Ma`rifat Adyan

Despite the pivotal role of theological theories in shaping the identity of religious civilizations, few studies have undertaken a purposeful comparison between Divine Vicarship in Catholic Christianity and Divine Caliphate in Imami Shiism. The absence of a targeted study comparing these two doctrines within the framework of comparative theology, particularly focusing on the capacity for comprehensiveness and civilizational construction within Shiite thought, reveals the necessity of this research. This study, employing a documentary-analytical method and drawing upon authentic religious sources and authoritative theological texts, demonstrates that papal vicarship is primarily founded upon the institutional authority of the Church and the official interpretation of the Bible. In contrast, Divine Caliphate in Shiism holds a status beyond a mere religious institution; as both a constitutive (takwīnī) and legislative (tashrī‘ī) vicegerency, it extends from the Prophet to the Infallible Imams and continues in the era of occultation through the theory of the Guardianship of the Jurist (Wilāyat al-Faqīh). The findings indicate that this model, by integrating revelation, rationality, social justice, and popular participation, presents a comprehensive framework for divine governance and the organization of society based on human dignity, possessing a high capacity for civilization-building.