A Comparative Examination of Right and Duty from the Perspectives of Shaykh Fazlollah Nouri and Allameh Na’ini

Abstract

Using a descriptive–analytical method, this study examines and compares the viewpoints of Shaykh Fazlollah Nouri and Mirza Na’ini regarding the analysis and reconciliation of right and duty within the political system. The main research question is how right and duty are conceptualized and aligned from the perspectives of these two figures. The research hypothesis posits that Shaykh Fazlollah Nouri, emphasizing stability and the preservation of the principles of Islamic law, defines and applies right and duty within a framework grounded in interpretations based on traditional religious sources, whereas Na’ini, adopting a comparative approach influenced by the conditions of his time, emphasizes the possibility of adapting right and duty to new political and social circumstances through a dynamic interpretation of Islamic law. This comparison contributes to a deeper understanding of the intellectual foundations of two major political and intellectual currents during the Constitutional period. Their fundamental disagreement in interpreting and applying Islamic principles led to the formation of two distinct intellectual and political currents during the Constitutional era and had a profound impact on the trajectory of Iran’s political and intellectual development. These two figures represent two different paradigmatic models in understanding and applying Islam in governance, and their intellectual legacies remain influential to this day. The findings of this study indicate that Na’ini, by supporting constitutionalism, sought to establish a legal system to guarantee the rights of the people and to oversee governmental power, whereas Nouri opposed any change that would result in the separation of religion from politics. These two perspectives are clearly observable in the conflicts surrounding the ratification of the Constitutional Constitution and in the manner of interaction between religion and politics in Iran during that period.