An Inquiry into Dystopia in the Qur’an and Its Comparison with Fārābī’s Astray, Ignorant, and Vicious Cities as well as the Contemporary City

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D Candidate, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin branch , Qazvin, Iran

2 Professor, ّDepartment of Urban Planning, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran,,, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Islamic Azad University, Qazvin branch , Qazvin, Iran

Abstract

Background: Since long time ago, theoreticians and intellectuals of urban and non-urban fields have concerned themselves with providing outlines and portraits of, and thoughts about, utopia. In principle when it comes to utopia, everyone complains about the status quo, looks for a solution under utopia so as to improve the situation, and provides an imaginary or actual outline of utopian features. There are very few people, nevertheless, who provide an outline of dystopia in order to give an indirect account of the features of utopia.
Objectives: In this paper, my goal is to consider the Quranic dystopia so as to find out more about the features of Quranic utopia.
Methodology: In my inquiry into the concept of Quranic utopia in this paper, I have deployed a reverse method; that is, I unearth the features of utopia via those of dystopia. In my references to the Qur’an as the main source of the research, I have deployed an exegetical-interpretational method relying mainly on al-Mīzān in order to understand Quranic verses.
Results: In this research, I have identified four city-related concepts in the Qur’an: balad, qarya, madīna, and miṣr. The word, qarya, is synonymous with dystopia, and balad denotes utopia, and by considering them together, we can account for Quranic utopia.
Qarya or the Quranic dystopia is a city whose people are not believers—they do not believe in God, the day of resurrection, the prophethood of prophets, and the imamate of the Imams, and do not do righteous actions. They are obstinate and vicious, they are deniers, polytheists, unbelievers, and oppressors. These are people who seek more pleasure, more wealth, unlimited freedom, greater domination, more general praise, and in a word, they love this world and seek no goals except the enjoyment of this world. When the Qur’an deals with the features of dystopia, it is mainly concerned with lifestyles, beliefs, moral attitudes, and conducts of people of “town” (qarya) and its rulers, and rarely does it deal with anatomical features thereof.
Conclusion: Features enumerated by Fārābī for his dystopias are compatible with those of the Quranic dystopia. Moreover, through a comparison between contemporary cities and Quranic dystopias, I conclude that contemporary cities are in a regressive direction towards qarya.

Highlights

We would end up in a dystopia if citizens do not change their lifestyles and correct their beliefs and moral attitudes.

Keywords

References

Amid, H. (2011). Farhang-i ‘Amid [‘Amid Dictionary]. Tehran: Intisharat-i Amir Kabir. (Original work published in 1997). (in Persian)
Ansariyan, H. (trans.) (2017). Sahifa Sajjadiyya: majmu‘ih munajat-hayi Imam Sajjad [The Sajjadi Book: collected supplications of Imam Sajjad]. Tehran: Markaz-i Tab‘ va Nashr-i Qur’an Karim. (in Persian)
Asil, H. (2014). Armanshahr dar andishi-yi Irani [Utopia in Iranian thought). Tehran: Nashr-i Ney. (In Persian)
Bahrayni, H. and Valadkhani, H. (2018). Dihkadi-yi shahri: ulguyi barayi sukunatgah-i paydar [Urban Village: A Model for Sustained Residence]. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. (in Persian)
Barkhurdari, ‘A. (2015). Daramadi tatbiqi bar mahiyyat-i madini-yi fazilih dar ara-yi Farabi va Khwajih Nasir al-Din Tusi [a comparative introduction to the nature of the virtuous city in the views of Farabi and Khwaja Nasir al-Din Turi]. Faslnami Siyasat, 45(2). (in Persian)
Habibi, M. (trans.). (2013). Shahrsazi, takhayyulat va vaqi‘iyyat [Urbanization, imaginations and realities] by Francoise Choay. Tehran: University of Tehran. (in Persian)
Jami‘-i Tafasir-i Nur software (3).
Lynch, K. (2002). A theory of good city form. Sayyid Husayn Bahrayni (trans.). Tehran: University of Tehran Press. (Original work published in 1918) (in Persian)
Majlisi, M.B. (n.d.). Bihar al-Anwar [The seas of the lights]. vol. 12. Tehran: Shirkat-i Tab‘-i Bihar al-Anwar. (in Arabic)
Majlisi, M.B. (n.d.). Bihar al-Anwar [The seas of the lights]. vol. 13. ‘Ali Davani (trans.). n.p.:n.p. (in Persian)
Makarim Shirazi, N. (1992). Tafsir-i nimunih [Exemplary exegesis]. 28 volumes. Tehran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya. (Original work published in 1992). (in Persian)
Malikshahi, H. (trans.) (2010). Al-Siyasat al-Madaniyya [Urban Politics] by al-Farabi. Tehran: Soroush. (Original work published in 1997). (in Persian)
More, T. (1982). Utopia. Dariyush Ashuri and Nadir Afshar Nadiri (trans.). Tehran: Intisharat-i Khwarazmi. (Original work published in 1516) (In Persian)
Mu‘in, M. (2013). Farhang-i Mu‘in [Mu‘in dictionary]. 6 volumes. Tehran: Intisharat-i Amir Kabir. (Original work published in 1971). (in Persian)
Naqizadih, M. (2008). Shahr va mi‘mari-yi Islami: tajalliyyat va ‘ayniyyat [City and Islamic architecture: manifestations and exemplifications]. Isfahan: Intisharat-i Mani. (in Persian)
Purmuhammadi, M., Bahrayni, H., and Davudpur, Z. (2019). Shahr-i Islami; takhayyul ya vaqi‘iyyat [Islamic city; imagination or reality]. Danish Shahrsazi, 3(2), 33-47. (in Persian)
Qumi, ‘A. (2003). Farhang-i vazhigan-i Qur’an-i Karim [Dictionary of the Words of the Noble Qur’an]. Translated by Ghulamhusayn Ansari. Tehran: Nashr Bayn al-Milal. (in Persian)
Qumi, ‘A. (n.d.). Mafatih al-jinan [Keys to the Heaven]. Mashhad: Nashr-i Astan-i Quds-i Razavi. (in Arabic and Persian)
Shakir, K. M. (2013). Tarjumi-yi Khulasi-yi al-Mizan ‘Allamih Tabataba’i [Translation of a summary of the balance by ‘Allama Tabataba’i]. (four volumes). Translated by Fatimih Mashayikh. Tehran: Islam. (in Persian)
Tabataba’i, S.M.H. (2007). Tafsir al-mizan [Quranic exegesis of the balance]. (20 volumes). Translated by Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Musavi Hamadani. Qom: Daftar-i Nashr-i Islami. (in Persian)
The Qur’an. (2003). Translated by Muhammad Mahdi Fuladvand. Tehran: Dar al-Qur’an al-Karim. (in Arabic and Persian)
Towfiqi, H. (trans.) (2012) City of God by St. Augustine. Qom: University of Religions and Denominations. (in Persian)
Tusi, Khwaja Nasir al-Din. (n.d.). Akhlaq-i Nasiri [Nasiri Ethics]. Mujtaba Minavi and Alireza Haydari (Ed.). Tehran: Nashr-i Khwarazmi. (in Persian)

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 28 September 2019
  • Revise Date: 07 January 2020
  • Accept Date: 08 April 2020

Share

How to cite

Statistics