Imam Ali ΄s Studies

Abstract Civilizations are dynamic, gradual, and law-based phenomena can be explained based on relatively stable rules in social life. In Islamic tradition, these rules are understood in the form of "divine traditions"; traditions that, without denying the role of human agency, guide the path of growth or decline of societies. The issue of this research is what components Nahj al-Balagha highlights to explain the birth, stability and how these components can be formulated into a coherent model. The aim of this article is to explain the civilizational geometry in Nahj al-Balagha based on divine traditions and reconstruct an analytical framework for understanding the life cycle of civilizations with an emphasis on the role of the agent. This research was conducted with a qualitative approach. The initial categories were defined based on the conceptual framework of "divine traditions, agents, and civilizational consequences," and then, through open coding and content analysis, subcategories were extracted from the text of Nahjul-Balagha, based on Sobhi Saleh's correction. The findings were organized in the form of an "Alawite civilizational tree" model. The results of the research show that Nahj al-Balagha considers the birth of civilization to be based on the revival of rationality, the composition of hearts and the covenant of justice, and its stability to be based on just governance, the priority of development over tribute, and the strengthening of social trust. In contrast, the inversion of standards, division, and institutional erosion activate the cycle of mortality; in the meantime, divine traditions are the bedrock of civilizational life and the changing agents mediate it.

Abstract Civilization is grounded not only in material achievements and political and economic structures but also in a particular form of human and social life. From this perspective, civilizational development can be examined through “civilized life,” understood as a way of life in which individuals organize their personal and social relations according to fundamental values, thereby creating the conditions for a cohesive and just society with civilizational capacity. This study aims to elucidate the model of civilized life in the intellectual framework of Imam Ali (A.S.) and examine its relationship with the New Islamic Civilization. It asks what the fundamental components of civilized life in Nahj al-Balagha are and how they extend from human development to community-building and civilizational development. The study is fundamental in terms of its objective and employs a qualitative analytical-inferential approach, using qualitative thematic analysis through an exploratory-inductive strategy and interpretive organization of themes. The findings indicate that civilized life can be conceptualized at four levels: human, social relations, institutions, and civilization. These levels encompass five major categories: human dignity and development; rationality and piety; justice and adherence to rights; social responsibility and sound governance; and knowledge, production, and development directed toward the public good. The study concludes that human beings are not merely objects of moral cultivation but responsible agents capable of contributing to civilizational development. Society acquires civilizational capacity when these principles are reflected and institutionalized in social relations and political and economic institutions.