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{{Short description|Iranian sociologist and philosopher (1933{{endash}}1977)}}
{{redirect|Shariati}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix=
| name            = Ali Shariati
| honorific_suffix=
| image           = Dr Ali Shariati.jpg
| image_size=
| alt=
| caption         = Shariati in 1972
| native_name     = {{Nobold|علی شریعتی}}
| native_name_lang= fa
| birth_name      = Ali Shariati Mazinani
| birth_date      = {{Birth date|1933|11|23|df=y}}
| birth_place     = [[Kahak, Razavi Khorasan|Kahak]], [[Sabzevar]], [[Pahlavi dynasty|Imperial State of Persia]]
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1977|06|18|1933|11|23|df=y}}
| death_place     = [[Southampton]], [[England]]
| death_cause=
| body_discovered=
| resting_place   = [[Sayyidah Zainab Mosque, Damascus|Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque]], [[Damascus]], Syria
| resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|33|26|41.8|N|36|20|30.6|E|region:SY|display=inline}}
| monuments=
| nationality     = [[Iran]]ian
| other_names=
| citizenship=
| education=
| alma_mater      = [[Ferdowsi University of Mashhad]] <br /> [[University of Paris]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]])
| occupation      = Sociologist, Historian
| years_active    = 1952{{endash}}1975
| era=
| employer        = [[Ferdowsi University of Mashhad]]
| organization    = [[Hosseiniye Ershad]]
| known_for=
| notable_works   = <!-- produces label "Notable work"; may be overridden by |credits=, which produces label "Notable credit(s)"; or by |works=, which produces label "Works" -->
| style=
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| party           = [[Freedom Movement of Iran]]<ref>{{cite book |last1= Chehabi |first1= Houchang |last2= Abisaab |first2= Rula Jurdi |title= Distant Relations: Iran and Lebanon in the Last 500 Years |publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]] |page= 183 |year= 2006 |isbn= 1860645615}}</ref>
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| spouse          = Pouran Shariat Razavi
| children        = 4
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'''Ali Shariati Mazinani''' ({{langx|fa|علی شریعتی مزینانی}}, 23{{nbsp}}November 1933{{snd}}18{{nbsp}}June 1977) was an Iranian revolutionary<ref>{{cite web |title=30th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Islamic Republic |publisher=Qantara |url=http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-476/_nr-1103/i.html |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref> and sociologist who specialised in the [[sociology of religion]]. He is regarded as one of the most influential Iranian intellectuals of the 20th century.<ref>Gheissari, Ali (1998). ''Iranian Intellectuals in the Twentieth Century''. Austin: University of Texas Press.</ref> He has been referred to as the "ideologue of the [[Islamic Revolution]]", although his ideas did not ultimately serve as the foundation for the Islamic Republic.<ref>Abrahamian, Ervand (1993). "Ali Shariati: Ideologue of the Iranian Revolution". In Edmund Burke and Ira Lapidus (eds.), ''Islam, Politics, and Social Movements''. Los Angeles: University of California Press. First published in MERIP Reports (January 1982): 25–28.</ref>

==Biography==
Ali Shariati, also known as Ali Masharati, was born in 1933 in [[Mazinan]], a suburb of [[Sabzevar]] in northeastern [[Imperial State of Persia|Iran]].<ref name=":0">[[Ali Rahnema|Rahnema, Ali]] (1998, 2000). ''An Islamic Utopian. A Political Biography of Ali Shari'ati''. London: I.B. Tauris, p. 120.</ref> His father's family were clerics.<ref name= rakel8>{{cite book |last=Rakel |first=E.P. |title=The Iranian Political Elite, State and Society Relations, and Foreign Relations since the Islamic Revolution |year=2008 |publisher=University of Amsterdam |url=https://dare.uva.nl/document/104471 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220616055101/https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/1110783/54690_13.pdf |archive-date= Jun 16, 2022 }}</ref> His father, Mohammad-Taqi, was a teacher and Islamic scholar. In 1947, he established the Centre for the Propagation of Islamic Truth in [[Mashhad]], [[Khorasan Province]].<ref>Rahnema (1998, 2000), p. 13.</ref> It was a social Islamic forum that became involved in the oil nationalisation movement of the 1950s.<ref>Rahnema (1998, 2000), pp. 13–18.</ref> Shariati's mother came from a small land-owning family in Sabzevar, a town near Mashhad.<ref name= rakel8/><ref name= EAbr89>{{cite book |last= Abrahamian |first= Ervand |title= Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin |year=1989 |page=105 |publisher=I.B.Tauris |isbn= 1850430772 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nCVsR1cJc7oC&q=+shariati}}</ref>

