This article looks at Iranian television series and how their creators dealt with historical them... more This article looks at Iranian television series and how their creators dealt with historical themes, especially those related to the Qajar dynasty and the Iranian Constitutional Movement. The study is focused on the works of three selected Iranian filmmakers-Ali Hatami, Mohammad Reza Varzi, and Mehran Modiri. Its main objective is to identify the dominant approach to history they have applied in their works. By analyzing their television activities, the paper discusses debates that accompanied serials broadcast, their reception among the critics, and seeks to reflect on the place and role historical productions play in the cultural, social, or political context in modern Iran.
The current study deals with the filmic representation of Shi’i clergy in post-Revolutionary Iran... more The current study deals with the filmic representation of Shi’i clergy in post-Revolutionary Iranian cinema. The intention of this article is threefold. First, it aims to analyse the presence of religious scholars in film production. Secondly, it attempts to characterize different approaches to the topic undertaken by the filmmakers, to consider the relationship between cinematography, the reality of contem- porary Iran, and the approach undertaken by the authorities towards cultural production. The enquiry will be illustrated by movies made during the last 20 years, which will be close read and placed within historical and socio-political context. The emer- gence of the ruling clergy and its politicization, which followed the Revolution, has given rise to resentment against this group, which has not only grown institutionally, but has increasingly distanced itself from society. I will argue that Iranian films picturing Shi’i clergy, although containing a certain amount of criticism, constitute a response to the image crisis of the clergy. Recognizing the true spiritual foundation of the clerical institution and focusing on the positive dimension of clergy activity, these films stay in line with the regime’s policy.
The rising popularity of 'white marriages' , relationships between a man and a woman who live tog... more The rising popularity of 'white marriages' , relationships between a man and a woman who live together but are not married, has caused a commotion in the Iranian public sphere in the last few years. The debate includes state institutions and religious circles, who feel anxious about the change in gender relations among Iranians, but also academics who elaborate on the causes and consequences of the phenomenon. An important aspect of this controversy concerns legal issues, since according to Shiite law any intimate relationship of an unmarried couple is considered illegal. This article analyses this key aspect of the ongoing dispute and attempts to elaborate on the question of how the gap between people's expectations and desires and the legal capacity of Islamic rulings is addressed in contemporary Iran.
This article is devoted to the contemporary Shi‘a Iranian
religious scholar and thinker Moḥammad ... more This article is devoted to the contemporary Shi‘a Iranian religious scholar and thinker Moḥammad Mojtahed Shabestarī (b. 1936) whose daring ideas on the end of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) in recent years caused a commotion not only among the adherents of the so-called traditional approach to legal methodology (uṣūl-e fiqh) but among Islamic thinkers in general. Educated in a Shi‘a religious ḥouzeh, Shabestarī belongs to an older generation of Iranian clerics who for years now has not been wearing a traditional clerical garment. Although retired from an academic career, the scholar remains active – gives lectures and participates in public meetings at the well-known Tehranian intellectual centre Ḥoseynīye Ershād where he conducts classes on modern hermeneutics and new approaches to Qura’nic exegesis. In recent years, Shabestarī became increasingly critical of the present state of Islamic jurisprudence in Iran and announced the end of fiqh and its methods. Challenging the idea that through the Qur’an, God has provided people with a timeless model of a permanent and universal legal and political system to organise the life of Muslims in every age, Shabestarī called for a change of paradigm in reading sacred scripture based on the adaptation of philosophical hermeneutics and phenomenology. He has also advocated for an endorsement of the philosophy of human rights which he believes is an ‘antidote’ to the current problems within Islam.
