Discourse Analysis of Imam Reza Debates and Agonisms with his Discursive Others (Qur anic- Verbal Bases of Formulating the Islamic Identity)

Imam Reza’s era is the stage of the rise of many streams and discourses in the Muslim World. These discourses are recognizable in two intra discursive and extra-discursive levels. These sects and sub-discourses, and the necessity for clarifying the Muslims’ thoughts, led to many debates and contrasts. This study is about to discursively analyze his debates and the manner of his agonism with the controversial discourses, grasp the dominant principles on his identity-other-making semiotic system and investigate the relation between it and the bases of the qur’anic approach. It is going to examine and question the methodological logic that is prevalent in Imam Reza’s discourse of debates and disputes in the area of identifying the identity borders. According to the primary hypothesis of the study, “the Imam’s discursive approach is based on the verbal principles and the logic, elements and theoretical and practical instruments that are in the Quran and the prophetic tradition; some of which are respect, moralism, proper dialogue, wisdom and preaching the good, tolerance, rent and safeconduct, authenticity of proof, reference to human being’s pure inner nature, appeal to reasons and common bases, beneficence and munificence and so on. This study tries to, through using the methodological framework of the theory of discourse analysis, present the bases and the semiotic system of the Razavi (Imam Reza) discourse in its debate and contrast with the rival discourses and from that give the bases of identity- other-making in his thought.