Message to the Congress on Time and Place in Ijtihad

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

The convening of this research and scientific gathering, with all the effects and results that, God willing, will be obtained from it, is another of the enduring blessings and virtues of the great and unparalleled personality whose most significant and astonishing phenomenon in the history of issues related to Islam and Muslims, namely the establishment of the Islamic Republic, is also his unique legacy.

If the emergence of a government based on divine and Islamic thought and with the banner of Islamic justice, in a world filled with the clamor of materialistic ideas, goals, and slogans, speaks of the strength of planning, will, reliance, and wisdom of that unique man; and if the spread of moral values and the revival of asceticism and piety in the conduct and method of the officials of this government reflect the pure sincerity, humility, and spiritual ascent of that chosen one of the time before today's and tomorrow's generations; his profound, scholarly, and wise view of jurisprudence and Sharia and reliance on the slogan 'the role of time and place in jurisprudential deduction' also reveals his scientific mastery, insight, foresight, creativity, and intellectual richness. And yet, all these together, which themselves form a unique and unparalleled combination in the brilliant series of Islamic personalities, are undoubtedly not all dimensions of our great departed Imam's personality.

Regarding the issue of time and place and its role and impact in the deduction of Islamic rulings, the brief statement is that if this blessed source is correctly recognized and utilized, it will create a great support for human societies to benefit from the fountain of Islamic Sharia. Until now, the most common excuse and pretext of those who have sought to deprive human societies of the guidance and happiness-giving of Sharia has been to consider religious rulings as rigid and inflexible truths and to portray the continuous, flowing, and transformable life as incompatible with them. Although this statement has sometimes arisen from malice and disbelief in the essence of religion, in some cases, it has also stemmed from the ignorance and foolishness of its speakers, and perhaps the unwise or unwise reactions of some believers have also fueled such confused thinking and speaking.

The truth that Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) presents is that the fountain of Sharia and jurisprudence, in a perpetual and eternal flow, from the source of revelation, flows towards various fields of life. The origin and substance of divine rulings are neither the limited intellect and thought of humans nor their short-sighted expediencies that have been molded and frozen in various life conditions; it is the encompassing and infinite divine knowledge and wisdom that covers all times and places under its wings and rains upon all lands and fields of life, quenching everywhere and every time. Time and place and the various conditions of human life and the novelties of the world help the knowledgeable and time-aware jurist to quench himself and his contemporaries from that fountain, the inexhaustible and increasing source, and not to tolerate deprivation from it for humanity, which is always and everywhere in need of divine religion and Sharia.

In understanding and applying this general principle, clarity and, at the same time, complete intellectual discipline must be employed. Any excess or deficiency in this sensitive and critical task will result in irreparable damages. In this task, the damage of scientific laxity is as heavy as intellectual rigidity and short-sightedness.

Recognizing the role of each time and place must always be accompanied by adherence to the principles of jurisprudence, which is a scientific and specialized 'method.' And this is the meaning of the statement of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) that dynamic jurisprudence, aligned with the needs of all times and places, is the same traditional jurisprudence, and he insisted on this.

From here, it can be understood that only experienced and skilled jurists have the competence to recognize the impact of time and place on Sharia rulings and to issue fatwas accordingly. This critical matter is far from the reach of those unfamiliar with and unskilled in the ocean of jurisprudence.

Now, your assembly of wise and knowledgeable religious scholars and experts in jurisprudence has a fundamental role. First, the correct meaning of 'the role of time and place in ijtihad' must be recognized, and the misconception of the incompatibility of this principle with the principle of 'permanence and eternity of Sharia' must be dispelled in a scholarly and precise manner. Then, the boundaries of this important principle, and its comprehensive and exclusive definition, and the methods of utilizing it must be clarified. In this great task, scientific openness and tolerance, along with precision and adherence to established and definitive principles, are necessary. Undoubtedly, the presence of prominent and renowned scholars and teachers of the Qom seminary in this gathering, as well as the scientific personality of the esteemed and valuable director and the knowledgeable and dedicated experts involved, inspire great hopes for the outcomes of this scientific assembly.

I consider it my inescapable duty to remember with appreciation and due respect the worthy and noble son of the late Imam Khomeini, Hujjat al-Islam Mr. Haj Sayyid Ahmad Khomeini (may God sanctify his soul and bless his spirit), who, with his knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, and dedication, initiated this blessed thread and conceived the idea of forming this assembly, and to pray for divine grace and mercy for his pure soul from the Lord, and with confidence, to attribute a significant portion of the eternal reward and worldly good memory of this great work to him. Peace be upon him and his great mother and all the working scholars and righteous jurists and upon all of you and God's mercy and blessings.

Seyyed Ali Khamenei

24th of Shawwal 1416