Leader: Greater need for global reflection of Islam (2)

Here is the second part of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s speech of May 8 to seminarians and ulama for spreading the peaceful message of Islam around the world for the benefit of mankind.

Ayatollah Khamenei said: “So part of Islam is about teachings that include rational and transmitted sciences, moral values, lifestyle and the kind of government we should have. All these things are among Islamic teachings which should be learned. This is part of Islam. And another part of Islam is implementing these ideas in the outside world. This means that monotheism should be implemented in the outside world. It means that prophethood – in the sense of being at the head of society – should materialize. Well, it is you who should realize concepts like “ulama are the inheritors of the prophets”.

“I am not saying that you should definitely be the ones to be at the head of society. Well, there might be different kinds and forms of government, but as religious scholars and experts, you have a duty to implement Islam in the outside world and in the environment of life. This is our duty and this is what our Late Imam Khomeini did. One of the friends in the meeting correctly pointed to “The Charter of the Ulama” - that well-known and detailed letter written by Imam. You should read that letter frequently. The Late Imam Khomeini was a hakim or Sage in the true sense of the word. A Sage is not a person who only knows philosophy, but it is wisdom that radiates in his behaviour, in his speeches and in his writings.

“Therefore, what Islamic seminaries did during the recent revolutionary activities – the activities leading to the formation of the Islamic Republic – with the leadership of Imam Khomeini is exactly the duty that Islamic seminaries must have carried out. It is not the case that we can say that Islamic seminaries did something outside the scope of their responsibilities during the time of revolutionary activities. This is not the case. Imam Khomeini was at the head of it and the ulama, scholars and many great personalities of Islamic seminaries accompanied him and stood behind him.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution elaborated: “Once, I compared this movement launched by the ulama of those days throughout the country to ayahs 68 and 69 of Surah Nahl regarding the honeybee: “And your Lord inspired the bee [saying]: ‘Make your home in the mountains, and on the trees and the trellises that they erect.

“Then eat from every [kind of] fruit and follow meekly the ways of your Lord.’ There issues from its belly a juice of diverse hues in which there is a cure for the people. There is indeed a sign in that for a people who reflect.”

“The ulama of those days used to awaken the people and feed the youth with revolutionary concepts and with the value of fighting in the way of God and in the way of Islam and they used to sting who should be stung. This is the truth of the matter.

“This was the duty of seminaries and they fulfilled it. On that day, they must have carried out that task and today too – when the Islamic system has thankfully been established and when we are waiting for the true establishment of Islamic government, and then the true establishment of Islamic society and after that, the real establishment of Islamic civilization – Islamic seminaries have responsibilities in line with this great task and they should fulfill them. So, what should you do? You should sit down and think. These are among the subject matters which you are involved with.

Ayatollah Khamenei pointing to the various opinions expressed before his speech by some of speakers, said: “When the gentlemen were speaking, it occurred to me that these good statements and the proper discourse and vocabulary that our young ulama thankfully utilize are very much needed today. You should show your presence throughout the country. There is the tradition of talking from the pulpits. You should go and discuss these good statements and excellent points – which cover different areas - with the people. You should discuss with them issues like lifestyle, Islamic government, fighting against evil, the establishment of monotheism in society in the true sense of the word and the issue of justice, which is one of the most fundamental issues.

“You should increase the awareness of people and you should generate revolutionary discourses in the people. Of course, these discourses already exist, but you should strengthen them. Islamic seminaries can fulfill many tasks. Part of these tasks falls on the organizations in charge inside and outside seminaries and part of them falls on the ulama themselves.

“Notice that we are faced with an issue about the identity and epistemology of Islamic seminaries. What are Islamic seminaries? Islamic seminaries are a center that cultivates religious scholars and religious scholars are individuals who acquire religious teachings and enter the arena in order to realize those teachings. And it does not matter if such religious scholars are specialized in jurisprudence, in philosophy or in theology. Our Late Imam Khomeini was a great jurisprudent. He was really an outstanding jurisprudent but he was also a Mujtahid and expert in Gnosis in the true sense of the word.

“The same is true of his teacher, the late Ayatollah Shahabadi. Once, the Imam said to me that we should not think that Ayatollah Shahabadi was not involved in revolutionary activities. The Imam quoted him as saying: “If I had helpers, I would rise up.” So, this is the identity of the Qom and other Islamic seminaries. This is the main framework of the seminary.”

