Statements of His Eminence in Meeting with a Large Group of Clergy, Scholars, and Islamic Preachers on the Eve of the Blessed Month of Ramadan

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

Thanks be to God, who granted me the opportunity to meet with the esteemed scholars, clergy, and preachers on the eve of entering the 'Great Month of God.' This occasion allows us to discuss a very important matter that undoubtedly plays a prominent role in our society and lives today.

Preaching religion is not exclusive to the month of Ramadan; however, Ramadan is a month of blessing and mercy, and preaching is one of God's blessings. If individuals can correctly preach God's religion and the way of life to people during this month, it will certainly be considered a divine blessing. Therefore, it is appropriate for those responsible for preaching, especially in the seminaries, to pay special attention to this enduring tradition of the Shia community.

There is a fundamental difference between preaching among Shia clergy and others. Preaching religion by the clergy is not a formal, dry governmental duty; rather, it involves personal motivations, including spiritual and divine motivations, as well as personal tastes. This is a strength. Other religions and sects also have preaching, and sometimes their methods are such that we must learn from them to enhance our own preaching efforts.

Nevertheless, the essence of our work among Shia clergy is unique. The feeling of divine duty often motivates someone to preach. It is not that material motivations do not exist, or that divine duty conflicts with some material motivations for the preacher; this is not the case. The fact that a cleric voluntarily engages in preaching, and if they are sincere and seek closeness to God and the spiritual benefits of preaching, they find an open field of work. This is a significant opportunity available to us.

In any case, this is a thousand-year-old tradition, and if we study the period before the formation of Shia seminaries and clergy society, we will find that even then, among the prominent and elite Shia scholars, preaching was observed. However, what is clear and documented, and we can refer to by name, is the period when seminaries were established. During the time of Sayyid Murtadha (may God be pleased with him) and Sheikh Tusi (may God's mercy be upon him), great jurists and scholars from the Baghdad seminary and then the Najaf seminary were sent to various Islamic regions to preach and explain the laws, residing there.

Of course, during this period, Shia and their scholars went through various phases, enduring severe persecution and harsh actions from oppressive rulers. There was a time when if Shia preachers were found in society, they faced the harshest punishments. However, preaching did not stop. If dear brothers refer to history, it is essential to understand the current position of Islamic preachers and their situation today. The harshest punishments were for preachers, especially migrant preachers who traveled to different cities to preach and explain the Ja'fari jurisprudence and Quranic truths. They lived with great caution and faced immense pressure, but the chain of preaching was never broken.

I mention this to emphasize that today, scholars engaged in religious studies and the truths of religion, as well as the scholars of seminaries and city clergy, should note that the first duty of a religious scholar is preaching, and religious knowledge is for preaching. It is true that training scholars and preachers requires great specialists who sit in one place and students and scholars benefit from them, and it is not expected that they face different classes of people. Their work is essentially training preachers, scholars, and specialists, which is correct and acceptable in its place. However, when one looks at religious scholars as a whole, those who train specialists are a small number.

The main work among Shia scholars is preaching and conveying the truths of religion. Of course, this work has different levels: one level is the general public, another level is those with some knowledge and awareness, and another level is the elite of society; individuals who, although they may not have knowledge and awareness of religious science, are considered prominent in other sciences or various life skills and possess sharp minds, abundant intelligence, experience, and awareness. These are also among the audience of religious preachers. They also need religion to be explained to them. Thus, in a general view, a religious preacher faces various classes and not just the general public; they also encounter individuals with considerable knowledge, science, and experience. This is a significant point that becomes the basis for decision-making.

The second point is that a religious preacher is a chosen scholar, and preaching religion is among the duties of religious scholars. Could it be said that non-scholars should preach religion? No. Preaching religion is the duty of a scholar. Those who wish to preach religion must possess religious knowledge to the extent needed. This means that a religious preacher must strive to elevate their audience from their current level and not tolerate their remaining at one point. The essence of preaching is advancing the audience. They must be made aware, intellectually developed, and advanced in religious awareness, closeness to God, and spiritual perfections, like a student who is trained and advanced day by day.

The third point is something that has been said many times, and the greats have said it, and Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) repeatedly emphasized it. We have all said this, and I myself need to understand this more than anyone. A religious preacher and explainer of religious knowledge must not rely solely on words; their actions must also demonstrate their faith, sincerity, and purity in conveying this truth to the audience. The reason you see that in any work where religious scholars take the lead, people respond positively, gather, and act—whether it is the front, politics, or the revolution—is because this attire and profession, due to the actions of the righteous and good people before us, has been able to attract and draw people's faith. This is the sincerity of past scholars and our greats, and it is considered a valuable asset. We must preserve this. When religious scholars demonstrate such faith and sincerity and practically prove it to the people, they make guiding them easier.

People find the path to God. For someone who can draw people to God's path, how much reward and merit there is! This depends on action and truthfulness in speech. The same applies to the external impact of actions. If a person is truthful, their words, actions, and path will be blessed in the real world. The truthfulness of a nation and a community can lead them to victory in various fields. Our great Imam was truthful in his path, which enabled him to attract people's faith, and the people were also truthful, which brought the movement to this point. Otherwise, if that truthfulness, purity, and faith did not exist, this movement would have been doomed to failure. The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: 'When God saw our truthfulness, He brought humiliation upon our enemy and bestowed victory upon us...'

This was also the case in the early days of Islam. Truthfulness is necessary. Truthfulness means that a person's words are confirmed by their actions and deeds. If we invite people to be indifferent to worldly adornments, this should be seen in our actions as well. If we invite people to work without reward and favor—where the system needs it—we should also fulfill that need without hesitation where we feel the Islamic system and country need our efforts, without imposing a favor on anyone. These are the things that make preaching effective.

Another point I want to raise about preaching, which I have previously mentioned to the scholars and elite of Qom, is that, my dear ones, today is the era of Islamic governance, and if there is a flaw in our work, no excuse will be accepted from us. During the era of tyranny and the rule of disbelief, we said that the means and tools were not at our disposal; but today, religious scholars and clergy cannot say this. Today, if the religious and scholarly community—that is, the clergy and religious scholars—do not act according to the needs of the time, country, society, and the Islamic world, as they should, they will have no excuse before God Almighty and history. In the minds of future generations, there will be serious questions. Therefore, we must pay attention to these matters and take necessary actions. Of course, perhaps not every individual is capable of taking action; but when the collective and all individuals want it, action can be taken, and it is impossible for it not to happen. The main thing is that everyone wants it to happen this way.

The point I raised in Qom and now present to you is that preaching is an art and requires education and learning. It also requires that the necessities and requirements of preaching be presented to preachers anew and daily. These are necessary things. The preaching community must be able to perform its work correctly. The art of preaching must be learned. Some must learn and teach this art and perfect it. Additionally, as mentioned, the daily needs of preaching and preachers must be provided to them.

What should we tell people today? What is a priority in different places? Some religious issues are general and should be told to everyone, such as ethics, religious and political knowledge that everyone needs, or issues related to the system or seasonal issues like elections, where every preacher should familiarize people with the importance of elections and explain that it is a duty and necessity. These belong to the entire country and are not specific to a particular class or place; however, some topics are specific to certain places. For example, in the environment of intellectuals, youth, and students, there are things needed that may not be needed elsewhere, and someone must be there to explain them.

Therefore, firstly, a center for teaching preaching is necessary and obligatory. The seminary itself must do this work, and others cannot and are not trustworthy in some places. This work is the seminary's responsibility and must be established in Qom or another city. Secondly, general topics should be compiled for everywhere, and a group of scholars, greats, and prominent individuals should sit and determine and compile important topics—not that everyone comes and prepares a book—so that every preacher at least knows what they should provide to their audience.

Some knowledge is old—not obsolete. There were things that, if said to particularly religious communities thirty years ago, were new; but today, these things are no longer new. Everyone knows that important and new things must be sought and expressed. Of course, repeating what the audience knows is sometimes necessary because there are things that must be repeated, but there are also things whose repetition is tedious. Therefore, there should be collections that show the necessary level of knowledge to the preacher. For example, see what concepts are expressed in religious education books taught in schools and universities? When a religious preacher faces such an audience, their level of religious discourse should not be lower than that; rather, it should be more elevated and prominent to guide and advance them.

Another need is a publication for preaching. This publication must be published by knowledgeable individuals with a sense of responsibility and knowledge—not as a formality. Now, the place for such discussions is not here; special sessions should be held for such discussions to see what is necessary and what is not. My dear ones, if these things are done, the shining truth in your possession will naturally illuminate at least the space of the Islamic world. The enemy can do nothing. When there is no void and intellectual responses are appropriately given, and the mental problems of the audience are wisely solved, and the knots are untied, what can the enemy do? What impact can the enemy's propaganda have? The correct point is here. When there is a void, the enemy can do everything and can infiltrate our homes and take our youth, and then we must run to catch up with them. Do not let such a situation arise.

Therefore, apart from the usual things always said in these gatherings, I insist that our preaching community must view preaching as a primary, real task and an essential requirement of religious knowledge. The religious scholarly community—that is, the clergy—has its first duty as preaching. Preaching is not a secondary duty specific to a particular group of clergy. It requires conditions, needs, and efforts. Those who are dedicated to this work must gird themselves with determination and roll up their sleeves to carry out this movement. Today, the Islamic system supports such movements. The esteemed religious scholars, respected congregational leaders, and respected dignitaries wherever they are, should support and endorse such movements.

God willing, God Almighty will assist and grant special attention and favor from His Holiness, the Remaining Proof (may our souls be sacrificed for him). We hope God Almighty will preserve and support you and grant you success in fulfilling the important duty of preaching in the best manner—both in word and deed.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings