Rasa News Agency reports - Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi-Golpaygani has met with the board of directors of the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom. The meeting was held to mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramadhan, where Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. During the holy month, many clerics and seminarians go to various mosques throughout Iran and give special series of lectures. His Eminence thanked the clerics for their hard work.
“I am hopeful that the special grace of Imam al-Mahdi encompasses all of you, my dears. God-willing, you will be able to accomplish the objectives of Imam al-Mahdi to the full extent possible. I benefited from your descriptions and I thank all of you for your teaching efforts,” His Eminence told the seminarians.
He pointed to the enormous tasks facing the Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom in society in the present period: “The duties of the Islamic Seminaries are very numerous and serious. All seminarians and scholars must struggle until they accomplish these duties.”
“When someone reads newspapers and magazines and hears the words the scholars have said about their experiences, they come to understand the heavy duties which face the Islamic Seminaries so that it can be in the position to fulfill its duties in the defence of Islam and Islamic law. I do not want to say a specific name, but in some of the newspapers, some of their thoughts are dangerous. If they continue, and we do not say anything, our values will vanish,” Ayatollah Safi-Golpaygani added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Safi-Golpaygani pointed out that the main purpose of the seminaries is to defend the religion: “The Islamic Seminaries must strive and struggle to defend the religion and the dear teachers and seminarians must understand that they are responsible any mistake made against the religion in the community. The clerics must take this into consideration and use their power to stop corruption in society.”
His Eminence emphasized several verses of the Holy Quran and narrations in regards to the concept of enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong: “Before the Revolution, most of the sins in society were done by those with power but the scholars and religious people refused, but now, many people not do not avoid sin, but opening welcome it! What will others say?! Why do we not deny the undeniable?! All the scholars, clerics and believing men must stand against the vices and react to their actions against the truth.”
In the Holy Quran, God specifically mentions the specialties of those in his community who enjoin the good and forbid the wrong:
“You are the best nation [ever] brought forth for mankind: you bid what is right and forbid what is wrong, and have faith in God. And if the People of the Book had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them [some] are faithful, but most of them are transgressors.” [3:110]
Ayatollah Safi-Golpaygani explained that if some people enjoin the good and forbid the wrong, its task is removed from the rest of society. However, enjoining and forbidding the evil of a few, the task is removed from the others. When our scholars go to other cities or abroad, they have to be engaged in the important duty to defend the true Islamic theology. In many locations, they are few scholars and mujtahids, and the teachers of the Seminaries of Qom must travel or migrate there so that the people can make use of their knowledge.
“The sources of emulation recognize that understanding and removing the doubts, misunderstandings, and difficulties of the people as one of the most important duties of the clergy and teachers. The teachers must work together to identify the strengths and weaknesses and areas that can be developed. They can use traditional methods and also use the modern technology of this era to defend the path of the Ahlul-Bayt on the mission to spread the holy message of Islam to the world. The scholars are responsible before Imam al-Mahdi, so they must be careful in the message they preach,” His Eminence added.
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