ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Backgrounds of Political Thought in Shi‘ism and Sunnism Author’s Introduction The history of the future will show that the 1970’s and 1980’s were the most important turning points in the political history of Islam and the history of Muslim political thought. What future follows these turning points is a different issue.

What matters is that a great development has occurred, which is supported by numerous varying experiences both in the Muslim world and internationally. It has to be said that the future of Islam—Islam as a religion and as a historical, cultural and social reality—is strictly related to the present reality. This situation results from the past history of this religion and especially the way it enters the new era, its interaction with the latter and its internal capacities and potential.

These three factors, and especially the latter one, have had and will have the greatest share in the future developments related to the present situation. Meanwhile, what matters is that the essential share role of Islam itself as a source of development and change should not be forgotten.

There are many people who study the developments in the history of Islam and contemporary Islam without considering its inherent capabilities and potential or its direct immediate effects while considering it as a historical, cultural and social reality that is merely subject to the present developments, rather than as a reality that, besides the mentioned characteristics, has an independent creativity and activity.

One cannot study the developments of divine religions without considering this last point. There is no question that religion itself, since it is believed in by its followers and thus enters the scene of the society, is itself subject to historical and social laws. The question is whether there is a meta-historical reality behind it.

If we accept that religion has a metaphysical reality that has somehow been injected into the history, we also have to accept that studying it without this characteristic and merely as a factor out of history will lead us to false conclusions. If we accept this, we will logically have to accept that this meta-historical element will show reactions to various social, intellectual and political currents proportionately to its principles and characteristics.