Hawzah News Agency- In a video message delivered to the opening ceremony of the 33rd International Holy Qur’an Exhibition, Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli praised the global scope of the divine scripture, describing it as a book whose message is inherently universal and whose intellectual and spiritual banquet must likewise be accessible to the entire world.
“If the Book is universal—as it certainly is—and if it carries a message for all humanity—as it undoubtedly does—then its intellectual and spiritual feast must also be universal,” the senior scholar stated.
Culture as the Only Timeless Common Ground
Ayatollah Javadi Amoli underlined that culture is the only phenomenon that remains shared across past and future generations. He explained that the Qur’an addresses fundamental existential questions that concern every human being, regardless of time or place: Where has humanity come from? Where is it heading? What is the nature of the cosmos? What is the reality of the human soul and society?
According to the cleric, the Qur’an does not merely provide ritual or legal instruction, but presents a comprehensive worldview that defines humanity’s position within the cosmic order.
Two Dimensions of Qur’anic Knowledge
The Grand Ayatollah further elaborated that the Qur’an introduces two categories of knowledge.
The first includes conventional sciences and teachings referenced in the verse, “He teaches them the Book and wisdom” (2:129), encompassing jurisprudence, legal theory, ethics, and related disciplines that structure human society.
The second category, however, represents a higher and exclusive dimension of knowledge—truths that were neither accessible in the past nor attainable through ordinary intellectual advancement. Referring to the Qur’anic verse, “And He teaches you what you did not know” (2:151), Ayatollah Javadi Amoli stressed that even the Prophet of Islam, despite his unparalleled intellect and moral excellence, would not have accessed these realities without divine revelation.
“Under this sky, apart from the Qur’an, there exists no book that unveils these truths,” he said, describing them as the “eternal realities of human existence.”
Humanity as an Eternal Being
In his remarks, the senior scholar emphasized the Qur’anic conception of the human being as an eternal entity. While the physical body perishes, he noted, the human soul embarks on an everlasting journey—from this world to the intermediate realm (Barzakh), then to Resurrection and ultimately to Paradise.
“Humanity is an eternal being,” he stated. “An eternal being requires an eternal culture.”
He explained that in the eternal realm there is neither temporal limitation nor spatial boundary, underscoring the necessity of divine guidance that transcends worldly constraints.
Call for Knowledge-Based Islamic Institutions
Ayatollah Javadi Amoli concluded by expressing hope that Islamic seminaries, universities, and intellectual institutions will fully embrace both dimensions of Qur’anic knowledge—benefiting from the teachings of “the Book and wisdom” while also seeking the higher truths revealed through divine guidance.
He prayed for the preservation of a knowledge-centered Islamic system under the guardianship of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), stressing that the Qur’an remains humanity’s ultimate source of enduring culture, moral clarity, and civilizational direction in an age of uncertainty.
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