Political Studies of New Islamic Civilization

Political Studies of New Islamic Civilization

Imam Musa Sadr's Civilizational Thought

Document Type : Promotional Article

Authors
Mohammadreza Mahmoudi 1
Mohammad Zargani 2
Sharif Lakzaee 3
1 PhD in the History of Twelver Shi‘ism, Faculty of Islamic Denominations, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of the History of Twelver Shi‘ism, Faculty of Islamic Denominations, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Political Research Institute, Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought, Qom, Iran
10.22034/rcdir.2025.517625.1180
Abstract
In the contemporary historical context—where modern Western civilization seeks, increasingly, to consolidate its dominance over the Islamic world—the nature and the means by which a new Islamic civilization can be realized constitute among the fundamental issues that Islamic thinkers must address with logical and realistic answers. During his twenty-year presence in Lebanon, Imam Musa Sadr, the leader of Shi‘a Muslims in that country, presented a successful model of Islamic civilization in both thought and practice. This article analyzes Imam Musa Sadr’s civilizational thinking through a descriptive–analytical method and identifies the characteristics of his civilizational ideas. These include: (a) religion-centeredness, meaning the comprehensive presence of Islam—juridically, ethically, and intellectually—in the process of civilizational building; (b) humanity and the preservation of human dignity as the criterion of civilizational progress; (c) pluralism alongside unity, meaning the acceptance of diverse ideas, sects, and denominations within society while maintaining the principles of social cohesion; and (d) anti-imperialism, meaning the rejection of the oppressive dominance of Western civilization—and particularly of the Zionist regime—as both a product and a symbol of Western civilization.
Keywords
Imam Musa Sadr
New Islamic Civilization
Civilization
Islamic World
Qur’an al-Karim.
Nahj al-Balaghah.
Alviri, Mohsen, & Mahdinejad, Seyyed Reza. (2013). The relationship between religion and civilization in Malik Bennabi’s thought. Tarikh va Tamaddon-e Eslami, 9(18), 163–191. [In Persian]
Babaei, Habibollah. (2014). Theoretical Explorations in Theology and Civilization. Qom: Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. [In Persian]
Babaei, Habibollah. (2020). Diversity and Civilization in Islamic Thought. Qom: Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. [In Persian]
Babaei, Habibollah. (2020). Islamic diversity in the process of civilization. In Theoretical Essays on Civilizational Islam (pp. 131–155). Qom: Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. [In Persian]
Babaei, Habibollah. (2022). Civilizational indicators in secular and sacred approaches. Political Studies of the New Islamic Civilization, 2(3), 33–68. [In Persian]
Davand, Mohammad. (2024). Methodology of Martyr Soleimani’s strategies in the Islamic world. Islamic Awakening Studies, 13(1), 33–55. doi: 20.1001.1.23225645.1403.13.1.2.3[In Persian]
Durant, Will. (1988). The Story of Civilization (trans. Translators Group). Tehran: Organization for Publications and Education of the Islamic Revolution. [In Persian]
Fukuzawa, Yukichi. (2000). Theory of Civilization (trans. Changiz Pahlavan). Tehran: Giv. [In Persian]
Golshani, Mehdi. (2021). Science and Religion in the Horizon of a Monotheistic Worldview. Tehran: Khajeh Nasir al-Din Tusi University of Technology. [In Persian]
Ibn Sa’d, Muhammad. (1995). Tabaqat (trans. Mahmoud Mahdavi Damghani). Tehran: Farhang va Andisheh. [In Persian]
Lakzaei, Sharif. (2005). Imam Musa Sadr’s political thought. Political Science, 8(31), 181–220. [In Persian]
Lakzaei, Sharif. (2018). An Introduction to Imam Musa Sadr’s Political Thought. Qom: Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. [In Persian]
Lakzaei, Sharif. (2019). Causes of civilizational weakness and backwardness of Islamic societies in Imam Musa Sadr’s civilizational thought. Fundamental Studies of the New Islamic Civilization, 2(3), 313–328. [In Persian]
Mirjahanmard, Seyyedeh Marzieh, Pour-Abed, Mohammad-Javad, & Mohtadi, Hossein. (2024). Components of jihad and resistance in the novel “Al-Wusul,” with emphasis on the character of Umm Yasir, wife of Seyyed Abbas Mousavi, former Secretary-General of Hezbollah. Islamic Awakening Studies, 13(1), 55–75. doi: 20.1001.1.23225645.1403.13.2.3.6[In Persian]
Mirzaei, Mohammad Ali. (2020). A general review of basic concepts of Islamic civilization in Malik Bennabi’s thought. In Theoretical Essays on Civilizational Islam (pp. 570–599). Qom: Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. [In Persian]
Sadr, Musa. (2017). Step by Step with the Imam (trans. Translators Group). Tehran: Imam Musa Sadr Cultural and Research Institute. [In Persian]
Sadr, Musa. (2020). The Journey of Martyrdom (trans. Mehdi Farakhian & Ahmad Nazem). Tehran: Imam Musa Sadr Cultural and Research Institute. [In Persian]
Sadr, Musa. (2020). What He Himself Said (trans. Mehdi Farakhian). Tehran: Imam Musa Sadr Cultural and Research Institute. [In Persian]
Sadr, Musa. (2021). Religion in Today’s World (trans. Ahmad Nazem & Hamidreza Shari’atmadari). Tehran: Imam Musa Sadr Cultural and Research Institute. [In Persian]
Sadr, Musa. (2022). Nay va Ney (trans. Ali Hojjati Kermani). Tehran: Imam Musa Sadr Cultural and Research Institute. [In Persian]
Sadr, Musa. (2022). Religions in the Service of Humanity. Tehran: Imam Musa Sadr Cultural and Research Institute. [In Persian]
Sadr, Musa. (2022). The Heavenly Human. Tehran: Imam Musa Sadr Cultural and Research Institute. [In Persian]
Sadr, Musa. (2022). Woman and the Challenges of Society (trans. Translators Group). Tehran: Imam Musa Sadr Cultural and Research Institute. [In Persian]
Toynbee, Arnold. (2021). A Study of Civilization (trans. Ya’qub Azhang). Tehran: Mola. [In Persian]
Vase’i, Seyyed Alireza. (2020). The possibility of Islamic civilization in the contemporary world: A look at foundations and capacities. In Theoretical Essays on Civilizational Islam (pp. 193–218). Qom: Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought. [In Persian]
Political Studies of New Islamic Civilization
Volume 5, Issue 10
March 2026
Pages 263-286

  • Receive Date 21 August 2025
  • Revise Date 03 October 2025
  • Accept Date 17 October 2025