The most important task of the seminary is to provide clear rhetoric and lay the groundwork for a new Islamic civilization.

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According to Ashura News, quoted by Mehr News Agency, in a message to the international conference on the 100th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Qom Seminary, Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, while explaining the various elements and functions of the seminary, stated the requirements for realizing a “progressive and outstanding seminary” that is innovative, progressive, up-to-date, responsive to emerging issues, civilized, has a spirit of progress and struggle, and a revolutionary identity, as well as being capable of designing systems for governing society. He emphasized: The most important task of the seminary is “clarifying rhetoric,” the best examples of which are drawing the main and secondary lines of the modern Islamic civilization and explaining, promoting, and building its culture in society.

The full text of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s message is as follows:

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

And praise be to God, Lord of the worlds, and may prayers and peace be upon our Master Muhammad al-Mustafa and his pure family, especially the rest of Allah in the worlds.

The emergence of the blessed Qom seminary at the dawn of the 14th century AH was a unique phenomenon that occurred in the midst of great and terrible events; events that darkened the atmosphere of the West Asian region and plunged the lives of its nations into chaos and ruin.

The origin and cause of this widespread and long-lasting bitterness was the intervention of the colonial powers and the victors of the First World War, who used all means to seize and dominate this sensitive geography rich in underground resources, and were able to achieve their goals through military force, political schemes, bribery and the recruitment of domestic traitors, propaganda and cultural tools, and any other possible means.

In Iraq, they brought a British government and then a puppet monarchy to power; in the Levant region, England on the one hand and France on the other, expanded their colonial occupation by establishing a sectarian system in one part and the government of a British puppet family in the other part, and by creating suffocation and pressure on the people, especially Muslims and religious scholars, throughout it; In Iran, they gradually raised a ruthless, greedy, and impersonal Kazakh to the position of prime minister and then king; in Palestine, they began the gradual migration of Zionist elements and their arming, and with a quiet movement, they prepared the ground for the creation of a cancerous tumor in the heart of the Islamic world. Wherever there was resistance to their step-by-step plans - whether in Iraq, the Levant, Palestine, or Iran - they suppressed it, and in some cities like Najaf they brought the matter to the mass arrest of scholars and even the humiliating exile of great authorities such as Mirza Na'ini, Seyyed Abul-Hasan Isfahani, and Sheikh Mahdi Khalisi, and they launched house-to-house searches to arrest the Mujahid men. The nations were terrified and confused, and the horizons became dark and hopeless. In Iran, the Mujahideen of Gilan, Tabriz, and Mashhad were reduced to dust and blood, and the stewards of treacherous contracts were placed at the forefront of affairs.

It was in the midst of such bitter events and such a dark night that the star of Qom rose. The hand of divine power inspired a great, pious, and experienced jurist to migrate to Qom, revive the deserted and closed seminary, and plant a new and blessed sapling in the rocky terrain of that incompatible era, adjacent to the shrine of the pure daughter of Hazrat Musa ibn Ja’far (peace be upon them) and in that fertile land.

Qom was not devoid of great scholars at the time of Ayatollah Ha’eri’s arrival; Great men such as Ayatollah Mirza Muhammad Arbab and Sheikh Abul Qasim Kabir and a number of others lived in this city, but the great art of establishing a seminary, i.e. a nursery for knowledge, scholars, religion and faith (1), with all its subtleties and strategies, came only from a supportive personality such as Ayatollah Hajj Sheikh Abdul Karim Ha'iri (may Allah elevate his position in the heavens).

His eight-year experience in establishing and managing a thriving seminary in Arak, and years before that, his close association with the great Shiite leader, Mirza Shirazi in Samarra, and his observation of his strategies in establishing and managing the seminary in that city, provided him with guidance; and his wisdom, courage, motivation and hope carried him forward on this difficult path.

In its early years, the seminary, with his sincere and self-reliant persistence, emerged safe from the sharp blade of Reza Khan, who showed no mercy to the young or old in his attempt to erase the signs and foundations of religion; the evil tyrant was destroyed, and the seminary, which had been under his maximum pressure for years, remained and grew; and from it, a sun like Hazrat Ruhollah rose. The seminary, whose students once sought refuge in corners outside the city to save their lives at dawn, where they would study and debate, and return to dark rooms in schools at night, became, in the four decades that followed, a center that sent the flames of struggle against Reza Khan's evil dynasty throughout Iran, inflaming depressed and hopeless hearts and drawing isolated youth into the middle of the field.

And it was this seminary that, shortly after the death of its founder, with the arrival of the great authority, Ayatollah Boroujerdi, became the scientific, research and propaganda peak of Shiism throughout the world. And finally, it was this seminary that, in less than six decades, reached the point where it was able to eradicate the treacherous, corrupt and immoral regime of the monarchy by the hands of the people and, after centuries, establish Islam in the position of political sovereignty of a great, cultured and talented country.

