Constitutional Authority and ShiÊ¿i Political Culture: the Mobilisation of Messianic Logic by the Ulama during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution

Denis Hermann

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Chapter 9 Constitutional Authority and ShiÊ¿i Political Culture: the Mobilisation of Messianic Logic by the Ulama during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution

In: Constitutionalism Unbound

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Denis Hermann

Denis Hermann
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 257â284

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004734661_011

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Abstract

The political writings of the ulama before and during the Constitutional Revolution share recurring themes and intersecting arguments, yet each treatise retains its own distinctive voice. What is particularly striking is how rarely messianic rhetoric was mobilized to religiously legitimize the Constitutional Revolution. The Iá¸¥yÄÊ¾ al-millat (The Awakening of the Nation) by Shaykh á¸¤usayn AhramÄ« BÅ«shihrÄ« (d. 1341/1922â23) stands apart in this regard. Entirely dedicated to demonstrating â through á¸¥adÄ«th and the interpretation of ancient astronomical predictions â that the Constitutional Revolution marks the first phase of the ImÄm of Timeâs imminent Parousia, this treatise breaks away from the prevailing political discourse.

The messianic undertones of Iá¸¥yÄÊ¾ al-millat reflect the profound upheaval the Constitutional Revolution brought to Iranian society. So much so that its newly formed institutions could be perceived not merely as political structures but as catalysts accelerating the long-awaited return of the ImÄm of Time. In invoking this apocalyptic vision, BÅ«shihrÄ« goes beyond advocating for constitutionalism â he anathematizes any opposition, portraying it as an existential threat to the divine order.

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Constitutionalism Unbound

Constitutional Dynamics and Political Transformation in the Ottoman and Qajar Lands in the Long Nineteenth Century

Series:Â Social, Economic and Political Studies of the Middle East and Asia, Volume: 135

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004734661

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 21 Jul 2025

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Part 1 Conceptualizing Constitutionalism: (Re-)Imagining Politics

Part 2 Constructing Constitutionalism: Ideas, Actors, and Networks

Part 3 Enacting Constitutionalism: the Challenge of Constitutional Rule

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Chapter 9 Constitutional Authority and ShiÊ¿i Political Culture: the Mobilisation of Messianic Logic by the Ulama during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution

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Citation Info

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Constitutionalism Unbound

Constitutional Dynamics and Political Transformation in the Ottoman and Qajar Lands in the Long Nineteenth Century

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