Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Nematollah Karamollahi
Abstract
This article undertakes a critical rereading of Nasir al-Din Tusi’s conception of civil science, seeking to advance a layered and multidimensional understanding of "the social" through a descriptive-analytical approach. The study reveals that, within Tusi’s philosophical framework, civil ...
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This article undertakes a critical rereading of Nasir al-Din Tusi’s conception of civil science, seeking to advance a layered and multidimensional understanding of "the social" through a descriptive-analytical approach. The study reveals that, within Tusi’s philosophical framework, civil science - categorized under practical wisdom - concerns itself with conscious and voluntary human actions. Depending on the ontological origins of these actions, three distinct modalities of civil science may be identified. When human actions arise from the innate essence and nature of humanity, the resultant epistemological framework constitutes wise civil science, characterized by permanence, a reliance on demonstrative reasoning (burhan), and the production of the foundational stratum of social knowledge. When actions are grounded in the normative authority of prophets and Imams, religious civil science emerges, whose epistemic methodology is based on ijtihad. Alternatively, when human actions are shaped by social conditions and contractual arrangements, the resulting field of inquiry aligns with empirical civil science, which entails a pragmatic engagement with historical realities, the pursuit of collective interests, and the mitigation of harm. According to Tusi’s scientific-cognitive model, "the social" exhibits a dual-layered structure—comprising fixed and mutable dimensions—and social knowledge itself is conceived as a dynamic and processual movement across these layers.
Research Article / Original Article
New ideas for the reconstruction of social sciences based on the sources of Islamic thought
ebrahim khani
Abstract
This article seeks to demonstrate the efficacy of the "Four Journeys" model as an innovative methodological framework in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of the social sciences, using a research discourse approach. To this end, the concept of the Four Journeys in Islamic mysticism is first ...
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This article seeks to demonstrate the efficacy of the "Four Journeys" model as an innovative methodological framework in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of the social sciences, using a research discourse approach. To this end, the concept of the Four Journeys in Islamic mysticism is first clarified, and it is then argued that the model represents a comprehensive cognitive framework, not confined solely to mystical or spiritual discourse. This claim is substantiated by analyzing and critiquing various types of rational action, showing that forms of analytical, essential, universal, descriptive, and synthetic reasoning align methodologically with the four stages of the Four Journeys. As such, the "Four Journeys of Thought" model may be regarded as a novel epistemological theory. Subsequently, in order to demonstrate the model’s applicability within the philosophy of the social sciences, several prominent sociological theories are re-evaluated through the lens of the Four Journeys. Despite the significant methodological and theoretical differences among these thinkers, their intellectual trajectories can be mapped onto the logic of the Four Journeys, thereby enabling a unified framework for their comparison and interpretation.
Research Article / Original Article
Intellectual, historical and civilizational traditions of Muslim social thought
zeynab aalami; mahdi Hosseinzadeh yazdi; Qasem Zaeri
Abstract
The issue of unveiling has been one of the most pressing socio-cultural challenges in Iranian society. Beyond its incompatibility with Iranian-Islamic cultural values, it has generated significant social, political, and national consequences for the Islamic Republic. Understanding this phenomenon within ...
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The issue of unveiling has been one of the most pressing socio-cultural challenges in Iranian society. Beyond its incompatibility with Iranian-Islamic cultural values, it has generated significant social, political, and national consequences for the Islamic Republic. Understanding this phenomenon within its historical context—particularly its early manifestations in Iran—is therefore of critical importance. This study explores the discursive transformations of veiling from the Constitutional Revolution to the end of the reign of Reza Shah, within the framework of discursive conflict. The study adopts a discourse analysis approach grounded in the theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. The findings indicate that during the early Constitutional era, a pro-veiling discourse prevailed. However, anti-veiling voices increasingly framed Western-style dress reform around four central themes: freedom, chastity, education, and religious reinterpretation. This framing destabilized the dominant discourse, leading to the emergence of five defensive sub-discourses: Qur’anic-jurisprudential veiling, Weakness-Oriented veiling, Woman-Centered veiling, socio-political veiling, and Legalistic veiling. A central binary emerged—"domesticity and veiling" versus "social participation and unveiling"—reflecting the deepening discursive polarization. With the rise of the Pahlavi regime, the anti-veiling discourse gained institutional support, especially through civil registration and public education systems. The 1935 Mandatory Unveiling Law effectively neutralized public debate by coercively imposing one side of the discourse.
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Tahereh Sharif; Ebrahim Barzegar; MohammadBagher Khorramshad,; Nafisesadat Ghaderi
Abstract
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 ...
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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.
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
ghorban elmi; Sedigheh abriishamkar
Abstract
Abu Rayhan al-Biruni (973–1048 CE) stands out as one of the few Muslim scholars who approached religious studies with notable innovation. A distinguishing feature of his scholarship is his phenomenological method in understanding diverse religious traditions. Given the significance of examining ...
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Abu Rayhan al-Biruni (973–1048 CE) stands out as one of the few Muslim scholars who approached religious studies with notable innovation. A distinguishing feature of his scholarship is his phenomenological method in understanding diverse religious traditions. Given the significance of examining his theological perspective—particularly within the framework of the phenomenology of religion—and the lack of focused research in this domain, the present study aims to explore his theological views and his method of engaging with various religions. Using a comparative approach, this research draws upon al-Biruni’s major works and his most significant contributions to the study of religion, alongside contemporary scholarship analyzing his perspectives. The findings suggest that al-Biruni’s religious approach closely parallels modern methodologies in the study of religion, especially in the field of religious phenomenology. He undertook a cautious and objective comparative analysis of religions, consciously avoiding bias. In his encounters with the "religious other," al-Biruni adopted an empathetic and non-judgmental stance, striving to understand each religion from the standpoint of its adherents. He viewed truth as a pluralistic concept, accessible to all of humanity, and regarded all religions as potential paths to salvation.
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
somaye borzoo Isfahahni; roohullah shahidi; Ali Rad
Abstract
Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Asadabadi was a prominent intellectual of the modern era, active during a period marked by foreign domination over Islamic lands and widespread socio-political upheaval among Muslim societies. His approach to Qur’anic interpretation signaled the emergence of a socio-reformist ...
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Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Asadabadi was a prominent intellectual of the modern era, active during a period marked by foreign domination over Islamic lands and widespread socio-political upheaval among Muslim societies. His approach to Qur’anic interpretation signaled the emergence of a socio-reformist paradigm—commonly described as contemporary, guidance-oriented, and educational in nature—which significantly influenced subsequent exegetes. This study aims to extract and analyze Qur’anic references and insights within Sayyid Jamal’s writings to reconstruct his vision of Qur’anic thought concerning the foundations of civilizational progress and the attributes of a reformed Ummah. Employing an analytical-descriptive methodology, the research demonstrates that Sayyid Jamal viewed the early Islamic Ummah as a model of spiritual and social excellence. He endeavored to revive this ideal by reinterpreting Qur’anic verses and identifying the key drivers of national advancement. The study ultimately proposes fifteen principles for achieving an ideal Ummah, classified into theoretical and practical dimensions. Central to Sayyid Jamal’s thought is the pivotal role of Qur’anic scholars and exegetes, who, beyond intellectual and theoretical competence, are called to active societal engagement. These scholars must first comprehend the pressing challenges facing their communities and then strive to address them across political, educational, and social arenas.
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