Islamic Heritage and Contemporary Challenges

Islamic Heritage and Contemporary Challenges

Shahīd al-Ṣadr and the Role of Clergy in Socio-Political Transformations: An Investigation with a Focus on the Contemporary Era

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
AbdulQadir Muhammad-Bello 1
Asiyah AbdulQadir 2
1 Department of Quran and Orientalists, Faculty of Quran and Hadith, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iram
2 Department of Educational Jurisprudence, Faculty of Qur’an and Fiqh, Al-Mustafa International University, Kwara State, Nigeria
10.48309/ihcc.2026.575432.1043
Abstract
Sayyid Muḥammad Bāqir al-Ṣadr (Shahīd al-Ṣadr) stands as a pivotal figure in the socio-political landscape of 20th-century Iraq and a significant contributor to broader transformations within the Muslim world. This article examines the role of Shahīd al-Ṣadr in socio-political transformations through clerical engagement in twentieth-century Iraq, with particular attention to its relevance for the contemporary era. Against the backdrop of Iraq’s authoritarian political environment, the study situates Shahīd al-Ṣadr’s intellectual and activist trajectory as a principled response to political repression, social injustice, and the dominance of competing secular ideologies. The objective of the research is to analyse how Shahīd al-Ṣadr reconceptualised the role of the religious scholar in public life and contributed to political transformation without collapsing religious authority into unchecked political power. Employing a qualitative and analytical methodology, the article draws on Shahīd al-Ṣadr’s writings, historical accounts, and secondary scholarly literature to examine his political thought, praxis, and martyrdom. The findings reveal that Shahīd al-Ṣadr articulated a coherent framework of Islamic political engagement grounded in moral responsibility, popular participation, and ethical governance, while rejecting both political quietism and ideological dependency. The article concludes that Shahīd al-Ṣadr’s legacy offers enduring insights for contemporary societies grappling with authoritarianism and crises of moral leadership, underscoring the constructive and principled role of the clergy in socio-political change.
Keywords
Iraqi Politics
Shia Clergy
Socio-Political Transformations
Islamic Political Thought
Shahīd Muḥammad Bāqir al-Ṣadr
Subjects

Article Title Persian

شهید صدر و نقش عالمان دینی در دگرگونی‌های سیاسی و اجتماعی: پژوهشی با رویکرد به دوران معاصر

Authors Persian

عبدالقادر محمدبلو 1
آسیه عبدالقادر 2
2 گروه فقه تربیتی، مجتمع قرآن و فقه، جامعه المصطفی العالمیه، ایالت کوارا، نیجریه
Abstract Persian

هدف: هدف بنیادین این پژوهش، واکاوی و بازشناسی نحوه بازتعریف جایگاه عالمان دین در حیات عمومی و نقش‌آفرینی مؤثر در دگرگونی‌های سیاسی و اجتماعی توسط شهید آیت‌الله سید محمدباقر صدر در سده بیستم میلادی در عراق است؛ به گونه‌ای که این کنش‌گری فعال مانع از درآمیختن مرجعیت دینی با استبداد سیاسی نامشروع گردد.
روش تحقیق: این پژوهش با اتکا به روش‌شناسی کیفی و رویکرد توصیفی-تحلیلی، به واکاوی ژرف در مکتوبات فکری، فتاوا، بیانات و سیره عملی و مبارزاتی شهید صدر در کنار منابع اصیل تاریخی پرداخته است.
یافته‌ها: یافته‌های تحقیق نشان می‌دهد شهید صدر چارچوبی جامع از مشارکت سیاسی اسلامی را بر پایه مسئولیت اخلاقی، نفی انفعال و تحجر سنتی، نفی وابستگی به مکاتب مادی شرق و غرب، و استقرار حاکمیت عادلانه قانون الهی سامان داد. شهادت مظلومانه ایشان و خواهر فاضله‌اش به نماد پایداری در برابر طاغوت و کانون الهام‌بخش بیداری توده‌ها بدل گشت.
نتیجه‌گیری: سیره و اندیشه شهید صدر الگویی ماندگار برای جوامع معاصر در نفی خودکامگی و حل بحران رهبری شایسته ترسیم می‌کند و نقش سازنده، اخلاقی و رهایی‌بخش عالمان دینی را در دگرگونی‌های اصیل اجتماعی اثبات می‌نماید.

Keywords Persian

سیاست در عراق
علمای شیعه
دگرگونی‌های سیاسی اجتماعی:
اندیشه سیاسی اسلام
شهید سید محمدباقر صدر
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