Research Article / Original Article
New ideas for the reconstruction of social sciences based on the sources of Islamic thought
Hamid Parsania; Abolfazl Eghbali
Abstract
Discussions surrounding women, gender, and their social manifestations have historically posed significant challenges for the Islamic world. Various intellectual and social approaches - each grounded in distinct semantic systems - have addressed these issues from different perspectives. A macroscopic ...
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Discussions surrounding women, gender, and their social manifestations have historically posed significant challenges for the Islamic world. Various intellectual and social approaches - each grounded in distinct semantic systems - have addressed these issues from different perspectives. A macroscopic analysis reveals that two dominant semantic paradigms, Islam and modernity, underlie these approaches. The present study aims to examine these perspectives, analyze their underlying semantic systems, and conceptualize gender-based approaches within the framework of social worlds. This is an applied study, methodologically situated in the domain of qualitative research. The conceptual framework is based on the theory of social worlds, and the fundamental methodology is employed to explore the development of these discourses in the theoretical and socio-political spheres of Iranian society. According to the findings, key components of the Islamic theory of gender include gender essentialism, the social extension of gender, social systematization based on couplehood, and gender as an existential capacity. The epistemological foundations of this social world are rooted in Javaheri jurisprudence and transcendental wisdom, while its non-epistemological (cognitive) contexts include the social and political developments of the Constitutional Era and the Islamic Revolution of Iran. In contrast, the feminist theory of gender is characterized by concepts such as gender constructionism, transsexuality, gender fluidity, gender as a mechanism of domination, and the rejection of gender’s social extensions. Its epistemological contexts include Western feminist thought and the neo-religious and intellectual movements within Islamic societies, while its non-epistemological contexts in Iran are shaped by the legal inequalities between men and women and the political transformations of the 1970s.
Research Article / Original Article
Intellectual, historical and civilizational traditions of Muslim social thought
Tayebeh Mohammadi kia
Abstract
Al-Ghazali played diverse and influential roles in the realms of science and politics, leaving a lasting impact on Islamic intellectual history. His unique personal and intellectual experiences led to the production of distinctive works. This paper examines how Ghazali conceives of politics, particularly ...
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Al-Ghazali played diverse and influential roles in the realms of science and politics, leaving a lasting impact on Islamic intellectual history. His unique personal and intellectual experiences led to the production of distinctive works. This paper examines how Ghazali conceives of politics, particularly in light of his transition from jurisprudence to Sufism. The central hypothesis is that Ghazali offers a new framework for understanding religious teachings and the relationship between religion and politics. This transformation marks a shift from an externally oriented political approach to one rooted in introspection and spiritual depth. At the core of this shift lies Ghazali’s emphasis on the “heart” as the most essential aspect of human life. For him, the heart is not merely a personal concern but is deeply intertwined with society and governance. He initiated this new paradigm by proposing a synthesis of politics and prophecy and by articulating the heart’s central role in both prophetic existence and political leadership. This paper explores the significance of the heart in the intersection of politics, prophecy, and esotericism, arguing that Ghazali's Sufi perspective offers a distinct and introspective model of political thought.
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Seyed Mostafa Taherzadeh; Hadi Noori
Abstract
his study aims to reinterpret Mirza Malkam Khan’s legal reform project as presented in the Qanun newspaper, addressing whether his thought embodies hybridity or essentialism. It further examines the extent to which Malkam Khan’s ideas enable active resistance against colonialism. Employing ...
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his study aims to reinterpret Mirza Malkam Khan’s legal reform project as presented in the Qanun newspaper, addressing whether his thought embodies hybridity or essentialism. It further examines the extent to which Malkam Khan’s ideas enable active resistance against colonialism. Employing an interpretive and fundamental research design with an interrogative strategy, the study applies postcolonial theory and utilizes the method of deconstruction for data analysis. Findings indicate that the binary oppositions within the text reflect an imitation of Western human experience. Malkam Khan perceives Iranian identity during his era not as pure but as hybrid; however, this hybridity is dominated by Western identity elements (11 instances) over indigenous traditions (3 instances), effectively requiring mere adaptation from the latter. Consequently, his legal reform project is grounded in a Eurocentric framework, limiting its capacity to foster active resistance against colonialism and Western cultural hegemony. An analysis of concepts such as the Adamiyat Project reveals the pervasive influence of essentialist thought in Malkam Khan’s legalism. The project’s fluidity proves insufficient to destabilize binary oppositions and their inherent hierarchies. Despite claims of reconciling Shari’a and progress, Malkam Khan ultimately aligns with Western stability, distancing himself from the "third space" and the creation of a novel hybrid identity.
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Mohammad Soheilsarv
Abstract
Cultural engineering is a systematic approach to understanding, regulating, and managing culture, representing a relatively new perspective in cultural studies. As articulated by Ayatollah Khamenei, this approach can serve as an effective strategy for advancing cultural development. The present study ...
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Cultural engineering is a systematic approach to understanding, regulating, and managing culture, representing a relatively new perspective in cultural studies. As articulated by Ayatollah Khamenei, this approach can serve as an effective strategy for advancing cultural development. The present study aims to conceptualize and formulate the notion of cultural engineering based on Ayatollah Khamenei’s thought. Accordingly, the research addresses the question: What is cultural engineering, and how can it be analytically formulated in Ayatollah Khamenei’s view? This study employs a documentary method for data collection and content analysis for data interpretation. The findings indicate that, from his perspective, cultural engineering comprises five interrelated and inseparable components: supervision, guidance, growth, the nature of culture, and cultural construction. These components function within a cyclical and dynamic process. Cultural supervision refers to monitoring and safeguarding cultural processes; cultural guidance involves steering culture toward the overarching goals of the Islamic system; cultural growth denotes the intellectual and spiritual development of society; the nature of culture is understood as an endogenous, quality-generating movement; and cultural construction entails creating new cultural forms aligned with societal needs. By comparing Ayatollah Khamenei’s perspective with liberalist and socialist approaches, this study demonstrates that he offers an intermediate framework between complete cultural freedom and total cultural control. This approach preserves cultural liberties while, through intelligent guidance and supervision, directing culture toward the objectives of the Islamic system.
Research Article / Original Article
Comparative study of Islamic and non-Islamic thinkers
Hossein Mehrabanifar; Mohammad Ali Salimi
Abstract
Human communication is a fundamental element shaping the nature and structure of societies. Civil society and Madinah Fazilah represent two distinct types of societies, each characterized by different forms of communication. Jürgen Habermas and Abu Nasr Muhammad Al-Farabi are prominent thinkers ...
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Human communication is a fundamental element shaping the nature and structure of societies. Civil society and Madinah Fazilah represent two distinct types of societies, each characterized by different forms of communication. Jürgen Habermas and Abu Nasr Muhammad Al-Farabi are prominent thinkers who have examined human communication, its ideal form, and its role in shaping these two societal models. This study employs a comparative-analytical approach grounded in fundamental methodology to examine and compare the levels of human communication in the thought of these two philosophers. The analysis reveals that both thinkers, adopting a critical perspective on their respective societies and the quality of communication within them, propose an ideal society concerned with rationality, mutual understanding, and collective agreement. Habermas’s concept of communicative rationality, along with his emphasis on rational-critical discourse and consensus-building, is central to establishing truth and legal legitimacy, yet it remains fundamentally rooted in conventional reason without transcending its epistemic limits. In contrast, Al-Farabi’s notion of demonstrative communication and mutual understanding extends beyond the human horizon, achieving its full significance through its connection to the First Leader (Rais al-Awwal) of Madinah Fazilah and its metaphysical relationship with the Active Intellect (al-‘Aql al-Fa‘‘āl). This research provides a foundational framework for re-examining and analyzing diverse communicative systems within the two distinct paradigms of Madinah Fazilah and civil society.
Research Article / Original Article
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Seyyed Mohsen Mollabashi; Faeze Kamali
Abstract
The emergence of diverse social and cultural challenges in Islamic Iran over many decades and centuries has prompted numerous thinkers - drawing on different theoretical perspectives and scholarly frameworks - to describe, analyze, and explain this profound and wide - ranging problem, as well as to propose ...
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The emergence of diverse social and cultural challenges in Islamic Iran over many decades and centuries has prompted numerous thinkers - drawing on different theoretical perspectives and scholarly frameworks - to describe, analyze, and explain this profound and wide - ranging problem, as well as to propose various solutions for its improvement. Among these thinkers, Ali Shariati stands out for his analysis of the issue through the lens of Muslim decline, an approach shaped by his sociological and historical education. In addressing the fundamental question of the causes behind the decline of Muslims, Shariati first identifies the distancing from true Islam as the central issue. He then examines the underlying causes of this deviation and its role in the deterioration of Muslim societies, before offering strategies for returning to authentic Islam. In his view, among the multiple causes contributing to this deviation, the transformation of Islam’s ideological foundation constitutes the most fundamental factor. Consequently, restoring Islam’s ideological essence is both the most challenging remedy and the foremost responsibility of intellectuals. The present study employs a library - based research method with the objective of systematically examining Shariati’s interpretation of the decline of Muslims, analyzing the causes and mechanisms of deviation from true Islam, and evaluating the solutions he proposes for reviving the ideological and transformative dimensions of the faith.
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