The Manifestation of Sayyid Murtada’s Views in Dissertations_ the Third Part
۱. The Analysis and Evaluation of the Principles and Methods of Understanding and Criticizing the Traditions in Sayyid Murtada’s Works
Hamed Shari’ati Niyasar, Ph.D. in the Qur’anic Sciences and Hadith, Tehran University, ۲۰۱۳
Supervisor: Dr. Majid Ma’aref and Dr. Mohammadreza Shahrudi
Advisor: Dr. Mansour Pahlavan and Dr. ‘Abdolhadi Feqhizadeh
This dissertation is a study of Sayyid Murtada’s works, especially the ones related to the realm of hadith. In this research, his principles and methods concerning “understanding and criticizing the hadith” has been extracted; furthermore, an appropriate evaluation and analysis –which is not necessarily a criticism of his views– has been provided. To this end, first a brief introduction to Sayyid Murtada and his hadith works has been presented. Next, some of his “general thought principles” have been rendered, including: rational reasoning for fiqh regulations, defending the Shiite instructions, and the criticism of superstitions along with some examples. Sayyid Murtada approved the validity of the prophet’s conduct; meanwhile, he only believed in the validity of “widely transmitted” or “considered to be widely transmitted” traditions because of their resulting in certainty. For him, isolated traditions, which are considered to be weakly reliable traditions by him, are invalid; at the same time, he tries to find an acceptable interpretation and to provide a sound meaning for them. Furthermore, Sayyid Murtada believes that reasoning and traditions are in some cases supportive for each other and in some other cases cover independent realms.
In addition, Sayyid Murtada takes a “rational” approach in reading and criticizing the traditions, so that rationalism is evident in all of his works. Some of the rational principles approved by him include: primacy of the propositional meaning of the terms and preferring the general meaning rather than the specific one, except in limited cases; acknowledging rational favorableness and unfavorableness; believing in the free will for human being, meanwhile denying absolute free will. Furthermore, the principles of his beliefs in interpreting and criticizing the hadith can be divided into two groups: rational and tradition-based; and of course the rational side is the major and the common aspect.
In the criticism of traditions, Sayyid Murtada has appealed to various sources, the most important of which include: appealing to the grammar of the Arabic language; appealing to the poems of the famous Arab poets; appealing to the Qur’an and verified traditions; criticism of the external validity of the traditions, in addition to the criticism of the narrators and some tradition sources.
۲. Imamate from Sayyid Murtada’s and Qazi ‘Abd ol-Jabbar’s Viewpoint
Seyyed Ebrahim Saberi, M.A. in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Razavi University of Islamic Sciences of Mashhad, ۲۰۰۳
Supervisor: Azizollah Fayyaz Saberi
Advisor: Hoseini Shahrudi
One of the important issues in the Islamic theology is “imamate”. The existence of disagreements concerning this issue has resulted in development of various denominations and sects. The religious and theological discrepancies among the Muslims are the result of three issues: first, disagreement in the “caliph of the prophet of Islam”, which has divided the Muslims into two general groups of the Shiites and Sunnites; second, disagreement in “the principles of the religion and the belief issues”, which has resulted in the development of the triple theology schools of thought, including Ash’ariyah, Mo’tazilah and Shiism; third, disagreement in “the subsidiary principles of religion”, because of which various fiqh denominations have developed, including Hanbali, Maliki, Hanafi, and Ja’fari.
A careful study of the three mentioned issues will help us to easily realize that the first issue of disagreement, i.e. imamate and choosing the caliph after the prophet PBUH in the society is in fact the origin for the other two issues. The study of the issue of imamate from Sayyid Murtada’s and Qazi ‘Abd ol-Jabbar’s viewpoints reveals that they have a common view concerning imamate and they have both proved it. Sayyid Murtada argues for the necessity of imamate as a means for clarification of the regulations and guardians for the religion. Meanwhile, Qazi ‘Abd ol-Jabbar considers the imam as the ruler and the executor of the divine regulations, and he does not believe it to be provable through rational reasoning. On the other hand, Sayyid Murtada considers “infallibility” as the most important prerequisite characteristic for the imam; while, Qazi ‘Abd ol-Jabbar does not accept “infallibility” and just believes in justice as the important prerequisite for the position of imamate. Furthermore, Sayyid Murtada believes in the necessity of the appointment of the imam by God; however, ‘Abd ol-Jabbar believes that imam is to be chosen by the Islamic ummah.
۳. The Approach of Confronting the Claimers of Mahdawiat by the Scholars (Sheikh Sadouq, Sheikh Mufid, Sayyid Murtada and Sheikh Tusi)Mahdi Rasoulinia, the third level graduate in theology of the Seminary School of Qom, ۲۰۰۹
Supervisor: Hojjatol-Islam RasoulRazawi
Advisor: Abdolrahim Soleimani Behbahani
The belief in the promised Mahdi as the twelfth imam, the son of Imam Hasan ‘Askari PBUH, is one of the firm beliefs of the Imamyah Shiites; however, there have been deviations through the history in regard with deciding who it is, so that a number of people have claimed for Mahdawiyat. This study focuses on the Shiite scholars’ confrontation with two groups of such people: first, the ones who have been picked by the others, in pursuit of some intentions, to be the savior Mahdi, such as Mohammad Ibn-i Hanafiyah; second, ones who have claimed to be Mahdibecause of their ambitions and desire power, such as Ja’far, the liar.
In the first chapter the claim of the sect of “Saba’iyah”, who believed in Imam Ali PBUH as Mahdi, has been falsified. The reasons provided against them include: the traditions concerning his martyrdom, the traditions from the twelve imams, the traditions concerning the birth of Mahdi, the miracles of Imam Mahdi for proving his imamate.
In the second chapter the claim of the sect of “Kisaniyah”, who believed in Mohammad Ibn-i Hanafiyah as Mahdi, has been falsified. The reasons provided against them include: the testimony of Imam Baqir PBUH about the death of Mohammad Ibn-i Hanafiyah; the testimony of Imam Sadiq for Mohammad Ibn-I Hanafiyah’s acknowledgement of Imam Sajjad’s imamate before his decease; the nullification of Mohammad Ibn-I Hanafiyah’s infallibility, as a prerequisite for imamate; and absence of any endorsement by the former imams.
In the next chapter, the claims of the other claimers have been presented and criticized through the views of the mentioned scholars.
۴. The Analytic Study of the Hadith School of Baghdad (from the Second to Mid-fifth Centuries)
ElliyehRezadad, M.A. Graduate from Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, ۲۰۰۷
Supervisor: Dr. SeyyedKazemTabatabaie
Advisor: Hassan Naqizadeh
This research deals with the thought prevalent in the Shiite hadith realm in Baghdad through the second to mid-fifth century (After Hijrah). Sayyid Murtada is an outstanding figure in this realm. The research is an attempt to study the works of the scholars who followed the Baghdad School of thought and it analyzes their opinions and thoughts concerning hadith. The research follows a library method and the materials of the study include the books of the scholars of the Baghdad school and also the historical, hadith, rijal, fiqh, osul, theology, etc. works.
First, a brief review of the political, social and cultural conditions of Baghdad has been provided; then, the features of the fiqhol-hadith school of Baghdad have been studied and the characteristics of the school and the opinions of its scholars have been presented. The results of this study reveal that the most outstanding features of this school, which distinguish it from the other hadith schools include: rationalism, invalidity of isolated traditions, great emphasis on consensus, establishment of the science of hadith studies and development of osul and ijtihad discussions.
۵. A Literary and Content Translation and Analysis of Sayyid Murtada’s Elegiac Poetry for Imam Hussein
Mohammad Esma’ilzadeh, Ph.D. in Arabic Language and Literature
Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch of Tehran, ۲۰۰۸
Supervisor: Mahmoud Shakib
This dissertation deals with the translation and literary and content analysis of Sayyid Murtada’s elegiac poetry for Imam Hussein. First a biography of Sayyid Murtada has been presented. Then, his poetry has been studies. In this research, it is believed that Sayyid Murtada’s poetry is a perfect reflection of his age; because he was rich enough to avoid subservience and he did not compose his poetry for earning awards. He was a capable and eloquent poet; however, his fame in poetry did not exceed that of his brother, Sayyid Radi. This was possibly because of the jealousy of his opponents.
Sayyid Murtada composed fourteen short and long independent odes, consisting of ۶۹۴ verses, in mourning for his ancestor, Imam Hussein PBUH. In these mournful elegiac poems –which Sayyid Murtada usually composed on the day of ‘Ashura– he has supported the principles and ideals of the Shiites and has shown that he is a faithful Shiite. The study of Sayyid Murtada’s elegiac poems for Imam Hussein is particularly significant because it will reveal to which of the historical events he has referred, how he has mourned for Imam Hussein and his companions, and which points he has notified for the readers.
۶. Sayyid Murtada ‘Alam ol-Huda’s Interpretation Approach
Seyyedh Vahideh Rahimi, M.A. in the Qur’an and Hadith Sciences, Tehran University, ۱۹۹۶
Supervisor: Murteza Ayatollahzadeh
Advisor: Mohammad Ali Mahdavirad
This thesis is a study on Sayyid Murtada’s interpretation approach. It deals with the cultural situation and the prevalent theological and belief discussions at Sayyid Murtada’s age. Sayyid Murtada has been introduced as a rational interpreter in this study. His mastery in the Arabic literature is clearly observable in his interpretation of the Qur’an, so that he has removed the surface contradictions between the verses through appealing to the order of the verses and the Arabic literature. He has avoided limiting the meaning of the verses to one single meaning and he has presented numerous ideas.
۷. The Study of Hikmat in Sayyid Murtada’s Diwaan: First Part (Alif to Saad)
Mohsen Zamani, M.A. in Arabic Language and Literature, Yazd University, ۲۰۱۱
Supervisor: Reza Afkhami ‘Aqda
Advisor: Vesal Meimandi
Hikmat literally means wisdom, justice, knowledge, patience, rightness, advice, philosophy, etc. In the Qur’an, the word has been used in the mentioned senses, and at the same time it refers to religion, truth and God’s word. In literature, Hikmat refers to: short eloquent utterances which imply religious, moral, social and … recommendations. Hikmat is divided into two groups: theoretical (related to beliefs) and practical (related to ethical virtues). Since the early times among the Arabs, especially since the jahili period, referring to the belief issues and moral human virtues along with the poetic features was prevalent in the poems of the Arab poets. In the period of Islam, the Qur’anic knowledge and the hadithes from the prophet, enriched the Hikmat and in the age of Abbasids considerable developments took place in its style and concepts. So that, in the poems of some poets (e.g. Abu al-‘Atahiyah), Hikmat became the main issue in elegiac poetry and also some odes initiated with Hikmat points rather than Talali ones (the initial verses of ancient Arabic poems in memory of the beloved).
