Theological Approach to Theory of Welayate Faqih

Welayate Faqihi is among the theories proposed by Shiite scholars about the political status of Shiite community during the age of occultation. Although this theory has first appeared in jurisprudential discussion, its theological foundations have been concurrently brought up and explained in those discussions. In the continuation of these discussions, a question is posed that whether the issue of welayate faqih is a jurisprudential issue or a theological one. This article assumes that it is both jurisprudential and theological and that they are interrelated. However, this issue is explained with a theological approach.