Ferdynand Goetel was a prisoner-of-war and a Polish refugee from Soviet Russia who, in 1920, spen... more Ferdynand Goetel was a prisoner-of-war and a Polish refugee from Soviet Russia who, in 1920, spent a few months in Mashhad. The current study is an attempt to present Goetel’s unique view of the city and its inhabitants. Khorasan, at the beginning of the twentieth century, was frequently visited by foreigners who left numerous accounts of both the province and its capital Mashhad. Most of them were written by British and Russian citizens; representitive of the great powers striving to dominate the region through an extensive infrastructure of consulates, military posts, and commercial networks across the country. Goetel made his way to Iran after escaping six years of exile in Russian Turkestan, and he perceived his time in Iran as a liberation from captivity. During the few months he was forced to spend in Mashhad, waiting for evacuation, he explored the city and became acquainted with its inhabitants. His memoirs are not only a testimony of life in Iran at the beginning of the century, written from neither a colonial nor semi-colonial perspective, but also a source of information on the turbulent times of the late-Qajar decline.
The article is devoted to the Persian concept of āberū, which in contemporary Persian expresses t... more The article is devoted to the Persian concept of āberū, which in contemporary Persian expresses the meanings of ‘good reputation’, ‘good social image’, and ‘honour’ that a man possesses in the eyes of others. This concept, fundamental to the Persian culture, can be studied from multiple perspectives—linguistic, sociological, religious, or ethical. However, the present article’s main objective is to draw attention to the parallelism between the concept of āberū and the idea of light and luminosity. The author attempts to reconstruct the ‘memory’ of this concept by analysing the etymology of the term āberū, its semantics and selected contexts of its use in the classical Persian texts.
The 13 th-century Persian poet Saʿdi from Shiraz is considered to be one of the most prominent re... more The 13 th-century Persian poet Saʿdi from Shiraz is considered to be one of the most prominent representatives of medieval Persian ethical literature. His works full of moralizing anecdotes were well known and widely read not only in Persia, but in the other parts of the Islamic world as well. Due to his highly humanistic approach, the relations between people were one of the most important issues discussed by the poet. This article is an attempt to define the status of 'speech' in Saʿdi's moral imagination and to show how it becomes a key instrument in shaping relations with others. In the poet's opinion, the right words reasonably spoken, just like an appropriate silence, shape the relationship between people and help them avoid conflict and open dispute. Quarrels and confrontations, according to the poet, not only damage a person literally by exposing his flaws and imperfections of character, thereby compromising his reputation (aberu), but may also undermine the basis of social life, generating hostility between people. That is why Saʿdi urges his readers to use soft and gentle speech in dealing with people and always behave in a conciliatory manner in response to aggression and rudeness. Highlighting the moral aspect of speech, Saʿdi shows how kind words form an invisible veil between people, which should be preserved if man desires to maintain his image, good name and dignity. In many cultures, the highest-ranking relation a human being was capable of entering into was his relationship with God. Yet in Antiquity the classical authors focused their attention on the essence of a meeting between two human beings. In European culture
This article is devoted to Sadiqe Doulatabadi (1882–1961), one of the first Iranian feminists, ac... more This article is devoted to Sadiqe Doulatabadi (1882–1961), one of the first Iranian feminists, activists and journalists of the post-Constitutional era. From the very beginning of her activity, Doulatabadi focused on women's education, which she considered a patriotic obligation and a necessary condition for the country's development. She believed that it is important that women regain a lost sense of responsibility for the country's prosperity and contribute to its welfare. Based on source material (writings, articles and speeches delivered between 1923–1945), this article analyses Sadiqe Doulatabadi's views on the relationship between patriotism and the need for women's education.
abstract: The article is an attempt to present and analyze main dimensions of contemporary Irania... more abstract: The article is an attempt to present and analyze main dimensions of contemporary Iranian dispute concerning the so called ezdevaj-e sefid (" white marriage ") that is a relation of two unmarried people living under one roof. A study of the public domain that involves discussions of academics, journalists, state institutions and religious circles, as well as ordinary Iranians, allows its two main dimensions to be distinguished. The first is focused on describing this phenomenon and assessing its social, demographical, moral and psychological consequences and the second one concerns the legal status of " white marriages " in the Iranian legal system and discusses its possible analogies in Shi'a legal doctrine.
