Defending democracy

One major concern of Akhund Khurasani and other Marja's was to familiarize the public with the ideas of a democratic nation-state and modern constitution. Akhund Khurasani asked Iranian scholars to deliver sermons on the subject to clarify doubts seeded by Nuri and his comrades.^[6] His close associate and student, who later rose to the rank of Marja, Muhammad Hussain Naini, wrote a book, “Tanbih al-Ummah wa Tanzih al-Milla”(Persian: تنبیه‌ الامه و تنزیه‌ المله), to counter the propaganda of Nuri group.^{[7] [8] [9]} He devoted many pages to distinguish between tyrannical and democratic regimes. In democracies, power is distributed and limited through constitution.^[8] He maintained that in the absence of Imam Mahdi, all governments are doomed to be imperfect and unjust, and therefore people had to prefer the bad over the worse. Hence, the constitutional democracy was the best option to help improve the condition of the society as compared to absolutism, and run the worldly affairs with consultation and better planning. he saw the elected members of the parliament as representatives of the people, not deputies of the Imam, hence they didn't need a religious justification for their authority. He said that both the “tyrannical Ulema” and the radical societies who promoted majoritarianism were a threat to both Islam and democracy. The people should avoid the destructive, corrupt and divisive forces and maintain national unity.^[7][10] He devoted large section of his book to definition and condemnation of religious tyranny. He then went on to defend people's freedom of opinion and expression, equality of all citizens in eyes of the nation-state regardless of their religion, separation of the legislative, executive and judicial powers, accountability of the King, people's right to share power.^{[7] [11]}

Pupils

Mirza Naini (in mid) with some other scholars and students

Names of the some students benefited from the teaching of Mirza Naini, includes the following scholars and clerics of their time:

• 1. Sheikh Mohammad Ali Kazemi Khorassani
• 2. Seyyed Mohsen Tabatabai Hakim.^[12]
• 3. Grand Ayotollah Khoei.^[13]
• 4. Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Tabatabai
• 5. Grand Ayatollah Taqi Bahjat
• 6. Sayyed Hadi Milani
• 7. Sayyed Jamal Al din Golpayegani
• 8. Sheikh Muhammad Ali Kazemini
• 9. Sheikh Mousa Khansari^[14]
• 10. Syed Ali Naqi Naqvi

Rationality claims merit not the relation

Among the modern Usuliyan Shia scholars Mirza Naini is regarded as one of the founders of modern principles of jurisprudence. Intellectual development in term of social progress of science can be observed between Mirza Naini and his reverenced Master Ayatollah Kazem Khorasani, which establishes the fact that difference of opinion is not the cause of hostilities the very basis of battle is ignorance. His master represents Sadrian Islamic thought. Defending principles of "Sadrian philosophy", with his full support to Sadrian view in the interpretation of causality and its relation to freedom. On the other side, his intelligent pupil (Mirza Naini) was one of the strong critics of Sadrian view. In a new way and method, he criticized the Sadrian philosophical thought and presented a new viewpoint on the relation between causality and human freedom.^[15]

Naini as a politician

Ayatollah Naini was active both in the Persian Constitutional Revolution and in Iraqi politics. As a politician his principal view with regard to form of government is very clear. He suggested the form of government by an infallible ruler fully responsible to the will of God, which might be able to safeguard the interests of people. Such type of ruling is not possible in the era of major occultation of Imam Mahdi. Therefore, efforts should be made to arrange the ruling of just and honest men with duty to control the government, directly responsible to the will of God through Imam Mahdi. He further argued that in such a situation it is the known fact that access to leaders with such respected characteristics’ becomes unquestionable and people usually have no say over such matters, it is thus obligatory to observe the following two principles:

1. To implement law

2. To appoint wise men as "supervisors"

Obviously these were the possible steps for removal of huge gap between the existing situation and the desired goals of forming progressive government for the betterment of people.^[16][17]