A Critical Study and Survey of Dr. Shariati's Viewpoint on Social Monotheism

Our problem in this study is to study and analyze Dr. Shariati’s views on "social monopoly" critically. We have, therefore, attempted to approach this important issue with a descriptive-analytical and critical approach, while explaining Shariati’s monotheistic thought and his understanding of "social monotheism", and counting the deficiencies and criticisms that have been brought about. Shariati, though focusing on monotheism in drawing up his intellectual system, and paying attention to its objective and practical dimensions in the field of society, has drawn upon his monotheistic thought by designing a new hybrid form of "social monotheism" for this dimension of monotheism. He interpreats it in a nonmonotheistic society, with defects and criticisms such as: disregarding the subjective and theoretical dimensions of monotheism, passing his monotheistic ideas from such schools as Marxism. One, therefore, meets with the new and unreasonable understanding of monotheism, and counting social monotheism as a society of no classes to be among belief monotheism, prejudice and interpretation of no logical base, a false comparison between social monotheism and the Quranic united Ummah and Mahdavi just society, and ultimately viewing the Quranic concepts in the creation story as symbols.