A Comparison between the 8th Principle in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the Commands of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil' in the Safavid Era

Enjoining good and forbidding evil'' is one of the important topics in the general fiqh of Shi''a because it is relating to the question of government in Islamic thought. A study of governments'' performance in relation to the question of enjoining good and forbidding evil in the history of Iran from post-Islam period until the victory of the Islamic Republic of Iran shows that the Safavid era reached a pre-eminent position. At that time، the commands which were issued by Safavid kings were known as ''enjoining good and forbidding evil commands''. Also، in the Islamic Republic of Iran، after the victory of the Islamic Revolution and in line with the attempts of Islamizing the laws and coming of Islamic obligation into the framework of law، enjoining good and forbidding evil manifested itself in the form of a religious duty and a legal basis. Therefore، the fundamental question of this paper is related to the differences and similarities between the commands of enjoining good and forbidding evil in Safavid era and the 8th principle in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.