Journal of Razavi Culture

Abstract Razavi Culture, rooted in the teachings of Imam Reza (A.S.) and the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt, is one of the most valuable aspects of Islamic and Shia culture, playing a crucial role in shaping the religious and social identity of Muslims, especially Shia. In this regard, this study aims to examine the causes and strategies behind the distancing from Razavi culture among some Iranian citizens and its consequences, analyzing the phenomenon from the perspective of cultural and religious theories. For this purpose, the qualitative method and Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory approach were employed. The necessary data were collected from in-depth interviews with 25 individuals from different groups in the city of Tabriz. The results of the research indicate that the focused codes for causal conditions include factors such as social transformation, the decline of institutional legitimacy, secularism discourse, and cultural colonization. In the section on contextual conditions, structural economic crises, cultural pluralism, the collapse of the epistemic system, and instability in the family education system were identified as key contexts. The intervening codes refer to the role of ideological conflicts, a rupture in epistemic mediation, the haste in global integration, and the consumerist information market. Finally, considering two strategies of acceptance and resistance by society, which were presented as individual reactions to this phenomenon, the consequences of distancing from Razavi culture manifested as a legitimacy crisis, nationalism and ethnocentrism, social-political divergence, decline in soft power, secularization of political discourse, collapse of normative order, identity vacuum, erosion of social solidarity, identity entropy, and disintegration of the educational structure.

Abstract Islamic architecture and its associated decorative arts occupy a position of paramount importance within the broader spectrum of Islamic heritage, owing to their monumental scale and durability. A diverse array of visual arts—including geometric design, calligraphy, mirror work (ayineh-kari), and plasterwork (gach-bori)—are integrated into the architecture of religious sites, serving as a profound medium for expressing fundamental Islamic doctrines, most notably the concept of Tawhid (Monotheism). This study explores the ornamentations within the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza A.S., investigating how these artistic elements convey the concept of monotheism and influence the spiritual perception of visitors. Utilizing a descriptive-analytical methodology combined with field documentation, the research examines the nexus between architectural decoration and the reinforcement of Tawhid in the believers’ faith. The findings suggest that the ornamentations adorning the exterior façades, courtyards, minarets, domes, columns, and interior surfaces—such as mirror work and epigraphic inscriptions—transcend mere aesthetic appeal. They possess an inherent, transcendental beauty that resonates with human nature, fostering a profound spiritual experience for both lay and scholarly visitors. Furthermore, the Islamic motifs and patterns functioning within this architectural framework communicate through a “language of signs.” By engaging with these visual narratives, visitors—commensurate with their degree of spiritual self-cultivation and receptivity—gradually perceive the esoteric essence of Islamic art, which is fundamentally rooted in the spirit of Divine Unity and Monotheism.

Abstract “Pretending” is a social harm that, although it is also felt in communications between ordinary people in society, recognizing pretense and correctly confronting a pretender who is in government positions is much more complex and difficult due to the various sources of power. In this article, pretense is considered as a “cultural-communicational harm” and the goal is to explain the pattern of Imam Reza’s confrontation with Ma’mun as a pretender who is in the highest ranks of the government. To achieve this pattern, the method of text hermeneutics with an “interrogative and author-centered” approach and content analysis were used to collect data from the narrations and life of Imam Reza and to analyze the data. By examining the lexical meaning of the word “tolerance” and carefully examining the narrations in this field and applying it to the life of Imam Reza, as well as analyzing the content of Imam Reza’s verbal and non-verbal actions, 44 basic themes, 6 organizing themes, and one comprehensive theme were obtained. “Foresightful tolerance”, “measurement in actions”, “exposing pretense while tolerating the pretense”, “benevolence and observing expediency”, “observing Islamic principles”, and “strict confrontation in case of ineffective tolerance” are 6 organizing themes that are placed under “wise tolerance” as a comprehensive theme. “wise tolerance” should be considered as a communication principle in confronting pretense. The wise attribute of the spirit is the governing tolerance in confronting the pretense. In fact, tolerance is done with the pretense person, not with his pretense. It is suggested that the model of confronting pretense agents in the current situation be the subject of another article and that by updating the model obtained from this article, the current model of confronting pretense can be drawn.

Abstract This study, employing a conceptual history (History of Ideas) approach, analyzes the emergence of the Waqifah sect within the broader intellectual developments of the Imamiyah up to the time of Imam al-Ridha. Rather than representing a definitive schism, the formation of the Waqifah is interpreted as a product of internal cognitive tensions and evolving ideas regarding leadership, legitimacy, and occultation following the death of Imam al-Kadhim. The study critically reexamines traditional narratives—especially those presented by heresiographers and historians—through the lens of conceptual transformation. It argues that the Waqifah phenomenon was not an external rupture but an internal evolution rooted in diverse interpretations within Imamism. This analysis underscores the importance of rethinking early Shiite sectarianism using modern analytical tools and highlights the contingent, negotiated nature of religious authority in early Shiism.

Abstract Cohesion is a fundamental concept in linguistics that examines the factors of connectivity and relationships between sentence components, inter-sentential relations, and the overall text structure. This term, introduced by functional linguists in the field of discourse analysis, comprehensively studies the role of cohesive components in text formation and organization. Imam Reza’s (PBUH) monotheistic sermon is a religious text with profound monotheistic content and literary richness, in which the Imam (PBUH) has artfully and intelligently utilized cohesive elements to create a coherent and systematic structure. This research, using a descriptive-analytical method and based on Halliday and Ruqaiya Hasan’s textual cohesion theory, meticulously examines the conjunctive and lexical cohesion factors of this sermon. The present study, while analyzing conjunctive, lexical, and rhetorical cohesive components, systematically examines the interdiscursive relations and the role of these elements in the sermon’s structure and the transmission of philosophical concepts. The research findings indicate that among the conjunctive elements, the additive conjunction “and” has the highest frequency in the text, and at the lexical level, the Imam (PBUH) has artistically employed various lexical cohesion elements such as antonymy, opposition, and semantic fields. These lexical elements, formed based on syntagmatic relations in the speech chain, have played a more prominent and influential role in creating textual cohesion. The results of this research clearly demonstrate that using Halliday and Hasan’s cohesion theory, while identifying cohesive elements in religious texts, one can scientifically and methodically explain how these elements influence text formation and the clear, unambiguous transmission of profound philosophical and religious concepts.

Abstract Believers believe in the guidance of reason and in the explicitness of the Quran and traditions that God has the power to accomplish everything. Their belief has faced a challenge of this kind: does this belief even include impossible things (such as the heavens and the earth and what is between them being swallowed in a seed)? The issuance of which requires the occurrence of things such as the placement of large objects in small objects. At different times, numerous people (Iblis, Abu Shakir Disani, etc.) have asked this question of Jesus Christ, Imam Ali, Imam Sadiq, and Imam Reza (peace be upon them). In one of these narrations, which Ibn Babawayh attributed to Imam Reza A.S. in his book Al-Tawhid, the Imam explicitly gave a positive answer to this question (inherent possibility) and emphasized its occurrence (in the form of an analogy of the reflection of the form of large objects in the eye). The present article seeks to examine this statement and its attribution to Imam Reza A.S. and, in the first step, attempts to examine its chain of transmission and meaning. In the second step, he shows evidence from the Quran and narrations that confirm it. In the third step, this article highlights the challenges that we will face if we adhere to and accept this narration. (Incompatibility with the obvious rule of reason, conflict with numerous narrations, etc.) and in the last step, it tries to provide an aspect (such as the Imam’s response relying on the weakness of the questioner’s understanding) for the possibility of accepting this news and the possibility of its issuance by Imam Reza A.S..

Abstract The correct debate and the good debate, as a place for the meeting of ideas, have a direct and deep connection with the structure of identity formation for the individual, group and society and can play an important role in defining the boundaries of religious identity. On the other hand, it is necessary to move away from reductionist approaches to examining the life of the Ahl al-Bayt A.S. and to review and rewrite it with the aim of consciously understanding their identity-building life as a model for the present and the future in Islamic society. The mission of this study is to answer the question with a descriptive and analytical approach as to what effect the debates of the Prophet had against the identity threats created by the false front, whose prominent symbol was Ma’mun al-Abbas, and what its functions were. The achievements of identity formation in the life of the Prophet are divided into three areas: determining, distinguishing and protective functions.