Note: This session, featuring presentations by Dr. Alireza Shojaei-Zand and critiques by Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Piroozmand, emphasized the necessity of expanding jurists’ responsibilities beyond traditional jurisprudence and the importance of interaction between science and religion in realizing the establishment of religion. The main discussions centered on the challenges of socializing religion, defining the boundary between jurisprudence and domains beyond it, and the role of religious culturalization.
On Thursday, 13 Shahrivar 1404 (4 September 2025), the Research Institute for Contemporary Jurisprudence Studies, in collaboration with the Office for the Development and Empowerment of Islamic Sciences of the Islamic Propagation Office, held the scientific session “The Method of Transforming Religious Propositions into Social Constructs” as part of the summer series “Methodology Sundays.” This session, the 51st in the series, was originally scheduled for Sunday, 29 Tir 1404 (20 July 2025), but was postponed to the aforementioned date for certain reasons.
At the start of the session, Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Mohammad Kazem Haqqani Fazl, while offering congratulations for the auspicious days of the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal, emphasized that the primary goal of divine prophets, infallible Imams (peace be upon them), and scholars throughout history has been the realization and establishment of religion, citing the Islamic Revolution as the most significant contemporary event with this objective. The director of the Contemporary Jurisprudence Encyclopedia added that, given the modern complexities of the world and the specific social conditions of today, the need to examine methods for institutionalizing religious teachings is felt more than ever. For this reason, this session and another similar one within the “Method on Sundays” series have been dedicated to the publicization and socialization of religion.
In the presentation segment, Dr. Alireza Shojaei-Zand, Associate Professor of Sociology at Tarbiat Modares University, addressed general points regarding the session’s topic. He emphasized that the primary goal is the “establishment of religion,” and the key question is the method of achieving it, which should not be examined merely within the technical framework of “method” but rather through macro-social strategies, pathways, and approaches.
Dr. Shojaei-Zand introduced three main areas that traditional jurisprudence has rarely addressed:
- Active and effective promotion of religion,
- Attention to the conditions and circumstances of the audience,
- Implementation and execution of religious teachings in society. These three areas highlight the necessity of expanding jurists’ responsibilities beyond mere jurisprudence and ijtihad. He also pointed to the significant role of society as a “social entity,” which fundamentally differs from a mere collection of individuals, and stressed the need for jurists to be active in the social sphere.
Dr. Shojaei-Zand regarded science not as a rival to religion but as its complement and ally, capable of playing an effective role in the development and implementation of religious teachings. He further noted that establishing religion is not merely a matter of knowledge or education; transforming religious propositions into social constructs requires creating a dominant mental and normative environment in society that naturally and spontaneously encourages individuals to fulfill religious obligations, rather than relying solely on legal coercion.
Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Piroozmand, the session’s critic, while appreciating Dr. Shojaei-Zand’s presentation, stated that the discussion primarily addressed general considerations and principles of the process of religious construct formation rather than directly answering the methodological question of transforming religious propositions into social constructs. While endorsing the main points of the presentation, including the distinction between “jurisprudence” and “beyond jurisprudence” and the difference between social responsibility and jurisprudential reasoning, he emphasized the need for precision in defining the boundary between jurisprudence and domains beyond it.
A faculty member of the National Defense University also addressed the challenges of jurisprudence in confronting social responsibilities and its role in system-building and governance, noting that jurisprudence intended to guide and lay the groundwork for science and governance must evolve to suit this level and cannot be considered merely non-jurisprudential. He stressed the necessity of continuous collaboration between jurisprudence and domains “beyond jurisprudence” to realize the establishment of religion.
During the question-and-answer session, one of the attendees, while endorsing the points raised, highlighted the complexities of the incomplete development of “guardianship jurisprudence” and the need to advance it, emphasizing that implementing Sharia as law is one of the pathways to realizing the establishment of religion, as merely declaring jurisprudence as such is insufficient—it must take effect as governing law.
In the concluding segment, Dr. Shojaei-Zand, responding to the points raised, added that instead of “construct formation,” the term “culturalization” could be used, though culture itself requires a process of construct formation. He emphasized that transforming religious propositions into culture is a complex process requiring extensive actions, groundwork, and platforms for influence. The establishment of a religious government, he noted, is ultimately aimed at stabilizing and sustaining this culture.
He also pointed to the need to define the “scope of jurisprudence,” noting that obstacles and challenges still exist in this regard, including the gap between the perspective of jurisprudence and society as a social entity, as well as the need to delineate the boundary between jurisprudential and non-jurisprudential issues. He stressed that the actions of jurists, as part of their religious and social responsibilities, extend beyond the mere scope of jurisprudence and must be examined with greater precision.
In closing, Dr. Shojaei-Zand highlighted an important point regarding the type of science needed in interaction with jurisprudence, stating that pure and religious sciences complement jurisprudence and are uniquely capable of contributing to the realization of the establishment of religion, whereas deviant and ideological sciences cannot fulfill such a role.