Evaluating the relation between Islam and Ideology in the political thought of Khomeini and Hassan Al-Banna

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between Islam and ideology through the thoughts and works of Ayatollah Khomeini and Hassan al-Banna, who led Islamic movements with their writings and ideas. Ayatollah Khomeini, in his Revolution, garnered the support of the religious community by utilizing the resources of Shia theology, while he owed the support of the secular community to his strong stance against the Shah through his actions. In the process leading to the Revolution, Khomeini constructed societal opposition through religious concepts, and his post-revolutionary efforts to export the regime are operated through the system of guardianship of the jurist (Walayat-i Faqih) that he established. Hassan al-Banna, on the other hand, contributed institutionally through the Muslim Brotherhood organization and theoretically through his conferences and books, by developing the line of thought of renewal movements in religious thinking, represented by figures like Afghani, Abduh, and Rashid Rida. His evaluation of Islam as a "system" in his works has led to the interpretation of Islam as an ideology and the direct establishment of a connection between Islamic identity and ideology. Both thinkers' endeavors, primarily conducted in the name of "Islamic" ideals during their respective eras, have transformed into ideologies that propel the movements of subsequent religious groups.