Seminaries should be at the level as Imam Sadeq’s (a.s.) School/People of Gilan pioneers in resistance and religiosity: Ayatollah Ramazani

News News of Secretary General

Thursday, 20 October 2022

On Wednesday, October 19, 2022, a group of presidents of seminaries of Gilan province met with Ayatollah Ramazani.

On Wednesday, October 19, 2022, a group of presidents of seminaries of Gilan province met with Ayatollah Ramazani, representative of the people of Gilan province in the Assembly of the Leadership experts.

In this meeting, Ayatollah Reza Ramazani stated, “Directors of seminaries in different cities are at the forefront of religious activities, and they can play a significant role in realizing the goals of the Islamic Republic and Revolution.”

“The correct, rational and spiritual explanation of religious teachings, answering questions according to the requirements of the time, and answering doubts are the three important tasks of the clerics. Today, some people mix truth with falsehood. Doubt is cast by sick-hearted people to create confusion between truth and falsehood. Therefore, it is necessary to answer the doubts and explain the issues by the clerics,” he said about the duties of the clergy and clerics.

“Today, the authority and mission of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and the AhlulBayt (a.s.) are the responsibility of the clerics and ulama, and this honored people should put the education and cultivation of the society at the top of their work. It is also necessary for clerics to give both good tidings and warning like the Prophet (p.b.u.h). God says in the Quran, “وَقَالُوا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ” (And they will say, ‘Had we listened or applied reason, we would not have been among inmates of the Blaze.) (Quran, 67:10). The dwellers of hell regret that they had listened to the warnings of the one who warned and accepted his words so that they would not be caught in hell. Therefore, it is important that the religious scholar gives good tidings and warns,” added the professor of higher levels of Qom seminary.

“A cleric must have scientific and spiritual grandeur. If a religious scholar is not armed with these two weapons, he will not be able to work,” he emphasized.

“Gilan province has had many dignitaries in different fields. Mirza Habibullah Rashti was one of the great ulama of Gilan. I heard from Ayatollah Araki that Mirza Habibullah Rashti was one of the best students of Sheikh Ansari. Also, Ayatollah Bahjat was a great scientific, epistemic and mystical figure. Ayatollah Aminian was also a source of emulation and had studied with many dignitaries. Ayatollah Rudbari also studied under Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khoei for 23 years. He taught Kharij Fiqh. His Kharij Fiqh presentations are very beautiful and fluent. Ayatollah Lakani also had permits from Aqazia Eraqi and Ayatollah Borujerdi,” said the representative of the people of Gilan in the Assembly of Leadership Experts.

“In the meeting that we had with a group of intellectuals of Gilan with the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, he said that he can say with research that Gilan is an excellent province in terms of human capital. The people of the province understand well and are pioneers and flag bearers in resistance and religion. Gilan is a model and practical example in terms of unity and peaceful coexisting of Shiites and Sunnis,” he added.

“Gilan is one of the most powerful provinces in the country in various fields,” continued the professor of higher levels of Qom Seminary, “In terms of software and infrastructure, as well as in economy and export, Gilan province can be one of the privileged provinces. On the other hand, in terms of human capital, this province has many talented and educated young people. Therefore, it is necessary to make a lot of effort in the cultural field.”

Regarding the need to address the situation of seminaries in Gilan province, he said, “Seminary professors must be financially supported so they can devote themselves to teaching, research, and training students.”

“The establishment and development of specialized fields, and obtaining the first rank by Gilan province in research fields is promising,” Ayatollah Ramazani said, “There are many capacities and we must create capacity and platform for activity.”

Emphasizing the necessity of reviving the old seminary traditions, he stated, “Discussion, and ethic courses have been in seminaries since the past, and they should have been revived. If the ethic courses fade away in seminaries, the seminary will lose its essence, function and philosophy. The purpose of seminary education is not just memorizing and passing exams. Rather, decent people should be cultivated in the seminary. In teaching and learning, Samara’s approach is very good and valuable, and that method can be used in seminaries. In this method, students pursue their studies with research.”

While emphasizing the necessity of teaching foreign languages in seminaries, he said, “In the past, grand ulama understood the need to learn a foreign language, and some of them were fluent in French or English. Today, there is an opportunity to listen to the AhlulBayt (a.s.) teachings in the world, and by mastering foreign languages, one can convey the rightful teachings to the world in real and virtual space.”

“Specialized work on criticism of Wahhabism and Christianity should be developed,” the representative of the people of Gilan in the Assembly of Leadership Experts continued, “The two extreme approaches of Wahhabism and compassionate Islam seek to distort pure Islam like two edges of a pair of scissors. Wahhabism has an extreme and unreasonable understanding of Islam, and extremist Wahhabis teach violence to their followers and children. While Islam orders knowledge and learning. On the other hand, the result of compassionate Islam is that even with the criminal Tel Aviv one can have a peaceful relationship, and avoiding animosity with everyone is possible! This is while in Islam, along with mercy, there is also resistance against bullies and tyrants.”

“Seminaries should be at the level as Imam Sadeq’s (a.s.) School. Because those educated in the school of Imam Sadeq (a.s.) were dominant, superior and sovereign everywhere,” said AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in the end.

It is worth mentioning that at the beginning of this meeting, a number of directors of seminaries in Gilan province presented a report on the activities of seminaries and clergy in the cities of the province to Ayatollah Ramazani, and expressed their concerns and suggestions.

AhlulBayt (a_s_) World Assembly Ayatollah Ramazani Gilan Seminary