ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Religion and Life
Mohammad Rostami; Soheila Rostami; Wrya Hafidi; Pardis Rostami
Abstract
SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: A significant body of research has consistently supported the effectiveness of spirituality-based interventions in influencing a range of psychological variables. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Iʿtikāf intervention on happiness and resilience in ...
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SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: A significant body of research has consistently supported the effectiveness of spirituality-based interventions in influencing a range of psychological variables. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Iʿtikāf intervention on happiness and resilience in a group of adults.METHOD & FINDING: This quasi-experimental study adopted a pretest-posttest design with a control group and a one-month follow-up. The research sample consisted of 60 adult men and women, aged 18 to 60, from Sanandaj, Iran, in 2024. The participants were selected through convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group (30 individuals per group). The participants in the intervention group attended a 10-night spiritual Iʿtikāf ceremony held in mosques. They completed the items in the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ-SF) and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) at three pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases. Results from the repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that the spiritual Iʿtikāf intervention significantly increased the participants' levels of happiness and resilience in the post-intervention phase, and these improvements were retained at the follow-up stage.CONCLUSION: Consistent with previous studies that have addressed the mental health benefits of spiritual interventions, the present study introduced Iʿtikāf as a spiritual intervention and a therapeutic option for enhancing the psychological well-being, specifically the happiness and resilience of adults.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Philosophical and Theological Knowledge
Mehran Rezaee; Mohammad Javad Rezaei
Abstract
SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: With the development of technology, it is expected that artificial intelligence will be able to analyze models of emotional relationships, such as love, and respond to users’ requests to create a personalized intelligent beloved with a physical body; a phenomenon named ...
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SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: With the development of technology, it is expected that artificial intelligence will be able to analyze models of emotional relationships, such as love, and respond to users’ requests to create a personalized intelligent beloved with a physical body; a phenomenon named in this study as Intelligent Artificial Beloved (IAB). It can be designed and used as a dedicated companion aligned with the characteristics of the human user. The research's main question is: what philosophical and ethical consequences will the development of IAB entail?METHOD & FINDING: The research benefited from a descriptive-analytical method. Notably, this phenomenon has positive and negative consequences. The advantages of IAB include the ability of a personalized intelligent beloved to adapt to an individual’s variable and fluid requests, and expanding the boundaries of realizing ‘human desires’, i.e., the ability to create features in the artificial beloved that cannot occur or be externally realized in natural humans. The following items might be considered as challenges of IAB: 1. Weakening genuine romantic relationships among ‘natural human individuals’ 2. Immersion in an ‘intelligent artificial life’ and weakening the ‘natural lifestyle’ 3. The guidance and management of the ‘wants and lives of romantic users’ by the AI 4. Developing a competitive space between natural and artificial lovers or beloveds.CONCLUSION: Although IAB has advantages, neglecting its philosophical and ethical consequences can overshadow these benefits and cause individual and social harm. Proper cultural awareness and macro-level policymaking can be useful in responsibly managing this phenomenon.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
The Meaning of Life
Ali Ahmadi Amin; Mohammad Mahdi Monadi
Abstract
SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: Ontological inquiry constitutes one of the central concerns of metaethics. Within this field, theories are commonly divided into two main categories: realist and non-realist. While this primary distinction is well established, the secondary classifications and internal variations ...
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SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: Ontological inquiry constitutes one of the central concerns of metaethics. Within this field, theories are commonly divided into two main categories: realist and non-realist. While this primary distinction is well established, the secondary classifications and internal variations within realism have received comparatively little attention. Many of the enduring ambiguities in moral philosophy arise from the lack of a precise differentiation among realist positions. This study aims to address that gap by re-examining the ontological foundations and typological distinctions within moral realism.METHOD & FINDING: Using an analytical–descriptive method, this study differentiates between two distinct forms of moral realism—rationalist realism and sentimentalist realism—and explicates their respective implications. Representative approaches of sentimentalist realism include hedonism, Isaiah Berlin’s notion of negative liberty, Karl Popper’s reduction of suffering, and Benthamite utilitarianism. In contrast, MacIntyre’s virtue ethics, scientism, and perfectionism exemplify rationalist realism. The implications of rationalist realism can be summarized as follows: 1. The possibility of rational justification for moral judgments; 2. The dependence of moral values on ontological realities; 3. The possibility of moral preference in cases of ethical conflict based purely on ontological grounds; 4. The capacity to identify and prioritize the virtuous individual; 5. The derivability of “ought” from “is” on rational premises alone; 6. Monism is grounded in a single rational proposition; 7. Absolutism grounded in an absolute rational principle.CONCLUSION: While sentimentalist realism shares certain structural features with other realist frameworks, it diverges from rationalist realism in several essential respects, particularly regarding the role of sentiment, taste, and individual inclination in grounding moral value. This distinction underscores the need for a more nuanced typology of moral realism within contemporary metaethical discourse.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Religions and Denominations
Mahdi Honarjoo; Mohsen Honarjoo
Abstract
SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: This study examines the widespread claim that Theravāda and Tibetan Buddhist traditions contain sufficient textual ambiguity to allow a “middle-way, pro-choice” position, particularly during early pregnancy. Its primary objective is to determine whether such ambiguity ...
