Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Ali Abedi Renani ¹
• Sara Jahanshiri ²

¹ Assistant Professor of Political Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

² -

Abstract

**Abstract**

This study examines the theological foundations of the Islamic Sciences Academy of Qom’s critique of modernity. Grounded in Shi‘i theology and emphasizing three fundamental principles—*the maximal comprehensiveness of religion*, *divine guardianship (wilāyah)*, and *a monotheistic ontology*—the Academy interprets modernity not merely as a historical phenomenon but as a rival theological system standing in opposition to tawḥīd (divine unity). From this perspective, modernity rests upon three core components: humanism, liberalism, and rationalism. Each of these, in different ways, institutionalizes the substitution of the human being for God, human will for divine will, and self-foundational reason for reason guided by divine authority. Focusing primarily on the religious–theological dimension, the article argues that the Academy regards modern secularism as a denial of the comprehensiveness of religion and a negation of divine guardianship, considering it a form of civilizational shirk (associative deviation). The study further explores the relationship between this approach and the tradition of rationalist uṣūlī thought in Shi‘i theology, analyzing its internal theological challenges. The findings suggest that the Academy’s critique is fundamentally civilizational in nature, yet it raises significant theoretical questions concerning the role and status of reason.

Main Subjects

• Interfaith Theology