This paper explores social relationships as social capital in Nahj al-Balaghah. We have resorted to the Imam Ali’s sermons, letters and short sayings to investigate macro and micro social relationships based on qualitative conceptual content analysis. In its micro level, we analyze relationships among family members, relatives, neighbors, and friends, which constitute intra-group social capital concept.On the other hand, in a macro level, we review Muslims’ inter-relationship and the relationship of Muslim authority to Muslims in an Islamic society that leads to a comprehensive vertical trust between the authority and people as well as a horizontal trust among people themselves. The latter in the Imam Ali’s words brings about humans’ extended relationships with each other, which leads to establishing extra-group social capital. Regarding two principles of faith and right seeking in establishing social relations, he reiterates such warm, continuous, and intimate relationships that lead to a comprehensive social capital, whose achievements encompass all believers in the Islamic world and all humans in the world, devoid of instrumental and material jobbery. According to our findings in this study, words and guidelines of the Imam form an eternal capital, which can be decisive verbally and practically to preserve and strengthen the social capital.
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Ellini, M., & Ghaffari, G. R. (2015). Analyzing the Conceptual Space of Social Capital Construction in the Imam Ali’s Words. Journal of Islam and Social Studies, 2(8), 92-120.
MLA
Mohammad Ellini; Gholam Reza Ghaffari. "Analyzing the Conceptual Space of Social Capital Construction in the Imam Ali’s Words", Journal of Islam and Social Studies, 2, 8, 2015, 92-120.
HARVARD
Ellini, M., Ghaffari, G. R. (2015). 'Analyzing the Conceptual Space of Social Capital Construction in the Imam Ali’s Words', Journal of Islam and Social Studies, 2(8), pp. 92-120.
VANCOUVER
Ellini, M., Ghaffari, G. R. Analyzing the Conceptual Space of Social Capital Construction in the Imam Ali’s Words. Journal of Islam and Social Studies, 2015; 2(8): 92-120.
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