University Of Tehran Press Social Theories of Muslim Thinkers 2538-5240 15 1 2025 03 21 The Politics of Friendship in the Political Thought of Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi The Politics of Friendship in the Political Thought of Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi 64 80 101230 10.22059/jstmt.2025.385008.1748 FA Tahereh Sharif PH.D Candidate in Political Science, Department of Theology and Political science, Faculty of Law, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University,Tehran, Iran. Ebrahim Barzegar Professor, Department of Political Scienc and Law, Allame Tabatabaei University, Invited professor in Department of Theology and Political Science, Faculty of Law, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. MohammadBagher Khorramshad, Professor, Department of political scienc and law.Allame Tabatabaei University, Invited professor in Department of Theology and Political Science, Faculty of Law, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Nafisesadat Ghaderi Assistant professor, Department of Theology and Political science, Faculty of Law, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2024 12 04 Civil friendship among human beings is a noble virtue, a prerequisite for human flourishing, and a defining characteristic present since the dawn of history. As Carl Schmitt asserts, the essence of politics lies in the friend-enemy distinction, inherently inciting conflict. In recent centuries, discourses of hostility have expanded within the Islamic world, with movements such as Wahhabism and jihadist-takfiri factions exemplifying this tendency. Given that conflict appears foundational and that one of the main responsibilities of politics is conflict resolution through friendship, this study aims to conceptualize and advance the idea of a "politics of friendship" in Iran and across Muslim societies. To this end, the thought of Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi—an influential thinker from the Islamic Golden Age—is revisited. Tusi emphasized love in political thought, considering it superior to justice, and offering great potential for grounding a politics of friendship. The findings suggest that Tusi's political philosophy can be adapted to contemporary contexts through a theoretical model of political and civil friendship. This model incorporates insights from Western thinkers such as Hannah Arendt and Jacques Derrida, as well as elements from the thought of Imam Khomeini. Civil friendship among human beings is a noble virtue, a prerequisite for human flourishing, and a defining characteristic present since the dawn of history. As Carl Schmitt asserts, the essence of politics lies in the friend-enemy distinction, inherently inciting conflict. In recent centuries, discourses of hostility have expanded within the Islamic world, with movements such as Wahhabism and jihadist-takfiri factions exemplifying this tendency. Given that conflict appears foundational and that one of the main responsibilities of politics is conflict resolution through friendship, this study aims to conceptualize and advance the idea of a "politics of friendship" in Iran and across Muslim societies. To this end, the thought of Khwaja Nasir al-Din Tusi—an influential thinker from the Islamic Golden Age—is revisited. Tusi emphasized love in political thought, considering it superior to justice, and offering great potential for grounding a politics of friendship. The findings suggest that Tusi's political philosophy can be adapted to contemporary contexts through a theoretical model of political and civil friendship. This model incorporates insights from Western thinkers such as Hannah Arendt and Jacques Derrida, as well as elements from the thought of Imam Khomeini. https://jstmt.ut.ac.ir/article_101230_2db0ca13d187608ba78427ec3d7c79d9.pdf