During his years at the Teacher's Training College in Mashhad, Shariati encountered young individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and for the first time witnessed the poverty and hardships prevalent in Iran at that time. At the same time, he was exposed to many aspects of [[Western philosophy|Western philosophical]] and political thought. He attempted to explain and offer solutions for the problems faced by Muslim societies through traditional Islamic principles interwoven with, and understood from, the point of view of modern sociology and philosophy. His articles from this period for the Mashhad daily newspaper, ''Khorasan'', display his developing eclecticism and acquaintance with the ideas of modernist thinkers such as [[Jamal-al-Din Afghani|Jamal al-Din al-Afghani]] and [[Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal]] among the Muslim community, and [[Sigmund Freud]] and [[Alexis Carrel]].<ref>Rahnema (1998, 2000), pp. 61–68.</ref>

In 1952, he became a high school teacher and founded the Islamic Students' Association, which led to his arrest following a demonstration.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} In 1953, the year of [[1953 Iranian coup d'état|Mossadeq's overthrow]], he became a member of the [[National Front (Iran)|National Front]]. He received his bachelor's degree from the [[University of Mashhad]] in 1955. In 1957, he was arrested again by the Iranian police, along with sixteen other members of the National Resistance Movement.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Shariati then earned a scholarship to continue his graduate studies at the [[University of Paris]] under the supervision of the [[Iranist]] [[Gilbert Lazard]]. He left Paris after earning a [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] in [[Persian language]] in 1964.<ref>Rahnema (1998, 2000).</ref>{{page number|date=July 2025}} During this period in Paris, Shariati started collaborating with the [[Algerian National Liberation Front]] (FLN) in 1959. The following year, he began to read [[Frantz Fanon]] and translated an anthology of his work into Persian.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shatz |first=Adam |title=The Rebel's Clinic: The Revolutionary Lives of Frantz Fanon |year=2024 |publisher=Head of Zeus |location=London |page=225|quote=Not surprisingly, perhaps, some of Fanon's devout Muslim readers, both in the Algerian movement and beyond, would embrace his account of the veil as a celebration of resistance grounded in the principles of Islam. One of them was an Iranian graduate student in Paris, Ali Shariati, who made contact with the [[FLN Federation of France|FLN's Federation de France]] in 1959 and helped to translate some of Fanon's writings into Persian the following year. Shariati, who went on to become a major influence on Iran's Islamic revolutionaries, shared his vision of Islam as an inherently revolutionary faith in a letter to Fanon. |isbn=9781035900046}}</ref><ref>[http://www.lexpress.fr/info/monde/dossier/islamisme/dossier.asp?ida=436714 «La jeune génération est un enjeu»] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205192933/http://www.lexpress.fr/info/monde/dossier/islamisme/dossier.asp?ida=436714 |date=5 December 2006 }}, interview with [[Gilles Kepel]] in ''[[L'Express (France)|L'Express]]'', 26 January 2006 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> Shariati introduced Fanon's thought into Iranian revolutionary ''émigré'' circles. He was arrested in Paris on 17 January 1961 during a demonstration in honour of [[Patrice Lumumba]].<ref name=":0" />

The same year he joined [[Ebrahim Yazdi]], [[Mostafa Chamran]] and [[Sadegh Qotbzadeh]] in founding the [[Freedom Movement of Iran]] abroad. In 1962, he continued studying sociology and the [[history of religion]]s in Paris and followed the courses of Islamic scholar [[Louis Massignon]], [[Jacques Berque]] and the sociologist [[Georges Gurvitch]]. He also came to know the philosopher [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] that same year, and published [[Jalal Al-e Ahmad]]'s book ''[[Gharbzadegi]]'' (or ''Occidentosis'') in Iran.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

Shariati then returned to [[Iran]] in 1964, where he was arrested and imprisoned for engaging in subversive political activities while in France. He was released after a few weeks, at which point he began teaching at the University of Mashhad.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

[[File:Damascus 13970822 18.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The tomb of Shariati]]
[[File:Syria Damaszek, cmentarz przy Hazrat-e Zejnab - Szariati, 2001, fot Ivonna Nowicka (2).jpg|thumb|right|250px|The mausoleum of Shariati in 2001]]

Shariati went to [[Tehran]], where he began lecturing at the [[Hosseiniye Ershad]] Institute. These lectures were hugely popular among his students and were spread by word of mouth throughout all economic sectors of society, including the middle and upper classes, where interest in his teachings began to grow.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

His continued success again aroused the interest of the government. He was arrested, along with many of his students. Widespread pressure from the people and an international outcry eventually led to his release on 20 March 1975, after eighteen months in solitary confinement.

Shariati was allowed to leave for [[England]]. Shortly after, on 18 June 1977, he was found dead in [[Southampton]] at the house he was renting from psychology professor Doctor Butterworth. He is believed to have been killed by the SAVAK, the Iranian security service during the time of the Shah. However, in [[Ali Rahnema]]'s biography of Shariati, he is said to have died of a heart attack under mysterious circumstances, although no hospital or medical records have been found. He is buried next to [[Zaynab bint Ali|Sayyidah Zaynab]], the granddaughter of the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]] and the daughter of [[Ali]], in [[Damascus]]. Iranian pilgrims often visit his grave.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

===Views and popularity===
{{Main|Shariatism}}
[[File:Shariati7.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Shariati and his family one day after his release from prison]]

Shariati sought to revive the revolutionary currents of [[Shia Islam|Shi'ism]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Ostovar |first=Afshon P. |title=Guardians of the Islamic Revolution: Ideology, Politics, and the Development of Military Power in Iran (1979–2009) |publisher=University of Michigan |format=PhD Dissertation |year=2009 |url=http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/64683/afshon_1.pdf;jsessionid=DF7BFA33BF18FF73E9117CB0504F14E1?sequence=1 |access-date=26 July 2013}}</ref> His interpretation of Shiism encouraged revolution in the world and promised salvation after death.<ref>{{cite book |last= Milani |first= Abbas |title=The Myth of the Great Satan: A New Look at America's Relations with Iran |year=2010 |publisher=Hoover Press |page=122 |isbn=978-0-8179-1136-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YTrRom48fhAC&pg=PA122}}</ref> He referred to his brand of Shiism as [[Red Shi'ism vs. Black Shi'ism|"red Shiism"]] which he contrasted with non-revolutionary [[Red Shi'ism vs. Black Shi'ism|"black Shiism"]] or [[Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam| Safavid Shiism]].<ref>Shariati, Ali. "[[Red Shi'ism vs. Black Shi'ism]]".</ref> His ideas have been compared to the Catholic [[Liberation Theology]] movement founded in South America by Peruvian [[Gustavo Gutierrez]] and Brazilian [[Leonardo Boff]].<ref>Nasr, Vali (2006). ''The Shia Revival'', Norton, p. 129.</ref>

Shariati was a prominent [[philosopher]] of [[Islam]], who argued that a good society would conform to Islamic values. He suggested that the role of government was to guide society in the best possible manner rather than manage it in the best possible way.<ref>{{Cite web |title= |website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0evSkdzXF_4}}</ref> He believed that the most learned members of the {{lang|ar-Latn|[[Ulema]]}} (clergy) should play a leadership role in guiding society because they best understand how to administer an Islamic value system based on the teachings of the Prophets of God and the 12 Shia [[Twelver]] Imams.<ref name= utb>{{Cite web |title= |website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RjiWLcuyQA}}</ref> He argued that the role of the clergy was to guide society under Islamic values to advance human beings towards reaching their highest potential, rather than to provide or serve the hedonistic desires of individuals as in the West.<ref name= utb/>

At the same time, Shariati was very critical of some clerics and defended the [[Marxists]]. "Our mosques, the revolutionary left and our preachers," he declared, "work for the benefit of the deprived people and against the lavish and lush [...] Our clerics who teach jurisprudence and issue ''[[fatwa]]s'' are right-wingers, capitalist, and conservative; simply our ''fiqh'' is at the service of capitalism."<ref>{{Cite book |last= Shariati |first= Ali  |chapter=Jahatgiri-ye Tabaqati-e Islam |trans-chapter= Class bias of Islam |title= Ali Shariati: Collected Works |volume= 10 |location= Tehran |pages=37–38 |year=1980}}</ref>

Shariati's works were highly influenced by Louis Massignon and the [[Third Worldism]] that he encountered as a student in Paris, including ideas that [[class conflict|class war]] and revolution would bring about a just and [[classless society]]. He was also highly influenced by the epistemic [[decolonisation]] thinking of his time. He is said to have adopted the idea of ''[[Gharbzadegi]]'' from Jalal Al-e Ahmad and given it "its most vibrant and influential second life".<ref>Mottahedeh, Roy, ''The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran'', p. 330.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Afari |first=Janet |title= Sexual Politics in Modern Iran |year= 2009 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |edition= 1st |page=240}}</ref>

He sought to translate these ideas into cultural symbols of Shiism that Iranians could relate to. Shariati believed Shia should not only await the return of the [[Muhammad al-Mahdi|12th Imam]], but should actively work to hasten his return by fighting for [[social justice]] "even to the point of embracing [[martyrdom]]". He said that "every day is [[Ashoura]], every place is the [[Battle of Karbala|Karbala]]".<ref>Nasr, Vali (2006). ''The Shia Revival'', Norton, pp. 128–9.</ref>

