Imam Mohammad Ghazli's View on Political Religion or Religious Politics

Subject Areas :

Mojtaba Atarzadeh Mojtaba Atarzadeh ¹ (دکترای علوم سیاسی و عضو هیات علمی دانشگاه هنر اصفهان)

Received: 2009-08-01 Accepted : 2009-08-21 Published : 2009-08-01

Keywords: Ghazali, Ehyaol, Olum, Khalifate, Kimiyaye Saadat, Nasihatolmoulk,

Abstract :

It was when kings and caliphs rose from opposing local groups- as the major power based of the time- that religion tended to be applied in justification to politics. Urged on by this trend, Muslim thinkers inclined to reconsider the issue from an attentive point of view. Unlike other theorists who followed their idealistic views, Ghazali's, as a political theorist, tried to come up with a new idea to apply religion in politics. The political changes of the time and formation of an Iranian- based political system (Seljuk) which was governed independently of the Islamic government (Abbasi) required a legitimate, acceptable structure apart from previous institutionalized doctrines within the framework of Islamic government. This was clearly beyond the scope of some clergymen's capabilities due to their prior engagement in countless denominational competitions on the one hand and overcoming the sheer interpretation of religion rooted in imitative from on the other hand. As a scholar and rule-governed and systematic thinking structure, Ghazali introduces 'salivation' as the ultimate goal for creation and theorizes his ideas toward human salivation and combines the Politicals of his political thought with social realities and the structure of political power to establish a new from of government and he also based his political thoughtidea on the analysis kingdship and power and its legitimacy based on religion. According to the critical analysis of Ghazali's political idea, he does not seek politicizing the religion rather he seeks 'religionizing' the politics. Because when the religion is politicized, it will be abused by politicians to stabilize their own position. But when religion rules the politics, it is as if the divine spirit of religion revives the politics and makes it more humanistic.