The Development of Mahdavi Guardianship and the Globalization of Religion in the Thought of Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani

The existence of a divine leader, the presence of religion and schools of thought, the establishment of the organization of believers (Hizbullah) and the formation of the Islamic state are among the four pillars that are necessary and essential for the development of the Mahdavi guardianship on earth and the globalization of religion. In the age of occultation, divine leadership is manifested in the form of Wilayat Faqih, and the divine religion is present in the form of the Holy Qur'an and the traditions (Sunnah) of the Fourteen Infallibles. However, the other two pillars, namely the organization of the believers and Hizbullah (nation-building) as well as the Islamic state, must be realized, and to whatever extent these two pillars are realized and include a more inclusive circle, we will move forward one step towards the development of the divine guardianship, and we will help the globalization of religion, the peak of which will occur in the Age of Reappearance (of Imam Mahdi). For this reason, examining how the Mahdavi guardianship developed on earth and, accordingly, the globalization of religion, is one of the important and necessary matters for research. Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani is one of the few jurists who, with a strategic view of Imamate and Mahdiism, aimed to help the globalization of religion through showing how to develop the Mahdavi guardianship for all humans and in all areas of the world. In order to realize this important matter, he has referred to both the verses of the Holy Qur'an and the hadiths. Therefore, the hypothesis of this study is that in the thought of Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, it is possible to contribute to the globalization of religion by developing the Mahdavi guardianship. In this study, which has been examined with a qualitative approach and a descriptive-analytical method, the development of the Mahdavi guardianship and the globalization of religion in the thought of Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, this main question has been answered: "In the thought of Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, how can the Mahdavi guardianship be developed and expanded for the purpose of the globalization of religion? The explanation of the pillars such as the necessity of the existence of Imamate and divine leadership on earth, and the necessity of divine religion and the formation of believers and Islamic nation-building with an emphasis on the role of the Islamic state in this area are some of the findings and innovations of this article.