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Utopia among the Shi'a Philosophers: Tabataba'i on Governance
Abstract
This paper aims to investigate the continuation of political philosophy and contemplation on utopia in the later Islamic philosophy primarily through the reading of the works of the recent Iranian Shi`a philosopher and scholar of religion, i.e. `Allama Tabataba'i (1904-1981). Al-Farabi (872-950), as an early Muslim philosopher, addressed utopia in his various works such as (?r?' Ahl al-Mad?nat al-F??ila) in which, man's happiness found through human society that is also compared to a sound body. In such virtues society, the perfect philosopher and prophet are identical. While al-Farabi is claimed as the first Muslim political philosopher, the Farabian tradition of utopian political philosophy did not in general, continue in the Islamic intellectual tradition. The most significant Muslim philosophers wrote extensively on metaphysics and other philosophical questions, but they did not specifically write on utopias. There is no agreement among scholars that Tabataba'i was a political philosopher. While some insist on his contribution to political thought, some others deny it. It is obvious that `All?ma wrote on governance, but we still need to examine whether he was offering simple quietism as a policy or not? Intensifying the importance of this question is that Tabataba'i's last years of life coincided with the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979, where Ayatollah Khomeini attempted to put the utopian theory of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the jurist) into practice. The basic question is his intellectual relationship to the Islamic Revolution. Tabataba'i's earliest writing on politics dates back to his work during his early career after returning from Najaf to Tabr?z. In chapter eleven of his treatise "The Mental Aspects" (al-I`tibariyat), Tabataba'i discusses the concepts and implications of leadership and subordination. Later on, in his important book The Principles of Philosophy and the Method of Realism (U??l-i Falsafa wa Rawish-i Realism) he delves into deeper levels of the discussion. Wilayat wa Zi`amat, (Guardianship and Leadership) is an independent paper in which Tabataba'i develops some of his ideas on governance. Al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an, his commentary on the Qur'an, also includes discussion of governance. In all these works Tabataba'i categorizes the study of governance under the category of al-I`tibariyat al-`aqliya (intellectual considerations) and acknowledges it as necessary for human society. We will examine the relation between Tabataba'i's moral philosophy and his political philosophy and whether his ideal governance is in accordance with the Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of Jurist) of Khomeini.
Discipline
Philosophy
Geographic Area
Iran
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries