Islamic Thought

Revelation Causes

It is clear that in understanding interpretation science there are causes behind the revealing of some holy verses of the Qur'an, because they were all revealed to address a certain event and status or to answer either a particular question or to explain a certain incident. So, the scientists who deal with Qur'anic studies have allocated some books for writing down the revelation causes, as interpreters have stated the causes of revealed verses in books of interpretation, and made them quite clear for people. And, since a showing of revelation causes depends on narration and quotation, we find a difference in statements.

Some causes for revelation, held among interpreters, deal with suspicion of accuracy, because, occasionally, interpreters, due to personal inclinations, concentrate on a private view or try to defend it, particularly if the revelation is connected with noble deeds and virture or with pointing out mistakes, as well as, when they imagine a negative status and, there again, sometimes, due to other motives and reasons.

In connection with causes for revelation, there is another problem which concerns confusing the application of the verses according to their credibilities by considering the credibility as a cause of the revelation. All this will be submitted to fair, objective research, as well as, investigation through studying and research into the Holy Qur'an.

The point, here, touches on the value of the revelation cause and its role in understanding and finding out the ideas; besides, enrichment of thought, culture and Islamic knowledge. It is clear that the verse, at the time of its revelation, surely discovers a phenomenon and state that may express Sunnah and public law, and that phenomenon is repeatedly congruent with its causes.

Therefore, the well-known, contemporary religious authorities have made an appraisal which is thus: "The speciality of researching the source does not signify the incoming item."(29)

In summary, studying the cause of revelation will supply us with facts that have been addressed by the Qur'an, as well as, provide us with new thoughts and knowledge; which cannot be provided by the outward meanings of the Qur'an, alone.

Practical Steps:

Concepts, ideas and Islamic knowledge are spread throughout the horizon of the Holy Qur'an and the broad ocean of its verses.

In order to obtain the needed thought from the Qur'an, we should pursue the matter in the following ways:

1. The meaning and concept of the verse may lack an idea, for instance, political, moral, economic, lawful or psychological and, so on. Also, that meaning may form, in some states, the complete idea for the subject that we are going to research into, and in other states, it may form only a part of that subject. In this case, we have to move to the second step to be able to achieve the completion and deduce the basic elements that have a complete thought, as well as, the theory we are going to discover.

2. With regard to the second step that we are going to turn to for deducing the thought, or theory, which addresses one of the everyday subjects, is a method of objective interpretation which depends on the induction of verses with regard to their treatment of the subject and whether we can link the concepts of the verses and their treatments and analyses, as well as, their comprehensive ideas, with each other; we will be able to deduce the idea and theory that we intend to discover.

3. Perhaps, we will be unable to discover the idea or theory in full form through the ideological unity of all the verses that deal with a certain subject, such as, an economic or political one. Therefore, we need to coordinate and make a link between them and other verses that may deal with monotheism, ethics, worship or general concepts about life and, etc.

By reacting and linking the innate and other ideas of the verses together, we can understand and deduce the thought and theory we are looking for. We can, also, obtain ideas and concepts that have taken part in establishing thought and theory in every aspect of human life; ones by the help of the whole thought, treatment and Qur'anic trend.

Surely, this method will help both the thinker and researcher take much benefit from the Qur'anic text by including its literal meaning and concept to be relied upon for deducing the thought and theory which is meant to be dicovered, as well as, constructed.

Of course, these three mentioned ways are considered the practical method that must be followed in an attempt to deal with detecting idea and concept or theory in the Holy Qur'an.

B. The Sacred Sunnah (of the Prophet):

The linguistic meaning of Sunnah is `the beaten path', and conventionally means: `every word or deed and report that issued from the infallible ones '. It is sometimes used to mean heresy; and sometimes means all things that used to be done, to show guidance and manner of living, by Allah's Prophet (a.s.). It is considered the second source of thought and legislation after the Holy Qur'an, as well as, a principal fountainhead of guidance and uprightness. And it has a restricted link with the Holy Qur'an by making it clear and more obvious in discovering and expressing its content.

