute key aspects of this research. The study concludes that the jurisprudential and legal distinction between stable life and the final breath of life forms the principal basis for analyzing criminal liability in homicide, and that legislative reconsideration is necessary in order to harmonize the foundations of Imāmī jurisprudence, the findings of modern medical science, and criminal law, so as to eliminate judicial ambiguities and ensure criminal justice.

The main objective of this article is to design a model of organizational justice based on Islamic teachings (the Qur’an and Nahj al-Balagha) in public organizations. The research method is mixed (qualitative–quantitative). In conducting this study, in addition to documentary analysis, thematic analysis using MAXQDA 14 software was employed to identify the factors influencing organizational justice based on Islamic teachings. The statistical population in the qualitative phase included all academic experts in the fields of public management and human resource management, as well as seminary faculty members with more than 15 years of work experience who were familiar with the concept of organizational justice based on Islamic teachings; a total of 14 interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation was achieved. Based on semi-structured interviews, 8 dimensions, 35 components, and 94 indicators were extracted. In the quantitative phase, a descriptive–survey method was applied. The statistical population consisted of all managers and experts in public organizations in the city of Deyr, from which 187 individuals were selected using Cochran’s sampling method. The results indicated that the dimension of interactional justice (with a coefficient of 0.960) had the highest importance, while the dimension of social justice (with a coefficient of 0.852) had the lowest importance. Ultimately, the final model was presented and validated with four main dimensions, including philosophy and objectives, theoretical foundations, evaluation system, and executive mechanisms.

The present study was conducted with the aim of comparatively analyzing the manifestation of religious knowledge in the mourning rituals of Muharram during two historical periods: the reign of Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty and the reign of Naser al-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty. This study is organized based on a historical and comparative approach and employs a descriptive-analytical method. The required data were collected through the examination of library sources, historical documents, travelogues, and historical texts. The findings indicate that mourning rituals in both historical periods were not merely individual practices; rather, they functioned as effective instruments for strengthening Shiite identity, creating social cohesion, reproducing religious knowledge, and establishing connections with structures of political power. Although the active presence of rulers, martyrdom-narrative recitation, elegiac preaching, and the use of symbols such as ritual standards and ceremonial insignia were among the common elements of both periods, fundamental differences can also be observed. In the Safavid era, emphasis was placed on elegiac preaching and content grounded in jurisprudential texts and authoritative narrations, whereas the Qajar period, with the expansion of passion plays, dramatic mourning performances, and the incorporation of popular and artistic elements, assumed a more theatrical and complex character. The results suggest that the semantic and epistemic core of these rituals remained stable and enduring over time, while only their performative form and content changed and adapted in accordance with the historical, cultural, and social transformations of each era.

This applied study examines the ethical values of contentment (riḍā), trust (tawakkul), and entrustment (tafwīḍ) from the mystical perspective of Imam Khomeini. Understanding and realizing mystical stations are contingent upon understanding and realizing the theoretical foundations of mysticism, an issue that has received attention in the major works of mystics who explicate the school of Ibn ʿArabī. Imam Khomeini, as a contemporary mystic and commentator of this school, likewise employs certain ontological and anthropological theoretical foundations in explicating mystical stations. This research adopts a descriptive–analytical method and is conducted through library research, drawing on books and scholarly articles. First, the concepts of the stations of spiritual wayfaring were examined and studied in Imam Khomeini’s major works related to practical mysticism; subsequently, the position of these stations within mystical states and ranks was analyzed, and finally, their degrees were interpreted and justified. The findings indicate that mystical stations differ from one another in terms of depth and richness; moreover, the theoretical foundations of mysticism are interrelated and intertwined. An examination of the explanations provided by the great mystic Imam Khomeini regarding the stations of wayfaring demonstrates the influence and necessity of theoretical foundations for explicating mystical stations. It became clear that the realization of each station of wayfaring depends on a combination of several theoretical foundations, which themselves are interconnected and inseparable. In fact, both the rationale for the necessity of realizing a given station for the spiritual seeker and the explanation of how that station is realized are made possible on the basis of these very principles and theoretical foundations, as demonstrated in this article. From a broader perspective, the fact that stations of wayfaring can be explicated through theoretical mystical foundations, and that these foundations play an effective role in their realization, points to the existence of a linkage between practical mysticism and theoretical mysticism. Imam Khomeini, as a contemporary mystic and commentator, has paid close attention in his philosophical–mystical works to the interconnection and mutual influence between practical and theoretical mysticism, and has demonstrated this linkage throughout his mystical discussions of the stations of wayfaring.

