Hawzah News Agency- During a friendly meeting with some scholars from Zanjan Islamic seminary, Grand Ayatollah Zanjani emphasized on the fact that, Islamic scholars’ behavior and attitude accounts for the system of beliefs among the people in the society. He added, “If you observe a Muslim in the society digressing from the true path of religion, we, as well, must take responsibility for this digression and faithlessness.

The meeting was held in the Grand jurist’s central office in Qom.” Ordinary citizens do not gain their religious beliefs and understandings through the same ways a scholar or an Islamic jurist does, they do not master Islamic sciences as we do, they do not attend to review and explore them, but they observe our behaviors and manners carefully and form their beliefs based on our actions and behaviors, to say so”, Ayatollah Zanjani said.

He also said, people have faith in Islamic seminaries and scholars, “people due to their belief and trust in Islamic scholars, say, these are the ones who have studied and researched religious inquiries and these are the ones acting upon true religion and Islamic teachings. People look upon us, to some extend, as their ‘role models’. So, considering this fact, if there are any faults or problems regarding our behaviors and lifestyles as scholars, it may cause some damage to ordinary people’s religious beliefs and ideas.

 The grand jurists also added, scholars must endeavor in achieving pious behavior, in order to not only strengthen their own beliefs and faith, but also to make the society a better place by setting great examples for people. One who is not pious, increases faithlessness among the people in the society, so we are all responsible for such digressions from the true cause of Islam and will be held accountable in the face of God.