Research Article / Original Article
Intellectual, historical and civilizational traditions of Muslim social thought
sina sheikhi; Hossein KACHOYAN
Abstract
Saadi's Gulistan, which contains the highest number of Persian proverbs of any single work and served as a primary educational text in Iranian maktabkhaneh (traditional schools) for centuries, played a crucial role in shaping this ethic. This article, using a grounded theory method, examined Saadi's ...
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Saadi's Gulistan, which contains the highest number of Persian proverbs of any single work and served as a primary educational text in Iranian maktabkhaneh (traditional schools) for centuries, played a crucial role in shaping this ethic. This article, using a grounded theory method, examined Saadi's social ethics in his book Gulistan, arriving at the concept of "social service" as the ethical type. Saadi must be considered one of the greatest architects of an "ethics of service" in Persian literature. With rare skill, he presented mystical and ethical concepts in both prose and poetry, offering them to the general public in a simple and enduring manner.The mystical-ethical perspective on "serving the people" (khedmat-e khalq), evident in Saadi's works and the Islamic-Iranian mystical tradition, is not merely a spiritual teaching; it has had profound social and ethical impacts on the structure and dynamics of society. These impacts can be outlined in three main areas: strengthening social solidarity, reducing inequality and injustice, and shaping the collective spirit of society.Service to the people, which has played an important role in Iranian history, has been accompanied by diverse and multifaceted cultural and structural developments, with endowments (waqf), Sufi lodges (khanqah), and religious alms (khums and zakat) being prominent examples. In Saadi's thought, serving the people creates a solidarity among members of society that is distinct from the superficial and self-interested solidarities of the modern world.
Research Article / Original Article
Intellectual, historical and civilizational traditions of Muslim social thought
Yahya Bouzarinejad; Hosein Habibzade
Abstract
This study aims to address the fundamental question of how seemingly divergent ideologies of progressivism, religious reform, and Turk-Turanism demonstrated remarkable convergence within a short period, and how Muslim intellectuals in the South Caucasus were able to simultaneously embody all three facets. ...
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This study aims to address the fundamental question of how seemingly divergent ideologies of progressivism, religious reform, and Turk-Turanism demonstrated remarkable convergence within a short period, and how Muslim intellectuals in the South Caucasus were able to simultaneously embody all three facets. Employing a documentary and library-based research methodology, the study extensively collected relevant documents and reports in this field. Through a descriptive-critical analysis, a sociological examination of the interconnectedness of these ideas is presented. The research reveals that the discourse of progressivism, the three manifestations of religious reform movements—Pan-Islamism, Jadidism, and Babism—and the ideology of Turk-Turanism shared significant epistemological similarities. These commonalities facilitated collaboration and harmony within both social and intellectual spheres. By drawing on diverse historical references, the study provides concrete examples of this convergence and intellectual affinities among Caucasian thinkers and intellectuals. The findings highlight the unique historical and cultural context of the South Caucasus, which allowed for the coexistence and synthesis of these ideologies. Furthermore, the study underscores the role of Muslim intellectuals in navigating and integrating these diverse currents of thought, thereby contributing to a richer understanding of the region's intellectual history. The analytical approach and findings of this research can function as an effective model for analyzing the cultural and political currents of the South Caucasus during the years 1850-1918..
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Ebrahim Barzegar; Sajad Khodaei
Abstract
Ali Shariati is one of the influential thinkers in the contemporary history of Iran and the Islamic world. Considering the social and political circumstances of his time, he sought to redefine Islamic concepts in a way that addressed the needs of society. Serat (the path), a central metaphor in the intellectual ...
