Note: In a specialized session on the topic of “Methodological Imperatives for Transforming Islamic Knowledge into Public Culture,” Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Mohammad-Taqi Sobhani, Head of the Center for Deepening Religious Faith and Countering Deviant Beliefs, emphasized the importance of the position of “method” in implementing religious knowledge in public culture. He considered this process a bridge between theorization and real life and spoke of the lack of attention to this field.

The Head of the Center for Deepening Religious Faith identified the three main flaws of the traditional knowledge system as elitist and incomprehensible language for the public, a minimalist and conceptual view without explaining its practical application in life, and the dominance of a comparative-identitarian approach.

With a critique of the linear system of religious education, he enumerated the networked system of religious knowledge, in which ethics, beliefs, and rulings are intertwined, and considered the redefinition of faith as a graded process, the distinction between the problem and the real needs of man, and the necessity of utilizing human sciences such as cultural studies, social psychology, and media studies as prerequisites for the application of knowledge.

The fifty-eighth session of the specialized series “Method on Sundays” was held on Sunday, Shahrivar 30, 1404, with a presentation by Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Mohammad-Taqi Sobhani on the topic of “Methodological Imperatives for Transforming Islamic Knowledge into Public Culture.” This scholarly session, with the reception of researchers, professors of the seminary and university, and those interested in religious and cultural studies, was organized by the Research Institute for Contemporary Fiqh Studies in cooperation with the Desk for the Development and Empowerment of Islamic Sciences of the Islamic Propagation Office.

At the beginning of the session, Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Mohammad-Kazem Haghani-Fazl, the academic secretary of the session, while welcoming the attendees, elaborated on the importance and objective of holding this scholarly session.

The director of the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Fiqh, in his introduction, emphasizing the foundational position of “method” in any social, cultural, and scientific activity, stated: “Method is not a peripheral issue, but the main pillar in the realization of any knowledge. Even if the scholars of a science do not consciously utilize a specific method, in practice they follow a single, specific method.”

Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Haghani-Fazl, pointing to the focus of the Research Institute for Contemporary Fiqh Studies and the Desk for the Development of Islamic Sciences on the topic of method in the last two seasons (spring and summer), added: “In the process of popularizing Islamic knowledge, religious and fiqhi propositions cannot find their way into the realm of public culture without the backing of a precise methodology. In the new world, we are faced with extensive transformations in the perception of man and society, for which past methods are no longer responsive to today’s needs. The failure of some of the cultural policies and actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in achieving religious objectives is sometimes attributable not to weakness in content, but to weakness in method, and even the lack of clarity in the methodological path has caused some actions to have a reverse effect.”

The academic secretary of the session, introducing Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Mohammad-Taqi Sobhani, referred to his scholarly background and added: “He is one of the prominent thinkers who has guided numerous projects in the field of the conventionalization and secularization of religion; issues that are directly related to the discussion of the popularization and institutionalization of religious knowledge. Also, due to his extensive research in the field of the heritage of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), he can well explain the link between religious traditions and contemporary cultural needs.”

He further considered this presence a valuable opportunity for a more precise examination of effective methods in promoting religious culture in society and expressed hope that this session would pave the way for intellectual and methodological developments in this arena.

Next, Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Mohammad-Taqi Sobhani, Head of the Center for Deepening Religious Faith and Countering Deviant Beliefs, presented his discussion on the topic of “Foundations and Frameworks of Methodology in the Application of Religious Knowledge.”

He, emphasizing the central position of “method” in the process of producing and implementing science, pointed to the necessity of clarifying specific mechanisms for institutionalizing religious knowledge in the cultural domain and stated: “To speak of implementing and developing religious knowledge in the field of practice means placing two completely distinct fields—theorization and real life—alongside each other and striving to build a bridge between the two.”

He, by examining limited global experiences, pointed to the lack of attention to this field at the international level and mentioned fields such as “Applied Theology” in Christianity, which is considered a parallel effort for the presence of religious teachings in daily life. Stating that “in Western scholarly literature, numerous field experiences and specialized journals have been formed around this topic,” he added: “However, they have not yet reached a reliable point of reference in this field. Therefore, we too, on the path of the methodology of cultural development, need an intellectual and structural leap.”

