یحیی میرحسینی

The tradition of writing commentaries on Nahj al-Balāgha is a mirror reflecting the intellectual, political, and social transformations of Islamic societies. Despite numerous bibliographic studies, a systematic analysis of this trajectory in relation to its discursive contexts remains absent. Employing the "Social history of knowledge" approach and drawing on Skinner’s contextual hermeneutic method, this study investigates the metamorphosis of this tradition during the neglected period from the fall of the Safavids to the eve of the Iranian Islamic Revolution.The findings indicate that this trajectory experienced two clearly distinct stages. First, the "Period of stagnation," (post-Safavid to the eve of the Constitutional era) during which, under the dominance of Akhbārism and political despotism, Nahjal-Balāgha shifted from a comprehensive text to a "Mirror for princes," serving the function of "Consolidating power" and advising rulers; second, the "Period of renaissance," (from the Constitutional era to the Revolution) in which, with the emergence of the Samarra School and the encounter with modernity, an "Epistemic rupture" occurred. In this era, Nahj al-Balāgha became a tool for the "Delegitimization of despotism" and the "Foundation of political theology." Methodologically, there was also a fundamental shift from "Sequential-lexical commentary" to "Systematic analysis" aimed at extracting a coherent intellectual school from Nahj al-Balāgha . The study concludes that developments in commentary writing constitute a key indicator for tracing the transition of Shiʿi thought from "Individual ethics" to "Political jurisprudence" in the modern period.

Among the favorite topics between Orientalists is the controversial issue of Taqīyya between Shi'a and Sunni. Etan Kohlberg, a renowned scholar who research about Shi'a, has addressed this topic in two articles. His discussion includes a range of narrative and historical issues, such as the position of Taqīyya among the fundamentals of belief in the Imamiyya School and the impact of this doctrine on Shi'a hadiths, such as the concealment of teachings and contradiction of narrations. Kohlberg analyzes that the sanctity of employing Taqīyya in some religious practices stems from the Shi'a Imams' sense of discrimination seeking. This descriptive-analytical article aims to focus on Etan Kohlberg's first article while incorporating some content from his second article to provide a comprehensive discussion on the topic of Taqīyya. Firstly, criticisms of Kohlberg's descriptive approach from opponents are reviewed and subsequently challenged. Overall, it is concluded that, contrary to Kohlberg's opinion, there is no contradiction in the Imamiyya approach to the principle of Taqīyya. Compliance or non-compliance with Taqīyya is dependent on the circumstances and is contingent upon the benefits and harms, which Kohlberg has overlooked.