Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with Students on the Occasion of 'Day of Unity between Seminary and University'

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

First, I ask God Almighty for the exaltation of the pure souls of those worthy individuals who raised the issue of the closeness and unity of the university and the seminary, and some of whom drank the cup of martyrdom in this path, especially the late Martyr Mofatteh and Martyr Motahhari and other such great men.

The subject of the university is, in itself, an important topic; just as the subject of the seminary is also, in itself, a fundamental and important topic. When we speak of 'unity between the seminary and the university,' it is obvious that the intention is not to transform these two into one entity in reality. Because even though in the past, the same subjects were taught in the seminaries as are taught in universities today, if we assume that those seminary subjects had progressed to the extent they have today, each group would still need to pursue its own work and studies according to specialization and diversification. So, that is not the intention. Let no one overlook this clear and obvious subject and write about the incorrectness of the slogan of unity between the seminary and the university.

Everyone understands this: neither Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) nor other dignitaries intended to say that universities should gather and go to Qom, or become a branch of the Qom seminary. Or that the Qom seminary should gather and dissolve into the universities, or become a branch of them. No one wanted or proposed this. The issue is that we have two genuine student institutions. One is focused on acquiring sciences related to understanding and propagating religion, innovating in religious discussions, and innovating in understanding contemporary and emerging issues in life, which is the seminary, and its work consists of researching religious issues and learning divine decrees in all aspects of life. Not only in what pertains to the corner of the prayer niche or the corner of the house; but in the vast realm of human life. This group must learn this; research its new decrees; cleanse it of impurities and falsehoods and convey it to audiences in the most eloquent manner possible, in every society and every time and to every audience. This is the duty of the seminary institution, and its name is 'seminary.'

The other student institution is concerned with managing the affairs of people's lives, excluding matters related to religion. People have livelihoods, businesses, buildings, roads, bodies; various identifications are necessary, research into people's lives is necessary. Various sciences and types of knowledge exist to improve and facilitate people's lives. This institution is also engaged in learning these sciences to become specialized and knowledgeable in them; to research them and prepare them for implementation in society; to absorb new worldly research and, in turn, create new things in these sciences and offer them to humanity. This is another student institution.

Now, if these two student institutions work well and have a mutual friendly relationship and consider each other as part of themselves, it will mean that this society will have both its religion and its world prospered. They correct the direction of the society's life; they facilitate the movements of the society's life. They keep the society's thoughts, minds, and spirits away from ugliness and falsehoods so that it understands where it should move, and they provide the means for this movement to take place.

A means is necessary for us to use and set out; a vision is necessary for us to know where we should set out. From where and to where, from which direction? From which path and to which goal? Both are necessary for human life. That is the world; this is the hereafter. If these two are combined, 'the happiness of the world and the hereafter is achieved.' That is, someone who has both the world and the hereafter. That is, a happy person. That is, a prosperous life. That is what the prophets wanted. Therefore, you see that the Holy Prophet brought religion, brought that direction. He emphasized spirituality; but repeatedly, he also provided material tools to the people. In places, he himself directly gave knowledge, meaning the knowledge of life and the knowledge related to managing life's affairs, to the people. In places where the work became more complex and required specialization, he ordered them to go learn knowledge, go gain insight, go look at things.

In the Quran and the tradition of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, the way of discovering, seeing, and finding has been taught. Therefore, you see that each of these two parts, in the early Islamic societies, had a peak and splendor. In the worldly section, too, thanks to Islam, they became the pinnacle of human knowledge. This is something that the Westerners are not supposed to take away today. The historical memory of Muslim nations, which is undeniable. If these two, meaning the world and the hereafter, are combined, this will be what we said. But if either of these two is taken away, a problem arises.