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SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: This study examines the widespread claim that Theravāda and Tibetan Buddhist traditions contain sufficient textual ambiguity to allow a “middle-way, pro-choice” position, particularly during early pregnancy. Its primary objective is to determine whether such ambiguity genuinely exists within the orthodox sources of either school and whether a coherent doctrinal basis can be found for reconciling elective abortion with the first precept.METHOD & FINDING: This study adopts a qualitative, document-based, historical-analytical method. It analyzes primary Buddhist sources—including the Pāli Canon, Vinaya, Buddhaghosa's commentaries, the Abhidhamma, Tibetan bardo literature, and Lamrim texts—together with relevant statements by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and Ganden Tri Rinpoche. The findings suggest that both traditions generally locate the beginning of consciousness (vijñāna / rnam-shes) and moral personhood at conception, and therefore tend to regard induced abortion as intentional killing, except in cases involving serious and immediate danger to the mother's life. Some contemporary moderate pro-choice readings, however, are based on biological and conceptual assumptions that diverge from canonical formulations.CONCLUSION: The evidence indicates that neither Theravāda nor Tibetan Buddhism provides a doctrinally defensible basis for elective abortion. The orthodox consensus of these traditions—contrary to the assumption of rigidity—offers what is understood as the most compassionate and karmically beneficial response through adoption, social support, and education, thereby constituting the authentic Buddhist middle way.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Human Rights and World Peace
Hamid Moridian; Hamzeh-Ali Islaminasab; Sayed Mohammad Tabatabaei; Mohammed Benlamkaddem
Abstract
SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: Contemporary emerging spirituality is derived from spirituality in postmodern conditions, moving beyond the era of modernity toward a form of spirituality without religion. Thus, the formation of contemporary emergent spirituality arises in response to the spiritual deficiencies ...
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SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: Contemporary emerging spirituality is derived from spirituality in postmodern conditions, moving beyond the era of modernity toward a form of spirituality without religion. Thus, the formation of contemporary emergent spirituality arises in response to the spiritual deficiencies of modernity, characterized by a pursuit of tranquility, accommodation to existing circumstances, and a stance of moral and political disengagement. This study aims to examine the critiques leveled against the elements of humanistic spirituality in newly emerging spiritual movements situated within the postmodern framework.METHOD & FINDING: Using qualitative content analysis, the components of humanistic spirituality in emerging spirituality-based movements within the postmodern context were extracted and subsequently subjected to critical analysis and review. The findings of the study indicate that one of the defining characteristics of this movement is humanism, according to which the human being is regarded as the measure of all things and the axis of the universe, standing in contrast to the various forms of theocentric religious thoughts. CONCLUSION: Prioritizing humanity and its desires over the primacy of God and His absolute will is a central consequence of humanistic spirituality, resulting in tendencies toward empiricism, pluralism, the pursuit of liberty, and individualism. Spiritual modernism is centered on a re-presentation of the sacred in a different form, and the stress on religious experientialism is rooted in an inadequate or flawed understanding of God, the cosmos, and the human being. With the introduction of religious experience, the legitimacy of every religion and denomination becomes dependent on the personal experience of each individual, making religiosity a relative matter and replacing religious realism with religious relativism.
PAPER DERIVED FROM THESIS
Life Style
Ebrahim Bararpour; Mohammad Hossein Bayati
Abstract
SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: In recent years, cryptocurrency and forex markets have emerged as transformative financial platforms, drawing considerable global interest. This study aims to provide a comprehensive jurisprudential and ethical analysis of these markets through the lens of Islamic principles. ...
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SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: In recent years, cryptocurrency and forex markets have emerged as transformative financial platforms, drawing considerable global interest. This study aims to provide a comprehensive jurisprudential and ethical analysis of these markets through the lens of Islamic principles. It seeks to identify the main legal and moral challenges these systems pose, while also exploring the opportunities they may offer for Islamic finance.METHOD & FINDING: Using a descriptive-analytical approach, this article reviews classical and contemporary Islamic legal sources, along with scholarly opinions, to assess the permissibility of cryptocurrencies and forex trading. From a jurisprudential perspective, cryptocurrencies raise significant concerns related to ġarar (excessive uncertainty), ribā (usury), and the absence of intrinsic value. The scholarly discourse remains divided, with some jurists deeming these assets impermissible due to their speculative nature, while others permit their use under clearly defined conditions. Similarly, the forex market presents legal ambiguities involving ribā, speculative practices akin to gambling, and fictitious transactions. Ethically, both markets face criticisms concerning a lack of transparency, inadequate accountability mechanisms, and unequal access to market information. Nonetheless, these platforms also offer valuable prospects for enhancing financial inclusion and developing Sharīʿah-compliant financial instruments.CONCLUSION: The article proposes practical frameworks to align these emerging markets with Islamic jurisprudential and ethical standards. It underscores the pivotal role of regulatory bodies and educational institutions in raising awareness and promoting compliance with Islamic norms. The findings contribute to scholarly and policy-oriented debates on the future of digital financial systems within an Islamic context.
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