Note: In this session, Dr. Seyed Hossein Hosseini, a faculty member of the Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, critically addressed the framing of the issue, emphasizing the need for conceptual analysis, precise differentiation between the concepts of “knowledge,” “belief,” and “culture,” and avoiding oversimplification in cultural matters. Additionally, Dr. Abdulmajid Moballeghi, from an epistemological perspective, raised critiques regarding a form of objectivism and the lack of logical coherence in the provided responses.

The Research Institute for Contemporary Jurisprudence Studies, in collaboration with the Office of Islamic Propagation’s Desk for the Development and Empowerment of Islamic Sciences, held the fifty-ninth session of the specialized “Methodology Sundays” series in the autumn cycle, focusing on the theme “Methodological Requirements for Transforming Islamic Knowledge into Public Culture: A Methodical Analysis of the Issue.”

This specialized session, held on Sunday, 6 Mehr 1404 (September 28, 2025), with the participation of researchers and enthusiasts both in-person and virtually, addressed a precise and scientific examination of the methodical analysis of the issue of transferring Islamic knowledge to the public culture of society.

At the beginning of the session, Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Haqqani Fazl, the director of the Contemporary Jurisprudence Encyclopedia, highlighted the importance of methodology as a fundamental prerequisite for any scientific and research activity, stressing the need for scientific and purposeful planning to transform jurisprudential knowledge and propositions into public culture.

He further added: “The modern era has introduced specific complexities in the relationship between religion and human social life. Traditional methods are not sufficient to address these needs, and fundamental methodological studies are necessary.”

Following this, Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Dr. Seyed Hossein Hosseini, a faculty member of the Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, as the presenter of this scholarly session, expressed appreciation for the organizers and highlighted the importance of selecting methodology as a topic in jurisprudential studies, stating that viewing methodology as a prerequisite for any scientific and practical activity reflects the organizers’ foresight.

The faculty member of the Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies further noted that he aimed to provide a general overview of the issue within the limited time, critique the framing of the issue, and propose a new formulation of the issue.

Dr. Hosseini described the methodology, particularly concerning the relationship between Islamic knowledge and social culture, as complex and extensive, and outlined six fundamental propositions regarding the methodological requirements for addressing the issue:

1. Methodical analysis of the issue precedes its resolution, meaning that until the issue is precisely defined, any response may lead to error.
2. Clarity on the nature of the issue (philosophical, cultural, jurisprudential, etc.); Dr. Hosseini stated that the issue is inherently philosophical, not merely jurisprudential, and addressing it requires expertise in the philosophy of science and cultural studies.
3. Conceptual analysis as the starting point for response; he considered this method a good starting point, noting its application in philosophical sources and scientific foundations.
4. Avoiding oversimplification of philosophical issues; the faculty member of the Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies warned that complex issues should not be resolved superficially by reducing their dimensions.
5. The need for deep, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary solutions; the issue of transforming knowledge into public culture is multidimensional and cannot be viewed from a single perspective.
6. Integration of philosophy and cultural studies in the methodology of the issue; due to the intertwined philosophical and cultural nature of the topic, any philosophical method must be accompanied by a cultural research perspective.

Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Hosseini, after elaborating on methodological discussions, analyzed the question itself and the specification of knowledge and culture. Some key points raised in this section include:

• The domain of Islamic knowledge is vast, encompassing jurisprudence, theology, ethics, mysticism, and even some human sciences. It must be clearly specified which domain and which propositions are meant by “knowledge.”
• If the intended meaning is “religious belief,” a distinction must be made between “belief” and “culture,” as belief is a stronger mental component, while culture has a more external aspect.
• The necessity of conceptually distinguishing between the domains of understanding, belief, and social culture; he emphasized differentiating the intellectual, practical, and emotional faculties in humans to clarify the place of social culture.
• Emphasis on the fact that not all religious teachings can be transformed into public culture, both in terms of social acceptance and foundational compatibility.
• Culture cannot be defined in isolation or separated from other societal structures; culture is a significant component or aspect of social structure that interacts with politics, economy, institutions, and social frameworks.
• The characteristics of culture, such as vitality, growth, stagnation, gradualness, complexity, and diversity, necessitate abandoning partial perspectives and adopting a holistic view of culture and teachings.