Archiv Orientalni. Quarterly Journal of African and Asian Studies, 2009
This paper deals with contemporary Iranian philosophical and religious thought. It focuses on the... more This paper deals with contemporary Iranian philosophical and religious thought. It focuses on the reflections of a few of the most famous and highly regarded contemporary Persian intellectuals and philosophers, as well as on theologians such as Abdolkarim Soroush, Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari and also Mohsen Kadivar and Mostafa Malekian. In modem Iran, intellectuals play a key role in shaping and developing various debates and disputes concerning present-day problems and issues. Among the many ideas that have emerged in Iran in recent years, we can observe an attempt to reconcile the sacred with the humane. Persian thinkers try to define what in the world can be considered as being sacred, and which elements no longer belong to the sphere of the sacred and should, therefore, be considered as being humane and temporary. It appears to us that one of the main problems here lies in the separation of what is everlasting and eternal and what can be changed and modified by people. An analysis of the discussions that take place among Persian philosophers and religious thinkers reveals that the keynote which underlies the current Iranian debate is deeply rooted in the idea of the dynamic nature of the world. The idea of a constant movement leading to evolution can be found in mystical poetry as well as in philosophical works and is also a characteristic element of the Iranian outlook on life. It implies, therefore, a particular way of understanding: what changes and develops and what remains immutable.
Hemispheres . Studies on Cultures and Societies, 2008
The key-point of this article is the theory of 'qabz va baste teurik-e shari'at' (The theory of e... more The key-point of this article is the theory of 'qabz va baste teurik-e shari'at' (The theory of expansion and contraction of religion) developed by Abdolkarim Soroush, one of the most famous and highly regarded contemporary Iranian intellectuals. His theory is centred around the issue of variability of our perception of the world and religion. Soroush calls for constant interpretation of the sacred texts and insists on perceiving knowledge as a process of permanent contractions and expansions (qabz va bast). By using these concepts he refers to Sufism, where both terms are often applied to describe mystical states of the disciple. The analysis of the terms 'qabz' and 'bast' makes it possible to place his theory in the context of a much broader problem, that is to say the dynamic nature of the world. It allows one to demonstrate that the idea of constant change which leads to development, found in Sufi poetry and in philosophical teachings of some Persian philosophers, is still present in human culture and consciousness regardless of the passing centuries.
The discussion on reforms in Islam has been ongoing in the Islamic world for many decades. This t... more The discussion on reforms in Islam has been ongoing in the Islamic world for many decades. This trend was also present in Iran, where it gained particular intensity after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. It was religious intellectuals who took the main debate upon themselves. Their activity and efforts concentrated around the problem of the adaptation of Islamic rules to the modern world. One of their proposals was to change the classical method of theological reflection. Although Islamic theology (kalam) during the first centuries of Islam become the queen of all Islamic sciences, contemporary Iranian thinkers are calling for the development of a new paradigm of religious reflection – a new kalam, kalam-e jadid, which would be characterized by rationality, openness to interpretation and criticism and would remain in constant dialogue with the non-religious sciences. The paper is an attempt to reconstruct the main assumptions of Iranian kalam-e jadid based on the views of its most important advocates.
The concept of âberu is one of those key concepts in Iranian culture which are very hard to defin... more The concept of âberu is one of those key concepts in Iranian culture which are very hard to define. In this paper the author attempts to explain its philosophical meaning, both by philological analysis based on dictionary sources and by placing it within the context of Iranian, pre-Islamic and Islamic culture. Emphasizing the bond between the idea of water and the concept of âberu, as well as defining it as veil woven from values and principles that protects humans; thus enables an understanding of its significant status among Iranians in contemporary culture. Because loss of âberu or its destruction is commonly understood in the terms of a threat to life, many actions undertaken by Iranians are motivated by the desire to preserve it. Since various methodological approaches can be applied to the study of the concept of âberu, this article should be viewed only as an small contribution to reviling its complexity.
