۱.
The belief in Mahdism and the advent of Imam Mahdi (AJ) is one of the fundamental principles of Shia Islam, accompanied by various signs in narrative sources. The city of Basra in southern Iraq is one of the regions that holds a special place in the narrations concerning the signs of the advent. This article, titled "A Critical Review of Narrations on the Signs of the Advent in Basra," examines four categories of narrations, each of which refers to specific events in this region; the " Khasf of Basra," (land sinking) the reading of a letter of dissociation from Amir al-Muʼminīn (PBUH), the destruction of Basra, and the emergence of an individual from the lineage of the Prophet who causes the city's ruin. The present study, the authenticity of the chain of narrators ( Sanad ) and the semantic import ( Dalālah ) of these narrations were evaluated using a Rijālī and analytical approach. The findings indicate that most of these narrations are either transmitted as Mursal (lacking a full chain) or Marfūʻ (with an incomplete chain) or include narrators who are Majhūl (of unknown status) and unreliable. Consequently, from a Rijālī perspective, they lack sufficient credibility. Furthermore, a semantic analysis reveals conceptual ambiguities and, in some cases, conflict with clear interpretive principles. The conclusion of this study is that these narrations cannot be used with scientific certainty as credible signs of the advent. The central message of this article is to emphasize the necessity of a critical approach and to avoid unsubstantiated historical and geographical applications.
۲.
The concept of a "Healthy Human Being" in the Islamic tradition is a multilayered one that goes beyond purely biological or psychological approaches. It is a concept that encompasses the intellectual, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of a person in connection with their divine nature. Given the shortcomings of modern psychological theories in providing a comprehensive understanding of human beings, it is essential to examine authentic Islamic sources on this topic. The present study aims to identify the characteristics of a healthy person and the pathologies that threaten them within the framework of religious teachings, by analyzing the prayers of Ṣaḥīfa Sajjādīyya . The research method is descriptive-analytical. Data was collected through a thematic analysis of the Ṣaḥīfa 's prayers and analyzed using the metrics of Islamic psychology and anthropology. The results indicate that, from the perspective of Imam Sajjād (AS), a healthy person is God-oriented, rational, humble, responsible, and possesses mental, ethical, and social well-being. In contrast, traits like envy, greed, arrogance, heedlessness, and weakness of will are identified as pathologies that threaten a person's inner balance and cause the collapse of their spiritual health. The analysis of these teachings shows that Ṣaḥīfa Sajjādīyya presents a comprehensive and educational spiritual model of a healthy human being. This model can interact with contemporary theories, and while evaluating and correcting some of them, it can also open up new horizons in the fields of mental health, spiritual therapy, and personal development.
۳.
Murāqabah (self-vigilance) —the conscious guarding of the self and continuous supervision over one’s thoughts, intentions, speech, and actions —is one of the foundational concepts of ethics, Islamic mysticism, and Islamic education, and has been widely discussed across all spiritual traditions and religions. In Islamic tradition, Murāqabah is intrinsically linked to the concept of God-consciousness and is presented as a multidimensional strategy for safeguarding physical health, purifying the soul, refining intentions, and fulfilling social responsibilities and rights. Despite scattered references to this concept in Nahj al-Balāghah, no systematic study has yet comprehensively examined the physical, spiritual, personal, and social dimensions of Murāqabah in the teachings of Imam ʿAlī (AS) and compared them with contemporary psychological theories.The study used a descriptive–analytical approach, examining Sermons, Letters, and Aphorisms in Nahj al-Balāgha via conceptual frequency and relevance criteria, and then comparing these findings with modern psychological theories. The results were grouped into four domains: (1) physical Murāqaba ; preserving bodily faculties and health; (2) spiritual Murāqaba ; controlling thoughts, intentions, and cultivating inner presence; (3) individual Murāqaba ; time-management, self-assessment, and self-discipline; and (4) social Murāqaba ; upholding others’ rights and collective responsibility. Imam Ali’s teachings on Murāqaba , anchored in piety, extend beyond secular meditation and psychological constructs such as mindfulness and self-regulation, offering a framework that integrates moral growth, well-being, and social responsibility. This highlights both the overlaps and unique aspects of Nahj al-Balāghah compared to modern psychology, and suggest that such a framework can guide self-care programs and interventions for spiritual elevation, resilience, and social cohesion.
۴.
The book Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhū al-Faqīh , authored by Shaykh Ṣadūq (d. 381 AH), is one of the most important Shi'ite hadith collections, yet no detailed research has been conducted on its manuscripts. Recently, a manuscript of this book with the date 579 AH was acquired by the National Library of Iran. After the manuscript in the Waziri Library of Yazd, dated 574 AH, it is the oldest identified manuscript of this book. This article is a codicological study of this newly discovered manuscript. By examining the similarities and differences between this manuscript and other manuscripts of the book, it attempts to uncover the relationship between this manuscript and the Yazd manuscript. It is revealed that the genealogy of these two manuscripts is very close, to the point that both were apparently copied from the same exemplar or with at most one intermediary. This finding changes our perspective on the variant readings common to these two manuscripts. It has also become clear that this manuscript has significant similarities with the text of al-Kāfī that cannot be the result of a scribe's error or personal interpretation, and other manuscripts of Faqīh do not possess this feature. Therefore, it might raise the possibility that this manuscript represents a different recension of the existing text of Faqīh . It also appears that Fayḍ Kāshānī , unlike Majlisī , likely had access to more manuscripts of Faqīh , some of which shared a genealogy with this manuscript.
۵.
One of the most crucial pillars of social education is the concept of responsibility. This subject has received significant attention in narrative teachings. Social responsibility, as a key dimension of social education, entails an individual's commitment to their surrounding environment and can be considered an edifying value that counteracts self-centered tendencies such as hedonism and the pursuit of power. The concept of social responsibility encompasses both attention to the welfare of others and the pursuit of personal goals without disregarding or transgressing the legitimate expectations of others. This research seeks to utilize the teachings of Letter 31 of Nahj al-Balāghah , as one of the authoritative hadith sources, employing a descriptive-analytical method to examine the components of social responsibility from the perspective of Imam Ali (AS). In this study, the components of social responsibility refer to a set of interconnected elements that, through dynamic interaction with one another, guarantee the fulfillment of an individual's responsibility towards society. The findings of this research indicate that Letter 31 of Nahj al-Balāghah refers to components of social responsibility, including awareness of one's time, benevolence, wisdom in speech, the correlation between capability and accepting responsibility, charitable giving, forgiveness, and the social division of labor. This letter addresses individuals' responsibilities in interactions with friends, family, relatives, and opponents, revealing important aspects of the nature of responsible relationships.
۶.
Shaykh Ṣadūq , a preeminent Imami hadith scholar of the 4th century AH, began a new phase of his academic life by traveling to Rayy. On the other hand, Rayy had become a prominent hadith center due to the presence of Imami and Sunni scholars from across the Islamic world. The city's religious diversity, relative political freedom, and favorable economic conditions were also conducive to its growth. An examination of Shaykh Ṣadūq 's works reveals that scholars from the hadith school of Qazwin were also active in Rayy. Therefore, the presence of Shaykh Ṣadūq in Rayy and his meeting with Qazwīnī scholars in this region adds to the significance of this study. " Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Ali ibn Asad Asadī " is a Sunni hadith scholar from Qazwin whose name and memory are only found in Ṣadūq 's hadith writings. The appearance of the narrations from Abul Ḥasan Asadī Qazwīnī suggests that he was a Shi'i hadith scholar. However, with the lack of data about him in Shi'i biographical sources on the one hand, and the existence of rare information about him in Sunni narrative sources on the other, his activities and background can be identified. This article, using a descriptive-exploratory method, identifies the Sunni denomination of Abul Ḥasan Asadī , studies this active Qazwīnī scholar in Rayy, and critically examines the consequences and reasons for his presence in the city. The transmission of Sunni narrations from Qazwin to Rayy and the influence of this Qazwīnī scholar on the scholarly foundation of Ṣadūq are among the most important consequences of Abul Ḥasan Asadī 's presence in Rayy.
