Discourse on Reforming Religious Knowledge in the Constitutional Era(Case Study: Rūh al-Qodus Newspaper)

The acquaintance of Iranian thinkers of the constitutional era with the manifestations of modern Western civilization, which took place in parallel with the acceptance of Western ideas by the elites of this historical period, laid the groundwork for the challenge between tradition and modernity. Traditionalist, modernist, and reformist religious discourses centered on responding to this challenge. Considering the reproduction of this challenge in the discourse of contemporary Iranian society and the live presence that these discourses have in the minds of Iranian elites, in this article we have sought to recognize the characteristics of the discourse of religious knowledge reform in the Rūh A-Qodus newspaper. Accordingly, the answer given by the discourse of reforming religious knowledge to the challenge between tradition and modernity - in the context of tyranny and colonialism rule in Iran - is a central question that we seek to answer in this article. Analyzing the discourse and establishing a connection between the discourse features of the Rūh al-Qodus newspaper and the historical context of the constitutional era is the method used to answer this question. The use of this method led us to the conclusion that the need to return to the original Islam, redefining the role of the clergy and its relationship with the institution of politics, the need to recognize tyranny and its types, and the need to fight colonialism, were important strategies that the Rūh al-Qodus newspaper chose as the discourse of reforming religious knowledge in order to overcome the critical situation of the constitutional era. This strategy was achieved based on inter-discourse action and absorbing the desirable elements of traditionalist and modernist discourses.