https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBX_3cE-5l0&list=PLRagz8v-1fF4Oi2EToPQJrvgbB3VgyVkk&t=1s

🔻"Hikmah in the Qur'an", Lec06
speaker, Dr. Farhad Ghoddoussi
Nov 2, 2025

Topic: Meaning of Hikmah (Wisdom) in the Story of Jesus (Q43:57–65)

Summary:
In the sixth lecture, we discussed the meaning of hikmah in the verse Q43:63:

Q43:63: "When Jesus brought clear proofs (al-bayyināt), he said, 'I have brought you wisdom (al-ḥikmah), and (I have come) to make clear to you some of the things that you differ about. So be wary of God and obey me.'"

This verse is part of the pericope Q43:57-65 about Jesus from Surah 43 al-Zukhruf (Gold Ornaments). This pericope of Sūrah al-Zukhruf records and responds to an objection raised by the polytheists of Mecca to the Qur'an's favorable portrayal of Jesus (Q43:57-58). It is not immediately clear what precisely the Meccans' objection was. It may well have been, as Walid Saleh (and before him al-Zamakhsharī) infers, that they believed their divinities, whom they held to be God's angelic children (see, e.g., Q6:100; Q43:19), were more worthy of worship than the man-god Jesus.

The pericope in which the objection is recorded is the first and only time that Jesus is mentioned in the surah, and therefore the opponents' objection must have been occasioned by a chronologically earlier surah, which is Surah 19 (Surah Maryam). Sūrah Maryam presents an anti-Christian polemic, but if we accept the sincerity of the polytheists of Mecca in the objection they raised, the message (Q19:1-33) may have been too subtle for them. They seized upon the apparent absurdity of the Prophet denouncing their angelic gods while invoking Jesus (in the Christian view, a human-God) as a parable.

In response to the objection raised by the polytheists, the Qur'an in the following verses of this pericope lists four things regarding Jesus and his ministry: (1) he was "just a servant" (ʿabd) and "an example" (mathal) for the Israelites (Q43:59); (2) had God wished, He could make the angels inherit the earth from humans (Q43:60); (3) Jesus was "knowledge of the Hour" (Q43:61); (4) he brought wisdom (ḥikmah) and came to clarify the disputes (ikhtilāf) that the Israelites had fallen into (Q43:63).

We discussed the first two of the above-listed points, closely following the discussion by Saqib Hussain, examining how and in which sense they serve as a response to the polytheists of Mecca's objection.

#hikmah_quran

upcoming events, Nov 9-14, 2025

▫️Sun, Nov 9, 7:15-9:00 pm (virtual, EN)
Special Topics, 07, "Hikmah in the Qur'an", Farhad Ghoddoussi, Wayne State University, Michigan.

▫️Tue, Nov 11, 8:30-10:15 pm (virtual, FA w/ Subs)
Lecture Series, 10, "Structure and Argumentation in Islamic Theology", Hassan Ansari, IAS, Princeton.

▫️Fri, Nov 14, 7:30-9:30 pm (hybrid, EN)
Quran Study, Special Topic.

- All times US Eastern Time

visit us:
https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

Special Topic Lecture Series, Lec07

🔻Topic: Meaning of Hikmah (Wisdom) in the Story of Abraham (Q16:121–125)

🌐 Virtual, EN Lecture

Date
Sunday November 9th, 2025
7:15 pm to 9:00 pm (Eastern Time)

Location
Online, Detail Below

Schedule
7:15-7:20 Login to Zoom
7:20-8:45 Lecture, in English, Dr. Farhad Ghoddoussi
Topic: “Hikmah in the Qur’an”, Lec07
8:45-9:00 Q&A

Zoom Participation (virtual):
https://mit.zoom.us/j/92377466698

- About Speaker (Bio)

#hikmah_quran
https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

آشنایی با ساختار و نظام استدلالی متون کلاسيک در الهيات اسلامی، دکتر حسن انصاری

جلسه نهم: در اين جلسه درباره سه موضوع بحث شد: ۱) صفت اراده خداوند نزد متکلمان بهشمی و تمايز آن با اراده خدا از ديدگاه فلاسفه. ۲) آيا خداوند ماهيت دارد؟ آيا می توان خداوند را به صفتی زائد بر صفات ذاتی اش متصف کرد که معروف انسان ها نيست؟ ۳) بحث درباره ذاتی بودن صفت قدرت در خداوند. (۴ نوامبر، ۲۰۲۵)

#الهیات_اسلامی_ساختار_نظام_استدلالی
@azbarresihayetarikhi
https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

درس گفتارهای تاریخ اندیشه و تمدن اسلامی

🌐 بصورت مجازی، به فارسی

«آشنایی با ساختار و نظام استدلالی متون کلاسيک در الهيات اسلامی»
توسط دکتر حسن انصاری

موضوع: توحید

جلسه دهم، سه شنبه ۱۱ نوامبر، ۸:۳۰ تا ۱۰:۱۵ شب (به وقت شرق آمریکا)

Zoom Participation (webinar):
https://mit.zoom.us/j/93933325521

چکیده:
بررسی "شرح جمل العلم والعمل".
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UXKbI9f_4yi5jIa0_DfWa3Lkdq-jZkwD/view

در باره سخنران:
https://www.ias.edu/hs/ansari

#الهیات_اسلامی_ساختار_نظام_استدلالی
@azbarresihayetarikhi
https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

Quran Study, Special Topic

🌐 Hybrid, EN Lecture

Date
Friday November 14, 2025
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm (Eastern Time)

Location
MIT Tang Center, E51-376, 2 Amherst St, Cambridge, MA 02142

Schedule
7:30-7:40 Ziyarat Ale-Yasin
7:40-8:45 Lecture, in English, Dr. Muhammad Ali Radhawi (joining by zoom)
Topic: "The Concept of Intercession (ash-shafāʿa) in the Qur'an"
8:45-9:00 Q&A
9:00-9:30 Dinner

Zoom Participation (hybrid):
https://mit.zoom.us/j/95948516788

- About Speaker (Bio)

https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

Abstract:
This study examines verse 87 of Sūrat Maryam (Qur’an 19:87) within the broader Qur’anic discourse on ash-shafāʿa (intercession). The verse states, “None will have the right to intercede, except those who have taken a covenant from the Most Compassionate,” raising important theological questions about the conditions, legitimacy, and limitations of intercession in the Islamic tradition. The aim of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of this concept by analyzing the verse in its textual and theological context.

درس گفتارهای تاریخ اندیشه و تمدن اسلامی

🌐 بصورت مجازی، به فارسی

«آشنایی با ساختار و نظام استدلالی متون کلاسيک در الهيات اسلامی»
توسط دکتر حسن انصاری

موضوع: توحید

جلسه دهم تکمیلی (اخر)، یکشنبه ۱۶ نوامبر، ۶:۰۰ تا ۷:۰۰ شب (به وقت شرق آمریکا)

Zoom Participation (webinar):
https://mit.zoom.us/j/93933325521

چکیده:
بررسی "شرح جمل العلم والعمل".
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UXKbI9f_4yi5jIa0_DfWa3Lkdq-jZkwD/view

در باره سخنران:
https://www.ias.edu/hs/ansari

#الهیات_اسلامی_ساختار_نظام_استدلالی
@azbarresihayetarikhi
https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

لطفا به زمان جلسه تکمیلی و آخر از این مجموعه توجه بفرمایید.

🔻Guest Talk and Dialogue Session
"The Hawzah and Contemporary Issues"
Speaker: Sayyid Mohammad Baqir Kashmiri
Vice Chairman of I.M.A.M. and Representative of Jurist

Friday, Nov 21, 2025, 7:30-9:30 pm (US Eastern Time)

About Speaker:
https://imam-us.org/sayyid-mohammad-baqir-kashmiri

(details will be announced)

https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

🔻Special Event for Fatimiyya 1447

Speaker: Hajj Hassanain Rajabali (joining by zoom)
Lecture: "Lady Fatima - The Bountiful"

Thursday, Nov 20, 2025, 7:15-10:00 pm (US Eastern Time)

About Speaker:
https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/files/2025/01/HassanainRajabali.pdf

(details will be announced)

https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA_aWVx0oro&list=PLRagz8v-1fF4Oi2EToPQJrvgbB3VgyVkk&t=4s

🔻"Hikmah in the Qur'an", Lec07
speaker, Dr. Farhad Ghoddoussi
Nov 9, 2025

Topic: Meaning of Hikmah (Wisdom) in the Story of Abraham (Q16:121–125)

Summary:
In the first half of the seventh lecture , we continued discussion on the meaning of hikmah in the verse Q43:63 which is a verse part of the pericope Q43:57-65 about Jesus. This pericope of Sūrah al-Zukhruf records and responds to an objection raised by the polytheists of Mecca to the Qur'an's favorable portrayal of Jesus (Q43:57-58). In response to this objection, which was discussed thoroughly in the sixth lecture, Qur'an in the following verses of this pericope lists four things regarding Jesus and his ministry which is also a restatement of it's Christology: (1) he was "just a servant" (ʿabd) and "an example" (mathal) for the Israelites (Q43:59); (2) had God wished, He could make the angels inherit the earth from humans (Q43:60); (3) Jesus was "knowledge of the Hour" (Q43:61); (4) he brought wisdom (ḥikmah) and came to clarify the disputes (ikhtilāf) that the Israelites had fallen into (Q43:63). We discussed the first two item on the list in the previous sixth lecture. In this seventh lecture we discussed the items 3 and 4 on the list.

In Christianity Jesus is an embodiment of the knowledge of God, being His image (e.g., Col1:15; 2 Cor4:4), His Logos (e.g., John1:1), and His Wisdom (e.g., 1 Cor1:24, 30) and Jesus is portrayed as revealing his own divinity through miracles. In Qur’an (for example Q3:49) Jesus’s miracles point instead to the reality of the hereafter and Jesus’s description as “knowledge of the Hour” in the Sūrat al-Zukhruf Jesus pericope is a conscious rejection of his being “knowledge of God.” Sūrat al-Zukhruf’s portrayal of Jesus as a bringer of wisdom can be read as a continuation of the same role Jesus occupies in the Gospels. Qur’an by Jesus’s ḥikmah refers to his clarification of the Mosaic message and law, regarding which the Israelites had fallen into dispute and this clarification included a lightening of the requirements of the law.

In the second half of this lecture we discussed the meaning of Hikmah in the famous verse Q16:125 of Surah al-Nahl. "Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom(hikmah) and good advice and dispute with them in a manner that is best. Indeed your Lord knows best those who stray from His way, and He knows best those who are guided. "(Q16:125). This verse just comes after a pericope about Abraham Q16:119-124. In this pericope Abraham is considered a hanif, selected and guided by God, blessed in both worlds and among the righteous and prophet Muhammad (ص) was asked to follow the path of Abraham.

In the pivotal Q16:124 verse it is stated that sabbath was only prescribed for the Jews and neither for Abraham and his followers and nor for Muslims. Similar to the Sūrat al-Zukhruf Jesus pericope (Q43:57-65), we have a combination between the differing (ikhtilāf; Q16:124 and Q 43:63) that the Jews fell victim to, which is contrasted with the ḥikmah that Jesus(ع) (Q 43:63) or Prophet Muhammad(ص) (Q 16:125) now offer to resolve the dispute by partially clarifying or reforming the law.

Hikmah as moral/natural law is in contrast to the positive law, that is, reforms can be applied to the positive law in the light of knowledge coming from Hikmah.

#hikmah_quran

This week’s "Hikmah in the Qur’an" lecture will not be held. Session 8 will take place next Sunday, November 23, from 7:15 to 9:00 pm.

upcoming events, Nov 16-21, 2025

▫️Sun, Nov 16, 6:00-7:00 pm (virtual, FA w/ Subs)
Lecture Series, 10 (suppl.), "Structure and Argumentation in Islamic Theology", Hassan Ansari, IAS, Princeton.

▫️Tue, Nov 18, 8:30-10:15 pm (virtual, FA w/ Subs)
Lecture Series, 1, "The State of Religious Conflicts in the First Half of the Third Century AH", Hassan Ansari, IAS, Princeton.

▫️Thu, Nov 20, 7:15-10:00 pm (hybrid, EN)
Dua Kumayl & Lecture, Fatimiyya Event (2), speaker: Hassanain Rajabali.

▫️Fri, Nov 21, 7:30-9:30 pm (hybrid, EN)
Special Event, "The Hawzah and Contemporary Issues", speaker: Sayyid Mohammad Baqir Kashmiri.

- All times US Eastern Time

visit us:
https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

درس گفتارهای تاریخ اندیشه و تمدن اسلامی

🌐 بصورت مجازی، به فارسی

«آشنایی با ساختار و نظام استدلالی متون کلاسيک در الهيات اسلامی»
توسط دکتر حسن انصاری

موضوع: توحید

جلسه دهم تکمیلی (اخر)، یکشنبه ۱۶ نوامبر، ۶:۰۰ تا ۷:۰۰ شب (به وقت شرق آمریکا)

Zoom Participation (webinar):
https://mit.zoom.us/j/93933325521

چکیده:
بررسی "شرح جمل العلم والعمل".
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UXKbI9f_4yi5jIa0_DfWa3Lkdq-jZkwD/view

در باره سخنران:
https://www.ias.edu/hs/ansari

#الهیات_اسلامی_ساختار_نظام_استدلالی
@azbarresihayetarikhi
https://sites.mit.edu/zekrmit/
@zekrMIT

جلسه آخر از این مجموعه با تمرکز روی "توحید" امشب ساعت ۶:۰۰ به وقت شرق آمریکا.