توظيف القرآن في الفكر الدينيّ والسياسيّ للقائد الشهيد آية ‏اللّه العظمى السيد علي الخامنئي (ره)

The Qur'an is recognized as one of the primary sources of religious and political thought in the Islamic world. This study aims to explain and reveal the independent and authentic intellectual and epistemological system of Martyr Ayatollah Khamenei, which was shaped through the utilization and practical application of religious texts, particularly the Qur'an, in political and social domains. Attention to, reference to, reinterpretation of, and raising awareness about religious texts and the Qur'an can be observed in Ayatollah Khamenei’s cultural and scholarly works and activities. Before and after the Islamic Revolution, through interpretive sessions, study circles, the translation of some works by Muslim thinkers, as well as his speeches and published works, a Qur'anic approach and methodology can be identified, aimed at rereading and authentically representing religious texts, reconstructing religious understanding, raising awareness, and increasing their effectiveness within academic and public communities. The main issue of this research is the examination, exploration, and analysis of the application of the Qur'an in the religious and political thought of Martyr Ayatollah Khamenei. This study employs the method of “textualism” through the approaches of “interpretation, referencing, and representation” of religious texts. The method of referencing and representing religious texts in this context clearly demonstrates the prioritization of themes and the perceived necessity for reconstructing and re-presenting issues that emerged after the Revolution, whereas before the Revolution—during the period of struggle—the priority was focused on strategies of patience and resistance. This reflects the dynamism of a thought system that continuously refers to the Qur'anic text and presents new issues and questions to it. For this purpose, Ayatollah Khamenei selected the Qur'an as a source of reference and consultation, initially using it to understand the Islamic worldview and intellectual framework, and then structured and analyzed his own intellectual and political thought accordingly. In subsequent stages, the processes of redefining concepts, representing, and reconstructing Islam began. The stage of redefinition is related to concepts, in which efforts are made to interpret them within social and political dimensions. The stage of representation refers to presenting a comprehensive, socio-political, and life-giving image of religious
and Qur'anic concepts, standing against false and unrealistic representations of Islam. The stage of reconstruction involves efforts toward struggle, resistance, institution-building, and even the production of related intellectual frameworks. After the Islamic Revolution, reference to religious texts increased, and an approach based on representing and presenting an authentic image of Islam emerged in opposition to the distortion created by Western hegemonic and propagandistic systems. Another stage was related to the reconstruction of religious texts, which was applied and emphasized in the formation of the political system, the revival of Islamic and transcendent culture, and the call for reconsidering the foundations of Western political thought.
Research Findings:

The intellectual and political framework of Martyr Ayatollah Khamenei encountered the discourses and competing theories of his time; however, it was not influenced by the discourse and terminology of movements such as leftist, Marxist, or liberal ideologies. Instead, it maintained its own authentic discourse, deeply integrated with genuine religious texts such as the Qur'an. What makes his approach significant and distinctive is the methodological model of engaging with and referring to religious texts and attempting to reconstruct the fundamental concepts and elements of religious and political thought from authentic Islamic sources. Although a considerable part of this approach was expressed through his public speeches and oral works, his continuous scholarly efforts focused on inspiring the Islamic human being to reconstruct religious thought and revive the hidden potential and capacities of religious texts in political, cultural, economic, and other fields. He consistently emphasized the intellectual awakening of the Islamic human being and the return to forgotten scholarly resources, presenting this as a unique model for researchers and seekers of truth.
The religious and political thought of Martyr Ayatollah Khamenei, both in its struggle and resistance-oriented dimension—especially after the Revolution and in confrontation with hegemonic powers—and in its constructive aspects, such as building and redefining the political system, followed a strategy, approach, and process based on rationality and strategic patience.
He presented a scholarly and practical manifestation of “revolutionary theology” based on religious texts and demonstrated it both theoretically and practically.
One of the reasons for neglecting the intellectual system and the careful study of the religious and political thought of Martyr Ayatollah Khamenei has been the barrier of contemporaneity. The accessibility of a thinker’s ideas does not necessarily mean that they are properly understood. A historical perspective and representation of his scholarly and cultural contributions will reveal his services to Iran.