Statements in Meeting with Organizers of the Congress Commemorating Ayatollah Aghajafi Hamedani

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Welcome, dear gentlemen, brothers from Hamedan! Your statements have revived our knowledge and memories of the city of Hamedan and its personalities; we are very grateful to you.

In commemorating the personalities of a city or a province, two benefits arise; one is the introduction of that personality, and the other is the introduction of that city or province or region. When you honor the late Ayatollah Aghajafi Hamedani, in accordance with this honor, the memory of Hamedan, the history of Hamedan, the personalities of Hamedan, and the numerous advantages of Hamedan come to the attention of all listeners and spectators, and in fact, you introduce Hamedan. This is one of the blessings of remembering these great figures.

Well, in recent times, the late Akhund Mullah Hossein Qoli Hamedani, the late Hajj Sheikh Mohammad Bahari, the late Sayyid Ali Arab - his father - and others who were there, are personalities who are prominent both scientifically and spiritually and in terms of knowledge and conduct; this is one of the advantages of these personalities; in fact, it is one of the advantages of this city that it has gathered so many prominent figures who have combined scientific ranks - the prevalent sciences in the seminaries, such as jurisprudence, principles, and wisdom - with the path of conduct and moral movement; the perfect example of this in recent times is the late Akhund Mullah Hossein Qoli, and then his students, and up to these individuals; hence, Hamedan is honored to have these personalities.

Regarding the late Ayatollah Aghajafi (may God be pleased with him), unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to sit with him, to meet him properly; this did not happen for me, but we knew him from afar. The two books that were mentioned, one of which is a commentary called Anvar-e Derakhshan (Brilliant Lights), and the other is Derakhshan, a ray from Usul al-Kafi (Principles of Sufficient), which is in fact a hadith. Well, these books were also sent to us; I have occasionally referred to them; the author, a scholar and thinker, is also a Persian writer, which is significant. I have often said that the late Majlisi, with his high ranks, considered it his duty to write Persian books; alongside a vast ocean like the book Bihar, which is truly an ocean, he wrote the book Haqq al-Yaqin and Hayat al-Qulub; that is, writing in Persian for the benefit of the people. Well, now, regarding how much the late Ayatollah Aghajafi was able to consider and utilize contemporary literature in these books written in Persian, that is another discussion - if there is a deficiency in this area, as you mentioned, the solution is for a number of scholars from Qom, the students of Qom, to extract the nuances and in fact convert the literature of these texts - but what is important is this motivation, the motivation of being with the people, putting this active, diligent, and content-rich mind at the service of the people; this is what the late Ayatollah Aghajafi demonstrated. May his ranks be high, God willing, before the Almighty God, and may God elevate his ranks.

Well, he was a student in terms of conduct and spirituality of his father and other teachers in Najaf - the late Ayatollah Qazi and perhaps others - and a scholarly student of the late Ayatollah Naini and the late Hajj Sheikh Mohammad Hussein and others who were there. He truly worked hard; I heard he has a series of notes; in that interview that Mr. Salehi referred to, which I have read and seen, he apparently says that he attended a series of the principles lessons of Ayatollah Naini and showed his writings to him. Well, this is valuable; that is, if such a thing is available now, ready, and at the disposal of the seminaries, it is scientifically valuable and a part of our scientific and principled wealth. Well, he has this rank from the scientific aspect.

From the aspect of conduct, he is truly a pious and faithful man, but alongside these, what stands out and is very apparent is his revolutionary conduct. During the front and during the war, I traveled to Hamedan once or twice; both he and the late Ayatollah Talahi, these two elderly scholars, were so warm and engaging with the youth going to the front that it seemed they were one of them. And they always told us, and we heard from friends connected to Hamedan, and I think they also conveyed it to us there, that these two gentlemen were such that they were the reference for the youth going to the front; both their mosque, their prayers, their home, and their going to the front. This is very important that someone at this age and with this scientific rank and status is not oblivious to the important issues of his time. Some were oblivious to the important issues of their time, which was the enemy's invasion, the threat to the country, the threat to the nation, the threat to the revolution, the threat to the system, and everything; there were those who were oblivious to this issue; this man's attention to this meaning and valuing these young people is, in our opinion, a remarkable point.

In any case, we are very grateful to you gentlemen for reviving the blessed name of this great man and honoring them. It is good that this work is also done for the late Ayatollah Talahi and others who are in the province of Hamedan. Now, Mr. Mohammadi mentioned names, but there are more than these; for example, consider the late Akhund Mullah Ali Nahavandi, the author of Tashrih al-Usul; a prominent jurist and scholar of the first degree - who is from Hamedan - from Nahavand; and there are other prominent personalities from Hamedan; if a commemoration for them can be arranged in this way, just as we mentioned, not only honoring those great figures and reviving the names of those great figures, but also honoring Hamedan and honoring this region that nurtures scholars and knowledge. May God elevate their ranks, God willing, and may God elevate your worldly and otherworldly ranks as well. I think one of his sons - who is here - collaborated with our organization during the presidency; this comes to my mind. Mr. Ansari, who is his grandson, is also here. May God protect you, God willing.

Brothers from Hamedan who want to hold a commemoration for the late Ayatollah Aghajafi, ... pay attention to the good taste and the artistic and wise execution of the work; sometimes we exert effort, but the work does not turn out to be effective; let this not happen. Think as much as possible, and bring the work out wisely, intelligently, thoughtfully, artistically, and with skill so that, God willing, it can be effective.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.