Reflection of Pragmatism in Nahj al-Balagheh's Letters Letter of Imam (AS) to Malik Ashtar

Nahj al-Balaghah is a book of policies, proofs, and insights. It is the pure symbol of Islamic thinking and a guide to the moral, religious, and social affairs of all Muslims. In the contemporary era, in the light of several theories, the form and content of this extraordinary work have been examined, which indicates the breadth of Nahj al-Balaghah's worldview and its convergence with the latest schools and intellectual approaches, such as pragmatism or the school of action's authenticity. This approach is a philosophical attitude based on experience and pragmatism, and in some cases, it moves towards expediency and instrumentalism. In many ways, undoubtedly, Nahj al-Balaghah is similar to political manuscripts, because in many sermons and letters, the Imam, in the role of a ruler and commander, communicates his political thoughts to the people and emirs, which can be examined in the light of the political components of the school of pragmatism, and the letter of Imam Ali to Malik Ashtar is one of them. This research, through a descriptive-analytical method and scientific approach, aims to investigate the intellectual paradigm of political pragmatism in the Imam's letter to Malik Ashtar, analyze its components, and measure its compatibility. The results of the research show that Imam (AS) has used the value propositions of political pragmatism such as realism, pragmatism, and consequentialism in this treaty as the three essential axes of pragmatism, which are in accordance with the theoretical foundations and teachings of Islam and divine justice.