درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Due to the long-standing nature of the discourse surrounding it, the definition of justice has evolved within a wide range of theories that attempt to define it. Each theory in the intellectual history of humankind that has sought to define justice has done so based on its foundational commitments. Consequently, the definition of justice is intrinsically linked to the theoretical framework from which it emerges. This article seeks to review several liberal theories of justice—particularly those of Hume, Kant, and Adam Smith—and to demonstrate that, despite their internal variations, these theories are characterized by a secular orientation. The central question this article addresses is whether Imām Riḍā's (PBUH) teachings offer any response to the secular foundations underpinning these theories. In the findings section, drawing on the dialogue between ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī and Henry Corbin, the paper argues that secularism, by emphasizing anthropomorphic theology (tashbīh) and rejecting transcendent theology (tanzīh) along with the metaphysical dimension of divinity, has enabled the secular and worldly interpretation of various dimensions of human life—including justice. In the final section and conclusion, the focus turns to the link between Imamate and justice, highlighting the potential of the Razavi hadiths to critique secular theories of justice.

Peace is the essential core of all religions, and peacemaking is a telos for which all religions offer guidance. Grounded in principles such as justice, rational and social growth, forbearance, and forgiveness, peace—within the Radawi culture—is counted among the most foundational principles of international relations. The creation of peace is, before anything else, a spiritual act rooted in the honoring of genuine human rights. Unlike the negative definition adopted in much international-legal discourse—i.e., peace as nothing but the absence of war—the Radawi culture treats peace as an affirmative concept: amicable coexistence premised on the preservation of human dignity. This descriptive-analytical study argues that, contrary to the ethnocentric and unrealistic claims of certain Western Orientalists such as Bernard Lewis and Samuel Huntington—who portray Islam as incompatible with peace and democracy and as a font of violence and terrorism—Islam is a bearer of peace and friendship, and it is capacious enough to furnish a new and comprehensive paradigm for international relations. In the Radawi culture, the scope of peace embraces not only the narrow sense (the absence of armed conflict) but also the broader sense (justice-centered social flourishing). In this culture—contrary to what is commonly asserted in the law of armed conflict—there is no doctrine of preemptive self-defense; peace is sacred, and jihād is a fundamentally humanitarian measure meant to expand peace and security under divine sovereignty by negating ṭāghūt (illegitimate domination), defending the oppressed, and combating injustice.