The well-known, contemporary religious authorities have paid much attention to Sunnah through many a hard and organized effort to preserve, revise, adjust, record and quote it. A process of preserving and quoting Sunnah has passed through these following two stages:

A. Learning it by heart and quoting, orally, those chains of citations.

B. Recording and writing, as well as, storing the Sunnah into private books, which entails thousands of traditions and narrations that address different events and incidents. Most of those books have acted as legislative, ideological, educational, moral, social, political and economic general rules and principles. In bringing them together with what is revealed in the Holy Qur'an; to link them to each other, we can obtain a huge wealth of ideas, as well as, a knowledgeable, cultural and unique contribution.

Sunnah of the Prophet plays a key role in the Muslim's ideological life and is summed up as follows:

A. It is a source of Islamic thought, law and knowledge.

B. It is a standard of achieving rightness and correctness of what Muslim thinkers and researchers are going to produce; besides, it is an instrument to explain both error and correction.

C. It is a tool to understand the Qur'an and discover its meaning along with its content.

The Islamic Thought could set up this Islamic, ideological, cultural, knowledgeable and towering structure by way of depending on the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah, as well as, activating their contents together with providing and covering the social, ideological and legislative life with recent originated matters and intellectual legislative events and to classify it and bring some narrations forward which excel others.

So, Sunnah has been discussed as a whole with its three origins, i.e., word, deed and report by the well-known, religious authorities through deep study, analysis and investigation, where they have laid the foundation for `ilm ar-Rijal, i.e., the science of biography and criticism of traditions and `ilm al-Hadith, i.e., the science of traditions, to approve the rightness of it and discard anything that may interpolate it within the scope of work and education. Also the science of religious jurisprudence principles has taken part in studying and understanding Sunnah together with deducing its content, as well as, to tackle its problems as a method of understanding and deduction.

Thus, the religious authorities have made great efforts in keeping the originality of the Sunnah and maintaining it from distortion; equally, they strive much to create a favorable understanding of it.

Since the Holy Qur'an has been protected by Allah (Glory to Him) against any falseness and misinterpretations which is, now, before us as it was revealed to Muhammad (a.s.) Allah's Prophet; then, the only problem that man is faced with is the problem of interpretation, significance and playing on the meanings of the Qur'an, as well as, its causes of revelation and, also, the reporting of false and doubtful narrations in which the Qur'an is explained by supporting either this or that wrong view. Therefore, the problems that we are faced with in studying Sunnah are as follows:

1. The rightness and wrongness of the narration.
2. How we should understand the narration and take benefit from it.

So, it is imposed on the Muslim researcher and thinker to be quite sure about the rightness and evidence of the narration, as well as, to interpret and understand the Qur'an objectively and fairly according to the scientific rules and faculties that justify comprehension and interpreting it. Sunnah of the Prophet, with its whole application and practical process, has provided us with endless verdicts, concepts and values.

In addition, the traditions, sermons, and debates have been issued by the infallible Imam about the behaviour and practical action in his personal life, in order to show us a section of thought and legislation; besides to embody the applied formula. And, to join the maxims, deeds and personal behavior of the infallible Imam together with the reports and agreements that are issued by him; we can get a more clear idea about the practical understanding and a formula of life and well-built Islamic society.

The balanced relations between the verdicts and concepts can tackle one of the most serious problems that face Islamic law and thought if they are treated by us as a method for practical life and an example of commitment in guiding behaviour.

C. The Mind:

Surely, the mind plays an important role in setting up the high structure of Islamic Thought according to its contents, wide dimensions and rich gifts, as well as, construction. The mind is an active tool which is used by the well- known, contemporary religious authorities and philosophers, as well as, thinkers to discover: sciences, knowledge, ideas and various civilized concepts; in addition, to establish the high structure of civilization.

The process of diligence or discovering and deducing verdicts, concepts, as well as, ideas is no more than a practice of the mind's role in understanding, connecting, analyzing and concluding. The Holy Qur'an has given the mind a great deal of liberty and released it from stagnancy, as well as, immobilization; besides, urging it on to think, understand and deduce, as is pointed out in Allah' saying: "Do they not then reflect on the Qur'an ? Nay, on the hearts there are locks."

