Design and Validation of an Educational Model of Tolerance and Forbearance Based on the Quran and Nahj al-Balagha

Abstract

The present study aims to design and validate an educational model of tolerance and forbearance based on the Quran and Nahj al-Balagha. This research was conducted using a qualitative methodology with a classical grounded theory approach. The research domain includes all Quranic verses and passages from Nahj al-Balagha, encompassing letters, sermons, wisdom statements, and others. The analysis of the research domain was conducted gradually based on relevant keywords, with an emphasis on appropriate Persian and Arabic terms such as tasahul, tasamuh, sahla wa samha, al-tashil, al-taysir, al-tasahul, al-suhula, ease, leniency, gentleness, moderation, and kindness, and continued until theoretical saturation was reached. A library-based method was employed to examine theoretical and research backgrounds, utilizing note-taking as the primary tool. Reliability, credibility, and dependability criteria were ensured to achieve alternative measures of validity and reliability. Data analysis was conducted using the Glaserian method, incorporating open, selective, and theoretical coding. The findings introduced the educational model of tolerance and forbearance within four educational dimensions: doctrinal and devotional; instructional and developmental; social relations; and individual ethics. These dimensions encompass key categories, including tolerance and forbearance in legislation and lawmaking, tolerance and forbearance in the domain of religious invitation, acknowledgment of prophets and divine scriptures, education based on tolerance and forbearance, tolerance and forbearance in social interactions, tolerance and forbearance in dealing with opponents, tolerance and forbearance in governance and administration, and ethics based on tolerance and forbearance. This model provides the groundwork for divine-oriented human development and the cultivation of a gentle disposition.