Ma`rifat Siyasi

The political conduct of Imam Riḍā (PBUH) in confronting of Maʾmūn the ʿAbbasid caliphate is considered one of the most important and strategic junctures in the history of the Imamate. The main problem of this research is to explain the model of Imam Riḍā's (PBUH) political activism under the conditions of the imposed Wilāyat al-ʿAhd (successor to the covenant of the Muslims), and the manner of safeguarding the institution of the Imamate in the face of the structure of power. Using a descriptive-analytical method and relying on historical and ḥadīth sources, and while employing the concepts of soft power and religious political activism, the present study, re-reads the strategies of Imam Riḍā (PBUH). The findings show that his political conduct can be analyzed within the framework of a two-dimensional model consisting of "soft resistance" and "intelligent influence." In this framework, the Imam (PBUH), on the one hand, by refraining from legitimizing the ʿAbbasid caliphate and emphasizing the discourse of the Imamate, preserved the Shiʿi identity and authority; and on the other hand, by purposefully utilizing the capacities arising from the imposed Wilāyat al-ʿAhd, provided the ground for spreading intellectual influence and strengthening the social position of Shiʿism. This model is considered a prominent example of the strategic activism of religion in confronting the structure of political power.