One of the prominent issues in the field of political thought is the question of governance models for establishing an ideal order. Various models for managing society have been proposed in the doctrine of governance, among which popular governance is the most prevalent. This model has also been recommended in the writings and statements of the intellectual leaders of the Islamic Revolution.
Keywords: Governance, Democracy, Political Participation, Political Thought, Shahid Beheshti. This paper aims to examine Martyr Beheshti’s perspective on popular governance and addresses the question of what indicators and components constitute popular governance in his political thought. In his works, he refers to various features and characteristics of governance within the Islamic political system. Collecting these indicators can provide a coherent model of popular governance in his political thought. The data for this study were gathered through library and documentary research and analyzed using logical-textual analysis. The findings of the study indicate that Martyr Beheshti distinguishes popular governance from authoritarian, democratic, and populist models of governance through five fundamental indicators. These indicators include the provision of public interests, participation based on the right to choose, political-administrative self-governance, social responsibility of the people, and mutual trust between the Ummah (community) and Imamah (leadership). Popular governance in religiously-oriented societies is thus differentiated from other governance models. Although Beheshti’s model of popular governance considers the general welfare, it bears no resemblance to authoritarian or reformist dictatorships. Moreover, while it assigns a significant role to the people in all aspects of societal administration, it also maintains a clear distinction from both democratic and populist models.