Comparison of the Political Thought of Ayatollah Taleghani and Abdul Rahman Kawakibi on the Issue of Despotism

Ayatollah Taleghani belongs to the lineage of contemporary religious reformers who, over fifty years of political and social activity, dedicated his life to the revival of religious thought and ideology, grounded in the Quran. Similarly, Abdul Rahman Kawakibi is among the renowned reformers and revivalists in the modern history of Islam. This research aims to compare the political thought of Ayatollah Taleghani and Abdul Rahman Kawakibi on the issue of despotism. Our hypothesis in this study is based on the assertion that the political thought of these two thinkers on despotism exhibits both similarities and differences. In this research, we seek to answer the question: What are the similarities and differences between the political thoughts of these two intellectuals regarding despotism? The research findings indicate that both thinkers oppose any form of despotism and advocate for resistance against it in all dimensions, particularly in combating religious and political despotism. The difference in their viewpoints stems from the divergent perspectives of Shia and Sunni regarding the establishment of governance, especially Ayatollah Taleghani's view on forming a government during the occultation of the Infallible Imam. The research method employed in this article is comparative.