Naresideh be Derakht Podcast

Podcast: Naresideh be Derakht "Naresideh be Derakht is a garden lane greener than God's dream"

The Naresideh be Derakht podcast is an intimate conversation between a concerned individual and a religious scholar. Hamed Sadeghi raises his questions and concerns about religion, spirituality, and ethics, and Farhad Shafti attempts to answer them by drawing on reason, the Quran, and collective experience. The importance of the topics discussed, their diversity, the pluralistic, intra-religious, and extra-religious perspective, the dialogical approach, and the effort to avoid purely specialized content are among the appealing features of these podcast discussions.

Farhad Shafti is a religious scholar engaged in research on the Quran and the revision of religious understanding based on the Quran. He holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in Operational Research from the University of Strathclyde. Among his latest writings in Persian, one can mention "The Quran, Exclusivist or Pluralist", "We and the Mysterious God of the Quran", and "An Easy and Difficult Question about Religion and Spirituality". Hamed Sadeghi has been a teacher for many years and is closely familiar with the concerns of the younger generation. He is interested in ethical, religious, and social issues.

Session One:

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- Pluralism and our traditional beliefs - What use is the Quran to us today? - Why do we feel we derive no benefit from worship? - The benefit of pluralism

Session Two:

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- Elaboration on the first session's discussion on religiosity and pluralism - Two narratives of the concept of God - The purpose of religion - The meaning of purification (tazkiyah) - The Quran and sincerity in incorrect belief

Session Three:

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- Religion's response to the concern of human suffering (a comparison of Islam and Buddhism) - Spiritualism among atheists

Session Four:

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- Continuing the discussion on religion and the concern for human suffering - The outward meaning of Quranic verses: harsh or gentle?

Fifth Session:

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- Why do religious laws gradually become more important than the essence of religion? - The origin of Sharia laws in the Quran - The criterion for the effectiveness of acts of worship

Sixth Session:

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- The relationship between worship and servitude - Why does God want us to be His servants and worship Him? - The relationship of piety with servitude and God - Can servitude be in conflict with rationality? - Servitude and having human role models

          Special Session on Dr. Soroush's Theory of

          The Quran and the Discussion of the Prophet's Authoritarianism – Islam as Submission to Government

          Part Three:

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          The Character of the Prophet Based on the Quran

Session Seven:

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- What is the narrative of God's relationship with humanity in the Quran? - The outcome of religion, and love! - Our individual responsibility in conscious religiosity

Session Eight

          Part One:

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          - How do we hear God's response (an interpretation from the first three verses of Surah Al-Fatiha)?

          Part Two:

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          - What is incumbent upon God.           - Does mercy and compassion have a limit?           - An example of the narrative of love in the verbal structure of the Quran

Chapter Two, Session One:

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- A reflection on the story of creation, Adam's paradise, repentance, and the fall

Chapter Two, Session Two:

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- Does divine guidance and salvation occur only through the sending of prophets?

Chapter Two - Session Three:

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- What is the relationship between Islamic Sharia and the culture of the place of its revelation? - How can the conquests of the Muslim Arabs be explained? - What is the interaction of Islamic Sharia with different cultures? - Based on the Quran, what role do differences in religious laws play in salvation?

Chapter Two - Session Four

Part One:

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Ramadaniyat: Where in this dark night shall I hang my tattered cloak ...

Part Two:

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Ramadaniyat: Where in this dark night shall I hang my tattered cloak ...

Chapter Two - Session Five

Part One:

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Ramadaniyat, Night of Qadr: Differences of opinion

Part Two:

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          Ramadan Reflections, Laylat al-Qadr: A Different Approach to the Night of Decree

          Part Three:

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          Ramadan Reflections, Laylat al-Qadr: What Can Be Done and What Can Be Sought?

Chapter Two - Session Six

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Summary of Past Discussions: - Religious Pluralism - Why Servitude to God? - A Reflection on the Concept of Purification (Tazkiyah) - A Reflection on the Concept of Spirituality - The Trans-Religious Worldview of the Opening Verses of Surah Al-Fatiha

Chapter Two - Session Seven

          Part One:

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          - Sources of Understanding Religion           - Re-examining the Relationship between the Quran and Hadith           - Re-examining the Definition of Sunnah

          Part Two:

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          - Pathology of Approaches to the Quran

Chapter Two - Session Eight

          Part One:

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          A Reflection on Sharia:           - The Quranic Meaning of Sharia           - Four Points on Sharia           - Static Sharia or Dynamic Sharia

          Part Two:

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          The Nature of Revelation:           - Explanation of Three General Views on Revelation:           • Revelation Suited to the Knowledge and Culture of the Audience           • Revelation Based on the Knowledge and Culture of the Audience           • Revelation Arising from the Knowledge and Culture of the Audience           - The Relation of Each of the Three Views to Religious Pluralism

Chapter Two - Session Nine

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The narrative of Itmam al-Hujjah (Ultimatum) in the Quran: - What does Itmam al-Hujjah mean according to the Quran's narrative? - Does Itmam al-Hujjah in the Quran also include indirect addressees (i.e., us)? - Is the application of the Quran for direct and indirect addressees entirely identical?

Chapter Two - Session Ten (Final Part)

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Why "Naresideh be Derakht" (Approaching the Tree)?!