Sayyid Murtada is among the poets in the second period of the Abbasids. In the theoretical Hikmat he has dealt with issues such as: death, human creation, world, resurrection, Ahl ol-Bayt, and piousness; in the pragmatic side of Hikmat, he has referred to human and moral virtues such as: friendship, generosity, pride, patience, mightiness, knowledge, and presidency. In the latter sense, the influence of Qur’an, hadith and his beliefs is quite evident. The points considered in his poems is dealing with Islamic issues and their clarification in general and mentioning the Shiites thoughts in particular.
۸. A Study on allegory and its types in Sayyid Murtada’s Amaali
Fatemeh Jamshidi, M.A. in Arabic Literature, Yazd University, ۲۰۱۱
Supervisor: Vesal Meimandi
Advisor: Mohammad Ali Salmani
This research studies the Qur’anic verses, the prophet’s traditions and also the poems mentioned in Al-Amaali and tries to clarify the allegorical expressions and concepts. It also briefly compares Sayyid Murtada’s views with the views of the rhetoric researchers. Allegory in this work has been defined as: “a strategy in rhetoric and a subtle favorable literary way for implicit reference to the purpose. One of the basic principles of the strategy is the undeniable relationship between the form and the meaning, which helps the writer or the speaker to express what is mean in an ambiguous manner which is not easily interpretable; and even sometimes different implications are derived.”
The reason behind choosing Al-Amaali was that, in this book, Sayyid Murtada has appealed to verbal means, especially the allegory, in order to present his interpretation of the Qur’anic verses, and hadithes and composing his own poems. Al-Amaali is a unique religious and literary inheritance, which emphasizes on the Qur’an, the hadith and ancient Arab poems. The study of this book reveals its author’s deep and penetrating views, who has presented his profound ideas through his vast knowledge.
۹. A Study of Sayyid Murtada’s Interpretation Approach and a Translation of Al-Amaali (from Chapter of A’raaf to the End of Chapter of Anbiyaa)
Mahnaz Shafi’ Tala’i, M.A. in Islamic Theology and Knowledge, Qur’an and Hadith Sciences, Islamic Azad University, North of Tehran Branch, ۱۹۹۵
Supervisor: Seyyed Morteza Ayatollahzadeh Shirazi
In this thesis, first there is an introduction to Sayyid Murtada, Al-Amaali, and his methodology. The interpretation discussions by Sayyid Murtada in Al-Amaali have been collected and translated and the odd terms have been explained. The proverbs and the poems by the author have been clarified and their references have been provided.
۱۰. A Study on Sayyid al-Sharif al-Murtada’s SonnetNajiyyeh Kashani, M.A. in Arabic Language and Literature, the Faculty of Literature, Islamic Azad University, Center of Tehran Branch, ۲۰۰۳
Language of thesis: Arabic
Supervisor: Simin Molavi
Advisor: Maliheh Fardani
The Purpose of this research is to provide a better introduction to Sayyid Murtada’s literary-cultural characteristics considering the fact that the literary society is not appropriately acquainted with his resourceful character and he has been overshadowed in this regard by his noble brother, “Sharif Radi”.
This thesis includes an introduction and two chapters and has taken a library method of research and it has also appealed to a number of necessary sources. Sayyid Murtada’s poems have been studied and the content of his poems, which are partly elegiac and partly political have been explained.
The results reveal that besides being an outstanding religious figure, Sayyid Murtada was a distinctive literary, political and cultural character. The study of his poems clearly reveals that he has appealed to a pure and Gnostic love in them, without which he could never succeed. It is evident that the pure love originated from his outstanding characteristic.
۱۱. Imamiyah Monfaridaat in the Penal Law of Islam: Translation and Study of the Book of Punishment, Retaliation and Compensation for Injuries in Sayyid Murtada’s “Al-Intisaar”
Valiyollah Malakutifar, Ph. D. in Theology, Tehran University, ۱۹۹۱
Supervisor: Alireza Feyz
Advisors: Hussein Fekri and Maryam Darvishpour
In this dissertation, the chapters of punishment, retaliation and injury compensation have been translated. First, there is a detailed introduction on the characteristics of the penal system of Islam; next, there is an exhaustive biography of Sayyid Murtada. The dissertation has not been organized in the form of chapters, and the content has been presented in a dispersed manner.
Some of the issues discussed in this dissertation are: Sayyid Murtada; Sayyid Murtada from the viewpoint of Shiite scholars; Sayyid Murtada’s teachers; Sayyid Murtada’s works; introduction of Al-Intisaar; explanation of the meaning of punishment; a study on tafkhith (intercrural sex); a study on sodomy; the viewpoint of the Imamiyah scholars about ishtraat-e Ahsaan (the conditions of intercourse in sodomy); a study on lesbianism; traditions on lesbianism; a study on masturbation; a study on qiaadat (arranging prostitution); a study on alcoholic beverages; a discussion on beer; the words in the four denominations about one who drinks alcohol repeatedly; the scholars statements about incest; a study on fornication of ahl-i zimmah (unbelievers in Islam who are citizens of Islam territory); a study on the one who forces a woman for fornication; a study on robbery; a study on the blood money of abortion; a study of gang rubbery; a study on murder; a study on the blood money of ahl-i zimmah (unbelievers in Islam who are citizens of Islam territory).
۱۲. A Comparative Study on the Theological and Philosophical Reasoning Concerning the Issue of Source of Being from the Viewpoints of Sayyid Murtada, Qazi ‘Abd ol-Jabbar, and Mohaqqiq Tusi
Mostafa Soltani, Ph. D. in Islamic Sciences and Theology, Baqir al-Olum University, ۲۰۱۲
Supervisor: Ali Rabbani Golpayegani
Advisor: Mohammad Safar Jebrili
This research is about the nature of reasoning in theology and philosophy and their approaches concerning the origin of being from the viewpoints of Sayyid Murtada, Sheikh Tusi and Qazi ‘Abd ol-Jabbar. The findings of the study show that reasoning has numerous functions in philosophy. Meanwhile, two of its concepts are the major and most prevalent in philosophy: first, reasoning as a stage of existence which has an abstract nature and function; second, reasoning as a potential of human nature which is mostly studied in “the book of Al-Nafs”.
The findings of the study show that the second concept of reasoning for the philosophers is the same as what theologians mean by reasoning; because, the theological and philosophical reasoning in the studies about the origins of being are not innately different. The comparison of the views of the three mentioned scholars reveals that in philosophy and theology it is believed that reasoning is capable of clarification and analysis of the issues of the origin of being; although, Sheikh Tusi tends to believe that philosophical reasoning is more capable and plays a stronger role.
This research aims to describe and analyze the views of the three mentioned scholars for proving the origin of being and God’s attributes through the study of some minor issues relating to the origin of being and it focuses on a number of specific discussions like the reasoning of contingency, reasoning of the possibility and necessity and also the discussion of the attributes which have rational nature.
۱۳. The Status of Sharif Murtada in the Literary Criticism of the Fifth Century (After Hijrah)
Mohammad Amin Taqva, Ph. D. graduate from Imam Sadiq University, ۲۰۱۴
Supervisor: Baqer Qorbani Zarrin
Advisors: Ali Saberi and Alireza Baqer
Sayyid Murtada is considered as an expert literary critic. This research takes a library and analytic approach to study his critical approach from the viewpoints of theoretical and practical criticism and also meta-criticism. To this end Sayyid Murtada’s various works and his critical approach have been studied. He has three works which include the highest amount of the literary criticism issues: Al-Amaali, Al-Shahaab and Tayfol-Khiaal. Beyond criticizing the literary works, Sayyid Murtada has criticized a number of the views, theories and critical issues of his age through criticizing various literary works of different literary periods, explanation of some prevalent criticism discussions and issues, and appealing to the theories of the literary-criticism theoreticians.
In some cases, he has directly presented the views and rules of the literary criticism; and in some other cases, he has referred to the views and rules indirectly through approving or criticizing the views of other critics. In some of his works he carries out theorizing and in other cases he suggests a new critical approach for criticizing literary works. The findings reveal that Sayyid Murtada was highly skilled in literary criticism.
۱۴. Explicitness and implicitness and Interpretation of the Qur’an with an Emphasis on the Works by Sayyid Murtada, Sheikh Tusi, ‘Allameh Tabatabaie and Ayatollah Ma’refatDavoud Torabi, M.A. in the Qur’an and Hadith Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaie University, Faculty of Foreign Literature and Languages, ۲۰۱۲
Supervisor: Saleh Hassanzadeh
Advisor: Mohammad Hussein Bayat
This research focuses on the works of four Qur’an science and interpretation scholars in order to study their views concerning explicitness, implicitness and interpretation in the Qur’an. The study proves that in the seventh verse of chapter ‘Aal-i ‘Imraan, “ta’vil” does not imply an interpretation of implicit issues; rather it is expressing some truths that implicit verses are supposed to reveal; hence, it is concluded that implicit aspects of the Qur’anic verses contain some metaphysical truths concerning God’s essence and attributes, which are impossible to be understood through reflecting on them, and only God is aware of them (which is the very same interpretation), and if he wishes, he instructs them to the individuals (such as the prophets and the infallible Imams).
In this sense, penetration in science does not mean sinking in abundant knowledge; rather, it implies consistency in faith and hesitation at ambiguous cases. “the ones well grounded in knowledge”, who have been referred to in the mentioned verse, are the ones who have been praised by God because of giving up reflecting on these verses and showing absolute obedience in regard with them. The meaning of “the ones well grounded in knowledge” is not limited to the prophets and the imams; rather, it includes anyone who has a firm faith and does not dare to deal with ambiguous cases. Furthermore, the traditions from the infallible imams (such as: “we are the ones well grounded in knowledge and we know its interpretation”) do not interpret the verse and do not limit the exclusive cases of the “well-grounded ones in knowledge”; rather, as Allameh Tabatabaie says, they just refer to the cases which match with the meaning.
۱۵. A Study of Sayyid Murtada’s Views in TheologyAsghar Einolahzadeh Samadi, M.A. in Theology, Tehran University, ۱۹۹۰
Supervisor: Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari
This dissertation has been organized in the form of an introduction and two parts. In the introduction, a biography of Sayyid Murtada has been provided along with mentioning his teachers, students and works. In the first part of the thesis, Sayyid Murtada’s approach in theology and the way of his dealing with the denominations to be confronted have been discussed. In the second part, his views have been presented. The references have been included at the end of the thesis.
۱۶. Extracting Sayyid Murtada’s Interpretation Views and Opinions (from Chapter of Al-i ‘Imraan to Chapter of A’raaf)Seyyedeh Vahideh Rahimi, M.A. in Qur’anic and Hadith Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, ۱۹۹۵
Supervisor: Seyyed Murtada Ayatollahzadeh Shirazi
This thesis is a study of Sayyid Murtada’s interpretation views in Al-Amaali concerning the Qur’anic chapters including: Al-i ‘Imraan, Nisaa’, Maa’idah, An’aam, and A’raaf. The authors quoted in the text and poems in Sayyid Murtada’s Al’Amaali have been identified and mentioned through referring to poetry Diwaans and interpretation books including: Ma’aani al-Qur’an by Faraa’, Haqayeq al-Ta’wil by Sayyid Radi, Al-Tibyaan by Tusi, Kashshaf by Zamakhshari, Majma’ ol-Bayaan by Tabarsi and Al-Mizaan by Tabatabaie. The introductory part of this thesis includes a detailed biography of Sayyid Murtada.
۱۷. A Comparison of the Elegiac Poems by Sayyid Murtada and Sayyid Radi
Mahin Safariyan Darani, M.A. in Persian Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, ۲۰۰۲
Supervisor: Alireza Baqer
Advisor: Baqer Qorbani Zarrin
This research is a study of Sayyid Murtada’s and Sayyid Radi’s initiatives in poetry through focusing on their elegiac poems in mourning for their ancestor Imam Hussein PBUH. The research takes a library approach and includes the following issues: study of the political and … conditions, biographies of the mentioned poets, and their elegiac poems in mourning for Imam Hussein. The study concludes that Sharif Murtada and Sharif Radi reveal the hideous nature of Bani Umayyah through illustrating the extremely sorrowful tragedy of Karbala. Besides praising the Ahl ol-Bayt, they reproach Bani Umayyah.
۱۸. The Shiite Contents in the Poems by Sharif Radi and Shari MurtadaMohsen Shabestani, M. A. in Arabic Language and Literature, Razi University, Kermanshah, ۲۰۰۳
Supervisor: Yahya Marouf
Advisor: Jahangir Amiri
This research shows that Sharif Radi and Sharif Murtada were among the most outstanding characters in the late period of Abbasids, who revealed their love and support for the Ahl ol-Bayt throughout their lives; they expressed their respect for the imams through poems which are generally appreciative or elegiac. This work, first, provides a cultural and political account of the Abbasid age, and then illustrates in detail the process of the development of the lives of these two brothers. The study presents an account of the characteristics of the Shiite poetry in terms of form and content. The research concludes that one of the strategies Shiites appealed to in oder to prove their rightness and to develop their valuable goals has been composing poems; this strategy has been very fruitful for the Shiites and the subsequent poets shone in this process: Farazdaq, Sayyid Hemiri, De’bal Khaza’i, Komeit Ibn-i Zeid Asadi, and Sharif Radi.
۱۹. A Comparative Study on Reasoning and Revelation in the Kufa and Baghdad Schools of ThoughtSeyyed Ahmad Hosseini Baharanchi, M.A. in Hadith Sciences, Qur’an and Hadith University of Qom, Faculty of Hadith Sciences, ۲۰۱۱
Supervisor: Mohammad Taqi Sobhani
Advisor: Seyyed Mohammad Kazem Tabatabaie
This research is a comparative study on the issues of reasoning and revelation in the Kufa and Baghdad schools of thought. The researcher tries to take a historical approach and compare these two important Shiite schools of thought, whose views were prevalent among the Shiites from the second to fifth centuries. The study pursues two goals: the position of reasoning for the thinkers of these two schools of thought; the study of the views of the thinkers about the manner of the interaction between reasoning and revelation. The Shiite thinkers in Baghdad school (including Sheikh Mufid, Sayyid Murtada, and Sheikh Tusi) did their best to protect the realm of the Shiism and clarify and protect its instructions (the traditions from the imams) so that they could interact with prevalent thoughts and they could prove the rationality of the Shiite instructions in their debates. This goal caused them to express their views concerning reasoning and revelation in a way that they fit the scientific formulations of the period.
۲۰. The Relationship between Reasoning and Revelation in Sheikh Mufid’s and Sayyid Murtada’s Opinions
Somayyeh Salarvandiyan, M.A. in Islamic Philosophy and Theosophy, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, ۲۰۱۱
Supervisor: Majid MollaYusefi.
Advisor: Hadi Fanaie
This study deals with “the relationship between reasoning and revelation”, which has been a basic concern for the Muslim thinkers. Most of the thinkers believe that the mentioned relationship can be perceived in a number of ways: first, supremacy of revelation (which in its own turn is divided into extremist and moderate views); second, supremacy of reasoning; and third, harmony between reasoning and revelation. Sheikh Mufid believes that revelation is in need of reasoning and they can never be separated and he prevents the people from blind obedience of the religious rules and revelatory instructions. Sayyid Murtada, Sheikh Mufid’s outstanding student, believes that reasoning is necessary and also enough for achieving the knowledge toward God and also establishment of theology.
Unlike the Rationalists and Mo’tazilah of Basrah, who believe that the religious instructions are approvable only through reasoning, Sayyid Murtada takes a more moderate stand concerning the status of reasoning and emphasizes on the necessity of revelation, as well. As a result of the conditions of his age and based on the principles of his thoughts, Sheikh Mufid tried to remain faithful to the principles and logical approaches in order to prove and support the Shiite beliefs. Meanwhile, Sayyid Murtada chose a wider view toward the rational arguments. Although he was somehow influenced by the rationalist approach of the Mo’tazilah, his Shiite tendencies cannot be ignored.
۲۱. Infallibility of the Prophets from Sayyid Murtada’s ViewpointAsiyeh Mirzaie, M.A. in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Tehran University, ۲۰۰۴
Supervisor: Qasemali Kuchnani
Advisor: Ahmad Beheshti
The present research is a theological analysis of Sayyid Murtada’s view about the nature of the prophets’ infallibility and its origin. To this end, first the thoughts of outstanding Shiite scholars have been studied, including: Sheikh Sadouq, Sheikh Mufid, Sayyid Murtada, Allameh Helli and Fazil Miqdaad; then, there is a focus on the viewpoint which is the origin of the issue of infallibility, i.e. “the principle of Grace”. In this research, Sayyid Murtada’s arguments in clarifying ambiguous Qur’anic verses in proof of the prophets’ infallibility have been studied. Furthermore, Allameh Tabatabaie’s viewpoint concerning the origin of infallibility has been presented: the origin is considered to be “the well-grounded knowledge in the soul and the mental faculty”, whose influence is foremost and permanent. The other discussions covered in this thesis include: the stages of infallibility and its probability, the relationship between infallibility and free will, and purification, through appealing to the Qur’anic verses, concerning some of the divine prophets such as Ibrahim, Noah, Adam, Jacob, Josef, Job, Sho’ayb, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah, Jesus and Mohammad PBUT.
۲۲. Sharif Murtada’s Theological ViewpointsKarim Velayati, M.A. in Islamic Theology and Knowledge, Islamic Azad University, Tehran Branch, ۱۹۹۰
Supervisor: Gholam Hussein Ebrahimi Dinani
This thesis starts with an introduction on Sayyid Murtada’s biography and his works, and continues with the rest of the discussions without being organized in the form of chapters. The first discussed issue is “human’s first duty” from the viewpoint of Islamic theologians. The next discussions include: theology, God’s Attributes, divine justice, unity of divine acts and resurrection study.
Sayyid Murtada’s opinions and beliefs have been provided after presenting each theological issue. Since Sayyid Murtada’s theological discussions have not been presented by him in any specific order and they are to be found in his various works, his views have been extracted and put together by the researcher. The researcher claims that Sayyid Murtada has dealt with acts of the humans more than other issues. Therefore, the mentioned issue has been placed at the beginning of this work.
۲۳. A Study of the Issue of Mahdaviat in Islamic Philosophy and Theology
Asghar Purbahrami, M.A. in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, the Institute of Theosophy and Philosophy, ۲۰۰۴
Supervisor: Ali Afzali
Advisor: Shahram Pazuki
This thesis is the first study concerning the Islamic philosophers and theologians about the belief in the savior. To this end, the viewpoints of the following scholars have been studied. From among the works by the Imamiyah theologians, the researcher has referred to: Sheikh Mufid, Sayyid Murtada, and Sheikh Tusi; from Mo’tazilah: Qazi ‘Abd ol-Jabbar and Ibn-i Abi al-Hadid; from Asha’irah: Fakhr ol-Ddin Razi; Mir Sayyid Sharif Jorjani; from Islamic philosophers: Farabi, Ibn-I Sina, Sheikh Ishraq, Mirdamad and Sadr ol-Mota’allihin. The researcher tries to achieve the three following goals: first, extracting, organizing and presenting the views of each of the mentioned philosophers and theologians concerning the issue of the belief in the savior; second, the necessity of the belief in the savior in each of the mentioned systems; third, determining the thought system which shows the highest concern for the necessity in the belief in the savior. To this end, the theories of each of the mentioned philosophers and theologians about imamate and prophethood have been studied.
۲۴. A Study on Elegiac for Hussein and Admiring the Ahl ol-Bayt: A Description of the Religious Manifestations in Sayyid Murtada’s DiwaanParastu Ahmadi, M.A. in Arabic Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah Branch, ۲۰۰۸
Supervisor: Jamshid Baqerzadeh
Advisor: Hamidreza Abdolmohammadi
Sayyid Murtada was a unique scientific and fiqhi character at his own age. He composed poems for various purposes including: elegiac, praise, pure sonnet, fakhr, sheib and religious poetry. The purpose of this study is to focus on Sayyid Murtada’s Diwaan, especially on his elegiac poems for Hussein PBUH and his poetry concerning the adoration of the Ahl ol-Bayt.
