Evaluation on Ali Şeriati's Conceptualisations of Religion, Reactionary Religion and Revolutionary Religion

Ali Şeriati is a key intellectual who expressed himself scientifically in both traditional Islamic teachings and Western social sciences. He sought to create a new Islamic discourse paradigm by integrating modern social sciences with Islamic beliefs, aiming to secure the commitment of educated individuals in Iran and other Muslim societies. Şeriati’s works reveal how rigid religious mentalities and conservative ideas harm both religion and society. In his writings, we observe the concepts of revolutionary religion and regressive religion applied to their followers. Religion's fundamental purpose, as seen in sacred texts, is to establish peace and well-being among humans. When examining different periods of the same religion, we observe substantial differences, which can be explained by the intellectual development of its followers, rather than by religion itself. While Islam experienced its golden age in the 13th century, it later faced a period of decline. Christianity, on the other hand, emerged from the Middle Ages through reform movements, illustrating a significant leap forward. Thus, the progress or regression lies in the mental activities of the believers, not in religion itself. This study analyzes the causes of decline in the Islamic world through Şeriati’s intellectual framework. It addresses how religion affects individuals, the extent of distortion caused by religious figures, the changes in other institutions, and whether individuals internalize these disruptions. Despite critiques of Islamic societies from Orientalist perspectives, Şeriati’s self-reflective critique makes this analysis unique. This study aims to analyze the conceptualizations of religion, regressive religion, and progressive religion by focusing on their place in Şeriati's intellectual world. The documentary method has been used, involving the analysis of written materials related to the phenomena being investigated. Document analysis, traditionally used by historians, anthropologists, and linguists, has also been applied by sociologists and psychologists in developing key theories. For this topic, Ali Şeriati’s compiled conference books and relevant periodicals were consulted to ground the subheadings explored. Religion uniquely offers solutions to issues arising from ethics, family, politics, and economics. However, corruption begins when religious figures are manipulated by power holders. Şeriati emphasizes that as long as religion is supported by capital, it will remain in its service.