Shariati and ‎Founders of sociological thought (The investigation on the relation between Shariaty’s thought and pioneering sociologists’ theories)

The present article tries to investigate the effect of founders of sociological thoughts) Karl Marx, Max Weber &Emile Durkheim) on Ali Shariati’s ideas. It also wants to clarify the criticisms of Ali Shariati on above-mentioned masters.Documentary method and qualitative content analysis have been used as scientific methods to categorize Shariati’s references to founders of sociology. These categories can be recognized as: Marx and religion, Marx and justice, Marx and alienation, Marx and the ignorance of colonization, Marx and Asian production method, Durkheim and the features of new centuries, Durkheim and the definition of religion, Durkheim and religion as the expression of Society spirit, Weber and Protestantism. The findings of this study show that there is a dynamic, symmetrical and mutual relationship between Ali Shariati’s ideas and sociology founders’ thoughts. Ali Shariati has not only accepted sociology founders’ ideas in many cases but also has criticized them in many places.