درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

The Qur’an, as a divine scripture, transcends a merely religious and spiritual text; it constitutes a unique compendium of knowledge and guidance for understanding and addressing diverse individual and social issues. With its comprehensive and boundless depth, this sacred text engages with all aspects of human life and elucidates the causes and conditions of various challenges. One of the significant issues discussed within this framework is the conflict of interest. The main question of this study is: What are the instances of conflict of interest from the Qur’anic perspective, and what solutions does the Qur’an propose for managing them? This paper aims to identify and explain the manifestations of conflict of interest based on Qur’anic teachings and to explore the corresponding management strategies. To achieve this goal, a descriptive-analytical method was employed, drawing upon four Qur’anic narratives: the Battle of Uḥud, the behavior of the Companions during the Prophet’s time, the story of Prophet Shuʿayb, and the account of Hābīl and Qābīl (Abel and Cain). The findings indicate that the Qur’an extensively addresses this issue and provides multiple approaches for confronting, managing, and avoiding conflicts of interest. The key managerial components include identifying the roots of conflict, preventing and controlling it through transparency, emphasizing ethical leadership, and managing group relations. Qur’anic strategies are based on such concepts as  al-taqwā (self-restraint), al-īmān (reinforced responsibility), al-infāq (almsgiving or reduction of inequality), and al-ṣabr (rational forbearance). Operationalizing these strategies through a three-level framework (individual, organizational, and social) can foster communities resilient against corruption. The results demonstrate that the Qur’an not only contributes to preventing conflicts of interest but also assists in cultivating a balanced and morally grounded society.

This research explores the arguments for and against the realization of strong artificial intelligence from the perspective of Qur’anic teachings. Opponents, citing verses from the Holy Qur’an, consider strong AI an instance of polytheism in creatorship, a tool for misguidance, human deification, alteration of divine creation, transgression into the divine domain, and a violation of human dignity and divine vicegerency. In contrast, proponents, by offering more precise interpretations of the same verses and applying principles of Islamic philosophy, demonstrate that strong AI is compatible with the teachings of the Qur’an. They argue that creation in the sense of innovation ex nihilo is exclusive to God, and what humans do is the manipulation of God’s creations, which is not forbidden according to Qur’anic verses. In other cases, most of the opponents’ arguments are based on limited interpretations or specific readings of Qur’anic verses. The research results indicate that there is no inherent conflict between strong AI and Qur’anic teachings; rather, this technology can be placed in the service of humanity within the framework of Islamic values.

Semantics investigates the transformation of word meanings within discourse. "Proximity to God" is one of the central Qur’anic concepts, and its semantic analysis is of particular importance for organizing the semantic network of Qur’anic vocabulary and for understanding the Book of Revelation's discourse on the relationship between human beings and God. Using a descriptive–analytical method, the present study seeks to identify and systematize the vocabulary related to proximity ( Qurb ) and to explain the process of semantic expansion of this term within the framework of paradigmatic relations. The concept of proximity, in addition to reflecting the human–divine relationship, encompasses a wide range of meanings, including spatial, temporal, kinship-based, rank-related, protective, and power-related proximity. The findings indicate that the direct derivatives of the root ( q r b) , such as Aqrab , Qarīb , Qurbān , and Qurbāt , are predominantly employed within the semantic orbit of drawing near to God, whereas words related to Qurb in non-religious meanings function as expressions of nearness in non-divine contexts. Among the conceptual substitutes for Qurb , terms such as Dunuww , Ḥaḍar , Walī , Zulfā , and Muḥīṭ were identified, which respectively cover the domains of physical/spatial proximity, legal and social proximity, proximity in the occurrence of events, rank and status, and encompassing. Furthermore, a group of Qur’anic terms can be regarded as indirect substitutes for Qurb and classified among expressions related to the path of attaining proximity to God.