Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Affiliated Faculty Member, Imam Hossein Comprehensive University (AS), Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
2 Assistant Prof, Faculty of Kosar, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran.
3 PhD Candidate in Science and Technology Policy , Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Article Title [العربیة]
The theory of the “Guiding Intelligence Apparatus” reflects several decades of direct operational responsibility within the intelligence institutions of the Islamic Republic, particularly during the first decade after the Revolution—a period in which, despite the absence of professional structures, this nascent apparatus successfully neutralized complex and well-supported subversive movements through an approach grounded in human dignity, innate disposition (fiṭrah), and guidance. An analysis of this experience demonstrates that its effectiveness did not stem from conventional coercive intelligence models, but rather from prioritizing the reform of beliefs and orientations, the completion of moral and rational justification (itmām-i-ḥujjah), and the reconstruction of the adversary’s inner disposition before resorting to hard measures. As a result, this model—empirically tested in numerous cases against ideological, separatist, and insurgent groups—offers a uniquely indigenous, ethics-based framework for transforming opponents into constructive social capacities and establishing durable security.
Moreover, comparative study shows that this guiding approach reduces the social and political costs of confrontation, mitigates hostility, and enables the engagement of opponents at the deepest layers of personality—beliefs, orientations, and existential attitudes—rather than merely modifying external behaviors. The stability of its outcomes across multiple security domains underlines its adaptability to emerging threats and confirms its conceptual robustness. Therefore, articulating and disseminating this theory not only fills a major gap in Islamic security thought but also provides a scientifically grounded basis for training future intelligence professionals and for presenting a credible Islamic-Iranian paradigm to societies seeking humane and principled security models.
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