Faith in Realizing Social Revolutions: Motahhari's Perspective

Murtada Motahhari (1919–1979) was a leading Iranian cleric, philosopher, and a key theorist of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Central to his thought is the concept of faith (iman) as the primary engine for social and political transformation. Unlike passive or purely personal belief, Motahhari viewed authentic Islamic faith as an active, revolutionary force essential for creating a just society and opposing what he identified as the destructive influences of Western materialism.

The Activist Core of Faith

A central pillar of Motahhari's political philosophy is his rejection of a quietist, legalistic interpretation of Islam. He argued that a faith focused solely on rituals and personal salvation was like a "dead and infested tree," devoid of social relevance. Instead, he contended that true faith possesses an "activist and revolutionary ideological core that must be revived". This perspective reframed faith from a matter of private solace to a public force for societal change.

Motahhari's Theoretical Model of Revolution

Motahhari's original theoretical framework for understanding revolution, used to analyze the Iranian Revolution, explicitly outlines the pivotal functions of faith. According to this model, a revolution is driven by three key components:

Negation of the Status Quo: Faith in divine justice creates a profound dissatisfaction with oppression and tyranny. For Motahhari, Quranic teachings provided the moral imperative to reject the existing political order. His analysis identified the failure to form a government based on truth, the separation of religion from politics, and widespread oppression as key sources of this dissatisfaction that faith helped to crystallize.

Vision of an Ideal Society: Faith provides the blueprint for a just society. The goal of revolution was not merely to overthrow the old order but to establish a "utopia" based on an Islamic government and the enforcement of Sharia law. This vision, rooted in divine law, served as the criterion for judging the existing, corrupt situation.

Mobilization and Energy: A "constructive" faith, framed as the expectation of emancipation (entezar-e faraj), created the "moving," "commitment," and "energy" that propelled society toward its revolutionary goals. This spiritual energy was crucial for sustaining the struggle.

Key Functions of Faith in Revolution

Beyond the basic model, Motahhari identified several specific functions faith performs in the process of social revolution:

Foundation for Justice and Rights: Motahhari viewed faith in God as the ultimate guarantor of justice and human rights. He argued that Islamic belief, in contrast to Western secular traditions, inherently supports "people's intrinsic rights" and serves as the "best law and justice implementation guarantor". A central principle of his ideology was the equality of all people and the absence of discrimination, which he rooted in the "universality of divine law". His thought is considered a "justice-centered discourse" that deeply influenced the constitution of the Islamic Republic.

Spiritual and Moral Transformation: Motahhari argued that a revolution's success hinged on changing the moral order of society. This required "spiritual purification" and a focus on Islamic spirituality, which calls for the reform of the "inside and outside of man". He made it clear that achieving social freedom was impossible without first achieving spiritual purification.

Resistance to Western Influence: Faith was vital for achieving "cultural and school independence". Motahhari saw Western civilization as a materialist threat that destroyed human morality. He believed that a strong Islamic faith was necessary for a society to resist this "one-dimensional civilization" and assert its independent Islamic identity.

Faith and the Islamic Republic

Motahhari's vision of the Islamic state reflects the centrality of faith in political life. He conceptualized a "theo-democratic" system where God is the supreme ruler, but humans, based on the principle of independence and the value of their endeavors, have the right to participate in determining the direction of the state, provided it remains grounded in divine law and principles of egalitarianism and justice. In his view, the legitimacy of the system comes from Islam, while its acceptance comes from the people; a "republic without Islam and Islam without a republic cannot be realized".

Motahhari famously warned that if the Islamic Revolution were to succeed, it could not "forget spirituality," because doing so would "deprive our revolution of a progressive factor". For him, the greatest threats to the revolution were ideological deviations, hypocrisy, dogmatism, and injustice—all of which were consequences of drifting away from the active, revolutionary faith he championed.

Conclusion

For Murtada Motahhari, faith was the indispensable catalyst for social revolution. It provided the moral justification for revolt, the blueprint for a new society, the spiritual energy to sustain the struggle, and the cultural armor to maintain independence. In this framework, social revolution was the collective expression of a living, active faith seeking to manifest divine justice in the human world, making Islam and religion the "main and important cause for the victory and continuation of Islamic revolution".