When he was writing the three letters to Fanon, unlike him, Shariati believed that it is not true that one must put away religion to fight imperialism. He felt that people could fight imperialism solely by recovering their cultural identity. In some countries, such an identity was intertwined with fundamental religious beliefs. Shariati refers to the maxim of returning to ourselves.<ref>{{Cite book |last= Gharagozlu |first= Naser |title=From Blank Revolution to Islamic Revolution |page=87 |year=2006}}</ref>

Social theorist [[Asef Bayat]] has recorded his observations as a witness and participant in the [[Iranian revolution]] of 1979. He asserts that Shariati emerged at the time of the revolution as "an unparalleled revolutionary intellectual" with his portraits widely present during the marches and protests. His nickname as "mo'allem-e enqilab" ("revolutionary mentor") was chanted by millions, and his literature and tapes had already been widely available before the revolution. Bayat recalls that "[his] father, barely literate, had his own copies" of Shariati's works.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bayat |first=Asef |title= Revolution without Revolutionaries: Making Sense of the Arab Spring |date=2017 |publisher=Stanford University Press |page=47 |isbn= 9781503602588}}</ref>

====On the role of women====
In ''Expectations from the Muslim Woman'', also called ''Our Expectations of the Muslim Woman'', first given in 1975,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Moqadam |first=Mahbubeh |title= Ali Shariati and Crafting a Collective Revolutionary Islamic Identity for Women: A Socio-Historical Perspective |year=2023 |journal=[[Journal of Asian and African Studies]] |volume=60 |issue=3 |pages=1943–1957 |doi= 10.1177/00219096231207891 |url-access= subscription |url= https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00219096231207891}}</ref> Shariati discusses [[women's rights]] in Islam. The point of his lecture is not to show that women's rights do not exist in Islam, but to show that what Shariati saw as anti-Islamic traditions have had tragic results for Muslim women. He uses [[Fatima Zahra]], the daughter of [[Muhammad]], as an example of a woman who played a significant role in political life.

He begins his lecture by stating that:

<blockquote>Most often, we are satisfied by pointing out that Islam gives great value to science or establishes progressive rights for women. Unfortunately we never actually use or benefit from this value or these rights.<ref name= ALone>{{cite web |title= Our Expectations on the Muslim Woman (Part 1) |website= Al-Islam |date= 16 February 2017 |url= https://www.al-islam.org/our-expectations-muslim-woman-ali-shariati/part-1}}</ref></blockquote>

He continues by stating that:

<blockquote>From the 18th through to the 20th century (particularly after World War 2) any attempt to address the special problem of the social rights of women and their specific characteristics has been seen as a mere by-product of a spiritual or psychic shock or the result of a revolutionary crisis in centers of learning or as a response to political currents and international movements. Thus, traditional societies, historical societies, religious societies, either in the East or in the West (be they tribal, Bedouin, civilized Muslim or non-Muslim societies, in whatever social or cultural stage of civilization they may be) have all been directly or indirectly influenced by these thoughts, intellectual currents and even new social realities.<ref name= ALone/></blockquote>

He argues that the liberation of women has begun in the West, and many fear it occurring in the Muslim world. In part because they are misinformed, and have not looked at Islam through a historical perspective, and are relying on their misinterpretation of Islam:

<blockquote>In such societies the newly-educated class, the pseudo-intellectuals, who are in the majority, strongly and vigorously welcome this crisis. They themselves even act as one of the forces that strengthen this corrupting and destructive transformation.<ref name= ALone/></blockquote>

Shariati believed that women in Iran under the [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah]] were only sexually liberated and did not have any social freedom. He attributed this in part to the "rather bourgeois cognition" and in part to the Freudian ideal of sexual liberation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last= Ferdows |first= Adele K. |title=Women and the Islamic Revolution |journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies |date=1983 |volume=15 |issue=2 |page=288 |jstor= 162994 |doi= 10.1017/S0020743800052326 |url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/162994}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Expectations from the Muslim Woman (Part 2) |website= Dr Ali Shariati website |url= https://www.shariati.com/english/woman/woman2.html}}</ref> To Shariati, Freud was one of the agents of the bourgeois:

<blockquote>Up to the appearance of Freud (who was one of the agents of the bourgeoisie), it was through the liberal bourgeois spirit that scientific sexualism was manifested. It must be taken into consideration that the bourgeoisie is always an inferior class.<ref name= AS>{{cite web |title= Expectations from the Muslim Woman (Part 1) |website= Dr Ali Shariati website |url= https://www.shariati.com/english/woman/woman1.html}}</ref></blockquote>

He concludes that a scholar or scientist who lives, thinks, and studies during the bourgeois age, measures collective, cultural, and spiritual values based on the economy, production and consumption.<ref name= AS/>

===Shariati and socialism===
It seems that his eagerness to explore [[socialism]] began with the translation of the book ''[[Abu Dhar al-Ghifari|Abu Zarr]]: The God-Worshipping Socialist'' by Egyptian Abdul Hamid Jowdat-al-Sahar. According to this book, Abu Dhar was the very first socialist.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Abrahamian |first=Ervand |title=Iran Between Two Revolutions |year= 1982 |publisher=Princeton University Press |page=465 |isbn= 0691101345 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qh_QotrY7RkC&pg=PA465 |access-date= 25 May 2017}}</ref> Then, Shariati's father declared that his son believed that the principles of Abu Dhar are fundamental. Some described Shariati as the modern Abu Dhar in Iran.<ref>Abrahamian (1989), p. 106.</ref> Of all his thoughts, there is his insistence on the necessity of revolutionary action. Shariati believed that [[Marxism]] could not provide the [[Third World]] with the ideological means for its own liberation. One of his premises was that Islam by nature is a revolutionary ideology. Therefore, Islam could relate to the modern world as an ideology. According to Shariati, the historical and original origin of [[human]] problems was the emergence of private ownership. He believed that in the modern era, the appearance of the machine was the second most fundamental change in the human condition. Private ownership and the emergence of the machine, if considered one of two curves of history, belong to the second period of history. The first period is collective ownership. However, Shariati gave a critique of the historical development of religion and the modern philosophical and ideological movements and their relationship to both private ownership and the emergence of the machine.<ref name= PhD>{{cite thesis |last=Manouchehri |first=Abbas |title=Ali Shariati and The Islamic Renaissance |type=PhD dissertation |publisher=University of Missouri |year=1988 |page=78}}</ref>

====Epistemology====
Shariati developed the idea of the social, cultural and historical contingencies of religious knowledge in sociology.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} He believed in the earthly religion and the social context in which the meaning of society is construed. He also emphasised that he understood religion historically because he was a sociologist. He said he was concerned with the historical and social [[Tawhid]], not with the truth of the Quran or of Muhammad or Ali.<ref>{{Cite book |last1= Ghamari-Tabrizi |first1= Behrooz |last2= Soroush |first2= Abdolkarim |title= The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics |editor1= John L. Esposito |editor2= Emad El-Din Shahin}} Online publ. date: Dec 2013.</ref>

==Political philosophy==
See [[Talk:Ali Shariati|talk-page]].

==Sociology==
Some scholars classify him among the current religious neo-thinkers.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} According to this standpoint, Shariati accepted the rationality of the West. Shariati called the theoretical foundation of the West [[civilisation]] and called its appearances ''Tajadod'' (renewal). He emphasised accepting civilisation and criticised ''Tajadod''. He also believed that civilisation has to be considered as something deep. He also highly acknowledged the importance of [[Science|empirical science]] and knowledge. He appreciated the [[Empirical evidence|empirical methodology]] and criticised [[Traditionalism (Islam)|traditionalism]] for its disregard for scientific methodology. On another hand, he criticised the Modernists because they confuse the Western [[ideological]] theories with valid scientific [[epistemology]]. According to Shariati, the knowledge of reason is self-evident. Therefore, he suggested thinking of reason as the axiom for understanding the other sources, namely the holy book or [[Quran]], [[ḥadīth]] (tradition), [[sīra]] (prophetic biography) and [[ijmāʿ]] (consensus). Shariati also dismissed consensus as a source for understanding [[religion]]. He insisted on the concepts of knowledge and time along with the holy book and tradition, and stressed the important role of methodology and changing of viewpoint.<ref>{{cite web |title= 40th memorial ceremony of Dr. Shariati held in London |publisher=Iran Daily |place= Tehran |url= https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A508247548/ITOF?u=wikipedia&sid=ebsco&xid=5401bc2b}}</ref>

Shariati, who was a fan of Georges Gurvitch in his analysis of [[sociology]], believed that there was no special pattern for the analysis of social affairs and historical events.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} He thought that there was no unity of religion and society, but rather there were many religions and societies. He referred to the active role of the [[scholar]] of human science during investigation and scientific research.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} He believed that there was a relationship between the values of scholarship and the effects of those values on the conclusions of an investigation. He believed that it was not necessary to extend the other conclusions of other Western scholars to Iranian society. However, he criticised the Western ideological schools, including [[nationalism]], liberalism and Marxism. He maintained that there was [[conformity]] and correspondence between Western philosophy and Iranian society. According to Shariati, democracy is inconsistent with revolutionary evolution and progress. One of his criticisms of Western ideology is its imitation of those ideologies.{{Verify source|date=March 2025|Check translation for "imitation of those ideologies"}} One of his other criticisms is the denial of spirituality in Western philosophy. Those ideologies attempt to prevent humans from achieving transcendental goals and any evolutionary movements.{{Verify source|date=March 2025|Check translation for "evolutionary movements"}}  In this vein, he firmly criticised [[capitalism]], and at the same time he admired socialism because it would lead humanity to evolution and free it from [[utilitarianism]]. However, he firmly criticised [[Karl Marx]]. According to Shariati, Marx's theory on the [[economy]] as the infrastructure and foundation of humanity and society was incorrect. Conversely, [[Sharia]] places the human, not the economy, as the foundation and origin of society.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Qoreishi |first=Fardin |title=Shariati and thinking on west from religious neo reflection |pages=178–179 |year=2001 |magazine=Nameh Pajouhesh| volume=3-4 |issue=5 |url= http://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/70654/%d8%b9%d9%84%db%8c-%d8%b4%d8%b1%db%8c%d8%b9%d8%aa%db%8c-%d9%88-%d8%ba%d8%b1%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%af%db%8c%d8%b4%db%8c-%d8%a7%d8%b2-%d9%85%d9%88%d8%b6%d8%b9-%d9%86%d9%88%da%af%d8%b1%d8%a7%db%8c%db%8c-%d8%af%db%8c%d9%86%db%8c?q=%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C%20%D8%B4%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B9%D8%AA%DB%8C&score=431.22278&rownumber=2}}</ref>{{clarify|date=May 2017}}

==Modern problems==
Shariati saw human [[history]] as composed of two stages: the stage of [[social collectivity |collectivity]] and the stage of [[Private property|private ownership]].<ref name= PhD/> He explained that the first stage, collectivity, was concerned with social equality and spiritual oneness. The second stage, which is the current era, could be considered as the domination of the many by one. The second stage began with the emergence of private ownership. Various types of private ownership in history have included [[slavery]], [[serfdom]], [[feudalism]] and capitalism {{--}} among others.<ref name= PhD/> According to the concept of [[social ownership]], all material and spiritual resources are accessible to everyone, but monopolies polarised the human community. According to Shariati, private ownership is the main cause of all modern problems. These problems change men's brotherhood and love to duplicity, deceit, hatred, exploitation, [[Colonization|colonisation]] and [[massacre]]. This polarisation has manifested itself in different forms throughout history. For example, in ancient times, there were [[slave economy |slave economies]] that transitioned to capitalist societies in modern times. '''Machinism''', or the dependence on machines, can be considered the latest stage of private ownership. Machinism began in the nineteenth century, and human beings have had to confront the many anxieties and problems arising from it.<ref>
{{cite journal |last= Behdad |first= Sohrab |title=A Disputed Utopia: Islamic Economics in Revolutionary Iran |journal=[[Comparative Studies in Society and History]] |date= October 1994 |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages= 775–813 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |s2cid =32027587 |doi= 10.1017/S0010417500019435 |url= https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fe80/cdc9905d57fb4c42d750400fef2639981c8a.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200219002015/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/fe80/cdc9905d57fb4c42d750400fef2639981c8a.pdf |url-status =dead |archive-date= 2020-02-19}}</ref>

==Legacy==
{{Clean up section|date=March 2021|reason=Poorly written.}}
[[File:Ali Shariati stamp.jpg|thumb|1980 Iranian stamp honoring Shariati]]

There are many adherents and opponents of Shariati's views, and Shariati's personality is largely unknown.{{clarify|date=May 2017}} [[Ali Khamenei]] knew Shariati as a pioneer of Islamic teaching according to the requirements of his generation. According to Sayyed Ali Khamenei, Shariati had both positive and negative characteristics. Khamenei believes that it is unfair to consider Shariati as someone who firmly disagreed with the Mullahs. One of the positive sides of Shariati was his ability to explain his thoughts with suitable and simple language for his generation. Shariati was somewhat supportive of Mullahs in Iran.<ref>{{Cite web |title=بازخواني مصاحبه رهبر معظم انقلاب درباره مرحوم شريعتي &#124; خبرگزاری فارس |url=http://www.farsnews.ir/newstext.php?nn=8903290362 |access-date=8 January 2017 |archive-date=9 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109021220/http://www.farsnews.ir/newstext.php?nn=8903290362 |url-status= dead}}</ref>{{clarify|date=May 2017}} Some scholars like Elizabeth F. Thompson try to envisage some similarities between Shariati and his role in the Islamic revolution in Iran with [[Sayyid Qutb|Sayyed Qutb]]'s role in [[Egypt]]. One similarity is that both paved the way for the imminent revolution in their countries. Both desired Islamic cultural dominance. Both were fans of being revolutionary about ruling values and norms. They considered [[Islamism]] a third way between those of America and the Soviet Union. At the same time, they were not wholly utopian, and they were partly Islamic.{{clarify|date=May 2017}} Of course, there are differences between them, for example, Shariati was a leftist while Qutb was a conservative. According to [[Mahmoud Taleghani]], Shariati was a thinker who created a school for revolution. The school guided young people to revolutionary action. Beheshti believes that Shariati's work was fundamental to the Islamic revolution.<ref name= EAbr89/>

