Author
Assistant Professor of Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
10.22081/csa.2025.72889.1224
Abstract
In the Islamic religious perspective, power and justice have an inseparable concomitance. In contrast, in Machiavelli's thought, which centers on the interests and exigencies of power, this link is severed, and ethics becomes subordinate to expediency. The main question of this research is: Can justice and ethics in governance be built upon the foundation of human self-interest and self-grounded criteria, or must they be rooted in Divine and innate foundations? Machiavelli, by accepting the principle that "the end justifies the means," legitimizes behaviors such as hypocrisy, deception, and violence for the sake of preserving power. In contrast, Imam Ali (AS), in the Nahj al-Balagha, especially in Letters 26 and 53, emphasizes meritocracy, justice, accountability, adherence to Divine limits, leniency toward the people, and commitment to ethics even when dealing with the enemy. This research, using a descriptive-analytical method and citing the primary sources of Ali's thought, places the view of Imam Ali (AS) alongside Machiavelli's theory. It demonstrates that in Ali's governance, power is not only not in conflict with ethics but finds its meaning in the light of justice and religion. In contrast, Machiavelli's thought, by severing the link between power, ethics, and justice, prepares the ground for the collapse of human dignity and the decay of political legitimacy. Ultimately, it is shown that the Ali's model is Divine, ethics-centered, and human-cultivating, standing in opposition to the instrumental and utilitarian model of Machiavelli.
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