A Critique of Colonialism and Its Opposition to Mahdism Based on Qur’anic Verses

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Faculty of Theology, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Karaj, Iran

2 Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Iran

10.22034/dqm.2025.22528.1196

Abstract

In the history of Islamic thought, colonialism and Mahdism, as two opposing forces, have shaped the religious identity of Muslim societies. Colonialism has functioned as a symbol of domination and arrogance, seeking to weaken Islamic belief and control Muslim communities through cultural imposition, the distortion of doctrines, sectarian division, and the creation of groups. By contrast, Mahdism is a central Islamic belief: it embodies divine hope for global justice and serves as a motive force for resistance against oppression and hegemony.  Using a descriptive–analytical approach and thematic analysis of Qur’anic verses, this study examines the conceptual and practical dimensions of this confrontation. The Qur’an, by emphasizing the recurring pattern of the victory of the oppressed over the arrogant, offers a divine framework for confronting injustice, marginalization, and hegemonic power. The findings show that Qur’anic teachings on Mahdism go beyond an otherworldly belief and provide a model for organizing resistance and striving to realize justice in the face of colonialism. The study also argues that the practice of colonial powers in exploiting sectarian divisions and distorting the concept of Mahdism has played an important role in suppressing Islamic awakening. It concludes that the confrontation between colonialism and Mahdism is not merely theoretical, but has had concrete manifestations in the history of anti-colonial struggles, particularly in the Shi‘i world. On this basis, a renewed Qur’anic reading of Mahdism can serve as a cultural and political strategy for strengthening Islamic identity and civilizational resistance against new forms of domination.

Keywords

References

  1. The Holy Qur’an

    Nahj al-Balaghah

    1. Afghani, J. al-D. (1905). Refutation of the Materialists. Cairo, Egypt: Mahmoudiyyah Commercial Press.
    2. Arusi Huwayzi, A. A. ibn J. (1995). Tafsir Nur al-Thaqalayn (S. H. Rasuli Mahallati, Ed.). Qom, Iran: Isma‘iliyan Publications.
    3. Dehkhoda, A. A. (1998). Dehkhoda Dictionary (2nd edition). Tehran, Iran: Dehkhoda Lexicon Institute.
    4. Khazzaz Qummi, A. ibn M. (1982). Kifayat al-Athar fi al-Nass ‘ala al-A’imma al-Ithna ‘Ashar (A. L. Kowhmari, Ed.). Qom, Iran: Baydar Publications.
    5. Lings, M. (2003). Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions (A. Mokhber, Trans., 3rd ed.). Tehran, Iran: Tarh-e No Publishing House.
    6. Makārim Shīrāzī, N. (1995). Tafsīr Nemuneh. Tehran, Iran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah.
    7. Marouji, M. H. (2010). Memoirs of Mr Hempher (the British spy in Islamic countries). Tehran, Iran: Ayandeh-ye Derakhshan Publications.
    8. Mehdianfar, R. (2019). Arrogance and the Oppressed in the Qur’an. Ma‘rifat Quarterly Journal, 263.
    9. Modarressi, H. (1993). Tradition and Survival: A Bibliographical Study of Early Shi‘i Literature. Oxford, UK: Oneworld Publications.
    10. Motahhari, M. (1999). Memoirs of Martyr Motahhari (Vol. 10). Tehran, Iran: Sadra Publishing.
    11. Mousavi Khomeini, R. (2011). Sahifat Imam. Tehran, Iran: Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works.
    12. Nasr, S. H. (2025). Knowledge and the Sacred (H. Ali, Trans., 1st ed.). Baghdad / Beirut: Dar al-Rafidayn for Printing, Publishing, and Distribution.
    13. Radvani, A. A. (2006). The Promised One and a Response to Doubts. Qom, Iran: Jamkaran Holy Mosque Publications.
    14. Raghib Isfahani, H. ibn M. (2007). Mufradat alfaz al-Qur’an (M. Rahimi-Nia, Ed.). Tehran, Iran: Sobhan Publications.
    15. Ridawi, R. (2005). Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance). Qom, Iran: Hawzah ‘Ilmiyyah, Center of Administration.
    16. Sachedina, A. A. (1981). Islamic Messianism: The Idea of The Mahdi in Twelver Shi‘ism. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
    17. Shaykh Saduq, M. ibn A. (1975). Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni‘mah (A. A. Ghaffari, Ed., Vol. 2). Tehran, Iran: Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyyah
    18. Tabataba’i, M. H. (1999). Mizan fi tafsir al-Qur’an (M. Hamadani, Trans.). Qom, Iran: Islamic Publishing Library, Society of Seminary Teachers.
    19. Tabrisi, F. ibn H. (1988). Majma‘ al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Ma‘rifah.
    20. Tusi, A. J. M. ibn H. (1993). Tibyan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi.
Contemporary Quranic Studies
Volume 4, Issue 13
December 2025
Pages 9-42

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics