What gives one person the right to rule over another who shares the same nature? This question, born of a lifelong search, lies at the heart of Gürkan Biçen's study of Velayat-e Faqih — the doctrine of the guardianship of the jurist that underpins the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Tracing the idea from its roots in classical Islamic and Twelver Shi'i thought through Ayatollah Khomeini's decisive reformulation, this book examines the conditions, powers, and legitimacy of the vali-ye faqih, and f ...