Serious gap in explaining Mahdavi culture in West: Ayatollah Ramazani

News News of Secretary General

Monday, 24 January 2022

The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly emphasized, “At present, we only think about propagating Mahdavi culture in Iran, and this is not appropriate. We must master the language and literature of the world. Some concepts are obvious to us, and we consider them as absolute issues. However, these things are theoretical for others, and we face this problem in the West.”

The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly visited the Bright Future Institute and was informed about its activities.

Before visiting this institute, addressing the official and faculty members of Bright Future Institute, Ayatollah Reza Ramazani said, “Mahdaviat has always been one of my intellectual and study concerns. When I was in Karaj, we discussed the issue of Awaiting in the monthly meetings. I had concerns, and with the experience of living in the West, my concerns increased.”

There is a serious gap in explaining Mahdavi culture in the West

Stating that today there is a serious gap in explaining the Mahdavi culture in the West, he added, “The information that some gentlemen have on this subject is not specialized. But your work is specialized and valuable in various dimensions. It is appropriate to dedicate an issue of the quarterly to explain the subject of ‘Mercy and Resistance in the rule of Imam Mahdi (a.s.)’. It is also possible to hold a conference and call for an article entitled The Doctrine of Mahdism. Because the two words mercy and resistance have been distorted. Some interpret mercy in a way in which there is no resistance. While mercy is the Quranic principle and has been accepted and this has been the secret of revelation. Also, the management of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) was based on mercy,” said the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, presenting a proposal.

“Westerners, on the other hand, refer to resistance in a distorted sense. Because throughout history, Orientalists have highlighted violence in Islam and their reason for this has been the Quranic verses on fighting. Therefore, it is appropriate for the researchers of the Bright Future Institute to work professionally on this issue. Because in the Mahdavi culture, mercy and resistance are prominent in all sectors,” he added.

We should not limit the propagation of Mahdavi culture only to Iran

“At present, we only think about propagating Mahdavi culture in Iranian, and this is not appropriate. We must master the language and literature of the world. Some concepts are obvious to us, and we consider them as absolute issues. However, these things are theoretical for others, and we face this problem in the West. Therefore, it is very important that we introduce Mahdaviat to the audience with their own literature, and the observance of this principle also affects our writing,” the professor of higher levels of the seminary of Qom stated in another part of his speech on propagation of Mahdaviat.

“Some issues in Iran are not understood at all in the West. Therefore, we must train local missionaries who are familiar with the language of the region. If we know the Mahdavi culture correctly and introduce it, the space in the world will be ready. Because the geography of Resistance has spread around the world, and resistance is not limited to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The discourse of Resistance is resistance to authoritarianism. That is why Hajj Qassem is called the commander of peace and not the commander of war. He confronted violence,” he emphasized.

It is necessary for preachers to become acquainted with world literature

“Once, a conference entitled ‘The End Time from a Shiite and Catholic Perspective’ was held in the West. At the meeting, one of the clerics said, ‘When Imam Mahdi (a.s.) appears, two thirds of the people of the world will be killed!’ Moreover, this statement is not correct - because such Hadiths are narrated by Ali ibn Hamza Bataeni and they are not authentic - such literature is not acceptable in the West and the people there will say, ‘It is better that this person does not come’,” stated the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, emphasizing the need for missionaries to become acquainted with world literature.

“If you narrate the hadith of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) as saying ‘The tradition of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) is my tradition’ in different languages ​​in the world, it would be the miracle of the Bright Future Institute, and it can dominate Mahdavi literature in the world,” he said, addressing the officials of the Bright Future Institute.

“Westerners misunderstand the term Preemptive Jihad,” Ayatollah Ramazani added, “Allamah Javad Belaqi, one of the great Shiite scholars, said, ‘I examined all the wars of the Prophet (p.b.u.h). All of them defensive and none of them were initiative, and the term Preemptive Jihad came from Sunni books to Shiite books’.”

Regarding the need to get acquainted with international literature, he said, “To achieve this goal, you must use experts. For example, hold meetings with Dr. Legenhausen, Soheil Asad, etc. to get acquainted with different regions of the world. The introduction of Mahdaviat, like the introduction of Islam itself is different in Indonesia, Africa, and Europe. To introduce Islam in Europe and the United States, ‘rationality’ must be at the heart of the teachings. Because if the teachings deviate from rationality, no one will accept the talk. This rationality exists in Islam. While for preaching in Pakistan, the emotional aspects and love in Islam and the school of AhlulBayt (a.s.) should be emphasized.”

Jihad for Explanation requires its own literature

“Today, we should not neglect the field of Jihad for Explanation. This type of jihad requires its own literature, and its mujahideen must be familiar with strategies, goals, and policies in the field of propagating and preaching, and be aware of the affairs of each region. The late Bono ironically said, ‘You should know that your audience is from Mecca or Medina. If they are from Medina, talk to the literature of ‘O you who believe!’, and for the audience from Mecca, you should teach beliefs and ethics.’ Unfortunately, we do not differentiate between our audiences. To propagate Mahdaviat, the audience must be differentiated precisely. Just like a film made for a certain age group,” The professor of the higher levels of the seminary of Qom continued.

“If works are produced with the literature of the audience and posted on sites and channels, we can succeed in Jihad for Explanation, and the Mahdaviat discourse can provide for a great movement,” he also said.

While emphasizing the need to respond to doubts, Ayatollah Ramazani added, “There are doubts about Mahdaviat for the young generation. Because we have not been able to propagate the teachings with the proper literature. Therefore, others have taken over the stage.”

The late Ayatollah Taskhiri knew the audience well

Referring to the need to know the audience in the propagation and preaching, the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly said, “The late Ayatollah Taskhiri knew the audience well, and defended Jafari jurisprudence in important Sunni meetings.”

It should be mentioned that at the beginning of the meeting, while pointing to the need for cooperation between the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and the Bright Future Institute, Hojat al-Islam Sayed Massoud Pur Sayed Aqai, the head of the institute, presented a report on its activities and the 17^th International Conference on Mahdavi doctrine.

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• AhlulBayt (a_s_) World Assembly
• Ayatollah Ramazani
• Mahdavi culture
• West