Shariati and the Reconstruction of Social Sciences

Abstract

Ali Shariati was a Muslim reformer who laid much of the intellectual
groundwork for the Iranian revolution of 1979. His inspiring speeches
and written works aroused the people, particularly the students, to the
state, where they were easily mobilized by Khomeini and his co-workers.
Killed by the Shah’s agents in London in 1977, he is still remembered as a
great martyr to their cause. His ideas on the nature of Islam are of
interest to us today.
Ali Shariati was born in 1933 in the village of Mazinan near Sabzawar
in Khurasan, Iran. He came from a family whose members were known
for their scholarship, knowledge, and righteousness. He attended the
Teacher’s Training School, and taught in high school for some years
before pursuing graduate work in Europe. He was also active in his
father’s Center for the Propagation of Islamic Truth.
Shariati’s views were greatly influenced by his learned father who was
fortunate enough to acquire a personal library of nearly two thousand
books. He was also influenced by the political events in Iran, especially
during Dr. Muhammad Mosaddeq’s premiership, and by the various
underground movements after the fall of Mossadeq in 1953.
Particularly important was the Muslim Socialist Movement founded in
the early 1940’s in Tehran. This group believed in Islamic ideals but
emphasized the socialistic tendencies of its economic system. In the
manner of Amir Ali, the author of Spirit of Islam, Shariati wanted to
emulate the lives and ideas of early Muslims whom he admired. He often
referred to Prophet Muhammad, Abu Dhar al-Ghaffari, Ali, Husayn,
and others as men who ought to be followed as examples.
In his formative years, he was influenced by many people including
Frantz Fanon, al-Afghani, Taleqani, and Muhammad Iqbal. In my
opinion, Shariati was more influenced by Iqbal than any other’ scholar,
whether in the East or the West. I have pointed out this influence in my
book, Ideological Revolution in the Muslim World ...