Islam and the Contemporary World

Islam and the Contemporary World

The Relation between Freedom and Virtue in the Thought of Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaʾi and Morteza Motahhari

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors
Ebrahim Kimiyaei Devin 1
Omid Shafiei Ghahfarokhi 2
1 Ph. D. Graduate in Political Science, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Governance and Policy-Making, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/icwj.2025.518346.1033
Abstract
Modern man, having been liberated from the normative/ethical givens of the premodern world, accords primacy to freedom. This perspective presupposes the exclusivity of the individual’s role in constituting norms, and by denying any prior program, norm, or virtue, it leads to neglect of the social dimension of happiness as well as disregard for the interwoven nature of human happiness. In response, certain thinkers have sought to reconcile the virtues of the ancient world with the freedoms of the modern age. The present article examines the relation between freedom and virtue in the thought of Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaʾi and Morteza Motahhari, two contemporary Iranian intellectuals. Methodologically, this study employs a text-based hermeneutical approach, with data collected through library research. The findings indicate that, from the perspectives of Tabatabaʾi and Motahhari, the correlation between freedom and virtue lies in the very essence of truth (ḥaqq). As the criterion of judgment, truth entails unity and the absence of contradiction—both in terms of value and in terms of the possibility of structuring forms of public order.
Keywords
freedom
truth
virtue
Muhammad Husayn Tabatabaʾi
Morteza Motahhari
Subjects
The Holy Qurʾan.
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Islam and the Contemporary World
Volume 2, Issue 1 - Serial Number 5
Summer 2024
Pages 91-106