The State in the Political Thinking of Mullā Ṣadrā and Imam Khomeini

The main question of the present article is as follows: "what are the features of the state from the viewpoint of a group of Muslim thinkers known in the framework of transcendental philosophy?" The claim of this article is that the specific aspect of the state from the viewpoint of a group of the philosophers of the transcendental philosophy lies in the type of viewing the rational necessity of the state, in explaining the relationship between religion and state and between religion and politics, and specially, in the people's role and status in the state. Thus, the present article attempts to use the approach of political philosophy and a descriptive-analytical method to deal with some of the features of the state. In this article, the abovementioned claim is investigated by considering the opinions of the philosophers of the transcendental philosophy, including Mullā Ṣadrā Shīrāzī and Imam Khomeini as well as some other thinkers of this philosophical school. The consequences of the discussion are reflected especially in delineating the rational necessity and evidences of the presence of state, the scope of the state's interference in the society, explanation of the features of undesirable state, the people's role and presence in determining their destiny and backing up the state, and the type of their view of the relationship between the religion and the politics in the Islamic Republic of Iran.