Month: December 2021

“La Uqsimu” in the Quran: I Swear or I Do Not Swear?

In a number of places in the Qurān the phrase lā uqsimu has been used. Consider the following verses: 1) Surah Wāqi‘ah فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَاقِعِ النُّجُومِ – 56:75 وَإِنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَّوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ – 56:76  [56:75] So, I swear by the setting places of the stars, [56:76] and it is certainly a great oath if … Read more

What is the Islamic Proof for Ilm al-Rijal as the Criterion for the Authenticity of Hadith?

Originally posted on Thaqalay.blog | This is a translation of a Q&A posed to Shaykh Hobbollah, original Arabic here.  Question: I kindly request you, our esteemed Sheikh, to enumerate evidence from the Qurʾān or ḥadīths from the infallibles, peace be upon them, that ‘ilm al-rijāl in its present state is the criterion for the authenticity of ḥadīths. … Read more

Role of Tribes in the Prophetic Seerah

Reflections & Thoughts | To know more about this format called “Reflections & Thoughts”, please read the first two paragraphs in this post. It is quite observable that the general community does not have much of an affinity with the Prophetic Seerah. Historically speaking there have been a few reasons for this, though whether those reasons … Read more

Completion of Religion & Teachings of the Imams

Back in my mid-to-late teenage years, a question would often boggle my mind. If the religion of Islam was completed on the day of Ghadīr, as the verse of the Quran also indicates, then how was it that the traditions of the Imams (a) were seemingly teaching us rulings that were not taught by the … Read more

Mutahhar b. Tahir al-Maqdisi Commenting on the Impact of Storytellers

Storytellers (al-Quṣṣāṣ) have always remained an important segment of any society. Stories are an excellent way to sway people to a certain direction, to admonish them, or to simply pass on wisdom and lessons in the most attractive way possible. Indeed the Quran also narrates stories, though a vast majority of Muslim exegetes have generally … Read more

Part 2: Halo and Horn Effect & Insincerity in Our Critiques

Building off of a previous post regarding the halo and horn effect in the way we observe and interpret historical personalities, another manifestation of this cognitive bias occurs when we wish to engage in academic evaluation or criticism of a person’s views or behaviour. One of the ways opponents and enemies of prophets & messengers … Read more

Film Review: The Lady of Heaven

Alert: there are tons of spoilers in the post. Got an opportunity to watch the recently released film The Lady of Heaven. Given the $15 million spent on it, I was hoping for something far better and meaningful in terms of storytelling. Unfortunately, this film didn’t really live up to the – relatively low – … Read more

The Scope of ʿAql in Political Fiqh

The following is a speech delivered by Ustad Mohammad Soroush Mahallati at a conference in commemoration of the late Dr. Davoud Feyrahi (d. 2020) on the anniversary of his passing. Ustad Mohammad Soroush Mahallati Introduction One year has passed since the death of the beloved professor and distinguished researcher, Ḥujjat al-Islām wa al-Muslimīn Dr. Feyrahi. … Read more

Revisiting Abu al-Khattab and the Khattabiyya (A Response)

كان أبو الخطاب أحمق فكنت أحدثه فكان لا يحفظ، و كان يزيد من عنده Abu al-Khattab was a fool – I would narrate to him so he would not preserve it, and he would add from himself. Imam al-Sadiq Originally posted on Shiitic Studies. Introduction The first installment of a promised multi-part ‘response’ to my … Read more

Specification of the Majority – Takhsis al-Akthar

In the Fiqh class of Food & Drinks, lessons 115-117 on March 21st – 23rd of 2020, the principle of Takhṣīṣ al-Akthar – Specification of the Majority – was discussed. Here I wanted to share some points summarized from those lessons. For more details, see volume 3 of Fiqh al-Aṭ‘imah wa al-Ashribah, pgs. 432-446. The … Read more