Pathology of Religious Knowledge in the Islamic Tradition

In the next part of his speech, Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Sobhani critically examined the traditional structure of intellectual and theological sciences in the seminaries and, emphasizing three major flaws in the system of religious knowledge, noted:

An Elitist and Academic Language:

Religious knowledge is mostly presented in a specialized, conceptual, and difficult format and is not understandable and applicable for the general public. This language, instead of connecting with life, is merely confined to elite circles.

A Minimalist and Conceptual View:

Many of our theological works seek to prove the general principles of religion (such as monotheism, prophethood, imamate) without explaining the implications of these concepts in daily life.

The Dominance of a Comparative and Emigrational Approach:

A large part of theological knowledge in the history of Islam was formed in the position of defending the identity of the minority (Shia) against the majority, and for this reason, its perspective has been more affirmative and identitarian than practical and transformative.

Critique of the Linear Method in Teaching Religious Knowledge

He also considered the prevailing linear system in teaching religious beliefs as one of the serious obstacles to the application of religious knowledge. He, referring to the method of “foundationalism and deductive logic,” added: “The fact that for a person to understand a simple matter of belief, they must start from discussions of ontology and arrive at monotheism and prophethood and so on, is indicative of a rigid and inefficient system that is incapable of transferring religion to today’s life.”

The Head of the Center for Deepening Religious Faith and Countering Deviant Beliefs, in contrast, emphasized the networked system of religious knowledge and considered it the key to transformation. In his belief, the Holy Quran is also based on this method; as in it, ethics, beliefs, rulings, and lifestyle are intertwined, and there is no separation between theory and practice.

Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Sobhani, in the final part of his presentation, proposed several key prerequisites on the path to formulating a methodology for the application of religious knowledge:

• Redefining Faith as a Graded Category:

He noted: “Faith and religiosity have levels and should not be assumed to be a package of beliefs that individuals either have completely or not at all. To achieve transformation, the process of gradual growth must be accepted. The Prophet of Islam also, through this same path, transformed the ignorant society into a faithful society.”

• Moving from Problem to Need:

According to Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Sobhani, in the method of transformation, a distinction must be made between “problems” and “needs.” The point of connection between knowledge and reality is the existential needs of man, which emerge from his real problems. Without accurately identifying the need, transformative methods will be inefficient.

• • The Necessity of Relying on Complementary Sciences:

• He emphasized that for institutionalizing religious culture, merely having theoretical knowledge is not sufficient; rather, it requires the utilization of modern human sciences such as:
  Cultural studies, meaning the precise understanding of the structures and mechanisms of culture
  Social psychology, for analyzing the interaction of man and the environment
  Media studies, as the main tool of influence in today’s world

Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Sobhani, in conclusion, emphasizing the necessity of reconstructing the knowledge apparatus, noted: “To enter the field of the application of knowledge, first our mental and methodological structure in the field of theology and religious knowledge must be transformed; from linear to networked, from abstract to concrete, from academic to social. This is a fundamental change, not a superficial reform.”

After the presentation by Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Sobhani, the session was dedicated to questions and answers; the attendees also deepened the discussed topics by posing various questions.

In this section, the necessity of the interdisciplinary nature of the knowledge related to transforming religious knowledge into public culture was stated, and Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Sobhani was asked whether a specific science has the central responsibility for this process. He replied that such a science must be formed and have a coordinating role, but this responsibility cannot be borne by a single specific science alone and requires consensus and cooperation among disciplines.

In the next question, the topic of reconciling a “systemic” view of religion with specialization was raised. Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Sobhani replied that a comprehensive view and specialization are not in conflict with each other; rather, by designing common structures, both can be maintained simultaneously. He likened the system of religious knowledge to a tree where each branch and leaf has its own specific function.

Other questions were devoted to topics such as religiosity as a process of growth, the relationship of fiqh with the networked system of religion, the design of a new science in the field of Islamic cultural studies, and a critique of rigid cultural engineering, to which the Head of the Center for Deepening Religious Faith and Countering Deviant Beliefs responded with precision and astuteness.

At the end of this session, Professor Sobhani emphasized:

• Culture is a phenomenon beyond fiqh, philosophy, and history;
• An independent academic institution must be formed for it;
• With a process-oriented, networked, and interdisciplinary view of religion, religious knowledge can be made current in people’s lives;
• Fiqh must move out of a linear perspective and turn to designing operational systems for a religious life;
• The seminary, in designing Islamic human sciences, must [consider] the role of culture as a living field.