Rasa News Agency reports – Ayatollah Reza Ostadi, a member of the Council of the Islamic Seminaries, spoke at the Holy Shrine of Lady Fatimah al-Ma’sumah in the holy city of Qom in a ceremony marking the joyous birth anniversary of this noble lady. In his sermon, Ayatollah Ostadi discussed the dimensions of the personalities of Lady Ma’sumah (S) and Imam ‘Ali ar-Ridha (A) and the status of the holy cities of Qom and Mashhad.
Ayatollah Ostadi explained that Lady Ma’sumah is one of the greatest and most knowledgeable of the children of the Ahlul-Bayt (A) and that there a numerous narrations from the Infallible Imams (A) about her. She is described as the most virtuous of the children of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (A) after Imam ar-Ridha (A). He explained that many people, especially the great scholars of Shi’ah Islam, gave great importance to performing pilgrimage to the grave of Lady Ma’sumah. “Due to its proximity to the blessed grave of Lady Ma’sumah, the Islamic Seminary of Qom has received many blessings,” he stated.
His Eminence added: “We live in an Islamic country and the entire world is watching us closely and they expect more from us on the international level, thus we must pay special attention to the divine message of the Ahlul-Bayt (A) so that they will acknowledge that the entire Iranian nation has integrity.”
He emphasized that the holy cities of Mashhad and Qom have always been different from the other towns and cities of Iran: “The people of these two cities follow an Islamic lifestyle which should be a model for the rest of the country. The streets, recreational areas and other common places must be distinct from the rest of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The great teacher of Islamic ethics explained that the entire holy city of Qom is considered the shrine of the Ahlul-Bayt (A). For this reason, we must uphold its requirements. Qom should be a model of faith across the country. We are fortunate that there are religious and cultural differences between these two cities in comparison to other cities. However, we should not be satisfied until the entire country is a model of Islamic behaviour and morality.
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