Document Type : Original
Author
Member of the faculty of the Quran and Studies Department of the Social Research Institute of Islamic Sciences and Culture
Abstract
The issue of reproducing social solidarity in domestic and foreign conflicts is one of the theoretical challenges in the sociology of religion. Focusing on the concept of perseverance (Istiqāmah) in the Holy Quran, this article argues that patience (Ṣabr) and perseverance are not merely individual moral virtues but rather a collective semantic source that manifests distinct solidarity functions in two different contexts of conflict. The present study, employing directed qualitative content analysis and citing prominent exegetical sources, has analyzed the verses related to patience and perseverance. The findings indicate that in external conflicts, perseverance—through mechanisms of disregarding the enemy's mockery, active patience in the face of harassment, and trust in God—produces boundary-marking symbolic capital and strengthens the identity boundaries of the believing community. In internal conflicts, perseverance—through vigilance against the deception of hypocrites, enjoining patience, and steadfastness in the face of the inculcation of despair—prevents normative divergence and the collapse of trust networks. The article concludes that Quranic perseverance is a two-dimensional logic of action which, while maintaining the unity of the semantic source (steadfastness in the divine covenant), performs different yet convergent functions for the survival of the believing community depending on the type of threat. This finding allows for a redefinition of the role of religious semantic resources in conflict management within theories of social solidarity and collective resilience.
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