Objective: To identify the mechanisms through which religious intermediary circles (clerics and eulogists) strengthened the social capital of public participation in the Ramadan War (March 2026).
Method: A qualitative study using a grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin). The research population included clerics, eulogists, Basij commanders, and military researchers who had experienced the Ramadan War. Purposeful and snowball sampling was employed, and 20 semi structured in depth interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation (after the 18th interview). Content validity ratio (CVR) (CVR) and test retest reliability (agreement coefficient of 88%) were confirmed. Data were analyzed through three stage coding.
Findings: The paradigm model consisted of six categories: causal conditions (temporary disruption in coordination of formal institutions, activation of existing social capital, simultaneous hybrid threats); core phenomenon (the cleric eulogist Complementary system); contextual conditions (Ashura based cultural background, spontaneous mosque and Hussainiya networks, historical experience of religious participation); intervening conditions (reaction of formal institutions, quality of information access, internal preparedness of clerics and eulogists); strategies (meaning making by clerics, emotional mobilization and organization by eulogists, joint information cooperation); consequences (significant and remarkable growth in the scale of gatherings, reproduction of trust, creation of an indigenous crisis management model).
Conclusion: Clerics and eulogists, as religious intermediary circles with complementary functions (religious authority and legitimation versus emotional mobilization and field organization), successfully transformed latent social capital into sustainable and disciplined participation. This model can be applied in future national crises.