Turath AL-Hillah

Everyone knows that the Allamah (Grand Scholar) is, undoubtedly, a jurist (Faqih) of the first order, and that he possesses deep insight into jurisprudence (Fiqh). His jurisprudential works are diverse: some are demonstrative (Istidlali) for Shi’a scholars, such as Al-Mukhtalaf; others are demonstrative between Shi’a scholars and those of other Islamic schools of thought (Madhahib), such as Al-Muntaha and Al-Tadhkirah; and some are purely fatwa-based (Futwa’i), such as Al-Irshad and Al-Qawa’id.
Despite his vast knowledge and profound expertise in Fiqh, one still finds him explicitly stating in some issues, “Here, I am one of those who suspend judgment (Al-Mutawaqqifun).” The article presented to the esteemed reader showcases some instances of fatwas where the Allamah clearly suspended judgment by saying: “I am one of those who suspend judgment here.”
Through reading this article, the esteemed reader will comprehend the Allamah’s depth and mastery over the sayings of the jurists and their proofs, and will also observe the piety (Taqwa) governing the articulation of opinions on religious rulings (Ahkam Shar’iyyah).
 

The research explores the city of Hillah, one of Iraq’s most prominent Arab centers of learning, culture, and civilization since its foundation in the fifth Islamic century. It offers a comparative reading of how Arab historians and writers and foreign travelers and Orientalists portrayed the city, aiming to uncover the differing impressions each group held regarding its people, heritage, and historical role in Islamic civilization.
The study highlights al-Hillah’s intellectual, literary, and architectural significance as a hub of jurisprudence, language, poetry, and philosophy, while also examining Western depictions that often linked it to the legacy of ancient Babylon and its distinctive riverine geography. Through the analysis of Arabic and Western sources, the research demonstrates that Arab writers viewed al-Hillah as a symbol of knowledge, generosity, and cultural identity, whereas foreign observers saw it with a sense of wonder and admiration for its continuity amid the ruins of ancient civilizations.
Ultimately, the study concludes that al-Hillah stands as a bridge of civilizational dialogue between East and West, and that studying it through diverse sources reveals the richness of the shared human heritage embodied in this history city.

This research represents a contemporary study of the book (Ghayat Al-Su’ul fi Sharh Tahdhib Al-Wusul Ila Ilm Al-Usul) (The Utmost Goal in the Commentary of Refinement of the Methods to the Science of Principles). This book belongs to one of the streams of the scholarly seminary (Hawza Ilmiyya) in the city of Hilla. The study is conducted from a linguistic perspective, specifically using the lens of Speech Acts, to uncover the direct speech acts scattered throughout this valuable work of Usul al-Fiqh.
Keywords: Pragmatics, Speech Acts, Fakhr al-Muhaqqiqin, Verbs.

This research paper’s title is (The Effects of the Husayni Revolution and Rituals on the Architecture in the City of Hilla). This effect is most evident in the cities of central and southern Iraq.This is a newly introduced topic that combines Islamic history, contemporary history, and architecture.
Shia religious cities possess characteristics in planning and architecture that distinguish them from other cities and metropolises. This distinctiveness observed in (Religious Architecture) in many Iraqi cities with a religious heritage is the result of a diverse set of influencing factors, including beliefs, community customs and traditions, and geographical and environmental conditions. All of these factors contributed to the production of the urban scene of this type of city and shaped its planning features, making its planning and urban structures a distinctive urban feature added to its other merits.
Therefore, religious effects leave their clear mark on the general identity of these cities through their impact on the paths and shape of streets and alleys, and the internal movement routes, which are governed by the organically interconnected system of all its aspects. This is in addition to the urban pattern with its religious character, the type of architecture of its traditional markets, its public squares, its roads, and the courtyards accompanying the shrines, mosques, Husayniyahs (congregation halls), and places of worship, leading to a kind of integration in the aspect of architecture and function that takes into account many influential environmental aspects.
Through the research, we found that the spiritual and doctrinal connection of the people of Hilla to the Household of the Prophet (Ahl al-Bayt) in general, and to Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) in particular, has had significant effects on their entire lives, especially the urban aspect. Hilla has been linked to Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) in terms of land, population, and civilization since its inception, due to its geographical proximity to the shrines of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) in Najaf al-Ashraf, Karbala al-Muqaddasah, and Al-Kadhimiya al-Musharrafa. Politics has also played a major role in this, negatively during Saddam’s regime and positively in the present time.
The effects of the Husayni Revolution on Hilla’s architecture varied from one aspect to another. The most affected aspect by this eternal revolution is the religious architecture, represented by the construction of Husayniyahs, Mawkibs (procession tents), Maqams (shrines/stations), holy shrines, religious schools, which is evident in their large numbers, the extensive areas they occupy inside and outside the center of Hilla city, their ornamentation, and their spread across all neighborhoods of Babil Governorate.
Second in terms of influence by the Husayni Revolution are the private residential houses of the residents and private services. No house in Hilla, especially inside, is devoid of the effect of the Husayni Revolution. This is also evident in the markets, restaurants, bakeries, and other services.
Third in rank are public and governmental buildings, evident in their names and the slogans within them. This effect is clearly visible in the names of residential neighborhoods, streets, and murals across the entire city of Hilla.

This research deals with the semantic contrast (or opposition) in the poem “The Misstep of Time”, which is one of the most widely circulated elegies by Al-Sayyid Haydar Al-Hilli. In this poem, he mourns Al-Hussein (PBUH), his family, and his companions during the agonizing event of Karbala (the Battle of Al-Taff).
The poet, known for his great poetic talent and vast linguistic mastery, excelled at choosing semantically contrasting words to depict the tragedy in all its contradictions and oppositions. The most prominent of these contrasts are of two types:
Contrast between Verbs: The poet introduced actions (verbs) and then used verbs that contrast with them to paint a picture of the event, which encompasses strangeness, contradiction, and condemnation in all its proceedings and developments. These verbs, with their indications of action, revealed what happened on the day of Al-Taff.
Contrast between Nouns: The poet employed nouns, both concrete and abstract, and brought forth contrasting nouns that oppose them in signification, thereby illuminating their meanings. Through this technique, he created a lamentation (lament) that stands as one of the finest elegies in Arabic poetry.
Keywords: contrast, semantic, elegy, Ahl al-Bayt, al-Husayn, al-Taff, al-Waqi’ah, death, nouns, verbs.

 

The multiplicity of literary genres does not negate the existence of a common denominator among them. The rhetoric of poetry is a manifestation of the overlap between genres, such as the narrative and the poetic, and it is no less important than them in the fields of transmission and reception.Based on the foregoing, this study seeks to demonstrate the intertwining between the arts of poetry and rhetoric (oratory), as they overlap in several instances that make the poetic text closer to the fabric of rhetoric. The breadth of the poet’s imagination causes their text to compete with other literary texts and penetrate their core, thereby generating the poetic nature of those genres. Conversely, we find the susceptibility of other genres to influence and penetration, allowing some of their elements to surface and the mechanisms of intermingling and interpenetration between the two literary genres to become clear.
We chose the Diwan (collected poems) of the poet
Al-Sayyid Mahdi Al-Hilli (may Allah have mercy upon him) for the field of application because of the rhetorical features I found in his poetry (specifically, Hussaini Poetry), which combine the aesthetic of poetry with the authoritativeness/argumentative nature of rhetoric. This means that the rhetorical tendency supports the poet’s creativity in presenting the meaning in its most splendid form.

Consensus (Ijma’): It is the agreement of exegetes (Mufassirun) or jurists (Fuqaha) in a certain era on an interpretation (Tafsir) or a legal ruling (Hukm Shar’i). Based on this, it is a specific agreement It serves as a proof (Hujjah) because it is a means of discovering the interpretation or the legal ruling, according to the principle of the (Companions) school However, according to the principle of the (Ahl al-Bayt) school (peace be upon them all), it is a proof because it reveals the opinion of the Infallible (Ma’sum) (peace be upon him). In other words: the probative force (Hujjiyyah) belongs to the revealed (Munkashaf), not to the revealer (Kashif).
We proceed in this research from a major hypothesis, which is that (Consensus/Ijma’) is one of the principles (Usul) of exegesis (Tafsir) according to Ibn Shahrashub, and we strive to prove this hypothesis. This is while acknowledging that it falls in series (in Tūl) with the two main principles of exegesis in the (Ahl al-Bayt) school (peace be upon them all)- not parallel (in ‘Ardh) to them- which are the (Qur’an) and the (Sunnah). That is, it was not an independent proof opposing them; the reason for this is that the probative force of (Consensus) is contingent upon its revealing the saying of the (Infallible) (peace be upon him). Thus, it is a (substantive) evidence (Dalil Lubbī) that refers back to the Sunnah; therefore, it was not parallel to it.
From this, we observe that some of the reasons for the differences among exegetes relate to the reliance on this principle, especially the differences in some points of exegesis between the (Ahl al-Bayt) school (peace be upon them all) and the (Companions) school; because the exegetical output of the one who resorts to (Consensus) differs from the one who resorts to another principle.
It thus becomes clear to us that this is a natural matter, as it is an intellectual difference stemming from the difference in the fundamental principles of exegesis, which consequently generates a difference in the exegetical output. Therefore, the exegesis for each of the exegetical schools is principled (Mabna’ī), or in other words: it is a correct exegesis according to its principle.
It is not necessarily correct according to the principle of another exegetical school. What is said about (Exegesis) is also said about the (Critique) of exegesis; because the exegesis that was (Criticized) is correct according to the principle of the producer, not according to the principle of the critic, and vice versa is true.
Keywords: Exegesis, Verses, Rulings, Ibn Shahrashub, Consensus, Ambiguous, The Qur’an.