Model of Childbearing from the Perspective of Imam Ali (AS)

The population aging crisis, declining birth rates, and their associated consequences are significant challenges currently faced by many countries, including Iran. This issue has garnered attention from a wide range of researchers across social, psychological, and political fields, prompting various solutions. However, these proposed solutions have yielded limited results, often due to their misalignment with cultural beliefs and religious convictions. In contrast, the teachings of the Infallibles (AS) offer a rich repository of guidance that can serve as the foundation for designing an Islamic model of childbearing. The objective of this study is to analyze childbearing from the perspective of Imam Ali (AS). The primary question of the research is: What are the components of childbearing according to Imam Ali (AS), and how are these components interrelated? To answer this question, a descriptive-exploratory method and Grounded Theory (GT) were employed. After gathering relevant narrations from the Four Major Hadith Collections, the stages of open, axial, and selective coding were conducted. The categories of components (causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategic actions, central phenomenon, and outcomes) were extracted, and the network of relationships between them was organized. These components and their relationships were analyzed using MAXQDA software, and a theoretical narrative was subsequently developed. After achieving theoretical saturation, the results were validated through comparison with the Qur'an and relevant scholarly sources. The findings indicated that, in Imam Ali's (AS) worldview, childbearing is seen as a biological, cultural, and legal action aimed at sustaining human life, preserving human dignity, and achieving social justice. This concept is supported in various personal, social, legal, jurisprudential, economic, worldly, and afterlife domains.