Factors Causing Changes in Transcendent Values Within the ‎Islamic Lifestyle in the Second Step of the Revolution Statement from the Perspective of Nahj al-Balagha

‎1. Statement of the Problem: One of the key ‎concepts that has entered the discourse of the Islamic ‎society of Iran is the "Statement of the Second Step of ‎the Revolution." The first step of the Islamic ‎Revolution focused on the creation and consolidation ‎of the Islamic government, while the second step ‎aims at establishing and stabilizing the modern ‎Islamic civilization. A fundamental objective of this ‎second step is "civilization-building," within which ‎adhering to the Islamic lifestyle is of paramount ‎importance.
‎ Although lifestyle encompasses various fields and subjects, the present ‎study seeks to investigate the factors that alter values within the Islamic ‎lifestyle, with a specific focus on its individual and social indicators. Within ‎Islamic literature, Nahj al-Balagha extensively discusses transcendent ‎values in the Islamic lifestyle and provides a thorough pathology of this ‎domain. Accordingly, in the Statement of the Second Step of the Revolution, ‎a proper lifestyle is considered the driving force behind the continuation of ‎the revolution—or, in other words, it is "civilization-building." Therefore, ‎the public's adherence to a religious lifestyle and the promotion of Islamic ‎moral values as the core values of society constitute a main pillar for the ‎continuation of the Islamic Revolution. In this context, lifestyle in relation ‎to the youth is of double importance, as the youth serve as the main engines ‎of the revolutionary movement. The dedicated efforts of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali ‎Khamenei, both before and after the Islamic Revolution, in nurturing ‎adolescent and youth generations based on the Holy Quran demonstrate ‎that from the very early days of the revolution, he was envisioning its future ‎and continuity. The Statement of the Second Step of the Revolution was ‎issued with this precise orientation. Correlating this wise thought with Nahj ‎al-Balagha guides everyone toward the significance of the Islamic lifestyle ‎and highlights the critical role of the vulnerabilities that threaten religious ‎values and the Islamic way of life.‎
‎2. Research Objectives:‎
‎2-1. To study Nahj al-Balagha and the value system of Imam Ali (as) to ‎demonstrate that religion plays a major role in promoting the ‎Islamic lifestyle.‎
‎2-2. To emphasize the critical fact that the weakening of religious ‎teachings, such as the Quran and mandatory religious duties like ‎‎"enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil" (amr bi-l-‎ma'ruf wa-n-nahy 'ani-l-munkar), exerts a destructive impact on the ‎Islamic lifestyle.‎
‎2-3. To outline the negative consequences of "consumerism and ‎aristocratic tendencies" among both the public and officials, the ‎‎"inclination toward moral vices" such as "prolonged worldly ‎desires," "caprice and sensuality," and the detrimental effects of ‎‎"comfort-seeking and worldliness" on the Islamic lifestyle.
‎Although lifestyle encompasses various fields and subjects, the present ‎study seeks to investigate the factors that alter values within the Islamic ‎lifestyle, with a specific focus on its individual and social indicators. Within ‎Islamic literature, Nahj al-Balagha extensively discusses transcendent ‎values in the Islamic lifestyle and provides a thorough pathology of this ‎domain. Accordingly, in the Statement of the Second Step of the Revolution, ‎a proper lifestyle is considered the driving force behind the continuation of ‎the revolution—or, in other words, it is "civilization-building." Therefore, ‎the public's adherence to a religious lifestyle and the promotion of Islamic ‎moral values as the core values of society constitute a main pillar for the ‎continuation of the Islamic Revolution. In this context, lifestyle in relation ‎to the youth is of double importance, as the youth serve as the main engines ‎of the revolutionary movement. The dedicated efforts of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali ‎Khamenei, both before and after the Islamic Revolution, in nurturing ‎adolescent and youth generations based on the Holy Quran demonstrate ‎that from the very early days of the revolution, he was envisioning its future ‎and continuity. The Statement of the Second Step of the Revolution was ‎issued with this precise orientation. Correlating this wise thought with Nahj ‎al-Balagha guides everyone toward the significance of the Islamic lifestyle ‎and highlights the critical role of the vulnerabilities that threaten religious ‎values and the Islamic way of life.‎
