Behavioral pathology of people in the ʿAlavi government with an emphasis on Nahj al Balāgha teachings
Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Farhangian University
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Law, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
10.22081/csa.2026.72602.1217
Abstract
The government of Imam Ali (AS) is among the most significant examples of religious governments, marked by numerous achievements in Islamic history despite confronting challenges that impeded accomplishments of its lofty objectives. Relying on historical sources and particularly teachings of Nahj al-Balagha, this study identifies the most significant behavioral pathologies of people and social elites during Imam Ali's (AS) government to consider their impact on the government's efficacy and sustainability. Findings indicate significant behavioral pathology factors of that era including dispersion, non-adherence to the infallible Imam, ignorance and lack of insight, jihad and defense abandonment, distancing from religious values, worldliness, abandonment of enjoining good and forbidding wrong, alliance with oppressors, hypocrisy and duplicity. These factors caused social and political crises in the ʿAlavi government. Identifying these pathologies may provide guidance and a constructive model for contemporary religious governments to improve their efficiency in this era.
Keywords
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Volume 11, Issue 21
April 2026Pages 19-36
- Receive Date: 11 August 2025
- Revise Date: 16 February 2026
- Accept Date: 06 November 2025
- First Publish Date: 06 November 2025
- Publish Date: 23 September 2025