A Comparative and Critical Analysis of the Ontological and Teleological Foundations of “Political Progress” in Islamic Thought and “Political Development” in Western Thought

Tabatabaei Nasab, Seyedali; Shirkhani, Ali; Elahi Manesh, Mohammad Hasan; Khandan, Mojtaba

A Comparative and Critical Analysis of the Ontological and Teleological Foundations of “Political Progress” in Islamic Thought and “Political Development” in Western Thought

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

seyedali tabatabaei nasab ¹

ali shirkhani ²

mohammad Hasan elahi manesh ³

mojtaba khandan ⁴

¹ Department of Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Qom Branch, Qom, Iran

² Professor, Department of Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Qom Branch, Qom, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Qom Branch, Qom, Iran

⁴ a

Abstract

The concept of “progress” in contemporary political literature is often interpreted within the paradigm of “development,” a paradigm rooted in the historical experience of the modern West and grounded in secular, humanistic, and material-centered foundations. While this framework has demonstrated certain technical efficiencies, its neglect of the spiritual, identity-based, and teleological dimensions of human life has led to profound theoretical and civilizational crises. This study adopts a descriptive–analytical and critical approach to conduct a comparative examination of the ontological, anthropological, and teleological foundations of “Western political development” and “Islamic political progress.”

The findings indicate that Western political development reduces politics to the level of the technocratic management of interests and defines its ultimate aim as the provision of material welfare and individual freedoms. In contrast, political progress in Islamic thought, grounded in the principles of Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (Divine Lordship), the principle of Nafy al-Sabil (negation of domination), and the pursuit of Hayat Tayyibah (the good and wholesome life), conceives politics as the institutional structure for the establishment of religion and justice. By elaborating four layers—orientation, vision, knowledge, and structure—within the model of political establishment, this research argues that Islamic political progress requires a fundamental redefinition of political concepts, indicators, and institutions based on monotheistic foundations.

Keywords

Comparative analysis

ontological foundations

political progress

Islamic thought

Western political development