فصلنامه شیعه شناسی
پیاپی 7 (پاییز 1383)

There is no doubt that a social doctrine can be identified in Islam. A comparative study of sociological theories and the Islamic social approach provides us with a better understanding of Islamic teachings. It also enables us to verify or falsify sociological theories on the basis of religious criteria. Moreover, discovering any inconsistency between sociological theories and the Islamic social doctrine provokes our thought. The question of whether sociological statements can be found in Islamic texts is contingent on how we define such statements. If sociological statements are merely those that are found out through empirical methods, there is no such statement in the Qur’ān and Nahj al-Balāghah (the collection of Imam ‘Ali’s lectures). However, it is the verifiability rather than the method of exploring of a statement that determines whether it is sociological or not. If this is the case, Islamic texts contain many sociological statements; and hence, we can talk about a religious sociology

For the Shi‛a, the era of occultation, when no infallible Imam is present in society, is considered as an era of loss and defectiveness. In such an era, the state and its legitimacy are important issues to be addressed. Shi‛ite theology and fiqh have extensively dealt with this issue. This article examines the view put forward by the advocates of velayat-e faqih, that is, the political authority of a leading religious scholar, in the era of occultation.

This article aims at investigating and understanding the negative aspects of a number of ancient and famous writings about the Shi‘ī sects and denominations. To show the shortcomings and deficiencies of the reports of these writings about Shi‛ism and Shi‛ite sects, the author briefly introduces these sources and clarifies the particular orientations of the compilers of these writings on Shi‛ism. He further illuminates the disagreements of these authors.The writer goes on to deal with the discrepancy of the authors of reports as to the various names given to the Shi‛ite sects and their extreme numeration of Shi‛ite groupings as well as the chief causes of their disagreements, including the mentioned above shortcomings.The main message of the writer is grounded in the fact that nay research into the history of Shi‛ism and its various sects by appealing only to these works will not only be incomplete and unacceptable, but also will further confuse the readers.

As part of the continued efforts of the journal to introduce some Shi‛ite scholars in each issue, this article provides brief biographies and short accounts of the intellectual lives of several Shi‛ite scholars. Some of the Shi‛ite scholars are briefly introduced in this volume.

This article is intended to explore the roots of differences, whether in theory or in practice, among the Shi‛ite ‘ulama. Critically examining various theories of the sociology of knowledge, the author recognises three categories of factors giving rise to such differences. These factors are: (1) references to different sources of fiqh, (2) geographical as well as temporal particularities, and (3) sociological factors.

In this article, it is examined how the Shi‛ite faith has influenced the architecture as well as decoration of certain public buildings, whether religious ones such as mosques, shrines and mourning places for Imam Husayn [Husaynīyya], or secular ones like traditional gymnasiums [zūrkhāneh] and public drinking places [saqākhāne], in Iran. Religious symbols can easily be identified in such buildings.

Islamic movements have played an important role in the political developments of the Middle East in recent decades. In Iraq, the Shi‛ite movement, in particular, has been active in opposing the former dictator, and in the so-called process of nation-building after the overthrow of Saddam Hossein. This paper is concerned with the place of Shi‛ite groups in Iraq, from the perspective of political sociology. Given the religious divide in Iraq, the goals, principles, theoretical as well as practical approaches and developments of Shi‛ite groups, such as the Society of the ‘Ulama [Jamā‛at al-‘Ulama], the Da‛wa Party [Hizb ad-Da‛wa], the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq [Majlis al-‘Alā] and the Organisation for Islamic Action [Monazzamat al-‘Amal al-Islami] are considered. The views of some important Shi‛ite figures, such as Ayatollah Sīstānī, Ayatollah Seyyed Kāzim Hā’irī and Moqtadā Sadr are also analysed in this paper.