Abstract

The expansion of Islamic governance and the influx of foreign philosophical ideas facilitated the emergence of diverse intellectual and theological currents within Islamic society. Due to its unique socio-political context, the era of Imam Baqir (as) represents one of the most contentious periods in the formation of conflicting discourses. Analyzing existing discourses and Imam Baqir’s confrontation with rival discourses elucidates the underlying reasons for the discursive actions traceable in his narrated and exegetical texts. Accordingly, this study employs Van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework, specifically utilizing the “Ideological Square,” to investigate this phenomenon. The findings reveal that beneath the macro-polarization between the School of Ahl al-Bayt and the School of the Caliphs, other discursive confrontations existed involving active social actors such as the Khawarij, Ghulat, Murji’ah, Qadariyyah, Jabriyyah, and Ahl al-Ra’y. Imam Baqir’s objective was to revive and preserve the Prophetic interpretation of the Quran, uphold the Prophetic tradition, and maintain the authentic dichotomy of Truth and Falsehood. To achieve this and marginalize the “Other” discourse, he engaged in debates and rational-theological arguments, emphasized authentic exegetical traditions, and asserted genuine scientific authority. By establishing student networks, organizing study circles, codifying Hadith, and applying reason (Aql) and ijtihad in exegesis, he sought to foreground the “Self” discourse. These actions were implemented through strategies such as viewpoint correction, rejection and denial, repair and explanation, disambiguation, categorization, actor description, evidentiation, generalization, and positive representation.