According to [[Hamid Enayat]], Shariati was not only a theorist but also an adherent of Islamic radicalism. Enayat believes that Shariati can be considered the founder of Islamic socialism. Enayat considers him one of the most beloved and popular individuals in Islamic radicalism and socialism.<ref>{{cite book |last= Enayat |first= Hamid |title= Modern Islamic Political Thought |year= 2008 |publisher=Acls History E Book Project |isbn= 978-1597404600 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TauRPwAACAAJ&q=hamid+enayat}}</ref>{{clarify|date=May 2017}}

According to [[Hamid Algar]], Shariati was the number one ideologue of the Islamic revolution.<ref>{{cite book |last= Vakili |first= Abdollah |title= Ali Shariati and the mystical tradition of Islam |publisher=Institute of Islamic studies, [[Mc Gill University]] |year=1991 |pages=30–37}}</ref>

==Publications==
Despite Shariati's early death, he authored some 200 publications including articles, seminar papers and lecture series<ref>Lafraie, Najibullah (2009). ''Revolutionary Ideology and Islamic Militancy: The Iranian Revolution and Interpretations of the Quran'', I.B.Tauris, p. 127.</ref> in addition to more than a hundred books.<ref>[[Mohamed Hassanein Heikal| Heikal, Mohamed Hassanein]] (1982). ''Iran, the untold story: an insider's account of America's Iranian adventure and its consequences for the future''. Pantheon Books, p. 129.</ref><ref>Scott, Charles W. (1984). ''Pieces of the Game: The Human Drama of Americans Held Hostage in Iran'', Peachtree Publ., p. 118.</ref>

===Major works===
* ''[[Hajj (The Pilgrimage)]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=Hajj – Dr. Ali Shariati |publisher=Al-islam |url=http://www.al-islam.org/hajj/shariati |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref>
*[[Hubut in Kavir]]
*[[Guftuguhaye Tanha’i]]
* ''Marxism and Other Western Fallacies: An Islamic Critique''
* ''Where Shall We Begin?''<ref name= SHcom>{{cite web |title=Ali Shariati علی شریعتی |publisher=Shariati |url=https://www.shariati.com/kotob.html |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref>
* ''Mission of a Free Thinker''<ref name= SHcom/>
* ''The Free Man and Freedom of the Man''
* ''Extraction and Refinement of Cultural Resources''
* ''Martyrdom'' (book)
* ''Ali''
* ''An approach to Understanding Islam''
* ''A Visage of Prophet Muhammad''<ref name= SHcom/>
* ''A Glance of Tomorrow's History''<ref name= SHcom/>
* ''Reflections of Humanity''
* ''A Manifestation of Self-Reconstruction and Reformation''
* ''Selection and/or Election''
* ''Norouz, Declaration of Iranian's Livelihood, Eternity''
* ''[[Expectations from the Muslim Woman]]''
* ''[[Horr]]'' (''Battle of Karbala'')
* ''[[Kavir (Desert)]]''
* ''Abu-Dahr''
* ''[[Red Shi'ism vs. Black Shi'ism]]''
* ''Jihad and Shahadat''
* ''Reflections of a Concerned Muslim on the Plight of Oppressed People''
* ''A Message to the Enlightened Thinkers''
* ''Art Awaiting the Saviour''
* ''[[Fatemeh is Fatemeh]]''
* ''[[The Philosophy of Supplication]]''
* ''Religion versus Religion''<ref>{{cite web |title=Shariati, Ali |publisher=Ezania |url=http://www.ezania.net/library/books/shariati_ali_drelvsrel.htm |access-date=11 December 2012 |archive-date=12 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312204754/http://www.ezania.net/library/books/shariati_ali_drelvsrel.htm |url-status= dead}}</ref>
* ''Man and Islam'' – see chapter "Modern Man and His Prisons"
* ''Arise and Bear Witness''<ref>{{cite web |title= Martyrdom: Arise and Bear Witness – Ali Shariati |publisher= Scribd |url= https://www.scribd.com/doc/17099308/Martyrdom-Arise-and-Bear-Witness-Ali-Shariati |access-date=11 December 2012}}</ref>
* ''Lessons on Islamology''
* ''Ali is Alone''
* ''Community and Leadership''
* ''Religion against Religion''
* ''We and Iqbal''
* ''Historical Determinism''
* ''What is to be Done?''
* "The Intelligentsia's Task for Reconstruction of Society"<ref>Abrahamian (1989), p. 109.</ref>
* ''[[Ba Mukhatabhaye Ashna]]''

