فصلنامه شیعه شناسی
پیاپی 6 (تابستان 1383)

In this work, the author begins by referring to the statement put forward in the book, Pūyā’ī Farhang va Tamaddon-e Islām va Iran (Dynamism of the Islamic and Iranian Culture and Civilisation), that what Muslims adopted from the West in the eighth and ninth centuries was so distinct from what they presented after the Middle Ages that we can confidently talk about “Islamic Civilisation”. Velayati argues that the Shi‘a have played a significant part in the formation and consolidation of Islamic Civilisation. To support his views, the author refers to books such as A‘yān al-Shī‘a by late Sayyid Muhsin Amīn, Al-dhariy‘ah ilā Tasānīf al-Shī‘ah by late Haaj Āqā Bozorg Tehrani, Majālis al-Mo’menīn by Qādī Nūr-Allah Shūshtarī and Ta’sīs al-Shī‘a li-‘ulūm al-Islāmī by Sayyid Hasan Sadr.

In this piece, the author examines the movement led by Mokhtār against the Umayyads, after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, and its connection with contemporary movements, of which the Shi‘ite movement of the Tawwābīn (the Repentants) were among the most important ones. The author takes it for granted that the rise of Mokhtār had a Shi‘ite nature, and then through a brief, though meticulous, analysis of the Tawwābīn’s psychological motives, shows that they had mutual impact on each other. Finally, the author discusses the link between the two movements and other contemporary uprisings within the Islamic world.

As part of the continued efforts of the journal to introduce some Shi‘ite scholars in each issue, this article provides brief biographies and short accounts of the intellectual lives of several Shi’ite scholars. Some of the Shi’ite scholars are briefly introduced in this volume.

This paper is concerned with the Shi‘ite views on legitimate defence, assassination attempts and martyrdom-seeking attacks. Shi‘ite fiqh, which accords paramount importance in explaining the political and defensive behaviour of Shi‘ite societies, forbids assassination attempts and suicide attacks, but authorizes martyrdom-seeking attacks as a type of attempt at defensive jihād. Nevertheless, Shi‘ite fiqh provides some conditions and restrictions as defensive measures, which include: a rejection of assassination attempts, violation of agreements, and acts of betrayal.

In Iran’s religious society, after the advent of Islam and the growth of Shi‘ism, Shi‘ī clerics have been one of the most influential and effective social groups. They have played an important role in most of society’s political, social, cultural and even military endeavors. Analyzing the foundations of Shi‘ī clerics authority, the author maintains that independence from governmental power centers, popular acceptance, economic independence, existence of the institution of religious authority (marjaīyat) and legal edicts (fatwā), asceticism (zuhd) and piety (taqwā) are among the main reasons for the influence and authority of Shi‘ī clerics.

In this article, the authors argue that although the Shi‘a form the absolute majority of the Iraqi population, they have been deprived of their rights and excluded from state politics for decades. The authors, who have written their paper before the fall of Saddam, examine the social and political role of the Shi‘a in Iraq’s recent history, and doubted that the Saddam regime could successfully deal with the challenges that it faced.