“All tasks in seminaries should be carried out on the basis of this outlook. When you speak about specialization, when you make certain demands and when you put suggestions identifying the capacities and the like, all these very good statements should be made within this framework and this outlook.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: “As for the issues which are not directly involved with religion, for example issues like natural sciences and the like which are not directly involved with the structure of religious thinking, it is Islamic seminaries which should specify their line of movement. It is Islamic seminaries that should specify the direction of scientific movement because this is religion’s job. It is religion which channels science. Science can be at the service of humanity and it can also work against humanity. It can serve justice and it can also serve oppressors and arrogant rebels in the world, as is the case in the present time. So, directing and channeling science is another responsibility of Islamic seminaries.

“I wish to raise a point about studying: you should take your lessons seriously. You should take jurisprudence seriously. Notice that religious scholars wish to learn Islamic teachings. Where should they learn it from? They should learn it from the Book, that is, the Holy Qur’an, from Sunnah or Behaviour of the Prophet, and from aql or reason – through correct use of the intellect. Well, they should know how they want to master these rational and transmitted sciences – this is ijtihad.

“Ijtihad means how to acquire these teachings from the sources. This is methodology – this is a western term and I have always insisted on not using these terms, but here I have to. It means dealing with the facts and the realities by using the sources. This is ijtihad. If we wish to have ijtihad, we should practice and work. And it does not matter what jurisprudential lesson you study, even if it is about taharat [matters related to cleanliness and hygiene]. These rules are sometimes about taharat, about daily ritual prayers, about business transactions, about renting something and the like.

“You should know how to derive from them. If you learn how to derive these rules, then you will be able to derive moral values from the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah in the correct way. You should not be like half-educated individuals – we want to respect them and so, we do not refer to them as uneducated, rather we describe them as half-educated – who have learned certain things in an incomplete manner and then they express their viewpoints about religious matters, sometimes citing a certain ayah. Well, that specific ayah does not have that meaning and interpretation. This is because of one’s weakness in understanding and interpreting ayahs. And that is why they do not have ijtihad.

Ayatollah Khamenei said: “So, it is necessary to study one’s lessons in order to become a Mujtahid. Of course, I do not want to say that everyone should become a Mujtahid. If certain individuals fulfil that obligation, others do not have to do it. Some people may not need to become a Mujtahid, but in order to acquire Islamic teachings, ijtihad is necessary. This is one point: you should study well.

“Another issue is that there might be differences of opinion on various matters in Islamic seminaries. These differences of opinion already exist in scholarly areas and intellectual orientations. So, these differences of opinion might also exist in political areas. There is nothing wrong with this. Differences can be managed. You should take care not to let differences lead to confrontation and tension and to scratching each other’s faces.

“In the past, we had differences of opinion in the tradition of our Islamic seminaries. To cite the most recent example, I should mention the late Hajj Sheikh Mojtaba Qazvini (may God bestow paradise on him). He was an outstanding and great scholar in Mashhad who was against philosophy and mysticism. I myself was and still am one of his admirers. He was really a great man, but this was his scholarly taste. Anyway, he was very opposed to philosophy and mysticism and he had written books in this regard. He used to teach as well.

“And our magnanimous Imam [Khomeini] was the brain of philosophy, Gnosis and mysticism. He was the epitome of philosophy and Gnosis. Well, they were very different from one another. They were two completely different poles. However, when revolutionary activities began and the Imam showed that he was the leader of those activities, Hajj Sheikh Mojtaba Qazvini, despite all his disagreements, went from Mashhad to Qom to see the Imam accompanied by a crowd of individuals. There, he showed his support for Imam. As long as he was alive he stood by the Revolution.

“The late Aqa Mirza Jawad Aqa Tehrani was another scholar who belonged to the group which were opposed to philosophy and mysticism. We had classes with him as well. Well, he was the opposite point to Imam. However, before the Revolution, he would show his admiration for Imam. Before the victory of the Revolution, I myself heard him speak highly of the Imam. After the victory of the Revolution too, he went to the war front (of the war imposed by the US through Saddam)! A seventy, eighty-year-old man put on basiji clothes, held a mortar and engaged in fighting! We had such individuals. There were differences of opinion as well as unity in the true sense of the word. They worked for Allah and in the way of Allah.”

“In seminaries, on the one hand, young ulama should hold in respect the great personalities in seminaries and follow their instructions – as has been mentioned in Imam’s “Charter of the Ulama” – and on the other hand, the great personalities in Islamic seminaries should have patience and fortitude with the youth. On the one hand, there is a need for patience and fortitude and on the other hand, politeness and obedience are necessary.”

AS/ME