Qur’anic Foundations in the Political Thought of Ayatollah Mohsen Araki

The Holy Qur’an is the primary source of religious knowledge and the structural foundation of Islamic thought. It has always served as a central axis in forming the political, social, and legal perspectives of Muslims. Since the inception of Islamic thought, thinkers have sought to extract the principles necessary for organizing political life from the Qur’anic text. However, contemporary Islamic political jurisprudence entered a new phase with the emergence of the "Jurisprudence of Systems" (Fiqh al-Nizamat) theory and the adoption of a systemic approach to jurisprudence. This approach opened broader horizons for understanding the Qur’anic text as a reference for building an Islamic political system, rather than just a source for individual or partial rulings.
In this context, Ayatollah Sheikh Mohsen Araki occupies a prominent position among contemporary jurists. Araki is one of the most distinguished students of the martyr Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and a founder of the "Jurisprudence of the System" approach in the Islamic Seminary of Qom. This methodology encompasses political, economic, and cultural jurisprudence, among other fields of social life. Alongside his academic standing, Araki possesses extensive administrative and missionary experience, playing a significant role in explaining and disseminating the theory of the Islamic political system in academic circles across the Islamic world.
This research aims to analyze the Qur’anic foundations in Ayatollah Mohsen Araki’s political thought—a thought situated within the "Jurisprudence of Systems" theory, which makes the Holy Qur’an the primary source for defining the political structure of Islam and producing political knowledge. The importance of this study lies in the fact that, despite Araki’s prolific writings, there is as yet no independent study that systematically treats the Qur’anic foundations of his political theory. This study seeks to fill this gap by uncovering the Qur’anic bases that form the structure of his theory and the way they are employed in constructing the Islamic political system.
The primary goal of this article is to extract and clarify the Qur’anic foundations in Araki’s political thought. From this goal arises the central research question: "What are the Qur’anic foundations that constitute the basic structure of Araki’s political theory, and how are these foundations manifested in the process of building the Islamic political system?"
Several sub-objectives stem from this, most importantly: clarifying the position of Lordship and Monotheism in building the theory of sovereignty; analyzing the Qur’anic concept of Khalifa (Succession/ Vicegerency) and its role in defining human political responsibility; explaining the nature and role of revelatory knowledge in the theory of governance; studying the Qur’anic conceptual system surrounding Wilayah (Authority), Shura (Consultation), Ummah (Community), and Justice; and demonstrating the relationship between divine government and the project of "Qur’anic Civilization" in Araki's thought.
The study adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology, relying on data collected through a systematic reading of Araki’s primary works, such as Jurisprudence of the Islamic Political System, The Theory of Governance in Islam, and his lectures on political globalism. The analysis utilized "Thematic Analysis" and directed content analysis to extract and categorize Qur’anic themes.
Research Results: The study reveals that Araki’s political thought is built upon three main Qur’anic pillars:

Exclusivity of Sovereignty to the Divine Essence: Araki considers this the ontological basis of the Islamic political system. Sovereignty and legislation are the exclusive right of God Almighty, and no power possesses independent legitimacy outside the scope of Divine Will. In this view, Monotheism (Tawhid) transforms into a political structure where Islam and worship are defined as social-political submission to Divine Sovereignty.
Human Vicegerency (Khalifa): According to the Qur’an, the human being is "commissioned" to manifest Divine Will on earth. Succession represents the essence of political and social responsibility. Authority is not an end in itself but a means to establish justice and implement God's laws. Freedom is understood as the capacity to fulfill this responsibility, not as liberation from Shar’i boundaries.
Revelatory Guidance and Qur’anic Knowledge: Araki elevates political jurisprudence from the level of partial rulings to the "Jurisprudence of Systems," which extracts political, economic, and cultural structures from revelatory texts. Islamic politics, for him, can only be established by combining Revelation and "Ijtihiadi" Reason in the system-building process.

The results also highlight that Araki’s theory includes a civilizational dimension represented by the concept of "Qur’anic Urbanism/ Civilization," where divine government serves as the starting point for a civilization based on religious science, structural justice, and social servitude to God.
The study demonstrates that the Qur’an occupies a central position in Al-Araki’s theory, and that political jurisprudence in his vision is not limited to managing partial details but transforms into a tool for building the overarching social system and achieving the project of Islamic civilization. The pillars of Monotheism (Tawhid), Succession (Khalifa), and Revelatory Guidance constitute a theoretical framework that provides concepts such as Guardianship (Wilayah), Consultation (Shura), Justice, and the Ummah with a new and interconnected structure.
The study proposes a set of paths for future research, including: “conducting comparative studies between Al-Araki’s theory and other schools of Islamic political jurisprudence,” “examining the ability of this model to address contemporary governance issues, such as the digital sphere and multicultural societies,” and “analyzing the practical mechanisms of justice and accountability within the Wilayi (guardianship-based) system.” The study emphasizes that these steps will contribute to enriching the theory of “Jurisprudence of Systems” and enhancing its applicability in the process of building contemporary Islamic civilization.