The Qur’anic doctrine of Islamic awakening in the discourse of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei

This study, employing a descriptive–analytical method and drawing on the framework of discourse theory and the Qur’anic schema of the opposition between the two currents of istikbār (arrogance/domination) and istiḍ’āf (oppression/being rendered weak), seeks to answer the question: “On what foundations, components, and strategies is the Qur’anic doctrine of Islamic awakening in the intellectual system of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei based?” The findings of the study indicate that Islamic awakening in his intellectual system can be reconstructed and analyzed within the framework of the Qur’anic idea of “the sovereignty of God versus the sovereignty of the ṭāghūt” and the Qur’anic oppositions of “istiḍ’āf–istikbār” and “truth–falsehood.” In this system, Qur’anic directives are regarded as trans-temporal and universal messages, upon whose faith and practical realization the dignity and eminence of Muslims depend. Accordingly, the Qur’anic doctrine of Islamic awakening has five fundamental components: First, the Qur’anic root; the divine address to the prophets in their struggle against the ṭāghūts and istikbār possesses a trans-temporal and trans-spatial nature, and contemporary Muslims, in continuation of this same address, are the addressees of Qur’anic teachings. Second, the Qur’anic nature; Islamic awakening means the arousal and awareness of Muslims within the framework of faith and Islamic thought. Third, the Qur’anic directive; the continuity and realization of the movements of Islamic awakening depend on divine piety (taqwā), belief in the fulfillment of divine promises, and Islamic resistance. Fourth, the Qur’anic mission; the realization of the “pure life” (ḥayāt-i ṭayyiba) is defined as the ultimate goal of the believers’ movement and struggle along the course of history. Fifth, the Qur’anic strategy; the final horizon of this process is the creation and establishment of a civilization grounded in divine revelation. Therefore, Islamic awakening in this system is not merely a political–social phenomenon, but a Qur’anic process for the revival of Islamic awareness and identity, resistance against domination, and movement toward the realization of the pure life and divine civilization.