Noor al-Shari`ah

About Noor al-Shari`ah

Allah says in the Quran: *"It is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once. So why should not a group from each of their sections go forth to gain understanding in religion and warn their people when they return to them – that perhaps they may beware?"* (Quran 9:122)

"It is not fitting for all believers to go out [en masse]. Why does no group from each community go forth to acquire religious understanding, and then warn their people upon returning, so that they may take heed?" (Repentance / 9:122)

Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: *"Seek deep understanding in the religion of Allah, for indeed fiqh (jurisprudence) is the key to insight, the perfection of worship, and the means to attain lofty stations and noble ranks in both religion and this world."*

"Acquire deep knowledge of the religion of God, for religious understanding is the key to insight, the completion of worship, and the means to reach high stations and noble ranks in both religion and this life." (Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 10, p. 247)

The divine verses of the Holy Quran and the illuminating words of the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them) are "light upon light," enabling humanity to distinguish truth from falsehood, walk the straight path, and navigate the winding alleys of life to reach salvation. Thus, relying on the verses of the Holy Quran and the traditions and narrations of the Prophet's Household (peace be upon them) is the best approach to beginning any action, speech, or writing.

Among Islamic sciences, jurisprudence (fiqh) and ijtihad hold a distinguished status and elevated position. Scholars and researchers in Islamic sciences, from ancient times to the present, have sought—through contemplation and utilization of this noble science—to introduce new approaches in practice, enabling seekers of happiness to tread the path of servitude to the Almighty with pure intention and clear certainty. Indeed, fiqh is a vast and invaluable treasure; by drawing upon it, one may contemplate the majesty and greatness of the One God. This heavenly science owes its continuity and flourishing life to the thought and intellect of brilliant scholars who, through their valuable writings and compilation of significant works in Islamic jurisprudence, have contributed to its growth and dynamism.

Today, on one hand, the vastness of Islamic scholarly sources and the immense volume of surviving texts, and on the other, the tremendous transformation in science and technology, have created a pressing need for Islamic knowledge and sciences to advance in step with modern science—particularly computer science. This integration facilitates access to this boundless treasure. With the spread of computers and the development of software programs, researchers and specialists have created a suitable environment for modern research in religious studies by digitizing classical texts and Islamic sources onto CDs and enabling diverse information retrieval functions. This allows researchers to achieve their scholarly goals in the shortest possible time. One such tool is the thematic dictionary, which offers a wide range of capabilities.

Those who have used lexical dictionaries and experienced both their valuable features and limitations are well aware of the advantages of thematic dictionaries. The production of thematic dictionaries has addressed these shortcomings and paved the way for researchers and religious scholars. Summarizing texts, indexing them, and creating multiple, diverse keywords and entries for these indexes and summaries constitute one of the best and most effective methods for retrieving a concept or topic in academic research.

The Thematic Dictionary: Noor al-Sharia

The software "Noor al-Sharia" is one of the thematic jurisprudential dictionaries. Previous versions of this work were introduced to the academic and cultural community in the form of the software packages *Noor al-Fuqaha 1, 2, and 3* by the Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences.

*Shara’i al-Islam*, famously known as the "Quran of Jurisprudence," holds a special status in the religious domain—particularly in the science of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). Numerous scholars have authored commentaries and marginal notes on this work, interpreting its jurisprudential verses and its diverse, detailed branches. Countless professors at Shi’a seminaries have placed this valuable collection before them while teaching, drawing from this pure spring to quench the thirst of seekers on the path of jurisprudence and truth. For this reason, researchers at the Fiqh Department of the Center have now turned to the monumental work *Shara’i al-Islam* by al-Hilli—a concise yet comprehensive book, encompassing numerous jurisprudential issues, meticulously organized and classified. According to the author of *Jawahir al-Kalam*, Sheikh Muhammad Hasan al-Najafi, this great jurist and mujtahid is like a "Quran" in matters of Islamic rulings. It was one of this esteemed jurist’s lifelong aspirations to see a worthy commentary composed on this precious jurisprudential text. *Jawahir al-Kalam*, the noble book which consumed thirty years of this great scholar’s life, represents the realization of that blessed aspiration—a beautiful interpretation of this "Quran of Fiqh." This invaluable work has not only formed the core content of the "Noor al-Sharia" software but has also inspired its very name.

One of the key features newly offered in this CD is the ability to access commentaries and marginalia on the thematically indexed text through keywords, indexes, and summaries extracted from the relevant text. For example, by selecting the keyword "al-'Ilm al-Ijmali" (General Knowledge), one can view the corresponding section in *Jawahir al-Kalam* that explains this passage, and retrieve the same concept across other commentaries.

Therefore, the main advantage of the thematic dictionary "Noor al-Sharia" is the ability to access commentaries and marginalia through textual topics. With nearly 6,700 keywords provided, it offers users appropriate entries to retrieve their desired topics and access the text of *Shara’i al-Islam* and its commentaries.

Given that producing thematic dictionaries for works such as *Jawahir al-Kalam* and *Encyclopedia of Imam al-Khoei (may Allah have mercy on him)* requires considerable time, users can fulfill a significant portion of their research needs through software such as "Noor al-Sharia" and "Urwa al-Noor" (a similar program focused on *Urwa al-Wuthqa*, to be released soon, God willing).

The Computer Research Center of Islamic Sciences, by presenting the thematic dictionary software "Noor al-Sharia" to the academic community and seminaries—especially students of fiqh and seekers of jurisprudence and ijtihad—awaits with great anticipation the feedback and suggestions of all those interested in the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), particularly researchers in the Shi’a school of jurisprudence.

Noor al-Sharia at a Glance

Program Contents

- Full text of the 4-volume *Shara’i al-Islam*, accompanied by 23 titles of commentaries and marginalia, including: *Jawahir al-Kalam* (43 vols), *Masalik al-Afham* (15 vols), *Misbah al-Faqih* (14 vols), *Lectures in Ja'fari Jurisprudence* (5 vols), *Al-Rasa’il al-Ahmadiyya* (3 vols), *Al-Durr al-Munaddad fi Ahkam al-Hudud* (3 vols), *Munjazat al-Marid*, *Foundations of Judiciary and Testimony*.

- Full text of 6 books on jurisprudential and principles terminology, including: *Al-Hudud wa al-Haqaiq*, *Mushkilat al-Fiqh*, *Al-Qamus al-Fiqhi Lughatan wa Istilahan*, *Al-Istilahat al-Fiqhiyya fi al-Rasa’il al-'Amaliyya*, *Mu'jam al-Mustalahat wa al-Alfazh al-Fiqhiyya*, *Istilahat al-Usul*.

- Full text of 3 classical Arabic dictionaries in 29 volumes: *Lisan al-Arab* (15 vols), *Majma' al-Bahrain* (6 vols), *Kitab al-'Ayn* (8 vols).

Thematic Dictionary Features

- Access to the full text of 23 commentaries and marginalia on *Shara’i al-Islam* via keywords, indexes, and summaries.

- Retrieve commentaries and marginalia based on textual topics.

- Nearly 6,700 keywords provided for topic retrieval and access to *Shara’i al-Islam* and its commentaries.

- Ability to combine keywords and indexes with selection of combination type (disjunctive, conjunctive, disjunctive mutually exclusive).

- Organize index lists by topic and index.

- Access to options: keyword, index, topic, citation, and text in various sections of the program.

- Ability to select grammatical forms (i‘rab) from keywords.

- Display list of book topics in Arabic alphabetical order with number of entries per topic.

- View full citation details for each entry.

- Direct navigation to the research section from various parts of the program to streamline the research process.

- Navigate between "next" and "previous" results and view full book text.

Lexical Dictionary Features

- Display list of all program books with full texts.

- Select desired volume and page through multiple methods.

- Compare texts from one or two volumes side by side.

- Use active research feature to jump to specific sections.

- Simple and advanced search in text and indexes.

- Limit search scope by volume or topic.

Additional Features

- Access to 6 authoritative dictionaries of jurisprudential and principles terminology, with brief definitions for each term.

- Diverse research, note-taking, and printing capabilities.

- Access word meanings via *Lisan al-Arab*, *Kitab al-'Ayn*, and *Majma' al-Bahrain* through root and derivative word lists.

- Direct transfer of selected text or list from the program to Microsoft Word environment.

- General information about the books in the program and biographies of their authors.