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Ali Shariati is one of the influential thinkers in the contemporary history of Iran and the Islamic world. Considering the social and political circumstances of his time, he sought to redefine Islamic concepts in a way that addressed the needs of society. Serat (the path), a central metaphor in the intellectual framework of Muslim thinkers, also holds a pivotal role in Shariati’s thought. This research seeks to answer the core question: "What role does Serat play in the political language and thought of Ali Shariati?" This study endeavors to present a new formulation of his thought by employing the metaphor of Serat as the source domain and political thought as the target domain. Through an analysis of Shariati’s ideas, we conclude that he conceptualized various concepts—such as religion, movement and institution, intellectuals, Alavid Shiism and Safavid Shiism, and others—as manifestations of Serat. By utilizing these concepts, a comprehensive analytical framework and ten foundational pillars rooted in the Serat metaphor have been extracted from Shariati’s political thought. This research adopts a qualitative content analysis methodology, enabling a deep examination of texts, identification of thematic parallels, and systematic evaluation of key terms to arrive at a structured analysis of his ideas within the domain of Serat.
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Gholamreza Jamshidiha; Mohammad Reza Hosseini; hadi zamani
Abstract
This research aims to analyze the concept of development in the thoughts of Dr. Ali Shariati, and examines the fundamental elements of his development model and attempts to answer two main questions: First, was Shariati development-oriented in his intellectual system? Second, what are the most important ...
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This research aims to analyze the concept of development in the thoughts of Dr. Ali Shariati, and examines the fundamental elements of his development model and attempts to answer two main questions: First, was Shariati development-oriented in his intellectual system? Second, what are the most important components of his development model? The research approach is qualitative and interpretive, using the method of content analysis and comparative analysis, in which his works were examined and key concepts were extracted. The findings are arranged in the form of a comparative table with theories of development sociology. The results show that Shariati considers development to be an endogenous, culturally-oriented process that relies on human empowerment. His development model is based on two main axes: cultural-spiritual development and economic development. In the cultural axis, components such as critical awareness, critical dialogue, critical coalition, critical pedagogy, and the rule of law play a role; And in the economic axis, political organization, physical environment, wise leadership, committed government, and responsible intellectuals are considered as key elements. The final analysis shows that cultural factors play a more prominent role in Shariati's thought than other components, and the dialectical relationship of these elements with economic and political structures provides the basis for the formation of a dynamic model of sustainable development. This model, if paid attention to and utilized, can provide a strategic model for policymakers and executives in the path of human and social development.
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Mohsen Parvish
Abstract
The Constitutional Revolution of Iran was not only a fundamental transformation in the contemporary political and social history of Iran but also a profound reflection of the two popular ideals of justice-seeking and legalism. Employing a qualitative thematic analysis method, this research examines the ...
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The Constitutional Revolution of Iran was not only a fundamental transformation in the contemporary political and social history of Iran but also a profound reflection of the two popular ideals of justice-seeking and legalism. Employing a qualitative thematic analysis method, this research examines the interpretation and reflection of these two concepts in the work "The History of the Iranian Awakening" by Nazem-ol-Eslam Kermani. The research data were collected and extracted through a precise and systematic reading of the aforementioned text. The findings indicate that Nazem-ol-Eslam considered justice-seeking not only as the driving force behind the Constitutional Movement and a natural reaction to Qajar oppression but also as a comprehensive social demand. In contrast, he introduced legalism as the necessary framework for the sustainable realization of justice and the establishment of a modern political system based on national sovereignty. His perspective, shaped by his intellectual background—particularly his religious beliefs and lived experience of the Constitutional events—led him to legitimize these principles not merely from a political standpoint but also within an ethical and religious framework. A comparison of Nazem-ol-Eslam's thought with that of his contemporaries reveals that, while sharing the overarching ideals, he possessed a unique approach characterized by the integration of modern rationality and an emphasis on the role of the people as agents of change. By focusing on Nazem-ol-Eslam's narrative, this study demonstrates how justice-seeking and legalism, as the central pillars of his thought, are manifested in his analysis of the Constitutional Revolution in his texts, and how these ideas hold a distinct position compared to other approaches of his era.
