RNA – Speaking at the farewell and welcoming ceremony for the heads of the Islamic Seminary, Ayatollah Ali-Reza Arafi said: “I, an unworthy seminary student, have been trusted by the esteemed scholars of the Seminary and I see it necessary to firstly show my gratitude and appreciation to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei], the grand jurisprudents, the students, teachers, administrators and lastly the executive committee of the Seminary.”
He explained that all the previous heads of the Seminary, and in particular those that came after the Islamic Revolution, made efforts to reform and increase the aspirations of the seminary. He added: “In particularly, I am grateful to Ayatollah Sayyed Hashem Hoseyni-Bushehri, the former head, for his hard, honourable and successful service.”
The new head of the Islamic Seminary, in explaining that the Seminary is a historical institution and is based upon Islamic teachings, Quran, sunnah and the experience of the Infallible Imams, commented: “Throughout the annuls of history, it was these seminaries that stood up for the truth and imparted its own influence on the guidance of the people.”
“The Seminary has always been a cradle of research, innovation, creativity, sincerity, ethics and morals; the Seminary has always been the center of learning and flourishing of ideas and stood by the people and the oppressed; whilst standing up against the tyrants and despots,” he said, emphasizing on the ancient traditions of the Seminary," he said.
Ayatollah Arafi added: “By remaining unattached to this world and by being committed to divine and prophetic aspirations, they [the scholars] created waves within the Seminary and were the founders of these great traditions.”
He, by pointing to the fact that marja’iyyah is a fundamental pillar of the Seminary, emphasized: “It is essential that the safeguarding and progress of the Seminary take place under the recommendations of the grand jurist consultants and in particularly the esteemed thought of Imam Khomeini and the guidance of the Leader.”
The new head of the Islamic Seminary emphasized that discourse on the Islamic Revolution is one of the most important fundamentals of the Seminary by saying: “All the efforts that are made in the Seminary must aim at advancing the discourse of the Islamic Revolution and under the revolutionary doctrine; the revolutionary doctrine must produce thought for the revolution. The concept of the revolutionary doctrine is not merely having slogans or apparentness; but rather it must produce individuals who are under the banner of the Islamic Revolution and who have a global influence.”
The head of al-Mustafa International University stressed that today people all over the world are ready to hear the messages of the Seminary and the Revolution and said: “The Seminary must be the software for the thought of the Islamic Revolution and must change the thought conventions that currently govern the world.”
Ayatollah Arafi said: “The discourse on the Islamic Revolution is based upon Shi’a thought and we must take massive steps in order to attain victory over other thoughts.”
“We are faced with many threats and in order to protect and preserve this fortified bastion, it will require intelligent planning, unity and co-operation of all the institutes within the Seminary,” he stressed while elaborating that the discourse on the Islamic Revolution and the Seminary as a whole is placed within a hostile environment.
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