Iranian Qur’an researcher and writer, Marzieh Yazdi, says she has devised an eclectic method for Quran research and publishes her works in a number of languages to promote Islamic culture and teachings in other countries.
Share It :
In an exclusive interview with 'Iran Daily', published Wednesday, she talked about her works as well as her goals and ambitions.
Excerpts follow:
IRAN DAILY: For how long have you been involved in this field?
MARZIEH YAZDI: I have been fond of reading the Qur’an and Islamic teachings since childhood. However, I began my career in this field in 1986 concurrent with the martyrdom of my husband.
Would you please talk about your husband and how he was martyred?
In fact he encouraged me to study pedagogy. He used to operate services at the ideological-political sections of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and fought against the Iraqi Baath army for seven years. He launched rocket-propelled grenades in battles. In 1986, he was martyred in Shalamcheh in Khuzestan province in Karbala-5 Operation. Nevertheless, he was counted as missing in action for ten years. Finally his body was returned to Iran in 1996.
Tell us about your writings and works.
I have written 12 works of which 11 have been published. Of this figure, 10 pertain to the Holy Qur’an and religious pedagogy and one titled ‘A Leaf of My Red Life’ is related to the Sacred Defense period (Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88) in which I have recounted 50 memories which I still recall from my martyred husband. Each memory is related to a subject from the Qur’an.
One of these books pertaining to children literature is currently under publication by Rooz-Andish publications in Hamedan. The book relates to children’s social skills, manners of attending school and teaching them discipline and Islamic lessons.
Do you rely on a specific method in conducting research in the field of Qur’an?
Yes, I have devised an innovative method. It is something between translation, interpretation and exegesis. Common exegeses may bore readers. However, my exegesis is based on adaptation from old and new exegeses. My sources include ‘Tafsir-e al-Mizan’, ‘Tafsir-e Nemooneh’, ‘Tafsir-e Qur’an Majid’, ‘Tafsir-e Javan’ and ‘Tafsir-e al-Kashef’. I have written and published two exegeses based on two parts (juz’) of the Holy Qur’an. Of course, to be able to understand the book properly and benefit from its contents, the reader needs to know about some of the Qur’anic concepts.
What about your trilingual Qur’an dictionary?
The dictionary presents a simultaneous translation of Qur’anic verses into Arabic, Persian and English languages. I have selected 300 words from each of the first two parts of the Holy Qur’an and presented their meanings in Persian and English in this work. The book will help English readers better understand the Qur’an. The book, which has a circulation of 1,000, is published by Afaq-e Ghadir publications.
Why did you establish the website on Qur’an research?
The website includes diverse sections pertaining to interpretation of a number of Qur’an chapters and presentation of my books and educational video clips. One of the most important issues discussed in the website is linked to marriage and health issues pertaining to it based on Islamic disciplines about marriage and giving birth to children. By launching the website I intended to present the Qur’an to people from other countries and promote its sublime concepts among them.
Born in 1960 in Hamedan province, she received her M.A. in pedagogy from Shahid Beheshti University. She is the wife of martyr Haj Mohammad-Hossein Derafshifar.
She was selected as the best writer of the Fifth International Conference of Women Qur’an Researchers in 2007 and in the same year, ranked third among university professors in the west of the country in a research competition.
She was also given the title of the exemplary writer of Hamedan province in 1998, 2002 and 2011. She has recently launched a Qur’an research website www.marziehyazdi.com in Persian, Arabic, English and French languages. /SR
