سید رضا مهدی نژاد

Before the contemporary period, the Islamic world had often experienced two types of political systems: first, the caliphate system, which arose from the history of Islam and included the major part of the Islamic world, and second, the monarchy system, which was a legacy of the past and had reconstructed itself in new ways. The main question of this article refers to the investigation of the factors and how this type of political system is formed and the issues facing it in the Islamic world, which has been tried to be answered by descriptive-analytical method. Republic systems often emerged in the 20th century and especially after World War I and II in the Islamic world, but since the beginning, they have faced challenges such as militarism, tyranny, party monopoly, and ethnic and religious challenges and after many ups and downs, it has been stabilized or is being stabilized in a few Islamic countries, and in some countries, it is still facing the aforementioned challenges. In the meantime, the most important issue is the link between Islam and the Republic, which most countries have been content with copying the Western model, and this has also had its own consequences.

Foreign policy refers to a set of innovative or reactive measures of a country in the external environment and international conditions, the purpose of which is to realize the goals and national interests of the country in relation to other societies, governments and international institutions. The political system of Iraq was changed from a monarchy to a republic in 1958 through a coup, and the three currents of communism, Arab nationalists, and Baath, as the main and ruling currents in the country, were able to take control of affairs until 2003. The present article answers the question that what are the main issues of Iraq's foreign policy in the period after the fall of the kingdom until the fall of the Baath Party (1958-2003)? It is assumed that despite the existence of border problems, war with two neighboring countries, water crisis, but they are not the main issues of Iraq's foreign policy, and the findings of the research conducted with the descriptive-analytical method indicate that, the Palestinian crisis, oil cartels, convergence of Arabs and projects of unity with the country of Syria are issues that have been continuously at the top of the policies of the ruling currents. Understanding these issues can be considered as a strategy for the current ruling trend (Islamism trend) and be effective in the micro and macro policy making of Iraq's foreign policy.

The unity of the Ummah is one of the most important requirements for the revival of Islamic civilization in the contemporary era. Therefore, all Muslim civilization thinkers have a strong belief in the necessity of the unity of the Ummah. But the most important challenge is to explain the process of realizing unity and provide a mechanism to face the challenge of division in the Islamic society in a way that leads to the revival of Islamic civilization. Therefore, the problem of the present research is what kind of relationship between unity and civilization exists from Al-Alwani's point of view as a unificationist and civilizationist Muslim thinker? This article explains Al-Alwani's thoughts by referring to his works. The result is that al-Alwani has pursued the project of unity through the reconstruction of the Ummah in the field of concept and reality. According to him, a broad and deep understanding of the concept of the Ummah, its global mission and its requirements is the most basic starting point, and to realize it, steps such as drawing the same method of ijtihad, the unity of building the Qur'an and the Sunnah with the Qur'an as its center and considering the comprehensive approach has suggested He has made intellectual unity with the aim of realizing the grand goals in the world as the basis for the realization of Islamic civilization.

Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization program and instrumental use of extremist groups in the Afghanistan war in the late 1980s are the starting point of Sunni-Shia conflicts in Pakistan. As a result of these policies, extreme sectarianism spread in this country, and the actions of politicians and soldiers severely affected Sunni and Shia unity and created many obstacles in the way of its realization. The present study, with historical method and approach, aims to investigate the political obstacles to the realization of unity in Pakistan. Knowing these obstacles can make the followers of the Islamic sect aware of the political intentions behind the scenes and divisiveness and prevent them from extreme sectarianism and lead them towards unity.The findings of the research show that there are many political obstacles in the way of realizing Islamic unity. The most important of these obstacles are: using religion as a tool for political purposes, creating sectarian identities, financial and military support from extremist groups, excessive expansion of religious schools and lack of supervision, mismanagement of Afghan immigrants.

Hassan Hanafi is one of the thinkers whose mental concern was the issue of degeneration and departure from it, and he had a specific civilization plan in this field. This article, with a descriptive and analytical method, attempts to answer this question: what is the main cause of the backwardness of the Islamic world from Hanafi's point of view, and what is his plan to get out of this situation? Based on the findings of the research, Hanafi considered the main problem in the non-renewal of the Muslim cultural heritage and its ineffectiveness in responding to the needs of the time, and based on this, he focused his plan on the renewal of the heritage. This plan consists of three main parts: 1. Our position towards the old heritage; 2. Our position towards the West and 3. Our position towards the current reality. He is trying to reread the heritage, especially the scientific heritage of Muslims, and modernize it based on the current events, by using the modern scientific methods of the West, to provide the ground for the revival and modernization of Islamic civilization. despite its strengths, this plan, can also be criticized from some aspects, the most important of which is the influence of some western schools of thought, intellectual eclecticism in the type of attitude towards religion and its heritage and the method of its renewal, and the harms of the humanistic and practical attitude towards religion and It is a religious heritage.

The relationship between religion and civilization is one of the fundamental issues that, despite its great importance, has not been examined through a theoretical approach. The present paper seeks to deal with this issue from a theoretical point of view and to answer the question via a descriptive-analytical method that the type of attitude towards the relationship between religion and civilization and its extent is subject to which key variables. According to the findings of this study, two basic variables are involved in this direction. First, the type of attitude towards religion and its domain, and second, the type of definition of civilization and its aspects. On the one hand, the type of maximal or minimal approach in determining the domain of religion is directly effective in determining its relationship with civilization. On the other hand, the one-dimensional or two-dimensional definition in defining civilization plays a role in determining the type and extent of its relationship with religion. From the conflict of these attitudes with each other, three maximum, minimum and negative views about the relationship between religion and civilization are obtained, each of which analyzes this relationship from a different perspective.

So far, there have been several typologies of the intellectual currents of the Islamic world, but they have often been with a political or religious approach. The main question of the present article, which we are trying to answer with a descriptive, analytical and comparative method, is that from the point of view of civilization, what major approaches can be identified in the contemporary intellectual currents of the Islamic world, and what are the main characteristics and aspects of distinguishing these approaches from each other? According to the findings of this research, the three approaches of "civilizationist Islam", "Islamic civilizationist" and "Islamic modernist" can be distinguished from each other in contemporary intellectual currents. The first approach places its reliance on Islam and believes in the maximum relationship between religion and civilization with a religious interpretation of civilization. It considers the main cause of the decline of Islamic civilization to be away from religion and the way to revive it is to return to religion, and it has a negative and critical approach when facing Western civilization. The second approach, with a worldly reading of religion, tries to provide the context of communication and playing its role as a civilization. It considers the main factor of degeneration in the type of religious thought and the way of revival in its reformation and presentation of this world's interpretation of religion, and it chooses a selective-critical approach when facing Western civilization. The third approach, focusing on modernity, aims to provide a context for the relationship between religion and modernity as modern civilization with a modern reading of religion. It considers the cause of degeneration in the stagnation of thought and reason and the way to revive it in the reinterpretation of religion based on the elements of modernity, and it prefers a selective approach when facing Western civilization.

Hajj, as a comprehensive religious rite with unique characteristics, had a high capacity to play a role in Islamic civilization and has it now. Hajj has a special place in the intellectual system of the Supreme Leader. He considers Hajj to be “an example of a superior Islamic society and a new Islamic civilization.” This particular analogy raises the question about the relationship between these two phenomena. In other words, what are the characteristics and components of Hajj that give it such a capacity? Exploring the thought of Ayatollah Khamenei and using a descriptive-analytical method, the article attempts to answer those question. The findings of this study indicate that among the innumerous features of Hajj, the three basic characteristics of comprehensiveness, shaping cohesion and otherness play a very important role in making civilization. The most important common feature of Hajj and modern Islamic civilization is the comprehensiveness and symmetry of the material and spiritual dimensions of the two. The manifestation of spirituality in its highest form, along with the material dimensions and benefits of Hajj, has made it an example of an ideal Islamic society. In addition to this feature and many other features, the cohesiveness of Hajj, which is present in all components of Hajj, and the otherness, which is especially manifested in hating enemies of Islam (Barat), have given Hajj a high capacity of civilization.

The backwardness and decline of Islamic societies is one of the important issues that many Muslim thinkers have addressed and offered solutions to overcome it. Khair al-Din al-Tunisi is one of the political thinkers who, considering the progress of Muslims and the decline of Europeans in the past on the one hand, observing the decline of Islamic societies and the progress of Europeans in his time on the other hand, has presented relatively different views on this issue. Aqum al-Masalak fi Maarefa Ahwal al-Mamalak »has been reflected, but so far these views have not been properly examined. The question is what is the way out of Islamic societies from the state of civilizational decline in the thought of Khair al-Din Tunisia? The present paper has been organized based on the above book to obtain the Tunisian solution by descriptive method. Findings show that he considers the way out of backwardness of Islamic societies to return to the legacy of Islamic civilization, practice the rule of interaction and adaptation of civilization, the establishment of a political system based on justice, freedom and salinity.

