Speaking to the Hawzah News Agency on the occasion of the anniversary of Hazrat Masoumeh's passing, Ruqaiyyah Ramezani, a lecturer at the Al-Zahra Specialized Seminary in Sari, said the revered figure's standing is not limited to her family ties with the infallible Imams.
Her "knowledge, purity, adherence to guardianship and historical role in accompanying the path of Imam Reza (peace be upon him)" have secured her a special station, Ramezani said.
She cited a narration attributed to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) stating that a woman from his descendants named Fatima would be buried in Qom and that Shias would enter paradise through her intercession.
She also cited a saying from Imam Jawad (peace be upon him): "Whoever visits the grave of my aunt in Qom, paradise will be his."
Ramezani noted that the traditional visitation text for Hazrat Masoumeh emphasizes her elevated status before God and her power of intercession, adding that the title "Masoumeh" — meaning the infallible or pure one — reflects her purity, piety, divine proximity and distinguished spiritual station.
The lecturer stressed that adherence to guardianship is not merely a matter of heartfelt affection or verbal claim, but requires "knowledge, obedience, responsibility and conscious presence in the field of aiding the truth."
She described Hazrat Masoumeh as a model of knowledge and companionship with her Imam, noting that she left Medina to join Imam Reza (peace be upon him) after understanding the sensitivity of the conditions of his era.
"This migration, beyond its emotional and familial dimension, can be analyzed as an extension of her deep connection to guardianship," Ramezani said.
She explained that Imam Reza's migration to Khorasan in 200 AH — though it took place under the pressures and policies of the Abbasid caliph Ma'mun — provided an opportunity for the spread of Ahl al-Bayt teachings in Khorasan and other parts of Iran. The subsequent presence of Alawites, Sadat and descendants of the Imams across Iran helped gradually strengthen love and knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt among the people, she added.
Qom was already an important center for Shias and the Ash'ari family before Hazrat Masoumeh's arrival, but her burial in the city gave its religious and cultural standing greater depth, Ramezani said. The holy shrine has since become a center for pilgrimage, religious education and the formation of Shia scholarly institutions throughout history.
The seminary lecturer noted that while Hazrat Masoumeh's journey to Iran and her arrival in Qom are established historical facts in sources related to her life, accounts differ regarding the route she took, the number of companions, details of events along the way and the cause of her illness or death.
"In scholarly writing, one must avoid making definitive claims about these details," she said.
Ramezani concluded by emphasizing that the great lesson of Hazrat Masoumeh for today's society is "conscious support for the front of truth and responsibility before guardianship."
She added that awaiting the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (PBUH) is not a passive matter limited to wishful thinking, but rather demands individual and social readiness to realize justice, defend human dignity and stand against oppression.
"In the era of occultation, connection with Imam Mahdi is realized through practice of religious teachings, understanding one's duty, supporting the truth and avoiding social indifference," she said. "A waiting society is one in which the pursuit of justice and opposition to oppression transcend slogans and manifest in people's ethics, behavior and social responsibility."
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