A Glance at Imam Hadi's Political Views

This article aims at expounding Imam Hadi’s political views. Due to the extremely difficult conditions and extraordinary political situation during Imam Hadi’s period, he found no opportunity for expressing his political views during his Imamate. This paper seeks to elaborate on some of his views from a political perspective. First, it touches on Imam’s general view about politics and government, including the way he looks at such things like authority, this world and cooperation with tyrannies or governments in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power. Then, it deals with the main features of politicians and political elite, and it goes on to deal with the status of people and their duties in the light of Imam’s view. What has been gathered from Imam’s political thought indicates that it is necessary for politicians and political elite to have such characteristics like observing divine piety, truthfulness and sincerity in their conduct towards people, forbearance, giving special attention to meritocracy and creation an atmosphere for critics.In contrast, people should preserve to knowingly obey the rulers, not fanatically, and to have a spirit of goodwill and advice, benevolence, and good knowledge of the things.