The Implicit Speech Acts in Mohammad-Reza Hakimi’s Normative Vocabulary on Social Justice

Document Type : Research Article / Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Candidate in Political Thoughts, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

Abstract

Theories of justice in contemporary Islamic political thought—particularly among Shiʿi scholars—remain relatively underdeveloped. Much of the existing literature either reiterates classical formulations or seeks to reconcile Islamic teachings with dominant Western theories of justice. Mohammad-Reza Hakimi, however, advances a distinctive approach by mobilizing religious and normative vocabulary in the service of social justice, grounded in the cultural and socio-historical context of Iranian society. Drawing on John Searle’s theory of speech acts, this article examines the assertive, directive, and perlocutionary dimensions embedded in Hakimi’s normative language of justice. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative content analysis of Hakimi’s theological and socio-intellectual writings in order to trace how concepts such as justice, tawḥīd (monotheism), and human dignity are transformed into mobilizing elements of discourse. The findings demonstrate that Hakimi articulates his vision of justice through a conscious distancing from both conservative religious interpretations and capitalist social relations, thereby positioning social justice at the center of his intellectual project. Normative concepts such as enjoining good and forbidding wrong (amr bi’l-maʿrūf wa nahy ʿan al-munkar), divine justice (ʿadl-i ilāhī), and tawḥīd provide the linguistic and conceptual foundations for linking faith to active social engagement aimed at eradicating poverty and oppression. By situating Hakimi’s thought within Islamic intellectual traditions and contemporary socio-political challenges, this article highlights his contribution to a renewed conception of Islamic social justice and underscores the significance of linguistic analysis for bridging theology and social praxis.

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References

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Social Theories of Muslim Thinkers
Volume 15, Issue 4
December 2025
Pages 113-131

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History

  • Receive Date: 20 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 17 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 20 September 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 December 2025

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