Wisdom and Determination: Foundations of Ideal Political Culture in Imam Ali's Realm of Political thoughts

Two opposing cultural arenas contrast with each other during Imam Ali’s government. On the one hand, there is popular culture and therefore the political culture of jahiliyyah (ignorance) which has been reproduced in the period of caliphs before Imam Ali (pbuh), and still deeply roots itself in the soul of some Muslims of early Islam.On the other end of the opposition, there is the true political culture from Imam Ali’s perspective, which is known to be rooted in “acquiring knowledge” and “gaining determination”.In answer to the important question about Imam Ali’s picture of Islamic political culture, it could be said that he tried to emphasize the role of wisdom and its epistemic necessities, strengthen determination and its ideological requirements, and furthermore wipe out the political culture of jahiliyyah as an obstacle to ideal political movements. Therefore, taking into account the role of culture in political actions, Imam Ali implemented fundamental reforms in the arena of political culture to direct Muslims and their political behavior to the correct path. In this research, a descriptive-analytical method was used to identity the essential dimensions shaping the ideal political culture in Imam Ali’s policies. Opposing conceptual dichotomies were also used to clearly delineate the two different political cultures.