In this section, he emphasized that transforming knowledge into culture cannot focus solely on a single ruling or proposition but must consider the relationship between teachings and the overall religious system. He also identified the danger of religious superficiality as one of the major pitfalls in analyzing social issues and highlighted the need to design structural cultural models.

In the final section, Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Dr. Seyed Hossein Hosseini, after reviewing the framing of the issue, presented general suggestions for a strategic approach, though he stressed that as the issue becomes more specific, the response must also be tailored accordingly:

1. Addressing the social mind through reasoning, rational dialogue, and intellectual persuasion, emphasizing that the focal point of cultural change lies in thought, not merely emotions and feelings.
2. Promoting a culture of scientific and public critique in society; the faculty member of the Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies introduced critique as a tool to strengthen rational defense and intellectual participation.
3. Creating an environment and indirect culturalization by leveraging other societal components (politics, economy, institutions); the influence of structures on culture should not be overlooked.
4. Attention to the challenges of contemporary civilization and moving toward a new Islamic civilization; Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Hosseini noted that culture is shaped within the context of civilization, and cultural reform without civilizational reform is challenging.
5. Innovation in modern social sciences and theorizing about culture; according to Dr. Hosseini, the lack of formalized theories in religious cultural studies is a current weakness that must be addressed.
6. Attention to the relationship of teachings and their specification in specialized knowledge and the specific culture of society; this was reiterated as a key point in framing the issue: every teaching finds meaning within the context of specific knowledge and the particular culture of a society, and transferring it directly to another culture may lead to resistance.

The faculty member of the Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies concluded by emphasizing that the issue of “transforming knowledge into public culture” is incorrectly framed and should be more precisely formulated as: “The method of transforming definitive propositions in a specialized knowledge into symbols of social thought in a specific culture.” In his view, it should not be assumed that every theoretical matter can be transformed into a practical one; rather, it must be shown how a rational, systematic, and cultural process for this transformation can be chosen.

Dr. Hosseini stated that many religious teachings, especially those formed within the theoretical structure of a specific knowledge, cannot easily be transferred to public culture because contemporary society is influenced by a different culture and shows resistance. The critique of the relationship between science and power, the dependence of culture on surrounding scientific and civilizational structures, and the importance of specifying teachings within a cultural context were key points in his remarks.

At the beginning of the concluding section, the session’s moderator, while thanking Dr. Hosseini for his thorough and content-rich presentation, noted that Dr. Hosseini sought to deeply dissect the issue and pointed out that the concept of “knowledge” is very broad and must be broken down. Instead of “transforming knowledge,” the focus should be on transforming religious belief into public culture, as the term “knowledge” is imprecise in this context.

The moderator also stated that Dr. Hosseini had taken into account the critiques from previous sessions and criticized views that simplistically transform theoretical matters into practical ones.

While expressing gratitude to Dr. Hosseini, the moderator highlighted the most significant feature of this session as addressing the nature of the issue itself, stating that the issue should not be considered solely jurisprudential but must be examined from philosophical, religious, and cultural research perspectives to account for the various dimensions of culture. According to him, transforming general religious knowledge into religious belief and then into public culture requires intellectual rigor and precision and should not remain at the level of generalizations.

Dr. Abdulmajid Moballeghi, a faculty member of the Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, provided a comprehensive and specialized critique of Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Dr. Seyed Hossein Hosseini’s presentation.

Dr. Moballeghi, after expressing appreciation for the organizers and the presenter, highlighted the importance of research sessions on methodology and methodological studies, noting that Dr. Hosseini’s presentation was structurally very organized and insightful, although the presented text only reflected a fraction of his efforts, requiring special attention and precision for deeper understanding.

He emphasized that the standout feature of the presentation was Dr. Hosseini’s scientific-philosophical and epistemological approach, which sought to analyze the issue with great precision and avoid simplistic prejudgments and superficial responses.

The faculty member of the Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies added: “A correct and precise understanding of the research question is a prerequisite for any response, and this valuable perspective includes two main layers in Dr. Hosseini’s presentation: addressing the framing of the issue and then providing responses with scientific caution and skepticism.”

Dr. Moballeghi then presented his own perspective, pointing out the absence of a “critical epistemology” approach in the analysis provided. According to him, the presentation exhibited a form of “hidden objectivism” that assumes reaching practical and definitive answers in the domain of religious knowledge is possible, whereas critical epistemology reduces this certainty and shows that achieving such answers is always complex and not easily attainable.

He also addressed the concept of “cultural engineering,” noting that Dr. Hosseini seems to distance himself from this concept, believing that culture is a domain of meaning-making rather than top-down management and design. This view, which assumes a “fixed and definitive essence” in Islamic knowledge with only complex access paths, contrasts with a perspective that sees culture as emerging from social and identity-based interactions.

The faculty member of the Research Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies then addressed the “atomistic approach” in Dr. Hosseini’s analysis, stating that excessive focus on details and micro-analysis may prevent understanding the issue holistically and comprehensively. According to him, social and cultural issues are often raised at a macro and broad level, requiring a comprehensive approach beyond micro-responses. He cited the example of clothing and lifestyle in society as a symbol of the need for such a macro approach.

Finally, Dr. Moballeghi referred to Dr. Hosseini’s proposed responses, which included rational persuasion, intellectual dialogue, scientific and public critique, cultural environment-building, and attention to the requirements of contemporary civilization. However, he noted that these components appeared to lack a logical and sequential order, were sometimes presented disjointedly, and required further explanation and more precise categorization.

Dr. Moballeghi expressed a desire to continue these discussions and interactive dialogues, emphasizing that such sessions should pave the way for deeper thinking and more practical solutions in the area of transforming Islamic knowledge into public culture.

Following this, the attendees raised their questions and perspectives. Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Mostafa Dorri, deputy director of the Research Institute for Contemporary Jurisprudence Studies, while thanking Dr. Hosseini for his cohesive presentation, posed his questions: First, which knowledge or academic discipline is responsible for the practical application of Islamic knowledge? Should this be pursued as an independent discipline or as an interdisciplinary field of study? Second, should existing social and cultural relations be taken as fixed prerequisites, or is part of the process of transforming knowledge into culture about changing these relations? He referred to Islamic history and various cultures, citing examples of religious knowledge efforts to change social relations, such as the relationship between slave and master, and emphasized that some intellectual schools actively work to transform societal relations.

In response to the critiques and perspectives, Dr. Hosseini, while appreciating the intellectual contributions, stated that the topic is very broad and complex, requiring multiple sessions and collaborative thinking to reach a balanced consensus among perspectives. He emphasized that the issue of transforming religious knowledge into public culture is fundamentally not a scientific issue for which a general and universal solution can be provided. Issues related to prayer, hijab, or zakat in each society vary based on its specific conditions and characteristics, and a uniform solution should not be expected.

He explained that breaking down the issue into smaller dimensions to enable scientific research does not mean abandoning a macro perspective; on the contrary, macro cultural theories should form the basis of the work. He also noted that breaking down the issue does not imply positivism or mere objectivism but is a tool for enabling more precise analysis.

Dr. Hosseini stated that the audience of culture is the human mind, and various persuasive methods and critical thinking can be used to convince it, not necessarily limited to complex philosophical arguments. He referred to activities like “philosophy for children,” which aim to simplify and improve understanding of complex topics for the new generation.

While acknowledging the role of emotions in decision-making, Dr. Hosseini emphasized that in the domain of culture, the goal is intellectual persuasion, and the role of reasoning and logic is by no means negated but complements other factors such as values and emotions.

Finally, Dr. Hosseini stressed that culture is a diverse, time-bound, and non-absolute phenomenon, and therefore expecting definitive and final solutions for cultural issues is unrealistic. He also noted that these discussions require deep and multifaceted research and should not be evaluated with simplistic judgments. In conclusion, he thanked the attendees and their questions, expressing hope that this dialogue would mark the beginning of a serious scientific and intellectual journey to address the issue of transforming knowledge into social culture.