Hawzah News Agency- the unveiling and introduction ceremony for the translated works of Martyr Morteza Motahhari into Spanish was held on Tuesday, in the holy city of Qom.
The event, attended by cultural activists, officials from international institutions, and missionaries active in Latin America, saw the launch of the nine-volume collection. The project was carried out by the Andisheh Shargh Cultural and Artistic Institute, along with Elham Shargh Publications, in cooperation with the Scientific and Cultural Foundation of Martyr Morteza Motahhari.
This publishing initiative is part of a broader program by the Andisheh Shargh Institute and Elham Shargh Publications, working closely with the Shahid Motahhari Foundation to introduce Islam, its history, teachings, beliefs, and ethics to audiences beyond the region.
On the sidelines of the event, officials from the Andisheh Shargh Institute stressed that the Spanish translation project is not limited to the works of Martyr Motahhari. The institute has already translated and published numerous titles by contemporary Islamic thinkers in various fields, particularly for children, teenagers, and young adults, into multiple languages. Nevertheless, the Spanish collection of Motahhari’s works holds a special place in the initiative as a reference package.
The titles translated into Spanish include Islamic Mysticism, The System of Women’s Rights in Islam, Jihad in Islam, The Perfect Man, Spiritual Discourses (Spiritual Freedom), The Attraction and Repulsion of Imam Ali (AS), Society and History, and Hijab. Each book addresses a part of Martyr Motahhari’s intellectual framework in the realms of humanity, religion, law, and ethics, offering a non-Iranian audience a relatively comprehensive picture of his rational yet faith-centered approach to Islam.
Spanish: A language of one billion potential listeners
Hojatoleslam Mohsen Rabbani, director of the Andisheh Shargh Cultural and Artistic Institute, spoke at the ceremony, explaining the institute's entry into Spanish-language translation. He described Martyr Motahhari as a figure whose "practical conduct was prophetic" and whose work and struggle were "entirely in service to Islam and the Quran."
Citing the Quranic verse "And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds," he stressed that a significant part of realizing Islam's message of mercy in the contemporary age has been made accessible to nations through the thought and pen of figures like Martyr Motahhari.
Hojatoleslam Rabbani pointed to the geographic and demographic breadth of the Spanish-speaking world, noting that with around 650 million native speakers, along with a considerable number of academics and cultural figures familiar with the language, Spanish provides a capacity to connect with approximately one billion people. He said this size and influence have placed Spanish today alongside languages like Chinese among the most significant tongues shaping the global cultural order.
He also touched on the historical and linguistic ties between Islamic and Spanish-speaking cultures, recalling that the Spanish language itself contains more than 4,000 words of Arabic origin. This, he remarked, is a sign of the enduring legacy of Islamic civilization within the intellectual and cultural fabric of Spanish-speaking societies.
From a mosque in Buenos Aires to dozens of centers across Latin America
The director of the Andisheh Shargh Institute devoted another part of his speech to reviewing his field experience in Latin America. Recalling the start of the organization’s activities in Argentina in 1984, he said, "At that time, many believed that undertaking Islamic cultural work in that region was a futile effort and impossible." However, he continued, "By the divine will and power, the blessings of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), the support of the Imams of the Revolution, and the blood of the martyrs, the mosque established under the name 'Al-Tawhid Mosque' in Argentina became the starting point for a network of Islamic centers in Latin America."
According to Rabbani, this movement has now expanded into approximately 83 centers across the Latin American region; a network that, in addition to acts of worship, has also engaged in media, educational, and cultural work.
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