One of the ways of divine help to his prophets is through outstanding companions within the same community and nation which that prophet was raised. In the case of the Holy Prophet of Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) there were also a number of his relatives and friends who played a prominent role in supporting that Prophet in conveying his mission and establishing Islam. Among these prominent people, we can mention Hamza Sayyid al-Shuhada, the dear uncle of the Messenger of God. This outstanding character, especially after converting to Islam, played an effective role in defending the Holy Prophet and establishing and spreading Islam. Considering the social position and prestige as well as the personal characteristics and abilities of Hazrat Hamza (PBUH), his role in political and social aspects, especially in the field of jihad and military defense of the Prophet and Muslims is very prominent. This article seeks to take a brief look at this matter and explore a part of it.

 "Tamaddun" or "hadzarah" [civilization] is a word that is not directly mentioned in the Holy Quran, but the way to research it is by searching for related words, especially words with a social connotation. "Ummah" [nation], "qawm" [ethnic group], "qaryah" [village] and "madinah" [city] are among the most important words that have been already considered as a form of civilization. The main question of the present article is what is the semantic relationship between the above words with civilization and is it possible to achieve a concept of civilization in the Qur'an through them? In this article, an attempt has been made to use a descriptive-analytical method to first study and describe the concept of the mentioned words and then to investigate its relationship with civilization. The findings of this study indicate that these words do not have a direct semantic signification on the concept of civilization and they can not be considered as civilization; But according to the meaning and social capacity of these words, they can be employed as the word “civilization”, ie, the wird civilization can be attributed to these concepts and social contexts. Meanwhile, the words "ummah" and "medina" have a high capacity for conceptual connection with religious civilization.

Among Sayyid Qutb's views, his stance on civilization has received scant attention. This paper attempts to answer the question regarding his attitude towards civilized and non-civilized societies and the criticism levelled at his views. According to the findings of this study, Sayyid Qutb posits that a true civilized society is only achievable in the Islamic society. This Islamic society is characterized with certain characteristics such as the rule of God and monotheistic thoughts, the value of humanity, the centrality of family, and the establishment of a divine caliphate by humans. He argues that societies lacking these features are ignorant and non-civilized. This view is of paramount importance in terms of portraying an ideal and utopian society; however, serious criticisms have been levelled at it is, which are primarily concerned with its dual zero-sum attitude towards civilized and non-civilized society and its contribution to the spread of extremist ideas and movements.

The topic of the relationship between religion and civilization and the role of religion in the process of civilization-building is one of the most important issues in the field of civilization studies. This article is about what and how is the relationship between the religion of Islam and civilization in the thought of Imam Khomeini (RA). For this purpose, through a descriptive-analytical method, it has been attempted to answer the question of what is the relationship between Islam and civilization, from the viewpoint of Imam Khomeini.
The results of this study indicate that Imam Khomeini, believing in the universality, maximum realm, and the social and worldly dimensions of Islam, regards it as a civilization-builder religion in which the real civilization, the highest level of civilization, can be found. In the past, Islam has demonstrated its ability to build civilization and the main reason for the decline of Islamic civilization is the alienation from religion and the way to revive it is also to return to Islam. The dynamics of religious thought is imperative for civilization-building. The formation of a religious state is an essential step in the materializing religion in the realm of the social life of Muslims and, consequently, in the realization of Islamic civilization, and the formation of the Islamic Ummah is an indispensable necessity for the achievement of universal Islamic civilization.

The critical attitude toward Western civilization has been reflected in the thoughts of many contemporary Muslim thinkers, and various views have been raised. The present study seeks to answer, in an analytical-critical way, the question that why and how the new Western civilization has plunged the world into crisis and what is the way out of it in the attitude of the Abolhassan Nadvi. The result of this study indicates that Nadvi believes that the Western civilization is Escape from religion and it is materialist, and with extremes in these two characteristics, not only put themselves in crisis, but also has thrown the world into a new ignorance. From his point of view the salvation of the world from this ignorance, it is possible only bychanging the leadership of the world and transferring this leadership to Islam and Muslims; as in the past, this was Islam, which liberated the world from the first ignorance. Of course, the fulfillment of this mission depends on the firm conviction and determination of the Muslims and the existence of a perfect and revival human being to take over this historic move. In spite of the strengths that the Nadvi viewpoint has, there are also criticisms, including: the paradox of the attitude towards and confrontation with Western civilization, the idealism and abstraction of some views and the distancing from the reality of objectivity and reality; fanaticism and hope for the Arabs in the future civilization role and the lack of attention to action and politics

The Fatimid era is one of the most important periods of the flourish in Islamic civilization that has been less considered by Muslim and non-Muslim scholars so far. Although Muslim writers and scholars paid particular attention to the political aspects of the era, revealing some parts of the Fatimid history, their cultural and scientific activities have been treated in a marginal way. Early orientalists were often concerned with the political issues of the era rather than the scientific ones; however, some of the recent scholars such as Heinz Halm and Paul E. valker focused on the scientific aspects, with some of them holding a positive attitude about the scientific flourish in this period and some others negative, in contrast. Those scholars with positive attitudes believe that the establishment of scientific institutions such as Al -Azhar and Dar-ul-Elm along with various works written on different scientific subjects are good evidence for their claim. To review the viewpoint of the orientalists as an outsider view that the article aims at, could be a valuable way to identify the powerful aspects of the Islamic civilization during this era.

