Hawzah News Agency- Speaking at the opening of his first advanced jurisprudence class of the new academic year at the al-A'imma mosque, the head of the Jurisprudential Center of the Ahl al-Bayt emphasized the vital duties of the seminary and the clergy in the present era and the need for scholarly jihad.
Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani began by expressing gratitude to God for the blessing of being engaged in study and discussion for the sake of understanding God's religion.
Citing Verse 28 of Surah al-Kahf, which urges the faithful to remain patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening seeking His pleasure, he said the verse applies to seminary students and scholars who are constantly engaged in divine remembrance.
The senior cleric stressed that seminary study and debate are aimed at explaining God's religion and guiding both the individual and society, adding that the clergy have no message other than God's.
He noted that the Quran instructs Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to associate with those who seek only God's pleasure, describing this as one of the great characteristics of the clergy.
Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani emphasized that the clergy have played a key role in the Islamic Revolution but have never sought a share of power, saying that when clerics have taken official positions, it has been out of necessity. He recalled that Imam Khomeini had insisted from the outset that the clergy should not occupy formal government posts, though circumstances sometimes required it.
The member of the Qom Seminary Teachers' Society said the clergy have sacrificed more martyrs in defense of the revolution and Islam relative to their population than any other group, citing figures such as Ayatollah Beheshti and Ayatollah Motahhari as sources of pride for the seminary.
Referring to the clergy's prominent presence in recent imposed wars, he said clerics have stood side by side with the people in the "Ramadan war" and in the nightly gatherings, playing a central role.
He said the seminary must grow stronger day by day and that students should set a clear academic plan from the start of the year so they know what they aim to achieve by its end.
Turning to the hostility of the arrogant system toward the seminary, he said enmity toward the clergy is intense today, yet the need for clerics both inside and outside the country is equally great.
Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani described the martyrdom of Ayatollah Imam Khamenei as a profound tragedy for all, especially the seminaries, and asked what duty the seminary bears in the face of the loss of the "martyred leader."
He called on all to follow the guidelines of Imam Khomeini's charter on the seminary and the clergy, and to pursue the thoughts and ideas of the martyred leader in the seminaries. He stressed that the leader's important message to the 100th anniversary congress of the seminary must be read and kept in mind, warning that if the seminary wants to remain revolutionary, it must continue the path of Imam Khomeini and the martyred leader.
He said the demand for blood revenge for the martyrdom of the leader must always be pursued, adding: "We, like the rest of the people, have lost a father, and the luminous path of the martyred leader must continue."
Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani warned that anyone chasing worldly desires has a heart empty of God's remembrance and must not be obeyed. He said the enemy today is pinning its hopes on divisive remarks by certain individuals, calling on all to speak with one voice and to raise any concerns through proper channels rather than making statements that wound the hearts of believers under the guise of peace-seeking.
"The enemy has proven it does not seek peace. Rather, as the martyred leader put it, the enemy seeks to swallow Iran, and we must not allow it to achieve its goal," he said.
In his concluding remarks, Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani said the clergy must always give people hope in God's grace and mercy while also warning them of divine punishment. He noted that according to narrations, a true jurist is one who does not permit people to disobey God and keeps them as far from sin as possible.
He stressed that the Quran must be the center of all affairs and that no book should be preferred over it. "A jurist is one who is intimate with the Quran," he said, adding that throughout his study of the lives of Imam Khomeini and the martyred leader, he found that the secret to their success was their familiarity with the Quran and their reflection upon it.
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