Freedom of Expression and Its Scope from the Perspective of the Qur’an and Nahj Al-Balaghah

One of the most important freedoms in Islam is “freedom of expression and belief”. This issue is so important that it has been discussed in all societies and in the minds of most Eastern and Western thinkers. Islamic thinkers all agree that freedom of expression should not be absolute, but among Western thinkers, some consider freedom to be tied to principles and rules, and a few consider it to be absolute. However, based on the relevance of the present study, those Western thinkers who consider freedom to be restricted are mentioned here in this research. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) considers freedom of speech as a kind of human dignity and value because it allows people to comment and participate in it. It mentions the organization of society, the right to criticize, to question, to command what is good and forbidden, what is bad, to respect the rights of minorities and to participate in voting, and so on. It should be noted that freedom of expression and opinion, if it is based on rules and principles, can leave good effects and benefits in society, including: preventing artificial behavior, spreading good and blessings, avoiding evil, reducing mistakes and achieving It is perfection and salvation. What Imam Khomeini (peace be upon him) emphasized is that freedom of speech is useful, not absolute freedom. Because in absolute freedom, insult or wrong thoughts may be promoted