Research Article / Original Article
Presenting an original critical discussion about the nature of the modern humanities and determining its relationship with religion
Hossein kachoeyan; Hamid Parsania; Fatemeh Fallahnejad Tafti
Abstract
The fundamental rupture between subject and object, initiated by Descartes and perpetuated in modern philosophy, became the primary cause for the elimination or reduction of the role of the imaginitrix as an "intermediary reality." Although this reduction was countered in German Idealism (Kant) with ...
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The fundamental rupture between subject and object, initiated by Descartes and perpetuated in modern philosophy, became the primary cause for the elimination or reduction of the role of the imaginitrix as an "intermediary reality." Although this reduction was countered in German Idealism (Kant) with attempts to revive the transcendental imaginary, it ultimately failed due to its confinement within a subject-centric epistemology and the preservation of metaphysical dualism. This trajectory culminated in the rebellion of the imaginary/will against reason in Nietzsche, intensifying the crisis of nihilism and existential meaning in the modern world. Using a directed content analysis methodology and comparative study of primary texts, this article aims to provide a Sadrian reading for transcending this crisis. The research novelty lies in elucidating the ontological potential of the imaginitrix in Transcendent Theosophy, contrasting it with the modern reduction to the subjective connected imaginary. Mulla Sadra, by proving the duality of the "connected imaginitrix" and the "separated imaginitrix" (the Mundus Imaginalis), portrays the imaginitrix as an intermediary (Barzakhi) and semi-abstract reality that establishes not only the link between intellect and sense but also the existential connection between the intelligible world ('Alam al-'Aql) and the material world ('Alam al-Madda). In this framework, the Soul (Nafs), being "corporeal in inception and spiritual in subsistence" (jismāniyyat al-ḥudūth wa rūḥāniyyat al-baqā'), is considered to possess an imaginitrix nature and to be an intermediate species. Contemplation (Tafakkur) is identified as the final act of the imaginitrix soul. This nature facilitates the intensified movement (ḥarakat ishtidādī) of the soul from immersion in the material to the stage of intellectual transcendence, re-establishing a transcendent (not transcendental) meaning of existence, transforming the subject/object rupture into a synthetic-perfectionist unity, and offering a monotheistic vista for confronting modern nihilism.
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Hassan Bakhshizadeh
Abstract
Objective:This study aims to analyze Sayyid Qutb’s theoretical and practical ideas regarding the nature of Islamic existence, with particular focus on his seminal work Ma‘ālim fī al-Ṭarīq (Signposts on the Road), to contribute to the understanding of contemporary Islamic thought and ...
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Objective:This study aims to analyze Sayyid Qutb’s theoretical and practical ideas regarding the nature of Islamic existence, with particular focus on his seminal work Ma‘ālim fī al-Ṭarīq (Signposts on the Road), to contribute to the understanding of contemporary Islamic thought and civilizational frameworks.Methods: The research employs structured qualitative content analysis based on Mayring’s (2014) method. Inductive open coding was used to identify key concepts such as Tawhid, Jahiliyyah, and Sharia, which were then organized into subthemes through axial coding. Thematic synthesis generated overarching categories linking individual ethical reform with societal reconstruction, ensuring interpretive transparency, methodological rigor, and conceptual coherence.Results: The findings indicate that Sayyid Qutb envisions Islamic existence as an integrated system that combines theoretical faith with practical application. He emphasizes personal devotion, adherence to Sharia, and the establishment of a vanguard group to guide societal transformation. His framework explicitly rejects violence and extremism and positions Islamic existenceas a comprehensive civilizational project in which individual behavior, social institutions, and governance are aligned with divine principles.Conclusions: Signposts on the Road serves both as a theoretical manifesto and a practical guide, providing a coherent model for implementing Islamic principles across personal, social, and institutional spheres. Qutb’s intellectual framework provides key insights for contemporary discussions on Islamic thought, ethical governance, and civilizational renewal, demonstrating how normative faith can be realized within the practical structures of society.
