فصلنامه قبسات
پیاپی 33 (پاییز 1383)

This paper discusses three forms of globalizations: prophetic [or prophecy-oriented] globalization, phi¬losophical globalization, authoritative (hegemonic) globalization. Although globalization or globalizing has to be studied in the fields of political sociology, economic sociology, international relations, technological sociology, etc, the author has tried to investigate globalization from a philosophical perspective.Raising and reviewing a number of factors and reasons the author argues that authoritative and hegemonic globalization is unviable. According to the theory of entezar and the philosophy of faraj, he emphasizes on the inevitability and the feasibility of the sacred globalization. Enumerating twenty indicators as pre-requisite for the development and evolution of human life under the reign of Imam Mahdi, he sketches out the prospect of a sacred and spiritual end for the history.

The idea of globalization as a ground for globalizing ema¬nate¬s from the world views of world’s great scholars, including the philosophers and prophets as the forerun¬ners of any social development. As a result of enormous developments in transportation, telecommunication, and information technologies that has decreased significance of geographi¬cal borders and facilitated the flow of goods, in¬formation and human being, the trend of globalization is gaining momentum. Consequently mutual convergence and cognition seems to be inevitable. The implications of this, right or wrong, affects globalizing. Than, what to do? Should we watch passively and wait for others to shape our fate? Or, in response to our human-Islamic responsibil¬ity, should we rise and gain the leadership and management of globalization and as emphasized in the Holy Quran, commit our self to the promotion and imple¬mentation of justice in the global level? Accordingly, the inventible process of globalization, today, may be seen as a challenge and at the same time, an opportunity. Therefore, our opposition to globaliza¬tion should be bound to its negative aspects. Because whether we like or dislike, the process of globalization is like an unstoppable deluge. What is important in this proc¬ess is to manage and control it, a duty Islam has obliged us to carry out. The major instrument that Is¬lamic leadership provides for management of globalization is the enriched culture and the constructive elements of this culture. This instrument is in the hand of Moslems and no other culture can resist it. The best possi¬ble global community leadership tool is the dynamic and productive culture of Islamic nations.Thus, to treat globalization as a threat or an opportu¬nity depends on how to interpret it. Facing globalization in a passive manner will jeopardize our national and religious interests. However, in view of our brilliant histori¬cal background and rich and genuine culture, if we assume the leadership and management of globalization trend, than undoubtedly we will be the champion.

The belief in rise of Imam Mahdi and the expec¬tation for a global promised messiah faces a number of theoretical challenges, such as: if a perfect justice is supposed to be realized in afterworld, than, what is the need for the establishment of a just universal reign? Why waiting for faraj (the relief brought about to human kind when Imam appears) is regarded as the best religious acts, given that waiting does not fall in the category of acts, let alone to be the best act? In view of our belief in Imam Mahdi’s universal reign, should we approach to the contemporary question of globalization? Should the pandemonium and injustice fill the world as a precondition for the rise of Imam Mahdi, than our efforts to reform the world would not hamper and postpone his appearance? If our efforts to reform can prepare the ground for the transcendental evolution of human being, than what is the need for Imam Mahdi’s rise? In short, we are asked to wait for the rise of a universal promised messiah. First, Why? Secondly, how? This is up to us. The paper attempts to answer these questions from ayatollah Motahhari’s view.

Throughout the history Faraj doctrine has been a common doctrine among all religions. The believers always have endured too many hardships in the hope of the promised ultimate prosperity. But when this dream will take place? Notwithstanding the believers strong belief that sooner or later this dream will be translated into reality, the emergence of some signs and symbols will consolidate this belief.Globalization is one of the factors that have at¬tracted more attentions to the doctrine of faraj. In spite of inconsistent interpretations and perceptions about the process of globalization and Mahdism, the paper’s macro approach maintains that, in general, globalization facili¬tates and sets the ground for belief in Islamic doctrine of Faraj.

More than a decade after the emergence and growth of globalization or globalizing, still there are many ambigui¬ties posing a number of questions and controversies such as: what is globalization? When and where was it born? Is there any tendency towards global¬ization in Islam? Can we establish Islamic global¬ization? What are the bases, properties, structures and instruments of an Islamic globalization? Of course attempts have been made to answer some of these ques¬tions, but the variety and the multiplicity of these answers have given rise to a number of new ambiguities and questions. Therefore, any attempt to sum up these answers would help clarify the aforesaid ambiguities. And this is what this paper intends to do.To find a satisfactory answer the following assump¬tions worth consideration:The west is the birthplace of the term globalization, but Islam is the birthplace of the phenomenon.It is only Islam that possesses the due capability, characteristic, structure and instrument for managing globalization. To verify the validly and credibility of above assumptions, following issues are discussed in this paper:Definition of globalization and the explanation of its background and history,Islam’s view on globalization; the potentials, capabilities, mechanisms and characteristics of an Islamic globalization.

Almost in every religion of the world there is a be¬lief that when human society declines to a state of moral and spiritual degeneration and separates from the origins of existence, and the world is deluged with the darkness, negligence, cruelty and injustice, a savior messiah will appear. In all religious creeds, one can find certain resem¬bling realities expressed or referred to symbolically. In Mazdaysina too, there is a strong belief that the soashyant, promised savior will appear. In Zoroastrian sa¬cred writings (Avesta and Pahlavi texts) there are predic¬tions and statements about the birth, rise, disciples, and achievements of a just messiah called soashyant. It is attempted in this paper to extract and examine the Zoroastrian views about the promised messiah from Mazdaysina sacred texts.

Universalism is a serious, continuous, pervasive phenomenon both today and in the decades to come. There are three forms of universalism based on Islamic-Quranic, political and scientific approaches: Genuine, perfect, material and spiritual universalism with economic development, political stability and social balance, cultural and individual uplift.Imperfect, inefficient, merely economic and one dimensional universalism.Factitious, imperialistic and conflicting contentious universalism. Some resemblances, though apparently, between the universalism based upon Mahdism and the contemporary universalism have led to some comparative discussions.By approaching and realizing the Mahdaveiat universalism, according to the demands of times in the present and future, we can get the best uses of global and universal opportunities and decrease the threads. A better appreciation of Mahdaveiat universalism and an optimal critical approach to other universalisms can help us Increase the scientific and practical effectiveness of Islamic republic of Iran, Moslems and the cultural elites and achieve an appropriate arrangement and management of communications and exchanges, which in turn, prepares the ground for the establishment of a true and genuine universalism based upon Mahdism.

Belief in Mahdism is accounted as one of major Islamic tenets. Due to this importance, researchers have approached it from different aspects. Though, to some extent, there is a consensus among Moslem writers and scholars on the essentials of belief in a form of Mahdism, in the mean time, a few people have attempted to raise some questions and deny this belief. Ibn-Khaldun is thought to be the most prominent figure and the ringleader of those who have questioned and denied the basis of belief in Mahdism by discrediting traditions related to Mahdism.This essay discusses and reviews Ibn-Khaldun’s views and arguments on debilitating traditions supporting Mahdism.

The paper is aimed to discuss the social justice or distributive justice. It is with John Rawls’s “theory of justice”, that the distributive justice enters a new phase. According to Rawls, justice is not a simple value among other values that affect the social order and human relations; rather it is the primary and the supreme social value. The significance and the status of social value are on a par with the importance of the question of truth in human knowledge. As the validity and the integrity of any theory and cognitive statements are verified by the question of truth, the legitimacy and the perfection of a social structure depends upon its consistency and conformity with the justice principles.