Persuasion in the Alavi Tradition: Designing a Truth-OrientedCrisis Communication Model )Case Study: The Seditions of the Caliphate Era(
Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
University of Islamic Religions and Denominations
2
, PhD Student in Media Management, University of Religions and Denominations,Qom,Iran: hr.jafari@Urd.ac.ir
Abstract
Crisis communication scholarship has been largely dominated by organization-centered frameworks, most notably Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) and Image Restoration Theory (IRT). Grounded in the logic of image repair and perception management, these theories prove limited in addressing profound legitimacy crises arising from cognitive warfare and structural ambiguity, thereby necessitating an alternative model.
This study aims to address this theoretical gap and contribute to a paradigmatic shift from image-oriented to truth-oriented crisis communication by developing a strategic framework. The research adopts an applied–developmental purpose and employs a qualitative methodology based on rhetorical discourse analysis. Data were collected through documentary analysis of foundational texts, including Nahj al-Balāgha, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, and accounts of the Battle of Ṣiffīn, focusing on the communicative actions of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in confronting the movements of the Nakithīn, Qāsiṭīn, and Māriqīn.
The findings identify four core principles—truth-centeredness, priority of explanation over action, centrality of insight-building, and differentiation between deviant leaders and the social base—along with three meta-strategies: truth-based framing, legitimacy-building through accountability, and delegitimation through disclosure. Synthesizing these elements, the study proposes the “Truth-Oriented Crisis Communication Model” as a processual, three-phase framework encompassing the pre-crisis (prevention and inoculation), crisis (clarification and moral argumentation), and post-crisis (restoration and future foresight) stages. This model prioritizes sustainable public trust through proactive transparency, reasoned persuasion, and the enhancement of collective discernment rather than short-term reputational management.
This study aims to address this theoretical gap and contribute to a paradigmatic shift from image-oriented to truth-oriented crisis communication by developing a strategic framework. The research adopts an applied–developmental purpose and employs a qualitative methodology based on rhetorical discourse analysis. Data were collected through documentary analysis of foundational texts, including Nahj al-Balāgha, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, and accounts of the Battle of Ṣiffīn, focusing on the communicative actions of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in confronting the movements of the Nakithīn, Qāsiṭīn, and Māriqīn.
The findings identify four core principles—truth-centeredness, priority of explanation over action, centrality of insight-building, and differentiation between deviant leaders and the social base—along with three meta-strategies: truth-based framing, legitimacy-building through accountability, and delegitimation through disclosure. Synthesizing these elements, the study proposes the “Truth-Oriented Crisis Communication Model” as a processual, three-phase framework encompassing the pre-crisis (prevention and inoculation), crisis (clarification and moral argumentation), and post-crisis (restoration and future foresight) stages. This model prioritizes sustainable public trust through proactive transparency, reasoned persuasion, and the enhancement of collective discernment rather than short-term reputational management.
Keywords
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