Hujjat al-Islam Vatankhah considered Wilayat al-Faqih and Shi’ism as a continuation of the wilayah of Imam Ali and emphasized, “The Islamic Revolution and the formation of a religious government in Iran were based on the teachings of Ghadir.” RNA – In an exclusive interview with Rasa News Agency, Hujjat al-Islam Hasan Vatankhah referred to the ‘Days of Wilayah [Guardianship]’ and Eid al-Ghadir and explained the issue of the acceptance of wilayah in today’s society and said, “One of the lessons learned from Ghadir is that a society cannot be without a wali [guardian] and in fact, Wilayat al-Faqih [Guardianship of the Jurisprudent] is a branch of the wilayah of the Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali] on the day of Ghadir Khumm.”
The teacher in the Islamic Seminary added, “The Holy Prophet of Islam [Muhammad] was commissioned by God on the day of Ghadir to appoint Imam Ali as the wali of the Muslims, that is, due to the fact he was the wali of the Muslims, he was ordered by God to appoint a wali for the community after himself so that the Islamic ummah doesn’t fall into error and sin without a leader and an infallible Imam.”
Hujjat al-Islam Vatankhah considered the wilayah of Imam Ali as permanent and continuous and said, “A society must have a wali, especially the society of today which has expanded and the same programs that Imam Ali had for society and were designated by God must be implemented in the society today. We are proud to live in a government headed by a wali al-faqih [guardian-jurist].”
His Eminence added, “Undoubtedly, our Islamic Revolution and the formation of our religious government in Islamic Iran, which is based on Shi’ah jurisprudence and teachings, is derived from Ghadir, and it was this wilayah of Imam Ali that was able to overthrow the government of the tyrants.”
Referring to the necessity of promoting the discussion of Ghadir, he said, “Of course, the discussion must not be such as to provoke it to be contrary to unity. We must defend our beliefs and principles but it must not be such as to cause tension and give Sunnis a negative opinion regarding Shi’ahs.”
Hujjat al-Islam Vatankhah added that some people don’t want us to unite with our Sunni brothers in a practical manner and noted, “For this reason, it’s necessary that the issue of Ghadir be discussed in a rational and amicable manner which doesn’t lead to the creation of conflict.”
Rasa News Agency
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