Hawzah News Agency- Speaking during his advanced jurisprudence class, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli said that while joy, poetry, and public expressions of happiness are commendable on such sacred occasions, they should never eclipse the deeper objective of gaining true spiritual and intellectual recognition of the Imam.
“Birth anniversaries such as that of Imam al-Mahdi (PBUH) must be observed correctly,” he stated. “We should truly see this day as a sanctuary of worship. Although happiness, celebration, and poetry are desirable, the essential task is to attain a deeper understanding of the Imam’s exalted position. It is to such an Imam that we say: Peace be upon you when you stand, peace be upon you when you sit, peace be upon you when you read and when you explain…”
Reason as the Cultural Axis of Islamic Civilization
Ayatollah Javadi Amoli went on to stress the centrality of ‘aql (reason) in Islamic thought and civilization. Referring to the famous introduction of al-Kafi by Shaykh al-Kulayni, he highlighted a pivotal statement describing reason as the cultural axis of the Muslim community.
“In the final line of the introduction, Shaykh Kulayni states that the cultural pivot of a nation is its intellect: ‘Since reason is the axis around which all matters revolve, by its proof is established, and upon it reward and punishment depend.’ This brief sentence means that the cultural core of Islam is understanding and rational comprehension,” he explained.
Najaf: A Seminary Before a City
Addressing the historical development of Islamic seminaries, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli emphasized the role of sound intellectual and financial management in the flourishing of religious institutions. He pointed to Najaf as a prime example, noting that it was a center of learning even before it became known as a city.
“Najaf was a seminary before it was a city,” he said. “Abu Hamza al-Thumali, a companion of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), would regularly travel outside Kufa. It later became clear that he was visiting the sacred burial place of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), where he taught and studied with a group of students. From the time of Imam Sajjad (PBUH) and his distinguished disciples, this area was already a center of instruction and spiritual cultivation.”
He added that during the era of Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (PBUH), when the location of Imam Ali’s (PBUH) shrine became publicly known, the wisdom behind Imam Sajjad’s guidance of Abu Hamza to that location became fully evident.
Identifying and Nurturing Talent in the Hawza
Recalling accounts from the life of the late Sayyid Bahr al-Olum, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli highlighted the decisive role played by figures such as Sayyid al-Murtada and Sayyid al-Radi in the growth of the Najaf seminary through prudent financial and academic leadership.
“The seminary should not act as a nursery selling saplings,” he cautioned. “Rather, it must identify gifted students and support them, so that great scholars such as Sahib al-Jawahir (the author of Jawahir al-Kalam) and Shaykh Ansari may emerge from within it.”
He noted that the enlightened management and talent recognition exercised by Sayyid al-Murtada and Sayyid al-Radi led directly to the formation of towering figures like Shaykh al-Tusi, the author of two of the Four Canonical Shia Hadith Collections (al-Tahdhib and al-Istibsar). “Such knowledge and management are divine gifts and are not granted to everyone,” he said.
Divinely Bestowed Knowledge and the Role of the Ahl al-Bayt
Ayatollah Javadi Amoli further emphasized the indispensable role of devotion and reliance upon the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), clarifying that not all forms of knowledge are acquired through conventional learning.
“Not all knowledge is attained through study and debate,” he said. “Miracles, Imamate, and infallibility are not accessible through purely intellectual or academic paths. No one can reach these realities through ordinary study alone. The knowledge possessed by the Imam is not learned in classrooms; it is a divine reality, bestowed by God, transcending conventional routes of human cognition.”
Scholars Must Combine Knowledge with Practice
In his concluding remarks, the senior cleric stressed that religious scholars bear a responsibility that goes beyond authoring books and producing academic works. Their practical conduct, he said, must reflect the teachings they convey.
He expressed hope that society at large—its leaders, institutions, and people—would remain under the constant prayers and spiritual attention of Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), and that occasions such as Mid-Sha‘ban would become opportunities for both collective joy and profound spiritual awakening.
Your Comment