One of the most important flourishing periods of Islamic civilization took place in Fatimid era. Since Fatimid rulers were Shiite and religion was important for them, many of non-Muslim researchers have mentioned religious elements among flourishing factors in this era. This study examines the role of other factors like religious, political and economic ones based on western scholar's perspectives. Analyzing and evaluating their viewpoints shows their emphasis on two main points: (1) the role of Fatimid caliphs and officials, their rivalry with Abbasid dynasty and political and religious tolerance; (2) the religious identity of Ismailis and its propagation, the organization for invitation (Dawat) to Ismailism, the philosophical and intellectual influence of Greek and Neoplatonic thoughts on Ismailism. Although some of the mentioned factors were also stated by Muslim historians and restated by western researchers, the philosophical and intellectual influence of Greek and Neoplatonic thoughts are incredibly highlighted in western scholars’ works. It can be said that these factors, which was effective in Ismailism evolution, were considered as the roots of scientific flourish in Islamic civilization; in order to relate the origins of this development to the Western and Greek civilizations.

Discussions on government, the qualification of a ruler, his jurisdiction and the legitimacy of a government, are important issues which have been a matter of concern for some religious jurists. Mirzā Abulqāsim Qomi, ranks very high among Shi‘ī faqihs in the early Qājār Dynasty whose political and jurisprudential views and opinions are significant in this regard. This article, at the outset, seeks to study Muhaqeq Qomi’s view of the government, its necessity as well as various systems of government and goes on to explore his opinions about the authority of religious jurist in the periods of Occultation. In his works, one can see that he has offered two systems of government, one is what he terms Istihqāqi, or just government by the prophets and infallible Imams and the other Imtehāni or arrogant or unjust government. In his further division, these two systems of government represent legitimate and illegitimate governments respectively. As for the authority of religious jurist, he holds that all jurists or faqihs have appointed authority in the periods of Occultation. Though one can deduce the political authority of religious jurists in the periods of Occultation in some of his works, he has not made a clear statement about it.

The relationship between religion and civilization and the role of religion in the creation or development of civilizations have been echoed among many civilization historians and theorists. and even some of religiousscholars, produced a diverse range of pro- and counter-views. This article attempts to analyses the ideas of Malek Ben Nabi, an Algerian prominent thinker, about the relationship between religion and civilization. He is one the few Muslim thinkers whose studies and works focus on civilization, the role of religion in civilization and the relationship between them. In his perspective, the constituent elements of a civilization are: man, soil and time. But what is important as an underlying point is that existence of these elements solely will not create a civilisation.It needs to a synthesizer, which influenced the combination of those three elements. Historical analysis shows that the only thing which always has been followed by constructing a civilization is “religious thought”. Religious thought stimulates spirit of these elements and by combining them together, extract a production called civilization. Although creation of a civilization is subject to human civilizational zation will, this doesn’t happened but by human’s faith which calls for attempts and motivations. The civilization is the result of human’s interaction with soil in a specific period of time and in the light of religious thought

dynasty, that is, during the rule of Aghā Muhammad Khān and the rule of Fath Ali Shāh in particular, many religious scholars had close relations with the Qajār government. But the relations which Mirzā Abu al-Qāsim of Qom – a most eminent religious scholar of the day – had with that government was of special importance and influence.Taking into account the fact that throughout recorded history Shii scholars did not have relations with or opposition to the kings and their governments, if they were inclined to establish on certain occasions or in some periods close relations with the governments of the day, what are the factors involved in establishing such relations? How does thisposition of scholars accord with their view that the government of the day was illegitimate?The author points out that the religious attitude of the government of the day along with the domestic and foreign problems which threatened the foundations of Islam, people's faith and Shiism, pushed some religious scholars including Mirzā of Qom to make use of thier authority by cultivating close relations with the government of the day in attempt to safeguard Islamic law and the edifice of Islam and contribute to theprevalence of Islam and Shiism.