عبدالمطلب عبداله رهیافت انقلاب اسلامی 2980-9118 19 73 2027 02 20 The Evolution of Takfiri Discourse from the Medieval Islamic Period to ISIS and Its Critique from the Perspective of Islamic Unity in the Thought of the Islamic Revolution سیر تحول گفتمان تکفیر از دورۀ میانه اسلامی تا داعش و نقد آن از منظر گفتمان وحدت اسلامی در تفکر انقلاب اسلامی 97 122 243607 FA قاسم حزباوی دانشجوی دکتری گروه علوم سیاسی، واحد خرم آباد، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، خرم آباد، ایران علی فلاح نژاد استادیار گروه علوم سیاسی،واحد خرم آباد، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، خرم آباد، ایران علی قاسمیان استادیار گروه علوم سیاسی، واحد خرم آباد، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، خرم آباد، ایران Journal Article 2025 07 16 This research aims to analyze the evolution of the discourse of takfir from the Islamic Middle Ages to contemporary jihadism and ISIS, and to criticize it from the perspective of the discourse of Islamic unity in the thinking of the Islamic Revolution. The main question of the research is how the discourse of takfir has been reproduced in connection with the construction of power and to what extent the thinking of the Islamic Revolution has been able to provide a theoretical and practical alternative to this discourse. The research hypothesis is based on the premise that takfir is a historical and discursive phenomenon that becomes active in situations of crisis and power struggle, and Islamic unity, if institutionalized and accepting internal criticism, can be an effective counter-discourse in containing it. The research method is qualitative and based on critical discourse analysis that has been carried out using historical, jurisprudential, and political sources. The findings show that ISIS is a radical manifestation of the absolutization of meaning in Takfiri discourse, and that the thinking of the Islamic Revolution, despite its important theoretical and empirical capacities in criticizing Takfiriness, is itself exposed to challenges such as ideologicalization and institutional weakness in managing disagreement.<br><br>Introduction<br>Takfir, defined as declaring other Muslims unbelievers, has historically functioned as a marginal juridical practice within Islamic jurisprudence. However, over time, it has evolved into a powerful discursive instrument closely linked to political authority, social crises, and identity conflicts. In the medieval Islamic period, theological debates, sectarian rivalries, and state-building processes contributed to the gradual politicization of religious language. Concepts such as faith, community, heresy, and deviation became embedded in power relations and mechanisms of exclusion. In the modern era, the collapse of traditional political structures, colonial interventions, and the emergence of failed states intensified identity anxieties in Muslim societies. These conditions enabled radical movements to reactivate and reinterpret classical discourses in rigid and absolutist ways. Among these movements, ISIS represents the most extreme form of takfiri discourse, transforming it into the ideological foundation of a violent political order.At the same time, the Islamic Revolution introduced a distinct discourse centered on Islamic unity, rational religious interpretation, and the management of diversity. This discourse sought to counter sectarianism and delegitimize takfir. Nevertheless, its theoretical and practical effectiveness remains subject to critical evaluation. This study aims to analyze the historical transformation of takfiri discourse and to assess the capacity of the Islamic unity discourse to function as a sustainable alternative.<br>Materials and Methods<br>This research adopts a qualitative methodology based on critical discourse analysis combined with historical and textual interpretation. Primary sources include classical theological and juridical works, particularly those of Ibn Taymiyya, as well as contemporary ideological texts produced by jihadist groups such as ISIS. In addition, speeches, writings, and official documents related to the Islamic Revolution and its approach to unity have been examined. Secondary sources consist of academic studies in Islamic theology, political Islam, and extremism. The analytical framework focuses on three interconnected levels: textual structures, interpretive strategies, and socio-political contexts. Through this multi-layered approach, the study identifies patterns of meaning construction, mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion, and links between religious discourse and power relations. Data analysis involves thematic coding, comparative interpretation, and contextual reconstruction. Particular attention is given to how key concepts such as faith, apostasy, community, and authority are redefined across different historical periods. This method allows for tracing both continuity and transformation within takfiri discourse.<br>Discussion<br>The findings demonstrate that takfir in the medieval period was embedded within broader struggles over religious authority and political legitimacy. While early scholars emphasized caution in declaring unbelief, later developments increasingly associated doctrinal deviation with political disloyalty. This process intensified during periods of instability, when religious certainty was mobilized to restore social order. Ibn Taymiyya played a pivotal role in consolidating elements of this discourse by linking faith to practice and expanding the scope of heresy and deviation. Although his writings were context-specific, their structural features enabled later reinterpretation in radically different environments. Contemporary jihadist movements selectively appropriated these elements and detached them from their historical context. ISIS, in particular, absolutized meaning and eliminated interpretive pluralism. Takfir became a comprehensive system for defining loyalty, legitimizing violence, and organizing political authority. In this framework, neutrality and ambiguity were rendered impossible. In contrast, the discourse of Islamic unity promoted by the Islamic Revolution emphasizes ethical rationality, communal solidarity, and institutional mediation of differences. It rejects the naturalization of takfir and stresses the moral responsibility of religious authority. However, the study also reveals internal tensions within this discourse, including risks of politicization, bureaucratization, and rhetorical reduction. These limitations suggest that unity cannot be sustained solely through ideological commitment. It requires continuous institutional support, intellectual openness, and mechanisms for critical self-reflection. Without these conditions, even anti-takfiri discourses may lose their transformative potential.<br><br>Conclusion<br>This study concludes that takfir should be understood as a historically constructed and politically embedded discourse rather than a purely theological deviation. Its persistence is closely linked to crises of authority, identity, and governance. ISIS represents the most radical manifestation of this logic, where religious absolutism becomes the basis of systematic violence. The Islamic Revolution offers an important counter-discourse grounded in unity, rationality, and managed pluralism. While it possesses significant theoretical and practical capacities to challenge takfiri logic, it also faces structural and ideological challenges that require ongoing critical engagement.<br>Ultimately, confronting takfir requires more than doctrinal refutation. It demands sustained efforts to strengthen ethical interpretation, institutional mediation, and social trust. Only through such comprehensive strategies can the cycle of religious exclusion and violence be effectively disrupted. <span lang="FA">این پژوهش با هدف تحلیل سیر تحول گفتمان تکفیر از دوره میانه اسلامی تا جهادگرایی معاصر و داعش، و نقد آن از منظر گفتمان وحدت اسلامی در تفکر انقلاب اسلامی انجام شده است. سؤال اصلی تحقیق آن است که گفتمان تکفیر چگونه در پیوند با ساخت قدرت بازتولید شده و تفکر انقلاب اسلامی تا چه اندازه توانسته است بدیلی نظری و عملی برای این گفتمان ارائه دهد. فرضیه پژوهش بر این مبنا استوار است که تکفیر پدیده‌ای تاریخی و گفتمانی است که در شرایط بحران و منازعه قدرت فعال می‌شود و وحدت اسلامی، در صورت نهادینه‌سازی و پذیرش نقد درونی، می‌تواند پادگفتمانی مؤثر در مهار آن باشد. روش تحقیق کیفی و مبتنی بر تحلیل گفتمان انتقادی است که با بهره‌گیری از منابع تاریخی، فقهی و سیاسی انجام شده است. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که داعش تجلی رادیکال مطلق‌سازی معنا در گفتمان تکفیری است و تفکر انقلاب اسلامی، با وجود ظرفیت‌های مهم نظری و تجربی در نقد تکفیر، خود در معرض چالش‌هایی چون ایدئولوژیک‌شدن و ضعف نهادی در مدیریت اختلاف قرار دارد.</span> https://www.rahyaftjournal.ir/article_243607_213448e67db712dafafc8466eb7c709b.pdf