Islamic Political Thought

Political theology in every religion encompasses a system of political imagination that must first be understood to grasp the politics within that faith. The political forces in societies are each shaped by a utopia and work toward realizing a specific future vision. Politics essentially represents a competition to establish order for what is to come. The Holy Quran also presents distinct frameworks of political imagination, the exploration of which is vital for understanding politics through the lens of the Holy Quran. Consequently, this article addresses how politics in the Holy Quran is formulated based on the utopias articulated within it. The data analysis method in the article is thematic interpretation, and the data collection method is based on documentary studies. The article does not test a hypothesis or use a theoretical framework but ultimately presents a Quranic theoretical framework for analyzing politics. The article's findings can also be expressed as follows: by drawing two different utopias, the Holy Quran has expressed the formation of politics as a confrontation between two distinct logic governing societies. Accordingly, the communities of the righteous move within the framework of the "logic of blessings" and have utopias such as King David and Solomon, while the people of the world move within the framework of the worldly "logic of boon" and have utopias such as the Garden of Shaddad. The competition between the two utopias, achieved with different logics of life, forms the fundamental conflict of politics from the perspective of the Holy Quran.

This research presents a comparative analysis regarding the influence of religion as a key component of national identity on behavioral patterns in Iran's foreign policy across two distinct periods: that of Pahlavi II and the Islamic Republic. The significance of examining religion arises from its impact on national interest formulation within constructivist frameworks, where identity constructs play a pivotal role. The primary objective of this study is to elucidate how recognizing religion's position as an identity factor can enhance our understanding of behavioral patterns in Iran's foreign policy. Addressing the inquiry into religion's influence on these patterns during both eras, this paper posits that while religion was one of many influential factors in Pahlavi II's foreign policy landscape, it did not substantially integrate into national identity or affect foreign policy decisions at that time. Conversely, within the Islamic Republic framework, religion emerges as a fundamental ideology and an independent variable that shapes foreign policy behavior. The research findings ultimately reveal that during Pahlavi II’s era, national interests were defined through the lens of modern state identity, whereas Shia ideology became central to shaping foreign policy identity in the Islamic Republic. Consequently, religion has demonstrated a significant direct impact on behavioral patterns within this political context.

The traditional conception of sovereign immunity, rooted in the notion of absolute state authority, increasingly conflicts with contemporary demands for justice and accountability. This article proposes a reconceptualization of sovereign immunity through an Islamic political framework that views sovereignty not as an inherent entitlement but as a divine trust (‘amāna’) conditional upon the realization of justice (‘ʿadl’) and the promotion of public welfare (‘maṣlaḥa’). From this perspective, immunity must serve the purpose of protecting legitimate sovereign functions rather than shielding violations of individual rights. By analyzing the evolution from absolute to restrictive immunity in international law and aligning it with Islamic governance principles, the study argues for a justice-centered model where immunity is granted selectively, contingent upon the sovereign’s adherence to ethical and legal obligations. This trust-based understanding ensures that sovereignty remains a mechanism for the preservation of human dignity and the prevention of oppression (‘ẓulm’), rather than a barrier to accountability. The article advocates for a normative shift toward recognizing sovereign responsibility as intrinsic to sovereign rights, offering a new lens through which contemporary debates on immunity can be assessed.

In foreign policy, imperatives refer to the factors and conditions that compel a country to act in specific ways or make particular decisions in the international arena. One significant category of imperatives in foreign policy, particularly for Islamic societies, is jurisprudential imperatives—the fundamental principles, rules, and values derived from Islamic law to guide international relations.According to the Holy Quran and Islamic narrations, Islam provides the sole path for humanity to attain true happiness, both worldly and eternal, on individual and societal levels. To achieve this ideal goal within an Islamic society, the foreign policy actions of an Islamic state must align with imperatives rooted in Islamic law. These imperatives are informed by core Islamic objectives such as the pursuit of justice, peace, preservation of human dignity, and the promotion of the public interest.This research, using a descriptive-analytical method and utilizing reliable jurisprudential sources, considering the issues affecting Islamic countries , identifies and explains the most important jurisprudential imperatives of foreign policy that have a special impact on the numerous and important foreign policy choices of countries in facing contemporary challenges.Within this framework, the study identifies key jurisprudential imperatives for foreign policy, including adherence to principles such as the fulfilment of the obligation, reciprocity, peaceful coexistence, caution in dealing with adversaries, rejection of domination, invitation , and the rules of capability and expediency. The findings underscore that Islamic jurisprudence offers vital solutions to contemporary challenges in international relations, strengthening the effectiveness of Islamic systems on the global stage.

Reflection on Javad Tabatabai's views concerning Iranshahri political thought, along with certain critical remarks, constitutes the central focus of the present article. This article initially addresses the position of the discourse on Iranshahri thought and political thought within the entirety of Tabatabai's research project. Subsequently, following brief references to the characteristics of Iranshahri thought as its foundations, the elements (sing. mofrad) of Iranshahri political thought, based on these foundations, are extracted and inferred from his works.The most significant elements of Iranshahri political thought, according to Tabatabai, can be identified as follows: 1. Ideal kingship possessing divine farr (charisma/glory). 2. The institution of vizierate. 3. The absolute, but not autocratic, nature of Iranshahri monarchy. 4. Realism, expediency, and the precedence of observing justice over Sharia (religious law). 5. Unity in diversity centered on the institution of kingship. 6. Tolerance. 7. The education of princes and future rulers. 8. Law as the will of God, enacted by the royal institution as God's representative on earth. 9. Religion as a part of national affairs and in service of national interests. 10. Emphasis on the disorders of the age as a negative aspect of the rearticulation of Iranshahri political thought in the Islamic era.The ahistorical nature, subjective interpretation (tafsir bi'l-ra'y), imposition of presuppositions onto historical reality, ideological character, and the disregarding or omission of events and ideas contrary to his viewpoint are the most significant shortcomings in Tabatabai's views on Iranshahri political thought.

The sociopolitical role of the ʿulamāʾ is a common element of most of the academic accounts on Shia. The scholars of political sociology of Iran have commonly crafted new theoretical frameworks to explain this unique element role in Iranian society. Here, I present a general framework for the study of the ʿulamāʾ in Iran based on their patronage networks among the political elites, bazar, and grassroots. Apart from their religious functions as spiritual leaders and as the authoritative source (taqlīd) of Islamic rulings, the ʿulamāʾ performed the role of patrons for their networks of clients existed among political elites, bazar merchants, and grassroots. Their religious capital facilitated the ʿulamāʾ with a solid social influence that turned them into a major source of grievance and support for these social networks. In this paper, I start with a critical analysis of the existing literature on Shia ʿulamāʾ, then I present a historical account of the sociopolitical patronage of the ʿulamāʾ which finally helps me to suggest a coherent theoretical framework for sociopolitical analysis of the role of the Shia ʿulamāʾ in the 19th century Iran. In order to social connections in my work, I also relied on the Weberian approach that concentrates on social alliances and group models.