This article looks at Iranian television series and how their creators dealt with historical them... more This article looks at Iranian television series and how their creators dealt with historical themes, especially those related to the Qajar dynasty and the Iranian Constitutional Movement. The study is focused on the works of three selected Iranian filmmakers-Ali Hatami, Mohammad Reza Varzi, and Mehran Modiri. Its main objective is to identify the dominant approach to history they have applied in their works. By analyzing their television activities, the paper discusses debates that accompanied serials broadcast, their reception among the critics, and seeks to reflect on the place and role historical productions play in the cultural, social, or political context in modern Iran.
The current study deals with the filmic representation of Shi’i clergy in post-Revolutionary Iran... more The current study deals with the filmic representation of Shi’i clergy in post-Revolutionary Iranian cinema. The intention of this article is threefold. First, it aims to analyse the presence of religious scholars in film production. Secondly, it attempts to characterize different approaches to the topic undertaken by the filmmakers, to consider the relationship between cinematography, the reality of contem- porary Iran, and the approach undertaken by the authorities towards cultural production. The enquiry will be illustrated by movies made during the last 20 years, which will be close read and placed within historical and socio-political context. The emer- gence of the ruling clergy and its politicization, which followed the Revolution, has given rise to resentment against this group, which has not only grown institutionally, but has increasingly distanced itself from society. I will argue that Iranian films picturing Shi’i clergy, although containing a certain amount of criticism, constitute a response to the image crisis of the clergy. Recognizing the true spiritual foundation of the clerical institution and focusing on the positive dimension of clergy activity, these films stay in line with the regime’s policy.
The rising popularity of 'white marriages' , relationships between a man and a woman who live tog... more The rising popularity of 'white marriages' , relationships between a man and a woman who live together but are not married, has caused a commotion in the Iranian public sphere in the last few years. The debate includes state institutions and religious circles, who feel anxious about the change in gender relations among Iranians, but also academics who elaborate on the causes and consequences of the phenomenon. An important aspect of this controversy concerns legal issues, since according to Shiite law any intimate relationship of an unmarried couple is considered illegal. This article analyses this key aspect of the ongoing dispute and attempts to elaborate on the question of how the gap between people's expectations and desires and the legal capacity of Islamic rulings is addressed in contemporary Iran.
This article is devoted to the contemporary Shi‘a Iranian
religious scholar and thinker Moḥammad ... more This article is devoted to the contemporary Shi‘a Iranian religious scholar and thinker Moḥammad Mojtahed Shabestarī (b. 1936) whose daring ideas on the end of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) in recent years caused a commotion not only among the adherents of the so-called traditional approach to legal methodology (uṣūl-e fiqh) but among Islamic thinkers in general. Educated in a Shi‘a religious ḥouzeh, Shabestarī belongs to an older generation of Iranian clerics who for years now has not been wearing a traditional clerical garment. Although retired from an academic career, the scholar remains active – gives lectures and participates in public meetings at the well-known Tehranian intellectual centre Ḥoseynīye Ershād where he conducts classes on modern hermeneutics and new approaches to Qura’nic exegesis. In recent years, Shabestarī became increasingly critical of the present state of Islamic jurisprudence in Iran and announced the end of fiqh and its methods. Challenging the idea that through the Qur’an, God has provided people with a timeless model of a permanent and universal legal and political system to organise the life of Muslims in every age, Shabestarī called for a change of paradigm in reading sacred scripture based on the adaptation of philosophical hermeneutics and phenomenology. He has also advocated for an endorsement of the philosophy of human rights which he believes is an ‘antidote’ to the current problems within Islam.