===Other works===
* ''Hegel und Ali Shariati: Geschichtsphilosophische Betrachtungen im Geiste der islamischen Revolution im Iran'' {{doi|10.1515/hgjb-2014-0158}}
* ''Paradox as Decolonization: Ali Shariati's Islamic Lawgiver'' {{doi|10.1177/0090591720977804}}

===Translation===
Shariati translated many books into Persian. Besides the work of Abu Zarr mentioned above, he translated [[Jean-Paul Sartre]]'s ''[[What Is Literature?]]'' and [[Che Guevara]]'s ''[[Guerrilla Warfare (book)|Guerilla Warfare]]''. He also began to work on the translation of Franz Fanon's ''[[A Dying Colonialism]]''. He admired [[Amar Ouzegane]] as a major Marxist Muslim and began to translate his book ''Le meilleur combat'' (''The Best Struggle'').<ref>Abrahamian (1989), p. 107.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Intellectual Movements in Iran]]
* [[Islamic Marxism]]
* [[Islamic revival]]
* [[List of Islamic scholars]]
* [[Philosophy in Iran]]
* [[Red Shi'ism vs. Black Shi'ism]]
* [[Religious Intellectualism in Iran]]
* [[Jalal Al-e-Ahmad]]
* [[Hamid Algar]]
* [[Geydar Dzhemal]], a modern philosopher of political Islam, revolutionist and social activist
* [[Abdulaziz Sachedina]], a student of Shariati
* [[Alevism|Alevi]], also called Red Head Alevi Shiites.

== References ==
{{Reflist|33em}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book|last=Akhavi|first=Shahrough|year=2018|chapter=Ali Shar'iati|editor-first1=John L.|editor-last1=Esposito|editor-first2=Emad El-Din|editor-last2=Shahin|title=Key Islamic Political Thinkers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2hhnDwAAQBAJ|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=9780190900366|pages=85–103}}
*{{cite encyclopedia|last=Byrd|first=Dustin J.|year=2019|title=Ali Shariati (1933–1977)|editor-last1=Ness|editor-first1=Immanuel|editor-last2=Cope|editor-first2=Zak|encyclopedia=The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism|pages=1–16 |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-91206-6_10-1|isbn=978-3-319-91206-6}}
* [[Ali Latifiyan|Latifiyan, Ali]]. 1995. "Reviewing the Performance of Intellectuals from 1941 to 1979", Tehran: [[Imam Sadiq University]]
* Gheissari, Ali. 1998. ''Iranian Intellectuals in the Twentieth Century''. Austin: University of Texas Press.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ali Shariati}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.drshariati.org The Official WebSite of Dr Ali Shariati]
* [http://www.shariati.com/index.html Biography and publications]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161220031717/http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2008-05/rahnema.htm 'Ali Shari'ati: Between Marx and the Infinite' A review essay of Ali Rahnema's biography of Shari'ati with an extensive discussion on the philosopher's political significance] by Nathan Coombs
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060314034911/http://globalwebpost.com/farooqm/writings/islamic/ali_shariati.html Humanity and the People Power: A Tribute to Dr. Ali Shariati] by Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141223143901/http://www.angelfire.com/az/rescon/ALSHAR.html 'Ali Shari'ati: Islamic Fundamentalist, Marxist Ideologist and Sufi Mystic] by David Zeidan
* [https://them.polylog.org/4/fma-en.htm Critical Religious Reason: Ali Shari'ati on Religion, Philosophy and Emancipation] by Abbas Manoochehri
* [https://www.iranian.com/Opinion/2003/February/Shariati/ The forgotten revolutionary: Ali Shariati] by Lawrence Reza Ershaghi
*[https://www.iranchamber.com/personalities/ashariati/works/expectations_of_muslim_woman.php ''Our Expectations of the Muslim Woman''], lecture by Dr. Ali Shariati, translated into English by Laleh Bakhtiar

{{Social and political philosophy}}
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