Today, in the systems created by Western culture, whether in the geographical region of the West itself or in other parts of the world, in the section of tools and means of life, they have advanced to the point of reaching celestial bodies. This is scientifically, truly extraordinary. This cannot be denied. Suppose they go to the heavens and repair telescopic cameras there. This is a great advancement for humanity. But if there is no vision that humanity needs in terms of the direction of life, these tools are not necessary for humanity at all; rather, they are harmful. Today's humanity is backward in this regard. Its hand is empty. Spirituality is absent in the world. The correct direction is absent. That is why the world is full of oppression and tyranny. It is a pity that some do not understand such a clear matter! Isn't this world for humanity?! Isn't this knowledge and advancement for humanity to use?! When we see that in the world, the situation is such that most people are becoming more miserable day by day, and some, with the same tools of scientific advancements that belong to humanity, are putting such pressure on humanity, isn't this enough for someone to understand that one wing of humanity is broken and fallen?!

This is the wing of spirituality. If we also ignore the spiritual aspect in our society; eliminate it, or try to remove it from the scene, the same will happen. From the time when the traces and signs and dawns of Western culture, in the form of stories and plans not in the natural form and what is necessary for the general life of humanity poured into our country from the late reign of Naser al-Din Shah, the struggle against religion and the effort to isolate religion also began. Of course, some attribute these to the time of Reza Khan and do not relate them to the Qajar kings. But this is a reality. Isolating religious scholars; isolating religion; trying to employ forces for malicious purposes, when it starts, the society will become a society that, in terms of means and tools of life, which we call: the world; that is, what is called today's sciences, university sciences, progresses. But that society is incomplete in one aspect, and that is the spiritual aspect.

Now, sometimes a society has progress in the sciences related to the tools of life. Like Western societies. But sometimes it does not have progress in that either. Like many societies dependent on the West that eliminated spirituality but could not attract materialism either! Like our own living situation during the rule of the Pahlavis: we rejected spirituality, and we could not bring materialism into the country in its modern, new, scientific, and real form. That is, we became 'losers of the world and the hereafter'!

The other side of the issue is the same. That is, if a society only focuses on spiritual aspects and remains oblivious to sciences; to scientific progress, to scientific discoveries, to scientific innovations, to acquiring knowledge among the nation's children, to creating people who can adapt life to the needs of humanity with the ease and speed that the world demands today and needs, it remains oblivious, again another wing is broken. Do not think that Islam supports everything being limited to spiritual and religious matters and not paying attention to material things! No! This deviation is as great as the first deviation. Islam has clearly rejected seclusion from the world and life.

In the words of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, in Nahj al-Balagha, you see this. Nahj al-Balagha, which is a book of asceticism, cries out against someone who has abandoned worldly life, thinking that they will fix their hereafter. Islam is not like this.

So, these two must exist; but they must exist together. These two student institutions must do both tasks. But they must work well; they must have proper emotional connections with each other. They should not reject each other. The colonialists and those who wanted to gain political, cultural, economic, and other dominance over this country removed religion from the university environment. The way to gain this dominance was to remove religion. To remove religious people and religious scholars. Or if they do not completely eliminate it, to turn it into lifeless forms. This was something that, from the very beginning that I mentioned almost from one hundred and fifty years ago; in the late reign of Naser al-Din Shah, was pursued. Now, let the scholars be there for times when perhaps their presence is necessary and we can use them; but without the spirit and meaning of a religious scholar. This is what they wanted.

Of course, Reza Khan came and acted with tyranny and foolishness and wanted to eliminate even its appearance in the society and especially in scientific environments. This was the intention. Therefore, in our university environments, religion became a foreign thing. This is how they made our university. A foreign thing; why? The goal was very clear. It was a very clever plan. Because if religion is not in the university, those who are raised in this environment will be the future leaders and managers of life, who have become irreligious and will easily lead the society towards irreligion! This was the goal that was pursued and, indeed, for a while and for a long period of time, they succeeded. They made the university environment alien to religion.

Of course, they could not completely empty the university of religious people. This is clear. After all, the youth of this country were the children of religious families and came to the university. Some, of course, became irreligious, or indifferent or cold towards it. But some remained religious. We had them even at that time. So, it does not mean that there were no religious people in the university. Rather, it means that in the university, that religious person was a stranger. The same religious girl who wanted to maintain her religion and hijab was a stranger in the university of the Islamic and Muslim country of Iran at that time. The religious male student was also a stranger. The religious professor was also a stranger. The general course of the university did not provide any assistance to him. Rather, in many cases, it created opposition and friction with him. But if the student or professor was irreligious and indifferent, the general course of the university had no friction with him. He was given a platform.

