Journal of Imamiyyah Studies

Journal of Imamiyyah Studies

An Examination of How Religious Scholars Deviate Under the Influence of Love of the World (Ḥubb al-Dunyā) and the Vices Arising from It, with an Emphasis on Verse 175 of Surah al-Aʿrāf (7:175)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
maryam khosravani 1
Ahmad Reza Gha'ei 2
Seyyedeh Fatemeh Hashemi 2
1 Ph.D. candidate, Department of Quran & Hadith Sciences and Arabic Language & Literature, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Qur'an & Hadith Sciences, and Arabic Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jis.2026.536336.2045
Abstract
In every society, worldly and otherworldly prosperity and misery depend on adherence to divine commandments (and acting upon them); for they are both in accordance with human nature (fiṭrah) and enable correct orientation through adherence to them. The prophets, their explicitly designated successors, and subsequently religious scholars bear the responsibility of teaching and instruting divine commandments. The role of religious scholars in every era, whether in the age of the prophets or in the present age, is very important and critical. Therefore, it is fitting that acting upon divine commandments would be their constant practice; for the presence of scholars who do not practice their religion can sometimes pave the way for discouragement, cynicism, and even the emergence of deviation and corruption in the religious community. This article, written using a descriptive-analytical method, finds that the Holy Qur'an and traditions consider love of the world (ḥubb al-dunyā) to be the main cause of deviation among religious scholars. Love of the world activates reprehensible vices such as arrogance, stinginess, and animosity in a person, and the dynamism of these unpleasant traits gives rise to an even more unpleasant vice like envy, which in traditions is considered to burn away faith. If a religious scholar, through incorrect justifications, inclines towards the blameworthy world and treads that path, he becomes a scholar of weak faith; his presence in the religious community can create deviations that are sometimes impossible to rectify.
Keywords
Religious Scholars
Deviation
Love of the World (Ḥubb al-Dunyā)
Envy (Ḥasad)
Subjects
The Holy Qur’an.
 
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