Velayat-e Faqih in the Political Thought of Akhund Khorasani

Some proponents of western culture and politics have time and again expressed their disapproval of the involvement of religious principles or scholars in social and political affairs. Because of the importance of the principle of velayat-e faqih in Islam and its special role in advancing the major goals of the Islamic society, we can understand the reasons behind all the sensitivities of its proponents and opponents. That is why the Shia jurists have on various occasions brought up the subject in their books of jurisprudence for more analysis. Among these we can point out the much debated ideas of Akhund Khorasani. This paper has tried to scrutinize the scattered opinions of his together with various interpretations of them as regards the legitimacy of government at the time of the Absence of the Infallible Imam, the rational arguments to prove the necessity of government under the supervision of faqih, and the scope of faqih’s authority. The article concludes by stating Akhound’s view of the political authority of the faqih (the jurist).