Ferdynand Goetel was a prisoner-of-war and a Polish refugee from Soviet Russia who, in 1920, spen... more Ferdynand Goetel was a prisoner-of-war and a Polish refugee from Soviet Russia who, in 1920, spent a few months in Mashhad. The current study is an attempt to present Goetel’s unique view of the city and its inhabitants. Khorasan, at the beginning of the twentieth century, was frequently visited by foreigners who left numerous accounts of both the province and its capital Mashhad. Most of them were written by British and Russian citizens; representitive of the great powers striving to dominate the region through an extensive infrastructure of consulates, military posts, and commercial networks across the country. Goetel made his way to Iran after escaping six years of exile in Russian Turkestan, and he perceived his time in Iran as a liberation from captivity. During the few months he was forced to spend in Mashhad, waiting for evacuation, he explored the city and became acquainted with its inhabitants. His memoirs are not only a testimony of life in Iran at the beginning of the century, written from neither a colonial nor semi-colonial perspective, but also a source of information on the turbulent times of the late-Qajar decline.
The article is devoted to the Persian concept of āberū, which in contemporary Persian expresses t... more The article is devoted to the Persian concept of āberū, which in contemporary Persian expresses the meanings of ‘good reputation’, ‘good social image’, and ‘honour’ that a man possesses in the eyes of others. This concept, fundamental to the Persian culture, can be studied from multiple perspectives—linguistic, sociological, religious, or ethical. However, the present article’s main objective is to draw attention to the parallelism between the concept of āberū and the idea of light and luminosity. The author attempts to reconstruct the ‘memory’ of this concept by analysing the etymology of the term āberū, its semantics and selected contexts of its use in the classical Persian texts.
The 13 th-century Persian poet Saʿdi from Shiraz is considered to be one of the most prominent re... more The 13 th-century Persian poet Saʿdi from Shiraz is considered to be one of the most prominent representatives of medieval Persian ethical literature. His works full of moralizing anecdotes were well known and widely read not only in Persia, but in the other parts of the Islamic world as well. Due to his highly humanistic approach, the relations between people were one of the most important issues discussed by the poet. This article is an attempt to define the status of 'speech' in Saʿdi's moral imagination and to show how it becomes a key instrument in shaping relations with others. In the poet's opinion, the right words reasonably spoken, just like an appropriate silence, shape the relationship between people and help them avoid conflict and open dispute. Quarrels and confrontations, according to the poet, not only damage a person literally by exposing his flaws and imperfections of character, thereby compromising his reputation (aberu), but may also undermine the basis of social life, generating hostility between people. That is why Saʿdi urges his readers to use soft and gentle speech in dealing with people and always behave in a conciliatory manner in response to aggression and rudeness. Highlighting the moral aspect of speech, Saʿdi shows how kind words form an invisible veil between people, which should be preserved if man desires to maintain his image, good name and dignity. In many cultures, the highest-ranking relation a human being was capable of entering into was his relationship with God. Yet in Antiquity the classical authors focused their attention on the essence of a meeting between two human beings. In European culture
This article is devoted to Sadiqe Doulatabadi (1882–1961), one of the first Iranian feminists, ac... more This article is devoted to Sadiqe Doulatabadi (1882–1961), one of the first Iranian feminists, activists and journalists of the post-Constitutional era. From the very beginning of her activity, Doulatabadi focused on women's education, which she considered a patriotic obligation and a necessary condition for the country's development. She believed that it is important that women regain a lost sense of responsibility for the country's prosperity and contribute to its welfare. Based on source material (writings, articles and speeches delivered between 1923–1945), this article analyses Sadiqe Doulatabadi's views on the relationship between patriotism and the need for women's education.
abstract: The article is an attempt to present and analyze main dimensions of contemporary Irania... more abstract: The article is an attempt to present and analyze main dimensions of contemporary Iranian dispute concerning the so called ezdevaj-e sefid (" white marriage ") that is a relation of two unmarried people living under one roof. A study of the public domain that involves discussions of academics, journalists, state institutions and religious circles, as well as ordinary Iranians, allows its two main dimensions to be distinguished. The first is focused on describing this phenomenon and assessing its social, demographical, moral and psychological consequences and the second one concerns the legal status of " white marriages " in the Iranian legal system and discusses its possible analogies in Shi'a legal doctrine.
Archiv Orientalni. Quarterly Journal of African and Asian Studies, 2009
This paper deals with contemporary Iranian philosophical and religious thought. It focuses on the... more This paper deals with contemporary Iranian philosophical and religious thought. It focuses on the reflections of a few of the most famous and highly regarded contemporary Persian intellectuals and philosophers, as well as on theologians such as Abdolkarim Soroush, Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari and also Mohsen Kadivar and Mostafa Malekian. In modem Iran, intellectuals play a key role in shaping and developing various debates and disputes concerning present-day problems and issues. Among the many ideas that have emerged in Iran in recent years, we can observe an attempt to reconcile the sacred with the humane. Persian thinkers try to define what in the world can be considered as being sacred, and which elements no longer belong to the sphere of the sacred and should, therefore, be considered as being humane and temporary. It appears to us that one of the main problems here lies in the separation of what is everlasting and eternal and what can be changed and modified by people. An analysis of the discussions that take place among Persian philosophers and religious thinkers reveals that the keynote which underlies the current Iranian debate is deeply rooted in the idea of the dynamic nature of the world. The idea of a constant movement leading to evolution can be found in mystical poetry as well as in philosophical works and is also a characteristic element of the Iranian outlook on life. It implies, therefore, a particular way of understanding: what changes and develops and what remains immutable.
Hemispheres . Studies on Cultures and Societies, 2008
The key-point of this article is the theory of 'qabz va baste teurik-e shari'at' (The theory of e... more The key-point of this article is the theory of 'qabz va baste teurik-e shari'at' (The theory of expansion and contraction of religion) developed by Abdolkarim Soroush, one of the most famous and highly regarded contemporary Iranian intellectuals. His theory is centred around the issue of variability of our perception of the world and religion. Soroush calls for constant interpretation of the sacred texts and insists on perceiving knowledge as a process of permanent contractions and expansions (qabz va bast). By using these concepts he refers to Sufism, where both terms are often applied to describe mystical states of the disciple. The analysis of the terms 'qabz' and 'bast' makes it possible to place his theory in the context of a much broader problem, that is to say the dynamic nature of the world. It allows one to demonstrate that the idea of constant change which leads to development, found in Sufi poetry and in philosophical teachings of some Persian philosophers, is still present in human culture and consciousness regardless of the passing centuries.
The discussion on reforms in Islam has been ongoing in the Islamic world for many decades. This t... more The discussion on reforms in Islam has been ongoing in the Islamic world for many decades. This trend was also present in Iran, where it gained particular intensity after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. It was religious intellectuals who took the main debate upon themselves. Their activity and efforts concentrated around the problem of the adaptation of Islamic rules to the modern world. One of their proposals was to change the classical method of theological reflection. Although Islamic theology (kalam) during the first centuries of Islam become the queen of all Islamic sciences, contemporary Iranian thinkers are calling for the development of a new paradigm of religious reflection – a new kalam, kalam-e jadid, which would be characterized by rationality, openness to interpretation and criticism and would remain in constant dialogue with the non-religious sciences. The paper is an attempt to reconstruct the main assumptions of Iranian kalam-e jadid based on the views of its most important advocates.
The concept of âberu is one of those key concepts in Iranian culture which are very hard to defin... more The concept of âberu is one of those key concepts in Iranian culture which are very hard to define. In this paper the author attempts to explain its philosophical meaning, both by philological analysis based on dictionary sources and by placing it within the context of Iranian, pre-Islamic and Islamic culture. Emphasizing the bond between the idea of water and the concept of âberu, as well as defining it as veil woven from values and principles that protects humans; thus enables an understanding of its significant status among Iranians in contemporary culture. Because loss of âberu or its destruction is commonly understood in the terms of a threat to life, many actions undertaken by Iranians are motivated by the desire to preserve it. Since various methodological approaches can be applied to the study of the concept of âberu, this article should be viewed only as an small contribution to reviling its complexity.
