Al-Hiwar bayn al-Hidarat fi al-Kitab wa al-Sunnah
(Dialogue among Civilizations in the Book and Sunnah)
Muhammad Muhammadi Rayshahri
With the collaboration of Ridha Berenjkar,
1st ed., 2000, 216 pages, Arabic
Dar al-Hadith, Qom, Iran
The idea and method of dialogue among civilizations ranks among the most important issues in the culture of the 21st century, an issue that was accorded special prominence through the naming of 2001 as the year of dialogue among civilizations based on the initiative of the Iranian president. This idea of designation of the year was suggested by the chief executive of a system that is deeply rooted in the rich culture of Islam. The Iranian president's idea should be viewed as the indication of rational inclinations in Islam and the rational and logical criteria upon which the divine shari`ah is founded. Were the method suggested for life and civilization offered by Islam not based on scientific foundations, it would not have called people to rationalism profound studies and examination of religious beliefs, and would have encouraged blind adherence and religious and intellectual authoritarianism. Therefore, the elaboration of Islam's view on dialogue among civilizations is an important issue for those who are concerned and think about this cultural approach of the century. The present work comprises a part of the Encyclopedia of Mizan al-Hikmah. It is an examination of Islam's view about the important subject of dialogue among civilizations, based on the Holy Quran and the hadiths of the Infallibles (PBUT).
The central issue of dialogue among civilizations and its aims and methods in the Holy Quran and Hadith is discussed in five chapters.
Chapter one presents Quranic verses and hadiths relating to the technique of dialog.
Chapter two discusses the principles and rites of dialogue such as concentrating on the content of the speech rather than of the speaker, adherence to knowledge, seeking to discover the unknowns, and resorting to the truth as well as to the Holy Quran and Sunnah and how to benefit from the Holy Quran in our discourse..
Chapter three is an attempt to identify the blights of dialogue such as following one's imagination, carnal desires, imitation, contentiousness, enmity, anger, and seeking help from falsehood.
Chapter four is an examination of the rules of discourse and the judgment about the worthy and unworthy ones.
Chapter five, taking up the bulk of the book, contains examples of the dialogs of prophets, including Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and his household (PBUT).
Each chapter begins with verses of the Holy Quran, and goes on to present prophetic hadiths and those of the Infallible Imams (PBUT), from Shi`ite and Sunni sources. Source and references are included in the footnotes.
The Persian translation of the work is published with the following bibliographical data: The Dialogue among Civilizations in the Holy Quran and Hadith, trans. Mohammad Ali Soltani, Qom: Dar al-Hadith, 1st ed., 2000, 356 pages.
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