Statements in the Presence of Clergy of Semnan Province

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One of God on earth.

It is a great source of happiness for me to be present among the esteemed and honored clergy of Semnan Province tonight; both you young students and the respected professors and scholars; whether in Semnan or those who have come from Shahroud and other centers; I have known some of these dear and honorable individuals for many years and hold them in high regard.

The merits of the clergy in Semnan Province, including Semnan, Shahroud, Damghan, and other sections and cities, are clear to me, especially tonight as I observe the youthful enthusiasm of you brothers and sisters studying here, which truly brings me deep joy. Your enthusiasm, readiness for work, youthful spirit, and desire for activity among you students and scholars are a great source of hope for the future, and I am glad to see this significant gathering of clergy from this region here. Of course, the clergy and scholarship in this province have a long history, and the distinguished figures of Semnan, Shahroud, Damghan, Bastam, and the other scholarly regions are well known to you. In our time, there were great figures like the late Allameh Semnani from this area, who, despite being exiled in Semnan, insisted on having the name "Semnani" after his name: "Haeri Semnani"; this insistence is meaningful. Or from the scholars of Shahroud, the late Ayatollah Shahroudi, a source of emulation, and the late Sheikh Agha Bozorg Shahroudi Ashrafi, a top scholar who, had he remained in Najaf, would certainly have been among the sources of emulation; these individuals established the scientific and religious foundations in this region. This is the spiritual and scholarly legacy of this province. We do not wish to take pride in the virtues of our forefathers by saying: "Your father was a scholar"; no, the discussion is not about that, but rather that this land and this region are fertile for producing and nurturing outstanding scholars and religious figures. When one finds oneself in such an environment, one truly feels the spiritual fatigue lifted; that is, one feels that the abundant springs of overflowing hope here also have a branch and example, and this is very important.

What we students must understand, wherever we are - whether in Qom, Mashhad, in the seminaries of the cities, whether engaged in study, in clerical work, or in government and executive positions - is that today the clergy have a unique and unparalleled role in our country.

When we say "today", it is not only due to the specific conditions of the Islamic Republic; rather, the Shiite clergy have always had a unique characteristic, and today, with the Islamic Republic established and its officials often emerging from these seminaries, the religious and clerical nature of this government is evident, the Shiite seminaries have maintained that characteristic. What is that characteristic? It is "independence and being of the people".

This does not exist anywhere else in the world. Religious assemblies, whether Muslim, Christian, or Jewish outside of Shiism, are assemblies that deal with the people - that is, people go to churches as well - but the clergy there is fundamentally different from our mosque's prayer leader here. He is an individual dependent on an organization that is an appendage of the government and the domination over that country or a similar domination like that of the clergy among Christians, where, for example, their Catholics are dependent on one place, Protestants on another, and their various sects are each dependent on centers of power and are appointed and dismissed; however, the Shiite clergy is not like that;

The Shiite cleric is only connected to the people and for the people and in spiritual matters, serves the people; thus, the financial support of the clergy comes from the people. Many times, some of the esteemed and well-known individuals from Qom have told me that you should come and allocate a portion of state resources for the seminaries as a stipend; I have opposed this for years and said I will not do it. I myself, when I give a stipend, do so from religious dues. This is very important: our supporters are the people.

Each of the clerical officials who are engaged in executive work in the country are, first and foremost, clerics and, secondly, officials. That is, if they set aside this responsibility, or if it is taken from them, they are clerics and engaged in their clerical work. This is a very significant and important phenomenon and should be regarded as such.

The connection with the people is also a two-way and close relationship. The people reach the cleric, and the cleric reaches the people. The cleric's attention to the people is not merely a matter of discourse; while among us, this has become established. The cleric resolves issues, provides intellectual consultation, and mediates conflicts and disputes; it is still the same today. He sits down, speaks, advises, and connects with the hearts of the people. Therefore, wherever our appointees are in various positions, and we send friends, students, and scholars, my recommendation to them is this; for example, regarding the university, I say behave in the university as if you are the prayer leader in a mosque, sitting with the people, talking, answering their questions, addressing their grievances, and dealing with their spiritual and intellectual problems; that is, empathizing with the people. This very characteristic - being with the people - has caused the clergy to be at the forefront of the great social transformations in our country - which is the most important Shiite country in the world - you see which major and fundamental political transformation has taken place in the country without the clergy being at the forefront;

From standing against foreign economic encroachments - exemplified by the tobacco incident and the "Reji Contract" during the time of Mirza Shirazi; another example was in the "Reuter Contract" where again the clergy opposed;

