Document Type : Research Article / Original Article
Authors
1 PhD student in Political Thought at Shiraz University
2 Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Shiraz University
Abstract
Theories and Perspectives on Justice in Contemporary Islamic Political Thought, particularly among Shi‘a thinkers, remain limited. Much of the existing discourse either reiterates classical viewpoints or seeks to reconcile Islamic principles with Western theories of justice. Among the few scholars offering a distinctive approach, Mohammad-Reza Hakimi stands out for his effort to employ religious vocabulary in service of social justice, presenting a novel interpretation rooted in the cultural and social context of Iranian society. This paper utilizes John Searle’s theory of speech acts to analyze the normative vocabulary embedded in Hakimi’s discourse on social justice. It aims to answer the following key question: How have Mohammad-Reza Hakimi’s ideological and intellectual foundations influenced his understanding of social justice? The study investigates the assertive, directive, and perlocutionary speech acts implicit in his normative terminology regarding justice. The article demonstrates two primary findings:
1. Hakimi articulates his vision of justice through a critical distance from both conservative Islam and capitalist systems. Consequently, themes related to social justice are predominant in his thought.
2. Terms such as “amr bi-l-maʿrūf wa nahy ʿan al-munkar” (enjoining good and forbidding wrong), “divine justice,” and “tawḥīd” (monotheism) function as his normative vocabulary for constructing an Islamic social justice framework. This framework is oriented toward linking Muslim identity with active social engagement aimed at eradicating oppression and poverty.
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