The Role of Imāms Strategic of Social Compatibility in Shiʿite Continuity of Life

Constructive social relations are among the conditions for the continuation of human life and one of the effective factors in achieving goals or overcoming the problems of collective life. Shiʿite state of being in minority, in addition to keeping them out of the arena of political and economic power, forced Shiʿite leaders to use cultural measures as the soft power of Shiʿites to free their followers from severe political and economic hardships and, while protecting the Shi Shiʿite minority, make it a cohesive, dynamic and effective community. What is the most important strategy of Shiʿite Imāms to achieve such a situation is the subject of this study; an effort that, on the basis of historical sources and with a descriptive-analytical approach, seeks to emphasize "social compatibility" as Imāms` strategy as well as its characteristics and consequences. According to this study, "strengthening internal solidarity" and "increasing external convergence" are among the social supports of internal and external construction of identification and power, which through preserving social unity, expanding benevolent life and promoting Shiʿite social dignity caused Shiʿite external differentiation and gradual expansion of its social influence in a vaster geography and history. It seems that a well-documented analysis of these items would lead to an effective model for restoring the essential causes of Shiʿite life and power in the past and future respectively, as it can offer fundamental achievements for the radiance of Islamic civilization in general and strengthening the Shiʿite role-playing in it in particular.