Ali Shariati

Abstract

This entry examines Ali Shariati’s ideas, which provide a modern interpretation of emancipatory and revolutionary Islam in the context of Shia thought. Shariati merged political, social, and intellectual activism. He not only addressed internal divisions within Shiite Islam but also established a socially just and left-leaning model for Muslims worldwide to advocate for an Islamic alternative to Western methods of thinking. Leaving aside the validity of ambiguous labels such as “Islamic Marxism” or “socialist Islam,” Shariati’s Islamic interpretation is rooted in a socialist philosophical and ethical framework. He drew upon Islamic history and the Islamic canon, modifying his interpretation of pretext (tradition, history, and institutional structures) and text (canon) to create a revolutionary con-text, a revolutionary interpretation of Islam. His criticism of capitalism, as a manifestation of his economic understanding, combined with his interpretation of religion on both concrete and abstract levels and took on an activist character. Shariati’s economic and philosophical defense of a populist and social justice line fills his unique value in the history of thought. In addition to the specific conditions of Iran, these aspects demonstrate the intellectual adventure of the world’s Muslims.