Another example was at the beginning of the Constitutional Revolution where the clergy were at the forefront, from Najaf to the continuation of the clergy in all the cities, and if it were not for the clergy, it would have been impossible for the Qajar royal despotism to be overthrown - up to the events after the Constitutional Revolution where various oppositions arose. When the Russian agents and other political encroachers disrupted the cities, again the clergy were always at the forefront, preserving and controlling. Even if in a political matter the people were divided into two factions, at the head of each faction was a cleric; that is, the people entrusted their hearts to the clergy. In the matter of the Constitutional Revolution, those who opposed the Constitution - of course, know that no cleric opposed the Constitution, but opposition began when the presence of the British and their hidden hand in the Constitution became clear; otherwise, from the beginning, no one even in Najaf had any opposition to the Constitution - and in the places where there were two factions, again the people came to power trusting the cleric who was at the head of the work and pursued this thought; in Mashhad one way, in Zanjan another way, in Tehran one way, and in other regions one way.

In the matter of the nationalization of the oil industry, again the clergy were at the forefront. If it were not for the late Ayatollah Kashani, be assured that the issue of nationalizing the oil industry would not have gained any traction in this country. Now, some, in a phrase I have used, are the "salt-eaters of the salt shaker"; they eat the bread of the national movement and then speak ill of the late Ayatollah Kashani! While he was the leader of this matter. And if he had not been there, certainly the issue of nationalizing the oil industry in this country would not have reached anywhere.

Then in the Islamic Revolution, which is already clear. See, being with the people is this. When a cleric rises, the people follow him. فإذا ولىّ أبودلف ولّت الدّنیا على أثره (If Abu Dalf rises, the world follows in his wake) this is the characteristic of the Shiite cleric.

Now that the Islamic Revolution has triumphed, the discourse of the Shiite cleric, that is, belief in divine governance and the governance of divine law, has triumphed and has been implemented in society, and the clergy are still present with their independent role in the scene; however, no source of emulation is appointed by the political apparatus, nor is any cleric, except for the Friday prayer leader; because the Friday prayer leadership is one of the functions of the government, and the current ruler must appoint the Friday prayer leader. At the same time, the Friday prayer leader is a cleric; a non-cleric and someone who does not have the qualifications of being a cleric cannot be appointed to lead the Friday prayers. Again, the status of the cleric is primarily and the political aspect of the Friday prayer leadership is secondary. This is our characteristic. Now we are in the era of the Islamic Revolution; you are its youth, and we are its elders; others will come after you, and this chain will continue.

What is our duty? Our first duty is to take this role of the authentic clergy seriously. I have often said that with all the mass communication tools that exist - of course, the clergy should use all these mass communication tools; the internet and new communication technologies should be utilized by all the clergy for the religion; just as they use radio, television, and other things - nevertheless, the mosque, religious gatherings, sitting face to face with the people, speaking directly and personally with the people, has an unparalleled role, and nothing can replace it, and this belongs to you. Political groups kill themselves to be able to take on such a role; but it cannot be done. You, who are clerics, or that female student or preacher, when you stand before your audience and they know you are a cleric, the attachment and trust they have in you is of a different kind and does not relate to the trust in other speakers and orators. We must value this role;

We must value the mosques; we must value religious gatherings. And the mosque should not be neglected. I oppose clerics who are engaged in work in an office while also being the prayer leader of a mosque; because one day a week, two days a week, three days a week, they do not go to the mosque to perform the congregational prayer. We ask why? They say they are busy; they were preoccupied. Or they go to pray, but they arrive late; people are waiting in line for the congregation; now, after a while, the cleric arrives running; sometimes he even has a briefcase in hand! I do not agree with this method. The prayer leader of the mosque should consider the mosque as his home, his place, and his office; when he enters the mosque, he should be like a fish in water; he should feel that this is his place and should not be in a hurry to leave the mosque; this is correct. Religious gatherings should be the same. Of course, first the mosque, and then in the second place, religious gatherings and the many customs we have in this regard, thanks be to God. This is our first duty, and we must value it.

As we mentioned, this connection with the people that exists in the mosque and religious gatherings is one of the impactful actions; but it has conditions. Many years ago - perhaps forty or fifty years ago - I read a book by the late Sheikh Muhammad Baqir Birjandi - who was one of the scholars and great figures of Khorasan and a student of Mirza Shirazi; the father of the late Ayati Birjandi, who was also one of the great scholars. We had seen the late Ayati - titled "Pearls and Corals in the Conditions of the First and Second Steps of the Speakers of the Mourning Ceremonies" (perhaps it is also by the late Amirza Hossein Noori; I am now unsure). I saw that a hundred years ago, a learned and virtuous scholar set conditions for the first and second steps of the speakers of the mourning ceremonies. I say that these conditions have now become a thousand times more. You will encounter all strata, and you must prepare yourselves. The clergy as a whole will face the general public, the educated class, the youth, the elderly, women, men, the poor, the rich, and those affiliated with various political factions, and must prepare themselves for all of these. See how difficult it is.

