درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: This article aims to examine the role of Islamic ontology in shaping and reinforcing the human sense of poverty and need for God. The objective is to foster and internalize the feeling of poverty and the need for the Absolute Sufficient God within humans, as the most honorable of creatures.METHOD & FINDING: Utilizing verses from the Quran, narrations, and the philosophical and theological works of Muslim scholars, this article aims to describe and analytically gather relevant topics to explore certain ontological principles. The focus is on the divine attributes of perfection and the existential poverty of all beings before God. The findings of the research show that attention to these principles not only creates the feeling of human poverty and need for God but also enhances the ability to analyze and understand the truth, accepting human poverty and God's richness. This is expressed in the context of the relationship between the creator and the created, the emanator and the emanated, the theory of existential poverty, and the broader will and absolute power of God, thereby strengthening and manifesting these concepts. CONCLUSION: The results show that a correct and profound understanding of human poverty and absolute dependence on God leads individuals to seek the fulfillment of their needs and the attainment of perfection and pure life solely in the unlimited divine source.

SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: Educational experts have examined the importance of incorporating art and aesthetics into education. They argue that despite the well-documented benefits of art in achieving educational objectives across intellectual, emotional, religious, and ethical domains, its integration into educational settings remains incomplete.  There is a need for extensive research on the effectiveness of artistic and aesthetic approaches in various educational curricula, including medical and higher education. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of engagement with art and aesthetics on the intellectual, emotional, religious, and ethical education of artists’ lived experiences.METHOD & FINDING: The current research utilized a qualitative and phenomenological approach, focusing on diverse artists representing various art forms. The participants in this qualitative and phenomenological study were 19 artists from different fields of art in Kerman, a province of Iran, who were chosen via purposive sampling. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed with MAXQDA software (version 2021), using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Artists’ experiences demonstrate that engagement with art and beauty triggers significant transformations in various aspects of life, influencing habits, preferences, modes of expression, and even appearance.  The study shows that education involving art and beauty encourages reflection, thinking, understanding, and hands-on learning. CONCLUSION: Special attention should be paid to the relationship between art and beauty and its influence on formal and informal education. Moreover, the principles of aesthetics should be taken into consideration in curriculum planning and teaching, and classroom methods.

Given the importance of increasing and decreasing procreation, the present study aims to address contradictory verses and narrations on this topic using a descriptive and analytical method and answer the question: ‘What are the solutions for resolving contradictory verses and narrations regarding the increase and decrease of procreation?’ The research findings show that by applying two solutions, namely governmental decrees and the rules of conflict, balance, and preference, the conflict among the verses and narrations in the field of prolificacy and population control is resolved. In the first approach, the verses and narrations of prolificacy and population control, based on the primary principle and rule, indicate the preference and desirability of increasing procreation. However, if the individual and social conditions of the Islamic community change, the primary rule may change. The ruler and the supreme jurisprudent can issue a decree according to the circumstances of the time. Consequently, both an increase and a decrease in procreation may occur in different times and conditions in the Islamic community, thus avoiding a conflict. In the second approach, considering that the contradictory verses and narrations in the field of prolificacy and population control are divided into three categories: Conflict between verses of prolificacy and verses of population control, conflict between verses and narrations of prolificacy and population control, and conflict between narrations of prolificacy and narrations of population control. In the conflict between verses of prolificacy and verses of population control, the verses of prolificacy are preferred. In the conflict between verses and narrations of prolificacy and population control, two scenarios are possible: Sometimes the verses of prolificacy conflict with the narrations of population control, in which case the verses of prolificacy are preferred because they are definite in meaning ( Dalālah ) and definite in origin ( Ṣudūr ), while the narrations of population control are speculative in meaning ( Dalālah ) and speculative in origin ( Ṣudūr ); and sometimes, the verses of population control conflict with the narrations of prolificacy. The narrations of prolificacy are preferred because the verses of population control do not indicate procreation and increasing progeny. In the conflict between narrations of prolificacy and narrations of population control, since the conflict between these narrations is of the type of absolute and restricted conflict, the narrations of population control are restricted by the narrations of prolificacy. Accordingly, according to the verses and narrations, the abundance and increase of procreation are desirable.

Human beings are meaning-generators, and their pursuit of meaning manifests through interpreting “signs.” Architectural elements can be perceived as signs capable of conveying valuable and significant messages. The more precise the semiotic interpretation of architectural elements, the deeper the understanding of their meaning. Since entry into any space necessitates passing through its door, the door functions as a connector between different realms, as an intermediary between a given place’s exterior and interior. Given the unique architectural significance of doors at entrances of Islamic pilgrimage shrines, they can be interpreted as meaningful signs. “Being at the shrine” can be understood as a form of human presence, which is materialized at entrances of Islamic pilgrimage shrines, particularly through the focal point of the door. The door marks the beginning of a transition into a sacred space, and numerous rituals are associated with this entry point. These rituals emphasize the commencement of the rites of entrance and initiation into a holy site. This study applies semiotic analysis based on Peirce’s model to examine the architectural element of the door as a meaningful sign. It seeks to answer the following questions: How can the physical characteristics of an entrance be interpreted both as a response to functional necessity and as a meaning-generating sign in the forms of index (namāya), symbol (namād), and icon (shamāyil)? Additionally, what concepts are semantically aligned with the door concerning the entrances of Islamic pilgrimage shrines? The research is based on a library study for data collection and employs a descriptive-analytical method to interpret the semiotics of doors. The findings indicate that the architectural element of the door, beyond its functional essence, encapsulates profound meanings. Semiotics offers a powerful tool for enhancing this architectural element’s understanding and deep analysis, allowing for a more precise interpretation. The primary function of the door as a sign is to establish a communicative space between the exterior and the interior. The door facilitates guidance and invitation into the sacred environment by dividing the spatial domain into inside and outside. Moreover, the first rites of initiation and presence commence here—placing the hand on the chest, expressing reverence, offering salutations, and seeking permission to enter. Therefore, the door is the gateway to the realm of presence and encounter. In the entrance of Islamic pilgrimage shrines, the door can be interpreted as a symbolic manifestation of the Divine Name al-Hādī (the Guide), the Imam’s guidance, the Perfect Man’s station, and the mediator of Divine Grace