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religious scholar and thinker Moḥammad Mojtahed Shabestarī (b.
1936) whose daring ideas on the end of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) in
recent years caused a commotion not only among the adherents of
the so-called traditional approach to legal methodology (uṣūl-e fiqh)
but among Islamic thinkers in general. Educated in a Shi‘a religious
ḥouzeh, Shabestarī belongs to an older generation of Iranian clerics
who for years now has not been wearing a traditional clerical garment.
Although retired from an academic career, the scholar remains active
– gives lectures and participates in public meetings at the well-known
Tehranian intellectual centre Ḥoseynīye Ershād where he conducts
classes on modern hermeneutics and new approaches to Qura’nic
exegesis. In recent years, Shabestarī became increasingly critical of
the present state of Islamic jurisprudence in Iran and announced
the end of fiqh and its methods. Challenging the idea that through
the Qur’an, God has provided people with a timeless model of a
permanent and universal legal and political system to organise the life
of Muslims in every age, Shabestarī called for a change of paradigm
in reading sacred scripture based on the adaptation of philosophical
hermeneutics and phenomenology. He has also advocated for an
endorsement of the philosophy of human rights which he believes is
an ‘antidote’ to the current problems within Islam.
both the province and its capital Mashhad. Most of them were written by British and Russian citizens; representitive of the great powers striving to dominate the region through an extensive infrastructure of consulates, military posts, and commercial networks across the country. Goetel made his way to Iran after escaping six years of exile in Russian Turkestan, and he perceived his time in Iran as a liberation from captivity.
During the few months he was forced to spend in Mashhad, waiting for evacuation, he explored the city and became acquainted with its inhabitants. His memoirs are not only a testimony of life in Iran at the beginning of the century, written from neither a colonial nor semi-colonial perspective, but also a source of information on the turbulent times of the late-Qajar decline.
religious scholar and thinker Moḥammad Mojtahed Shabestarī (b.
1936) whose daring ideas on the end of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) in
recent years caused a commotion not only among the adherents of
the so-called traditional approach to legal methodology (uṣūl-e fiqh)
but among Islamic thinkers in general. Educated in a Shi‘a religious
ḥouzeh, Shabestarī belongs to an older generation of Iranian clerics
who for years now has not been wearing a traditional clerical garment.
Although retired from an academic career, the scholar remains active
– gives lectures and participates in public meetings at the well-known
Tehranian intellectual centre Ḥoseynīye Ershād where he conducts
classes on modern hermeneutics and new approaches to Qura’nic
exegesis. In recent years, Shabestarī became increasingly critical of
the present state of Islamic jurisprudence in Iran and announced
the end of fiqh and its methods. Challenging the idea that through
the Qur’an, God has provided people with a timeless model of a
permanent and universal legal and political system to organise the life
of Muslims in every age, Shabestarī called for a change of paradigm
in reading sacred scripture based on the adaptation of philosophical
hermeneutics and phenomenology. He has also advocated for an
endorsement of the philosophy of human rights which he believes is
an ‘antidote’ to the current problems within Islam.
both the province and its capital Mashhad. Most of them were written by British and Russian citizens; representitive of the great powers striving to dominate the region through an extensive infrastructure of consulates, military posts, and commercial networks across the country. Goetel made his way to Iran after escaping six years of exile in Russian Turkestan, and he perceived his time in Iran as a liberation from captivity.
During the few months he was forced to spend in Mashhad, waiting for evacuation, he explored the city and became acquainted with its inhabitants. His memoirs are not only a testimony of life in Iran at the beginning of the century, written from neither a colonial nor semi-colonial perspective, but also a source of information on the turbulent times of the late-Qajar decline.