Journal of Contemporary Studies on Religion and Science (JCSRS)

Journal of Contemporary Studies on Religion and Science (JCSRS)

Scientific Miracle Readings of Nahj al-Balāgha: A Critical Review of Contemporary Approaches

Document Type : Original Article

Author
grajouate of Nahjolbalagheh
Abstract
This review examines the growing body of scholarship that interprets Nahj al-Balāgha through the lens of scientific miracle discourse. It argues that these studies have made an important contribution by extending Nahj al-Balāgha scholarship beyond devotional reading and by placing the text in dialogue with contemporary concerns about science, knowledge, and modernity. At the same time, the review shows that much of this literature remains methodologically uneven. Its strengths lie in its interdisciplinary scope, its revival of interest in the text’s natural imagery, and its effort to connect classical Islamic heritage with modern intellectual life. Its weaknesses are more serious: anachronistic interpretation, selective quotation, weak textual control, and an overreliance on modern science as the standard by which the text is validated. The review concludes that Nahj al-Balāgha should be studied first as a classical rhetorical, theological, and philosophical work, and only then examined for possible relations to scientific discourse. In this way, the text can be appreciated both for its historical integrity and for its continuing intellectual relevance.
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