The present study aims to comparatively examine the fundamental concepts of Iranshahr political thought, including divine glory (farr-e izadi), the ideal king, justice, bureaucracy, and the relationship between religion and the state during the two historical periods of the Seljuks and the Safavids. This research was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method with a comparative approach based on historical texts and documents. The findings indicate that Iranshahr political thought continued in both periods as a flexible intellectual framework; however, it was reproduced in accordance with the historical and religious context of each era. During the Seljuk period, this political thought was preserved through the integration of the Iranian bureaucratic tradition with the military power of the Turks, relying on the dual legitimacy of the Abbasid Caliph and the political authority of the Sultan within a relatively decentralized structure, while justice was defined as the primary duty of the ruler. In contrast, during the Safavid period, with the official establishment of Twelver Shi‘ism, a deeper connection emerged between political legitimacy and religion, and the king assumed the role of protector of religion, representative of the Hidden Imam, and executor of the Sharia within a fully centralized structure. The results demonstrate that although the king in both eras was regarded as the principal محور and guarantor of order, justice, and social stability, the fundamental difference lay in the manner of organizing political power and the source of legitimacy, which in the Seljuk period was based on a balance of power and Abbasid approval, whereas in the Safavid period it rested upon centralization and a Shi‘ite interpretation of Iranian political concepts.

The issue of Imamate is among the most contentious subjects in the history of Islam. This challenge has generated extensive theological functions within the domain of Imamate and has subsequently led to the formation of numerous Islamic sects and schools, which constitute a significant portion of Muslim religious texts. This study seeks to demonstrate the divine nature of the appointment of Imamate for the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) through an examination of texts preserved from various historical periods, with particular emphasis on verse 73 of Surah Al-Anbiya in the Holy Qur’an. To this end, the perspectives of exegetes from both major traditions, including the Imami, Zaydi, Isma‘ili, and Mu‘tazili schools, are also analyzed. The present research employs a descriptive–analytical method, drawing upon authoritative and reliable sources to assess the validity of narrations and hadiths recognized by both traditions, and to explore the influence of their viewpoints on the theological and jurisprudential analyses within the aforementioned schools.

The present article aims to elucidate the duties of the Islamic government in confronting misleading media and has been conducted using a descriptive–analytical research method with library-based data collection. The findings indicate that misleading media, through the production and dissemination of deviant content, generate multiple ethical, doctrinal, political, economic, and social harms within Islamic society. Based on jurisprudential foundations such as the principle of Nafy al-Sabil (negation of domination), the obligation to preserve the Islamic system, the duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil, and the prohibition of assisting in sin, the Islamic government is obligated to undertake active and comprehensive measures against such media. From a legal perspective, the laws and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran—including the Constitution, the Islamic Penal Code, the Computer Crimes Law, and the general policies of the system in the field of cyberspace—have established the necessary frameworks for supervision, regulation, and legal action against these media outlets. By explaining the various dimensions of the Islamic government’s duties, this article proposes a systematic model for effectively confronting media-related threats. Moving beyond one-dimensional and reductionist approaches, the study offers a comprehensive and systematic analysis of governmental obligations toward misleading media, thereby contributing to the development of knowledge in the fields of media jurisprudence and communications law while presenting an indigenous, efficient, and practicable model for policymakers and executive authorities. This model is capable of safeguarding Islamic and revolutionary values while simultaneously providing a dynamic, secure, and free environment for legitimate media activities.

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.