1
Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2
Master's student at Bagher-ul-Ulum University, Qom, Iran
10.22034/irsj.2025.540091.1166
Abstract
This article aims to explicate and analyze the pillars of clerical identity from the perspective of Ayatollah Khamenei by examining the identity dimensions of this influential stratum within Islamic society. Utilizing thematic analysis and grounded in the principle of the “sovereignty of tawhid” (divine unity), the study revisits and analyzes three principal pillars of clerical identity: fiqh-based scholarship (faqāhah), ethics, and social activism. Based on a three-stage thematic analysis and following the extraction of basic and organizing themes, the findings—derived from the overarching theme—indicate that the clergy, in continuity with the movement of the prophets, must advance in the direction of establishing the sovereignty of tawhid. Within this framework, faqāhah in Ayatollah Khamenei’s thought signifies a profound understanding of religion oriented toward resolving the issues of Islamic society. Islamic ethics, in this view, is not merely a collection of individual virtues but a dynamic force in the struggle against tyranny (taghut) and polytheism (shirk), and a catalyst for both individual and social transformation. Moreover, social activism, as one of the pillars of clerical identity, denotes the active and influential role of the clergy in various social and political arenas. This research offers a comprehensive framework for redefining the role of the clergy in the contemporary era—one that may serve as a basis for cultural and educational planning within training systems, particularly in seminaries (hawzah ‘ilmiyyah).
Sajadi,S. H. and Hosseinzadeh Isfahani,M. M. (2025). Examining the Pillars of Clerical Identity in the Thought of Ayatollah Khamenei. Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution, 3(4), 227-250. doi: 10.22034/irsj.2025.540091.1166
MLA
Sajadi,S. H. , and Hosseinzadeh Isfahani,M. M. . "Examining the Pillars of Clerical Identity in the Thought of Ayatollah Khamenei", Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution, 3, 4, 2025, 227-250. doi: 10.22034/irsj.2025.540091.1166
HARVARD
Sajadi S. H., Hosseinzadeh Isfahani M. M. (2025). 'Examining the Pillars of Clerical Identity in the Thought of Ayatollah Khamenei', Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution, 3(4), pp. 227-250. doi: 10.22034/irsj.2025.540091.1166
CHICAGO
S. H. Sajadi and M. M. Hosseinzadeh Isfahani, "Examining the Pillars of Clerical Identity in the Thought of Ayatollah Khamenei," Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution, 3 4 (2025): 227-250, doi: 10.22034/irsj.2025.540091.1166
VANCOUVER
Sajadi S. H., Hosseinzadeh Isfahani M. M. Examining the Pillars of Clerical Identity in the Thought of Ayatollah Khamenei. Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution, 2025; 3(4): 227-250. doi: 10.22034/irsj.2025.540091.1166
