Contemporary Research on the Islamic Revolution

The investigation into the factors that led elites and experts to choose a different path for selecting a ruler after the demise of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), disregarding his directives, and the subsequent compliance of the people with them, is the primary focus of this research. The present study aims to uncover the factors that shaped the transformations at the time of the passing of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH). Utilizing historical data and a descriptive-analytical method, it examines and evaluates the cultural life of Arabs in the context of selecting a tribal chief and their customs and traditions in this selection process. According to its findings, considering the large number of newly converted Muslims at the time of the Prophet's (PBUH) passing and the absence of a centralized inter-tribal government prior to his rule in Hijaz, the prevailing beliefs among Arabs in selecting a tribal chief-such as the disregard for the explicit instructions of the previous chief and the appointment of a ruler based on material criteria like physical appearance, age, etc.-are evident. Furthermore, if the Prophet (PBUH) issued a directive that did not align with the preferences of certain companions or was beyond their limited understanding, they would openly or covertly oppose it. The discourse of the elites and experts present at the Saqifah Bani Sa'ida in determining the successor to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) can be evaluated in this context.  

The Balkans, in a specific sense, refers to the collection of countries in Southeast Europe that gained independence following the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, most of which are on the path to membership in the European Union. The Balkans, with its great ethnic diversity, is the intersection of three religions: Islam, Catholic Christianity, and Orthodox Christianity, and regarding its historical background, it is considered a crisis-prone area next to the European Union. Iran has long-standing deep cultural ties with the countries of this region, and the Persian language has historically held significant appeal among the intellectuals of this area. However, undoubtedly, Iran's presence and role in the Bosnian crisis during the 1990s is considered the most significant involvement of Iran in this part of Europe. The present study aims to explore the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Balkans region, emphasizing Iran's role in Bosnia. The results indicated that the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Balkans is consistent with the constructivist approach in international relations, and this region possesses considerable potential in cultural, political, and economic fields for the development of relations.  

Since its establishment, the Islamic Republic of Iran has faced various political challenges. In some instances, certain crises appeared sufficient to topple the regime, yet through crisis management by Iran''''''''s leaders, conditions eventually led to the stabilization of the revolution. The present study aims to explore the methods of the Supreme Leader and the model for addressing the political challenges of the Islamic Republic. The main research question is: ‘Does the Supreme Leader have a comprehensive model for managing political crises?’ To this aim was used qualitative-descriptive method, employing document analysis and targeted sampling through interviews with experts. Content analysis of these interviews has also been conducted to identify the components of the research. Results: The study of methods and actions within the framework of crisis leadership was conducted based on indicators of control, mobilization, spiritual influence, and informed management of events. After interviews with experts, the findings were categorized into four levels: Preventive measures and challenge identification, decision-making, confrontation and management of challenges and crises, shaping awareness and conceptualization, learning, and delineating crisis lessons. Key components include: Macro-level policymaking, information assessment and awareness, management of destabilizing events, decisive confrontation with crisis-inducing factors and conditions, leadership of public opinion, clarification of citizens’ and institutions’ responsibilities, utilization of the spiritual influence of the Supreme Leader, discourse formation, conceptualization, education, foresight, and further elaboration.

In the wake of the social and scientific developments of the modern era in Europe, Muslim thinkers have been seeking a new method of ijtihad (independent reasoning) in order to adapt Islam to the changes of the time or to produce new Islamic jurisprudential rulings for the emerging social transformations. Attention to the objectives (Maqaṣid) of Shariʻah in ijtihad has been a way for the flourishing and dynamism of jurisprudence and providing appropriate responses to new issues. Attention to the objectives (Maqaṣid) of Shariʻah is more prominent in the views of jurists who have had a social and governmental approach to the religion of Islam. Imam Khomeini and Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Sadr are among these jurists. In this research, using the descriptive method and library data collection, the following questions have been addressed: ‘What position the objectives (Maqaṣid) of Shariʻah have in the thought of Imam Khomeini and Sadr?’ and ‘What are the differences and similarities with the views of Sunni jurists?’ The result indicated that Imam Khomeini has presented novel views with regard to the objectives (Maqaṣid) of Shariʻah, and his attention to the objectives of Shariʻah in the process of inference has been effective both in the expansion and deepening of jurisprudence. Sadr, too, based on definitive rational methods, seeks to find and uncover the ultimate goals of Shariʻah, and for this purpose, he distinguishes the objectives of Shariʻah from its aims. The common point between the views of Sunni jurists and Imam Khomeini and Sadr in enumerating the objectives of Shariʻah is the establishment of social justice and the preservation of the social system, and the difference is in the attention to the preservation of religion as one of the objectives of Shariʻah in the view of Shi'a jurists. 

In 19th century Iran, through the publication of travelogues, the expansion of capitalism, and familiarity with the governance methods of Western countries, a system of knowledge or grand discourse emerged that represented Iran's backwardness and illness. Within this system of knowledge (episteme), various discourses aimed at remedying this illness were formed, one of the vital being the discourse of modernist nationalism which served as a counter-discourse to the "Anti-autocratic Constitutionalist" discourse and sought to justify its propositions in response to it, was extensively exploited by the Pahlavi court and managed to become the dominant discourse of the court for a long time. The present study employs the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe, focusing on the question of ‘What the semantic network of modernist nationalism discourse was and what function it aimed to achieve?’ The semantic coordinates of this discourse are examined. The results indicated that the most significant signifier of the modernist nationalism discourse was "Iranian nationalism," which, by outlining a semantic network composed of various elements such as superficial and top-down modernization, centralization (establishment of a dominant state), the necessity of reviving the monarchy and kingship, secularism and opposition to Islamism, and the strengthening of militarism, aimed to consolidate the power of the Pahlavi regime by providing a solution for Iran's backwardness.  

Shaykh Ibrahim Zakzaky is one of the most prominent Shia scholars in Nigeria, who has gained considerable fame throughout West Africa for his unparalleled efforts in promoting and developing the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS). The present study aims to examine the tumultuous life of this esteemed scholar and to provide a shining portrayal of his services to the Shia community in Nigeria. The main focus of this paper is on the life and challenges of the leader of nigerian Shia Muslims; and answer the central question posed regarding ‘To what extent Shaykh Zakzaky has succeeded in his strategic goals?’ The theoretical framework of this article is based on the theory of charismatic leadership by the German sociologist Max Weber, and the hypothesis of the article revolves around Shaykh Zakzaky's public acceptance among the Shia community in Nigeria. The research method applied is library-based with a descriptive-analytical approach, and the attention paid to this topic, which is somewhat novel and original in its nature, is considered an innovative aspect of the article.