Critical Analysis of the Furqan Group’s Perceptions of Nahj al-Balaghah

In the decades before and after the Islamic Revolution, many groups and parties emerged in Iran. In order to recruit members from the Iranian people, they had to develop and present a specific ideology. Most of them claimed that all of their foundations had originated from Islam or they had considered the religious teachings in addition to other sources. One of these parties was called "Furqān". These group members are more famous for their violence in assassinations than their ideological foundations. In their creed, which they called monotheistic ideology, they primarily used the Quranic verses. Secondarily, the words of Imam Ali (AS) were cited by them; in such a way that led to the writing of a commentary book entitled "Furūq Nahj al-Balāqih". So. By using a descriptive-analytical method, this paper tried to examine the Furqanism view of Nahj al-Balāqih and show the most important criticisms of it. Studying the works of this group's leaders indicated that their primary activities had included the interpretation of not only the political and social statements, but also doctrinal, devotional, and moral concepts. The findings suggest that the most important criticisms of this group's perceptions are "the dominance of functionalist approach," and "disregarding the principles and rules of Fiqh al-Hadith (the science of hadith comprehension)."