Today there are basically three types of Islam in Iran: traditionalism (traditional humanism), modernism, and a variety of forms of revivalism usually brought together as fundamentalism. Until two hundred years ago, in spite of the many schools and interpretations, many muslims in Iran lived within the tradition. It was a living tradition, emphasizing the harmony of law, art, and all forms of knowledge. Also a significant Iranian scholar followed the tradition of Persian sufism and pluralism. Currently in Iran there exist three main types of Islam: traditionalists (represented by Hossein Nasr and Yousef Sanei), modernists (represented by Abdolkarim Soroush) and fundamentalists (represented by Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi (neo-cons), Ali Khamenei, Naser Makarem Shirazi and Hossein Noori Hamedani). It must be noted that Iranian Islam differs significantly from mainstream Islam and can not be understood perfectly out of the context of Iranian history. Traditional humanists are mainly apolitical and have tendencies toward mystical spiritualism. In traditional schools, traditional astronomy and geometry are discussed as well as philosophy, sufism and ethics.
Notable traditional humanists of 20th century
- Hassan Hasanzadeh Amoli
- Mohammad Taghi Jafari
- Allameh Tabatabaei
- Hossein Nasr
- Mehdi Elahi Ghomshei
- Hossein Elahi Ghomshei
- Jafar Shahidi
- Yousef Sanei
- Mehdi Haeri Yazdi
- Jalaleddin Ashtiani
- Molavi Ahmad Narouei