۲۵. A Study on Sayyid Murtada’s Theological IdeasMustafa ‘Ezz o’-Ddin, Third-Level Graduate in Theology, Navvab Safavi Seminary School, Khorasan Razavi, ۲۰۱۱
Supervisor: Hojjat ol-Islam Mahmoud Yazdi Motlaq
Advisor: Alireza Najafzadeh
This research is a study on some of Sayyid Murtada’s most important views in theology, which has been organized in two chapters and five parts. The first chapter deals with Sayyid Murtada’s biography and the parts in the second chapter focus on his theological views concerning the Unity of God, prophecy, and resurrection.
The research is a study of Sayyid Murtada’s works. His views have been compared with the views of other theologians concerning the following issues: Divine Names and Attributes, the divine knowledge, meaning of free will, divine justice, goodness and badness, determinism and free will, the miracle of the Qur’an, infallibility, necessity of imamate, belief and disbelief, promise for reward and threat for punishment.
۲۶. Sheikh Mufid’s and Sayyid Murtada’s Views in Ijtihad (Discretionary Diligence)Panam Anwar, M.A. in Islamic Theology and Knowledge and the Study of Religions, Qom University, ۲۰۰۱
Supervisor: Ali Asghar Mousavi Rokni
Advisor: Askar Dirbaz
This research is a study of Sheikh Mufid’s and Sayyid Murtada’s views concerning ijtihad (discretionary diligence). It is known that Shiite and Sunnite scholars have different viewpoints concerning some issues in fiqh and osul, so that they have sometimes criticized each other. This research deals with the following issues: a historical study of ijtihad approaches, the theoretical fundamentals of ijtihad approaches, validity of isolated traditions, validity of consensus, rational reasons, validity of judicial reasoning by analogy, comparison of the opinions of Sheikh Mufid and Sayyid Murtada in ijtihad.
۲۷. A Comparative Study on Sayyid Murtada’s and Sheikh Tusi’s Opinions in OsulAbdol-Hussein Heidari, Ph. D. in Theology, the Major of Fiqh and the Principles of Islamic Law, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, ۲۰۰۲
Supervisor: Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi Bojnourdi
Advisor: Alireza Feiz
This thesis has been organized in four parts. The first part, which provides general points, uses reliable sources and provides the biographies of Sayyid Murtada and Sheikh Tusi. It continues with presenting the characteristics of the two books of Al-Zari’ah ila Osul al-Shari’ah and Al-‘Iddah fi al-Osul and it introduces the authors’ specific opinions. The second chapter provides a comparative account on discussion of the terms, first through Sayyid Murtada’s view and next through Sheikh Tusi’s view.
The third chapter is about the validity of isolated traditions. To this end, first the isolated tradition has been defined and its kinds have been explained; next Sayyid Murtada’s opinion concerning the invalidity of isolated traditions has been discussed, and different available ideas in this regard have been presented; in the following, Shiekh Tusi’s idea, which is based on the validity of isolated traditions, along with the principles of his view have been provided.
The last part of the thesis is a comparison of Sayyid Murtada’s and Sheikh Tusi’s views in osul concerning “the validity of consensus”. The definition of consensus and its types have been provided and the differences in two scholars’ ideas in this regard have been explained. Based on the major points of the mentioned books, the study concludes that despite the fact that the two scholars have different approaches in appealing to the view of the infallible imams, both of them believe that in most of the cases consensus does not cancel the opinions of the infallible imams.
۲۸. A Translation and Study on the Book of Nikaah (Marriage) from Sayyid Murtada’s Al-IntisaarNasir Kiyaie, M.A. in Fiqh and Hadith Principles, Faculty of Theology, Tehran University, ۱۹۹۰
Supervisor: Alireza Feiz
This research starts with an introduction to the book Al-Intisaar and its characteristics, and then a translation of a part of the book has been provided. Concerning each discussed issue, first the words of the Imamiyah jurists and then the ideas of the Sunnit jurists have been presented. For each case, a number of relevant specific traditions and in some cases some general traditions have been provided. Furthermore, the traditions have been classified. Concerning the issue of the Marriage in hajj, which is one of the two kinds of prohibited marriages by Omar, a detailed discussion have been added as an appendix to the work, although this issue is not relevant to the topic of this thesis. Furthermore, the legal cases relevant to each issue have been provided respectively in the appendix to this work.
۲۹. A Translation and Study of the First Part of Sayyid Murtada’s “Tanzih ol-Anbiyaa”Narges Mirzadeh, M.A. in the Qur’an and Hadith Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, ۲۰۱۰
Supervisor: Abbas Homami
Advisor: Mohammad Mahdi Mazaheri
Sayyid Murtada’s Tanzihol-Anbiaa is a study on the issue of infallibility of the prophets and it deals with the Qur’anic verses concerning some characteristics of the prophets, which are interpretable. In this book, Sayyid Murtada considers infallibility one of the prophets’ outstanding attributes and as a requirement for their prophethood. He verifies this issue through the study of the lives of the prophets from Adam to Mohammad. Following each part, besides the translation the issue in question has been studied and the best view has been presented along with the relevant text. This part of the book, which has been translated in this study, deals with the infallibility of Noah, Ibrahim, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Sho’aib and Moses.
۳۰. Sayyid Murtada’s Interpretation Discussions: A Collection, Translation and Study from Chapters Hud to KahfReza Shokrani, M.A. in the Qur’an and Hadith Sciences, Tehran University, ۱۹۹۰
Supervisor: Seyyed Mohammad Baqer Hojjati
The discussions of this thesis have been organized in the form of an introduction, Sayyid Murtada’s biography, his scientific life and interpretation discussions. A content table of the translated and interpreted Qur’anic verses has been presented at the very beginning.
In the introduction, there is an account on the method of research and the stages of choosing, translating and explaining the verses. In order to validate the research, different copies of Sayyid Murtada’s books and some available manuscripts were consulted. Meibodi’s translation in Kashf ol-Asrar has been used for proving the translation of the verses. Furthermore, the doubts posed by the sects and denominations and Sayyid Murtada’s answers have been presented. In order to clarify the views of the critics, the researcher has referred to Milal wa Nihal. Furthermore, a list of the references mentioned in the text and the sources of the poems cited by Sayyid Murtada have been provided.
۳۱. A Translation, Clarification and Study on the Chapter of “Fasting” (Al-Siaam) from Said Murtada’s Al-IntisaarMehri Qanbari Doustkouhi, M.A. in Fiqh and the Principles of Islamic Law, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan Branch, ۲۰۰۳
Supervisor: Mohammad Ali Qorbani
In this study, first the Arabic text of the different parts have been presented separately, each of which follows with its translation. In addition to the translation of the texts, there are explanations and studies concerning each section, accompanied with the traditions from the imams and citations from a number of Shiite jurists. At the end of each discussion, the viewpoints of the five denominations have been provided.
This thesis deals with two parts: “the book of Al-Siyaam” (fasting) and “the book of Al-I’tikaaf” (spiritual retirement). The book of Al-Siyaam includes seventeen discussions. For this part, there is an introduction about Ramadan and its literal and technical definitions. Then, there is a discussion of its relevant issues.
The book of Al-I’tikaaf includes six issues, each of which have been discussed after the definition of the term and its historical background.
۳۲. A Translation and Clarification of the Issues of Judgment and Testimony from Sayyid Murtada’s Al-IntisaarRahmatollah Sa’idi Garaghani, M.A. in Fiqh and Principles of Law, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan Branch, ۲۰۰۲
Supervisor: Mohammad Ali Qorbani
Advisor: Zin ol-Abedin Qorbani
In this thesis, the Arabic text of Al-Intisaar concerning the issue in question has been divided into similar parts and each text is accompanied with its translation. It has been tried to provide a faithful translations and additional points have been add as footnotes. The translations have been accompanied with explanations. The thesis consists of two parts: “judgment” and “testimony”. Each part includes a number of chapters. The chapters of the first part deal with: the literal and technical definition of judgment; validity and legality of judgment in the Qur’an and traditions; status, requirements and authority of the judge, etc. The second chapter deals with: testimony; ways to prove the truth; literal and technical definition of testimony; the validity of testimony; and some relevant issues.
۳۳. A Translation and Study of Sayyid Murtada’s Tanzih ol-Anbiaa
Mohsen Shayegan, M.A. in the Qur’an and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Theology, Tehran University, ۱۹۹۶
Supervisor: Azartash Azarnoush
Advisor: Mohammad Ali Mahdavirad
This thesis first provides a Persian translation of the Arabic text of the book. The additional points of the researcher have been put in brackets. The footnotes are related to the sources of the traditions, samples from poems, a brief biography of the authors cited in the text and also a translation and clarification of the expressions in the text.
At the end of each chapter, the necessary annotations have been added. In the annotation part, the stories of the prophets have been provided in details based on the Islamic traditions and the verses of the Holy Books (Bible and Torah). At the end, it is concluded that most of the Islamic traditions which apparently refer to the sins committed by the prophets originate from that part of Torah which is known as Isra’iliyaat.
۳۴. A Critical Study of Hadith in the Baghdad Theological School of ThoughtAli Naqi Khodayari, Ph. D. in the Qur’an and Hadith Sciences, Imam Sadiq University, ۲۰۱۰
Supervisor: Mohammad Ali Mahdavirad
Advisors: Majid Ma’aref and Kamran Izadi Mobarakeh
This thesis consists of an introduction and six chapters, and it seeks to answer the following questions: what are the characteristics of the hadith studies by the Baghdad theologians? What is the position and function of reasoning in this approach? What are the principles and criteria of the Imamiyah theologians of Baghdad in hadith criticism? What are their tools for hadith interpretation? In order to answer these questions, the works of the outstanding theologians of Baghdad school, i.e. Sheikh Mufid and his student Sayyid Murtada, have been studied.
In the following, the major features of the theological school of Baghdad concerning hadith validation and criticism have been studied. These features include: negation of the validity of isolated traditions; emphasis on the necessity of hadith criticism; general criticism of validation approaches and jurisprudential regulations of tradition studies of the narrators; vastness and variety of the criticized hadithes; use of numerous approaches and criteria in hadith criticism. In the field of hadith jurisprudential regulations (fiqh ol-hadith), the theologians’ approach is featured with three characteristics: tendency to interpretation, tendency to literary metaphor, and the appeal to numerous tools in extracting the meaning of the hadith.
