''Spiritual Discourses'' (also known as ''Spiritual Sayings'' ( fa, گفتارهای معنوی) or ''Spiritual Freedom'' ( fa, آزادی معنوی)) is a book of fifteen lectures delivered by
Morteza Motahhari
Morteza Motahhari ( fa, مرتضی مطهری, also Romanized as "Mortezā Motahharī"; 31 January 1919 – 1 May 1979) was an Iranian Twelver Shia scholar, philosopher, lecturer. Motahhari is considered to have an important influence on th ...
. The common aspect of all of these lectures is their reflection on self-improvement and self-cultivation, though they also address social issues at some points.
Background
Most of the lectures were delivered in
Hosseiniyeh Ershad
The Hosseinieh Ershad or Hosseiniyeh Ershad ( fa, حسینیه ارشاد) is a non-traditionalist religious institute established by Nasser Minachi in Tehran, Iran. It was closed for a time by the Mohammad Reza Shah, Pahlavi government in 1972. ...
between 1968 and 1971 in
Iran,
Tehran. Their subject matter concerns spiritual issues around self-construction and self-cultivation.
Morteza Motahhari
Morteza Motahhari ( fa, مرتضی مطهری, also Romanized as "Mortezā Motahharī"; 31 January 1919 – 1 May 1979) was an Iranian Twelver Shia scholar, philosopher, lecturer. Motahhari is considered to have an important influence on th ...
references
philosophical anthropology
Philosophical anthropology, sometimes called anthropological philosophy, is a discipline dealing with questions of metaphysics and phenomenology of the human person.
History
Ancient Christian writers: Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo wa ...
to explain and explore these concepts.
The first edition of ''Spiritual Discourses'' was published in 1986, consisting of thirteen lectures across eight chapters in
Iran. In the nineteenth edition, two lectures were added to the second chapter. The
Persian title of the book, , was renamed to ''Spiritual Freedom'' () after several editions by the publisher. It has been reprinted more than 80 times in
Iran.
Chapters
The book has eight chapters:
[
]
#Spiritual Freedom ( fa, آزادی معنوی, links=no) – two lectures delivered in 1969 in
Hosseiniyeh Ershad
The Hosseinieh Ershad or Hosseiniyeh Ershad ( fa, حسینیه ارشاد) is a non-traditionalist religious institute established by Nasser Minachi in Tehran, Iran. It was closed for a time by the Mohammad Reza Shah, Pahlavi government in 1972. ...
,
Tehran.
[
]
#Worship and Prayer ( fa, عبادت و دعا, links=no) – four lectures delivered in 1970 in Hosseiniyeh Ershad, Tehran.
#Repentance ( fa, توبه, links=no) – two lectures delivered in 1970 in Hosseiniyeh Ershad, Tehran.
#Migration and Jihad ( fa, هجرت و جهاد, links=no) – three lectures delivered in 1971 in Naarmak Mosque, Tehran.
#Nobility and Magnanimity of Spirit ( fa, بزرگی و بزرگواری روح, links=no) – a lecture delivered on November 8, 1970, in Hosseiniyeh Ershad, Tehran.
#Belief in the Unseen ( fa, ایمان به غیب, links=no) – a lecture delivered in November 1968 in a private home.
#The Criteria for Humanity ( fa, معیار انسانیت چیست؟, links=no) – a university lecture.
#The School of Humanity ( fa, مکتب انسانیت, links=no) – a lecture delivered at the College of Engineering,
University of Tehran.
Reception
In a meeting with a group of poets on August 15, 2011,
Ali Khamenei
Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنه‌ای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia ''marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president o ...
,
Supreme Leader of Iran, recommended the book after pointing out the usefulness of reading the
Quran,
Nahj al-Balagha and
Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya.
[
]
Translations
The book was originally published in Persian, and has been translated into English, Urdu, Spanish and Arabic.[
]
See also
* The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism
The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism ( fa, اصول فلسفه و روش رئالیسم) is a book containing of 14 articles by Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai on Islamic philosophy and Epistemology which has been published in 5 volum ...
* Sexual Ethics in Islam and in the Western World
* Understanding Islamic Sciences
* Anecdotes of pious men
* Atlas of Shia
Atlas of Shia ( fa, اطلس شیعه) is a book in Persian language, written by Rasul Jafarian, which has been compiled in 743 pages and 12 chapters.
According to The specialized library on Islam and Iran, "''Atlas of Shia'' is an authorial-re ...
* Hadiqat al Haqiqa
Mathnawi Hadiqat al Haqiqa va Shari'at al-Tariqah ( ar, حديقة الحقيقة وشريعة الطريقة, lit=The Garden of Truth and The Path to Trek) or Elahi Nameh ( fa, الهی نامه, lit=Treatise to Theology) is an early Sufi book o ...
* Reflection on the Ashura movement
* Step by Step Up to Union With God
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spiritual Discourses
1986 books
Iranian books
Books by Morteza Motahhari