Holy Qur'an (17:24)

As pointed out by several verses, the necessity of understanding, thinking, deducing and advantage are dicussed. Thus, it will place before us the evidence of the validity of understanding and deducing along with verdicts and concepts that may arise therefrom. However, this, on condition that the action be carried out on the grounds of the correct method and premises to come to correct conclusions, as well. Imam Ja`far bin Muhammad al-Sadiq (upon whom be peace) has related what role the mind has and how it incites us to understanding and education; as shown in his following saying:

"Surely, it is for us to send down roots and for you to send out branches."(30) Also, it was related that Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Rida (a.s.) said:

"Surely, it is for us to send roots to you, and for you to send out branches."(31)

It is quite obvious that the mind plays a key role in both fields of understanding and intellectual education, because it executes its role by depending on laws and primary mental senses and those who "send out branches". Occasionally, the mind works apart from the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah; sometimes, it deals with the text (i.e., the Book and Sunnah) in carrying out the process of understanding and education or by way of understanding and deducing via the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah.

At any one of the mind's three acting phases, its act will never be endorsed and its outcomes never accepted unless they are consistent with the Book and Sunnah, as well as, when it works together with their legal logic and not against it. Indeed, when we talk about the mind as a source of Islamic Thought, we mean the mental activity which it abides by in regard to the Qur'an and Sunnah. As we are talking about this scientific tool for obtaining sciences, knowledge and ideas; it is necessary, here, to declare that the mind performs its role which is ratified by the Holy Qur'an and Sacred Sunnah on two levels:

1. The belief and thought level: This means the level of approving belief along with its borne-evidence regarding the existence of Allah (be He Exalted) and proving revelation with prophecy, as well as, their argument; besides, assuring the reality of the existence of the hereafter and that the obedience to Allah is obligatory; equally, other studies, research, evidences and debates that deal with belief such as, theological and philosophical studies which are endowed with wide horizons and fields, together with what we may deal with or depend on, like delimiting the research area to discover ideological laws (i.e., logic) and like studies, research and knowledge rules.

Surely, Muslim scholars and philosophers have practised a prominent role, in this regard, and enriched the Islamic Thought and life on both the theoretical and practical level; besides, all other research, sciences and studies, such as, religious jurisprudence, rudiments, ethics, politics, sociology, psychological behaviour and, etc., which are attached to these two sciences, and are influenced by them, have.

In the same manner, the mind has enjoyed a prominent role in discovering ideas and concepts, as well as, other various theories in Qur'an and Sunnah that touch on the fields of politics, economics, finance, sociology, culture, ethics, behaviour and, so on.

2. Considering the mind as a discoverer of legal verdicts and being realized by it (i.e., the mental evidence of looking at it as equal proof of the Qur'an and Sunnah with regard to power and evidence). The mind has been considered, by a team of scholars of Ahl-ul-Bait School called `Usoliyyoun' (a Muslim sect specializing in first principles), as a guide of verdicts and of being depended on as a base; besides the Qur'an and Sunnah, in the deducing process.

Whereas, these scholars have been objected to by another team called `Ikhbariyyoun' (a Muslim sect that deals with traditions) who have taken a negative position towards the mind's role and its ability to discover legal verdicts through independent means (mental independence) into the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah; equally, they refuse it to be employed or depended on in this regard.

Also, they condemned its testimony due to the ambiguity of the intended meaning about considering the mind as one proof among the legislation ones. So, they have imagined that the mind's legal role in regard to religious jurisprudents depends on the mind as a legislator, but, on the contrary, the truth of the mind is to understand legal verdicts. Therefore, the mind will be able to know and discover a verdict far from legislating it. The deductive field in which the mind exercises its role is divided, by scholars, into two parts, thus:

1. Intellectual independences field( ): That is to say, all verdicts which can be discovered and realized by the mind, independently, apart from the law of Islam and without interposing any legal mode of expression (i.e., Holy Qur'an and Sunnah); in other words, it depends on itself in realizing the ugliness of injustice and the beauty of justice, as well as, order and arrangement; and, the ugliness of disorder and, so on. So, the mind fully realizes and diagnoses the ugliness of injustice and disorder along with the beauty of justice and order, in the same way as is diagnosed by the lawmaker.

For example, the judgement of the mind as to giving no permission to the master to commit any disobedience is due to the previous realization of the mind regarding the ugliness in giving permission to him to practice disobedience, because ugliness is impossible for a wise man to practice.

2. Non-intellectual independences field: Concerning the second field in which the mind can practice its role, is the field that deals with realizing the verdicts by the mediation of the legal mode of expression (i.e., Holy Qur'an and Sunnah).

In this field, the mind practices discovering ambiguous legal verdicts, by way of finding out the connection between a certain legal verdict that is defined by the lawmaker and another, unlimited one. Its power is in discovering the legal necessity of the compulsory duty premise after its necessity has been specified by lawmakers.

Therefore, in this regard the mind can judge that the lawmaker imposes premise due to the necessity of duty which is achieved by depending on fulfilling it. The same as in its given-judgement to the necessity of covering a particular distance in order to perform obligatory Hajj (pilgrimage) together with compulsory preparation of military experiences which are depended on in carrying out Jihad (Holy War). And, also, the mind can judge the `prohibition of attempt' premise which leads to committing taboo acts,

such as, its realization to have a look at forbidden, immoral films which result in dissoluting morals and propagating corruption which is as a prohibition firmly proven by Islam in spite of the films, themselves, or that they are motion pictures which are not forbidden to be looked at. As the mind has realized these concomitants and diagnosed verdicts by this realization so surely, the mind can realize verdicts and discover them by analogy (i.e., measuring priority and measuring equality)( ).

Muslim religious authorities have depended on the mind's role, in this field of analogy, via allocating it strictly and widely. Moreover, these intellectual verdicts occupy a vast field of legislative area and meet one of the most serious legislative personal and societal needs, especially the latest ones.

D. Consensus:

Muslim scholars have discussed the consensus case in religious jurisprudence principles science and considered it as a source of legislation. And, in view of the fact that our subject is about sources of Islamic Thought, and in spite of the limited area of consensus; in the field of thought and legislation analogy; it sometimes provides us with an idea about matters in which it conducts as a source to be taken from. Therefore, consensus is considered an origin of thought around these affairs which are able to be taken from and attributed to Islam, because it will be unfair to attribute any thought to Islam unless it is taken from an Islamic source.

2. Secondary Sources:

As we have made clear before, there are prime sources for Islamic Thought which directly provide us with the thought and culture we need; such as, the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah, and, they form the base of the Islamic Thought structure. At the present time, if we try to deal with political, economic, moral, philosophical and issues of belief, we will find that there are secondary sources, which are derived from primary ones, as an instance of religious jurisprudence and other juristic studies and researchers that represent a scientific interactive task of religious jurists and researchers in the field of religious jurisprudence and legislation; equally, its principles, which are interacted with rules and primary sources that supply us with the fundamental material of Islamic Thought.

For instance, we can deduce a theory of work and value from much text and analytic juristic studies that deal with work, rent, as well as, ownership. From all verdicts that touch on vital legal rule, we also can derive ideas and concepts with regard to political theory. Thus, all these studies and research, which represent scientific tasks, have taken part in establishing Islamic Thought.

And as the juristic studies are taking a great share in building the high structure of Islamic Thought, in the same manner, philosophical, theological, moral and other studies have taken part in discovering psychology theory and expressing behaviour and history, as well as, philosophy of ethics, politics and, so on. So, if the Islamic researcher and thinker wants to deal with political and economic theory or civilizing matter and the like, he will go back to the Qur'an and Sunnah; equally, fundamentals, rules and analytic studies of religious jurisprudence.

These, produced by researchers and thinkers with regard to philosophy, theology and ethics and to obtain intellectual material along with scientific and methodical restricts to theorize and treat various civilizational cases and problems in a form that saves him commitment and missionary truth; equally, it provides the researcher with endless intellectual wealth.