عنوان : The Role of the Executive Mujtahid in Religious Governance Investigating the Fundamental Element in the Interaction between

The Role of the Executive Mujtahid in Religious Governance Investigating the Fundamental Element in the Interaction between Theology, People and Government Mohammad Esmaeil Abdollahi1 Received: 09/12/2023 Accepted: 27/05/2024 Abstract The interaction between theology, people and government should be observed in the system of religious democracy. In this model, the contribution of each of the constructive components such as republic and religion in shaping the government is the same. The main issue is: What is the constructive element in establishing interactive relationships between theology, people and government? And how can we establish structural and political solidarity between religion and people in the Age of Occultation (absence of Imam)? This research, by collecting information with a library method and analyzing them with a descriptive and analytical method, tries to find the answer around “executive mujtahid” in the religious governance system. The findings of the research show that religion gives legitimacy and people make acceptability. Through its representatives, religion can exercise its will on the structure and context of the government, and according to definite evidence, this process takes place in the age of Occultation (absence of the Infallible Imam) through an “executive mujtahid (Islamic jurist)” in the structure of religious governance. Therefore, for the establishment or stability and optimal continuation of the government and the realization of the religious governance, the executive manager, in addition to having the power to deduce the rulings of the Sharia, and intellectual training and ijtihad, should have social knowledge including politics, management, anthropology, etc. and, intelligence, sagacity, power of administration and power of analysis. Keywords Religious Governance, Executive Mujtahid, Religious Democracy, TheoDemocracy, Theocracy