One of the things that is very important for us is the issue of "connection with politics". First, for many years, they tried to separate the realm of religion from the realm of politics. Although the Islamic Revolution has triumphed and religious politics in the country is the axis of all activities, and the issue of deriving inspiration and the source of politics from religion - not religion from politics, but politics from religion - has become a common norm among Muslim nations, they are still trying to break this norm. If you are familiar with the deeper layers of global political propaganda - apart from the political rhetoric that foreign radios engage in - you will see that they are currently trying to separate religion from politics. They want politicians to operate without any connection to religion and without regard for religion, and the cleric and preacher of religion should only convey individual and personal rulings and issues of purity, impurity, and the three bloods, and at most the issue of marriage and divorce to the people. What was the first incident in Islam, during the time when the Prophet was freed from the pressure of opponents in Mecca? The formation of a government. The Prophet came to Medina and established a government. The Prophet did not come to Medina to say I will correct your beliefs, I will convey religious rulings to you, and you should elect someone as your ruler; there was nothing like that, rather the Prophet came and took the reins of politics. From the beginning, he designed the military, political, economic, and social interaction policies. How can this religion have nothing to do with political, military, economic, and social policies and at the same time be the religion of that Prophet?! They cast doubt on such a clear matter! This is regarding the connection with politics, which is the most fundamental issue.

When we say that clerics - now clerics who are not engaged in political work; a cleric is a teacher, a prayer leader, engaged in one of the spiritual duties - should be political, what does this mean? This is the essential point; it means having political analytical power. I always tell students and clerics, and I say this to you as well, and this concerns all the clergy: you must be political; but not in the sense of entering political factions and parties; not in the sense of becoming a plaything and a tool for this or that political party or professional politicians; this is absolutely not the intention; rather, it means having political awareness, political analytical power, and having a healthy political compass that shows the right direction. Sometimes we clerics make mistakes; our compass does not work correctly and does not show the right political direction. This is not something that comes into being by itself and overnight; no, this requires engagement in political work; you must familiarize yourselves with political issues, know the political events of the country, and know the political events of the world. Today, clerics need these. Sitting in a corner, lowering one's head, having no concern for the country and society, and being unaware of any event, occurrence, good or bad, distances a person from the current flow. We are also the reference for the people; that is, we are the ones people refer to, and if, God forbid, we show a wrong signal or something that is desirable to the enemy comes out of our mouths, see how much damage it causes. Therefore, one of the important duties we have today is the connection with politics. Retreating from politics is not correct and is not the work of a Shiite cleric.

Another thing that is necessary and essential for the clergy that we must pay close attention to is the issue of preserving the sanctity of the clergy. The clergy have sanctity. When people look at you and me, because of our clothing, our status, and our profession, they open a special account for us and regard us with a certain sanctity. Some sins they commit, they think we do not commit; some good deeds they do not perform, they think we do; they think we are always in the remembrance of God and attentive to the Lord - which is often neglected - they have such perceptions about us. Of course, these perceptions should not be reinforced. Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) in one of the supplications of the second Sahifa Sajjadiyya asks God for six things, one of which is: "And a better inner self"; my inner self should be better than my outer self. We are caught in this regard. Our inner self must be better than our outer self. How do we preserve this sanctity? Preserving sanctity requires financial integrity, moral integrity, and maintaining the clerical appearance. We do not say to throw on a torn robe; the meaning of clerical appearance is not that. It means not acting like the worldly people in worldly desires; wanting whatever we desire. I previously saw a narration that whoever wears whatever they want, eats whatever they want, and rides whatever they want, this person is cursed before God. This is the status of the wealthy and the money-worshippers. We also desire certain things, but now we do not have the money; as soon as we get the money, we immediately go to procure it; we are waiting for this one part of the luxuriousness to be provided, and then gradually procure the other ninety-nine parts in other opportunities. This is not the status of a cleric. The status of a cleric is that a person maintains a moderate appearance along with contentment, financial integrity, and relative simplicity. Moral integrity is very important. Then sanctity will be preserved. Once, on an occasion, we met with the Imam; the discussion was about a cleric who had committed an offense, and the Imam consulted with us on how to deal with him. I told him in detail that your victory in the revolution is the product of a thousand years of the reputation of the Shiite clergy - otherwise, why should it be that when a source of emulation comes to the field, people follow him so much and sacrifice their lives, as they did in the movement of our great Imam. A thousand years of the reputation of Shiism accumulated to reach this point where a source of emulation like our great Imam, who had courage, capability, and awareness of the time, stepped into the field, and the people followed him - now some of these fellow clerics, like a termite that falls into a building, are gradually eating away at this thousand-year reputation and destroying it; he also confirmed this meaning. The reality is just that. We must be careful not to be among those termites. God forbid, any vile and disgraceful act or inappropriate behavior that arises from one of us creates a breach in that valuable thousand-year reserve of the clergy and the scholars of Shiism.

One of our other important tasks is to acquire religious skills. We must become skilled in our field and profession. We must become knowledgeable and educated; that is the Persian expression. During the struggles and the heat of the struggles - when we were constantly arrested and released - a group of young students were connected with us, and we were politically active with them. I told them: "Without substance, it is flatbread." You must also study. Those friends we had at that time in Mashhad - who were politically and revolutionary connected with us - were all diligent students. We must become educated and knowledgeable. Of course, I believe that this education must bring about a profound and comprehensive transformation in the quality of teaching and learning in the seminaries across the country, which is not the place for that discussion now. We have many deficiencies and shortcomings that the educational system must address; we must not let it be delayed; however, studying, becoming knowledgeable, becoming familiar with books and the traditions, and becoming acquainted with the foundations of religious knowledge; whether jurisprudence or philosophy, must be learned. A person must be able to stand firm in the face of today's intellectual challenges. Today, the world is a world of conflicting philosophies and thoughts. One of the reasons the Islamic Revolution has been able to withstand the sabotage of the West - which I briefly mentioned earlier today - is this; we brought thought to the field; we did not act like a coup. Today, the social and political thoughts of the Islamic Republic have seriously challenged the political and social thoughts of the West; this issue of religious democracy and the pursuit of justice. These raise the banner of peace and say: Peace! Peace! They think that peace is an absolute value; no, peace is not an absolute value. Just peace is a value. Otherwise, an oppressor who comes and seizes the home of an oppressed person, when they have a dispute, one comes and says, "Make peace!" Now live side by side! What happens to the seizure of his home?! Therefore, just peace is important. This issue of justice and its extension to all fields of political and social judgments is among the thoughts and innovations of the Islamic Republic in today's political world that challenges these. Thus, the intellectual foundation must be strengthened so that a person can stand in the battle of various thoughts and ideas in today's world and maintain their own front.

My dear ones! Today, cultural invasion using new communication tools and technologies is very serious; hundreds of means and corridors of information are directed towards the thoughts of our youth and adolescents; they are using various television, radio, and computer methods and are pouring various thoughts and doubts into them en masse. We must stand against these. Today, we cannot rely on the same old methods; of course, the youth will not come. You must understand the youth; you must understand their thoughts; you must recognize what has attacked them. Until you recognize the germ and the disease, you cannot provide a cure. All of this requires clerical engagement. Studying, reading, and working, all of which fall under the title of religious skills.

Another issue is the struggle against superstitions. Alongside promoting and propagating the authentic religious teachings and pure Islam, we must combat superstitions. Some are introducing new superstitions into our society day by day. You must take the struggle against superstitions seriously. This has been the method of our scholars. The late Agha Jamal Khonsari, a well-known scholar, the commentator of the Sharh Lam'ah - whose margins you have seen in the margins of the old Lam'ah commentaries. I do not know if it is still being printed or not. The son of the late Agha Hossein Khonsari (who both father and son are scholars and prominent figures in the history of Shiite clergy) - three hundred years ago, to expose superstitions, wrote a book called "Kalthum Naneh", which still exists. I had the old prints and recently saw that it has been reprinted, and they brought me the new print. He humorously turned the most famous superstitions of his time into the language of the fatwas of the female scholars and says that women have five great jurists! One of them is Kalthum Naneh! One is Dede Bazmara! One is Bibi Shah Zainab! One is so-and-so. Then he quotes from these regarding issues of Mahram and non-Mahram, purity and impurity, and various matters. That is, a religious scholar engages with these matters. We think that if we resist a matter that is believed by the people and is superstitious and contrary to reality, we have acted contrary to the duties of the clergy; no, the duty of the clergy is this. This verse that our dear one just recited beautifully: "Those who convey the messages of God and fear Him and do not fear anyone except God, and sufficient is God as a reckoner" is about what? This verse is in the struggle against a superstition. "And when you said to the one whom God had bestowed favor upon and he had bestowed favor upon you, 'Keep your wife to yourself and fear God,' and you hide within yourself what God is to make manifest, and you fear the people, while God has more right that you should fear Him. So when Zayd had accomplished his desire from her, We married her to you. And there is no blame upon the believers concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they have accomplished their desire from them." This verse relates to the issue of "Zayd". The next verse: "This is the way of God with those who have passed away before, and the command of God is a decreed matter. Those who convey the messages of God and fear Him and do not fear anyone except God" is related to a superstition. The Prophet was informed through Gabriel that Zainab (his cousin), who had been married to his freed slave (Zayd ibn Harithah) to combat aristocracy, would become his wife. The Prophet bought Zayd, freed him, and chose him as his adopted son, and then married his cousin Zainab, who was among the aristocracy and the family of Quraysh and Banu Hashim. They lived together. Gabriel informed him that this Zainab would be your wife. The Prophet remained silent, "And you fear the people, while God has more right that you should fear Him." Then Zayd came and complained to the Prophet that he could not live with this lady; she was a lady and a noblewoman, and I am a slave and have a history of slavery; he insisted that he divorce her. The Prophet advised him: "Keep your wife to yourself"; hold her. "And you hide within yourself what God is to make manifest." Eventually, what was decreed and commanded by God was fulfilled. The Prophet, who obeys the command of the Lord, Zayd divorced Zainab, and the Prophet sought her hand in marriage and married her; and this was while the wife of an adopted son was considered like the wife of a biological son; this is what superstition means. According to the old pre-Islamic customs, Muslims still thought that no one could marry the wife of their adopted son; however, the Prophet married the wife of his adopted son. This is why it says: "Those who convey the messages of God"; that is, it is related to this issue. Of course, it is general; but it has entered this issue; the struggle against superstitions is that important. Be brave in the struggle against superstitions. Of course, what is superstition? This itself is important. Some deny religious truths as superstitions. We have nothing to do with them. What has been established by the Book and authentic tradition is from the religion; whether minds accept it or not. Support and defend that. What has not been established by a valid reason and does not contradict the principles and foundations of religion, remain silent about it. What contradicts one of the principles of religion and has no valid evidence, reject it. This becomes superstition, and the criterion for superstition is this. Today, you see claimants of connection with the Imam of the Age and connection with the unseen, working in various forms in society. Of course, all of this is a sign that the inclination towards religion is a main element in the lives of the people. People are interested in religious matters that a superstitious person goes and creates superstitions; because the original product is not in his possession, he brings a counterfeit product to attract the people. This is a sign of the people's inclination towards religion. But this is dangerous. In combating superstitions and those things that are not from religion, be brave and speak out. Do not consider that someone might dislike it or what might happen; that often in cases, one unfortunately sees that this consideration exists.

Free thinking and rationality of Shiism, these two elements together, are a source of pride for us. Shiite thoughts are rational. From the beginning of Shiism, in the teachings of the Imams (peace be upon them), we have been directed towards reason, logic, and reasoning, and we must act accordingly; even in jurisprudence. You see that the prominent students of Imam Sadiq and Imam Baqir (peace be upon them) sometimes spoke with the Imam in a way that the Imam reasoned with them. "This is known and similar to it from the Book of God, the Almighty: 'He has not placed upon you in religion any difficulty.'" That is, he taught Zarara that this is how you should use the Book of God; that is, the Imam teaches him the method of ijtihad and inference from the Quran. We have grown up this way; Shiism has grown up rationally and with free thinking. This must be valued and pursued.

We hope that, God willing, God will grant you success and support. Of course, there was a time when if someone wanted to come from Rey or Khorasan to these areas, it was very difficult. Now, Mr. Masoumi from Mashhad, Mr. Ashrafi from Shahroud, and other gentlemen from various places, from around Shahroud and Damghan have come here, and I have come from Tehran. But it is not like that time when Abu Tammam says in one of his lengthy poems:

He said in Qom, my people, and I have taken From the sira and drawn the swift camels The rising of the sun remains if it shines upon us He said no, but the rising of the Joudi.

When we reached Qom, the length of the road and the night on the road - they also traveled at night - with the swift camels had exhausted us, and my people said to the caravan guide: Do you want to take us to the east; the place of the rising sun, and he replied:

No, but the rising of the Joudi. For example, now they were going towards Mashhad or Tus; what he meant by "the rising of the Joudi" is, God willing, that it is Imam Reza.

O Lord! Make us all true servants of the religion. Make us true clerics. O Lord! Do not make us a source of disgrace for Islam and the laws of Islam. Grant us the success to be able to further strengthen this magnificent structure in our own way. Include our predecessors and great figures in Your mercy and forgiveness. And peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.