The president of the Porch of Wisdom Institute and professor of the Islamic Seminary of Qom said that the traditional educational method of the Islamic seminaries is one of the most advanced educational methods as compared to the methods found in higher education centers in the world. It is the best method which facilitates in-depth religious knowledge and understanding, a method that must be maintained and passed on to the next generation.
According to Shabistan News reporter reporting from Mashad, Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani, lecturer of the advanced level of jurisprudence and legal theories in the Islamic Seminary of Qom speaking in the first Pure Propagation Festival held in Khurasan Razawi TV and Radio Center in Mashad said, “A great incident took place in the global level with the victory of the Islamic revolution of Iran. The religion had been isolated and the Western intellectuals who had declared its death found out all of a sudden that the religion was alive and that it had the ability to run and administer the affairs of society.”
The president of the Porch of Wisdom Institute further added, “If the ground for Islamic propagation existed before the revolution, it was expanded at once following the victory of the revolution. These extensive prospects and ground are considered an opportunity for preaching and promulgating the divine message. Spreading the divine message was also a duty of the Prophets. It is not restricted to a particular group of religious students either; in fact, it is a duty of the students and teachers including the grand religious authorities all togther. Everyone should spread the divine message in whatever manner possible.”
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani stressed that the first condition of propagation and preaching of divine messages is to know what they are. “We must know what the reality of religion is. What we explain to people about religion must be documented and based on true and authentic information,” he said.
“Definitely, if a preacher is an expert and a Mujtahid, it is better but, perhaps, it is not possible for all to become Mujtahids. The preachers should, therefore, try to improve their level of knowledge so that if they are going to explain something, it should be reliable and trustworthy,” Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani reiterated.
He further added, “The preacher must be well acquainted with the sources and must know how and which source he should refer to. He should be able to distinguish the strong views and from the weak ones.”
Referring to the anxiety of the supreme leader of Iran and other grand jurisprudents concerning the traditional method of the Islamic seminary which is being put away, he explained the cause of the anxiety as such: “They are worried because the traditional method is one of the most advanced educational methods in the world; it is the best method for attaining in-depth and precise religious knowledge, a method that must be maintained and preserved. It is a method which the world wants to learn and adopt.”
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani stressed that it is the duty of the seminaries to protect and transfer to the next generation this precious legacy which the Shia scholars have preserved and passed on to us over the history. He said that one of the conditions that need to be taken into account by a preacher is to have proper understanding of his audience. “A good preacher is he who knows the tastes and tendencies of his audience which he should benefit from while trying to make and deliver his points. However, he should be careful not to rely only on the tendencies or likes and dislikes of his audience; rather he should try to change his audience’s attitude and inclinations in a delicate manner and he should, with the passage of time, try to guide them in a direction which is well worthy of them. This is the art of tabligh (propagation),” he said.
Ayatollah Hadavi further added that emphasizing on the traditional method does not in any way mean negating the modern methods. “Today, it seems as though the Islamic seminaries surpassed other higher education centers in regards to using the digital tools and facilities. However, the anxiety which exists for the time being is that it is feared lest those who are working in these centers and are acquainted with these tools should lack precise and in-depth knowledge about Islam. It is feared lest this deficiency may lead to some deviation among the audience. Therefore, not only should our activities in the virtual arena (cyberspace) expand but we should also make sure that what we present in this regard is precise and authentic.”
Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani further stated, “With each minute passing, the virtual arena gets further expanded and if we are anxious about the future, we must capitalize on this opportunity and we should also note that our investments on the tools and instruments should not make us negligent of the contents.”
“Although the media are an important tool for propagation, it is considered to be a dangerous tool as well. We are afraid lest those who make use of them should get distracted. Over and covert distraction is already existing in this arena.”
Office of Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani
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Shabistan News Agency (Khurasan Razavi Pronvince)