This path was wrong. This is the very thing that Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) always lamented about, and the slogan of 'unity between the seminary and the university' was created to counter this. This is where the meaning of unity between the seminary and the university is understood. Unity in general goals; unity in completing this nation and this country and moving together and passing in two parallel lines, without friction with each other. That is, both do their own work; but for one goal, and that goal is to build and complete the nation and country of Iran. This is how it should move.

In the university, anti-religious motivations are still not few. I do not say it is prevalent among students. Students are the children of this nation and today the children of the revolution. The children who are in the university today are the children made and nurtured by the revolution. If there is any deficiency in their beliefs, it is our fault. It is the fault of those who should have taught them religion.

The student in the university environment has no problem in terms of belief, practice, and religious inclination. But there are still some officials and professors who have issues with religion and religious and revolutionary feelings and motivations. They should not be able to influence the university. I do not say how. But they should not be able to influence the university environment with their wrong thoughts, motivations, and feelings; because this is the cause of the nation's misery. It is the cause of foreign domination. It is the cause of the incomplete life of a nation.

The university must be a religious environment. In the university, the religious should feel that the general atmosphere there helps them. Of course, religiosity, religion, spirituality, and ethics, and among the branches of this spirituality, these revolutionary feelings are included. Today, no one can say 'I am religious,' but be in contradiction with a revolution that is based on religion. Of course, I do not mean specific tastes. All tastes and preferences, when they are religious and spiritual, should be able to live in this environment. One individual should not pressure another to think exactly as they do! Therefore, student organizations must exist, and each should do their own work. All should work, and all should work well. Especially with the presence of respected clerics in universities if, God willing, this form that is being pursued recently, and as I wish and like, progresses, this meaning, that is, this aspect of spirituality and clericalism within the university, will be more secured.

The same issues apply to the seminary. I have many words and speeches about seminary issues and have said them. But here, because the general face is a student face, I focused more on the university. However, the issues of the seminary are the same. The seminary also needs to update itself. The seminary of Qom, as the pinnacle of seminaries, and following it other seminaries, must do something so that God's religion becomes desirable and exciting among the people. Religion must be presented to the people as God has wanted it. This also requires research, innovation, enlightenment, awareness of the world, and being free from worldly desires and whims. If not in all; at least in a large part and at least in those who are involved and responsible. Therefore, you see how strict Islam is about the religious authority: 'protecting oneself, preserving one's religion, opposing one's desires, obeying the command of one's master.'

And we saw that a religious authority with these characteristics, the late Grand Ayatollah Golpayegani, may God's mercy be upon him, according to my recognition and diagnosis, truly and justly had these characteristics when he passed away, a great fervor arose in the hearts of the people. This showed what the feelings and faith of the Iranian people are. It also showed the neutrality and neutralization of the enemies' propaganda and efforts.

The seminary must be such that it nurtures many worthy individuals of this kind. Not all reach old age. Not all reach religious authority. But good individuals, at any rank they are, their existence is worthy, beneficial, and effective; provided that these two strive together, have intimacy with each other, and use each other's scientific experiences. These are points that are repeatedly mentioned in meetings and speeches.

What I want to say, and these statements were made with attention to it, is that these two must be aimed at one goal, and that is the completion of people's lives. A complete seminary; a complete university. Each in the true sense of their own perfection; and the coordination of these two with each other. Then the nation will be independent, and the Iranian society will become a model-giving society. That is, this aversion of yours towards the enemies of religion, the powerful enemies of religion who today possess worldly power, will be stabilized. The negation of the Iranian nation, meaning that word of negation that the Iranian nation utters from its own tongue. That 'no' it says, or the affirmation it utters, both will become a model in the world. Today, humanity needs this model.

We hope that God Almighty will illuminate your hearts with the light of faith and knowledge and support you with divine confirmations and the special attention of the Guardian of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him; and God willing, you will be able to advance this goal in a manner that is worthy and pleasing to God.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings