Paganism: a Disposition, not a Transitory Stage

علوم قرآن و حدیث

Article 1, Volume 42, Issue 1 - Serial Number 84, June 2010   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/naqhs.v42i1.11803

Author

‘Alī Asadī^*

Abstract

Talking about paganism (jāhiliyya) is in fact a discourse about a procedure that is not limited to a specific time, since paganism is a social mode (disposition), which can appear in any time and space and has its own characteristics, goals, and standards; a reality that the Holy Qur’ān, the sunna of the Prophet (S.A.W.), as well as the researchers’ inquiries have emphasized. The Holy Qur’ān has viewed paganism as against religion and its practice as originally opposed to Islam. The inquiries conducted by scholars and researchers have designated its nature as a mode rather than a temporal stage.
This writing is aimed at expressing the reality of paganism and clarifying its nature as a policy in life. It is also an attempt to draw attention to help understand its essence and the misconceptions held about it, leading to a clarification of minds through explicating its philosophy. The importance of the matter is more because of the negligence of many people, especially, the Muslims about this malady, which, as the modern paganism, is so remarkably widespread in today’s world.
Keywords: paganism, code of conduct, ignorance, social disposition.