‎2. Research Objectives:‎
‎2-1. To study Nahj al-Balagha and the value system of Imam Ali (as) to ‎demonstrate that religion plays a major role in promoting the ‎Islamic lifestyle.‎
‎2-2. To emphasize the critical fact that the weakening of religious ‎teachings, such as the Quran and mandatory religious duties like ‎‎"enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil" (amr bi-l-‎ma'ruf wa-n-nahy 'ani-l-munkar), exerts a destructive impact on the ‎Islamic lifestyle.‎
‎2-3. To outline the negative consequences of "consumerism and ‎aristocratic tendencies" among both the public and officials, the ‎‎"inclination toward moral vices" such as "prolonged worldly ‎desires," "caprice and sensuality," and the detrimental effects of ‎‎"comfort-seeking and worldliness" on the Islamic lifestyle.‎
‎2-4. To highlight that in the transformation of the Islamic lifestyle, ‎external factors such as the infiltration of the enemy must not be ‎overlooked.‎
‎2-5. To examine how the Islamic Revolution, in its second step, pursues ‎and reinforces three key concepts and goals: "state-building," ‎‎"society-building," and "civilization-building."‎
‎2-6. To introduce and underscore the importance of religious and ‎Islamic civilization-building within lifestyle, given that civilization ‎is a composite of culture, ideology, industry, economy, science, ‎technology, urban planning, lifestyle, and other elements.‎
‎3. Research Methodology: Utilizing a descriptive-analytical method ‎drawing upon library sources—specifically Nahj al-Balagha—this research ‎addresses the fundamental question: What are the factors that change ‎transcendent values within the Islamic lifestyle from the perspective of Nahj ‎al-Balagha? Focusing on the Statement of the Second Step of the Revolution, ‎this study addresses one of its most practical and critical concepts, namely ‎‎"lifestyle," which is deeply influential in establishing the modern Islamic ‎civilization.‎
‎4. Research Results:‎
‎4-1. The Islamic lifestyle, as a core axis in the Statement of the Second ‎Step of the Revolution, relies on a value system derived from the ‎Holy Quran and Nahj al-Balagha.‎
‎4-2. Building the modern Islamic civilization in the second step of the ‎revolution necessitates the preservation and promotion of ‎transcendent values within the lifestyle.‎
‎4-3. The most significant factors threatening these values can be ‎categorized into internal and external dimensions. Internal factors ‎include the weakening of religious beliefs, the abandonment of ‎enjoining good and forbidding evil, negligence toward the Holy ‎Quran, the spread of luxury and aristocratic tendencies, the ‎prevalence of moral vices, and comfort-seeking. On the other hand, ‎the cultural infiltration of the enemy acts as an external factor that ‎poses serious challenges to the Islamic value system. Consequently, ‎countering these factors requires a return to genuine Islamic values, ‎the strengthening of religious foundations, the revival of the duty of ‎enjoining good and forbidding evil, and maintaining vigilance ‎against cultural onslaught.‎
‎4-4. Realizing the Islamic lifestyle as a key factor in the continuation of ‎the Islamic Revolution and the creation of a modern Islamic ‎civilization requires a serious commitment at the individual, social, ‎and governmental levels. Imam Ali (as) paid comprehensive ‎attention to all dimensions; alongside the "prescriptions" (dos), he ‎thoroughly addressed the "prohibitions" (don'ts), which represent ‎the vulnerabilities and pests that expose the Islamic lifestyle and its ‎transcendent values to the danger of destruction and decay.‎
‎4-5. This paper attempted to address this specific dimension of lifestyle ‎because if moral and religious values fade and perish within ‎families and lifestyles, Quranic and Islamic values will no longer be ‎practiced in society. Therefore, one must not neglect vulnerabilities ‎and perils such as the weakening of religion, abandoning the Quran ‎and the duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil, comfort-seeking, ‎worldliness, luxury and aristocratic tendencies, moral vices, and ‎enemy infiltration, all of which endanger the transcendent values of ‎the Islamic lifestyle.
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