Journal of Shiite History

Journal of Shiite History

A Historical-Civilizational Reading of the Ashura Movement in Morteza Motahari's Thought and Its Role in the Cultural-Social Developments of Contemporary Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
azimeh payandeh najafabady 1
abolhasan fayaz anosh 2
Ali A kbar Jafari 3
1 PhD student in History, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
2 Corresponding author, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
10.22034/jsh.2026.563452.1205
Abstract
This descriptive-analytical study examines Morteza Motahhari's historical-civilizational reading of Ashura and its impact on contemporary Iran's cultural developments. Unlike previous research—which has either focused on theological-juridical aspects, reduced Ashura to an emotional or revolutionary-political function, or lacked a coherent analytical framework—this article introduces for the first time a combined "historical reading" and "civilizational reading" as a theoretical framework. The central question is how Motahhari, against merely emotional and distorted interpretations, reconstructed Ashura as a rational, reformist, and civilization-building model. Findings reveal that his reading transformed Ashura into a dynamic source of meaning, significantly contributing to cultural mobilization and the formation of the dominant discourse in the decades leading to the Islamic Revolution. This study distinguishes itself in four ways: analytical framework (historical-civilizational integration), historical scope (from the 1960s to present), systematic qualitative methodology, and findings demonstrating Ashura's capacity for civilizational theory-building. Thus, it fills a crucial gap in Motahhari and Ashura studies.
Keywords
Ashura Movement
Morteza Motahari
historical-civilizational reading
Shiite history