It was the graduate of this blessed seminary who made Iran a model of Islamism in the Islamic world, and even a pioneer of religiousness throughout the world; with his prophetic address, blood triumphed over the sword; with his foresight, the Islamic Republic was born; with his courage and trust, the Iranian nation defended itself against threats and overcame many; And today, with his lessons and legacies, the country is overcoming obstacles and moving forward in many aspects of life.

May God’s continued mercy and grace be upon the founder of this blessed and magnificent seminary and this fruitful and virtuous tree; a noble, wise, and blessed man, a scholar of religion, and adorned with the peace of certainty, His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Hajj Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri.

Now, it is necessary to say something about a few issues that are believed to be of use to the seminary today and tomorrow, in the hope that they will help the currently successful seminary on its way to becoming a “progressive and outstanding” seminary.

The first issue is the title “Seminar Seminary” and its profound content.

The current literature on this subject is short and inadequate. Contrary to what this literature suggests, the seminary is not simply an institution of teaching and learning, but rather a collection of science, education, and social and political functions. The various dimensions of this meaningful term can be listed mainly as follows:

1- A scientific center with specific specializations;

2- A center for training a civilized and efficient force for the religious and moral guidance of society;

3- The front line of the front line of confrontation with enemy threats in various fields;

4- The center for producing and explaining Islamic thought on social systems; from the political system and its form and content, to systems related to the administration of the country, and to the family system and personal relationships, based on Islamic jurisprudence, philosophy, and value system;

5- The center and perhaps the pinnacle of civilizational innovations and necessary foresight within the framework of the global message of Islam.

These are the headings that define the term “scientific field” and show its constituent elements and, in a sense, its “expectations”; and it is these that efforts to strengthen and advance can make the field “advanced and outstanding” in the true sense and remedy the challenges and possible threats ahead.

There are facts and opinions about each of these headings that can be summarized as follows:

First - Scientific Center:

The Qom field is the heir to the great scientific capital of Shia. This unique reserve is the product of the thinking and research of thousands of religious scholars in sciences such as jurisprudence, theology, philosophy, interpretation, and hadith, over a thousand years.

Before the discoveries of natural sciences in recent centuries, Shia scientific fields were also considered an arena for dealing with other sciences; But in all periods, the main focus of discussion and research in the fields has been “the science of jurisprudence” and after that, with some interval, “theology, philosophy and hadith”.

The gradual progress of the science of jurisprudence during this long period, from the time of Sheikh Tusi to the era of Muhqaq al-Hilli, and from there to Shahid, and from there to Muhqaq al-Ardebili, and from there to Sheikh Ansari, and up to the present era, is palpable for the experts. The criterion for the progress of jurisprudence is to add to the existing ones, that is, to produce excellent scientific products and to raise the level of science and new findings; but today, looking at the rapid and intense intellectual and practical changes in contemporary times, especially in the last century, more expectations should be considered in the field of scientific progress in the field.

Regarding the science of jurisprudence, the following points are worth considering:

First, jurisprudence is the response of religion to the practical needs of the individual and society. With the evolved rationality of generations, this response must today have a solid intellectual and scientific support, and at the same time be understandable and digestible.

Furthermore, the complex and numerous phenomena in people's lives today raise unprecedented questions that contemporary jurisprudence must have ready answers to.

Furthermore, today, with the formation of the Islamic political system, the main question is how the legislator's broad view of the individual and social dimensions of human life and its fundamental foundations; from the view of man and his human status and the goals of his life, to the view of the desired form of human society, and the view of politics and power and social relations and the family and gender and justice and other dimensions of life. The fatwa of the jurist on each issue must reflect a part of this broad view.

An important requirement for achieving these characteristics is, first, that the jurist be familiar with all dimensions and religious knowledge in all fields, and second, that he be appropriately familiar with today's findings of mankind in the field of human sciences and knowledge related to human life.

It must be admitted that the accumulated reserve of knowledge in this field has the capacity to bring the student to this level of scientific abilities, provided that some points in the current way of working are seen with open eyes and treated with a capable hand.

One of these points is the length of the study period. The student’s reading period is spent in a questionable manner; the student is forced to learn a thick and researched book by a great scholar as a textbook. This book is actually relevant when he enters the stage of ijtihad research, and giving it to him before this stage only prolongs the time for reading the text. The textbook should contain material and language suitable for the student for the limited period before entering the research stage. The successful or unsuccessful efforts of great figures such as Akhund Khorasani, Hajj Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri, and Hajj Sayyid Sadr al-Din Sadr to replace books such as Qaaniyyah, Rasa’il, and Fusul with Kifayyah, Durr al-Fua’id, and Khulasat al-Fusul were made with this important necessity in mind. Although they lived at a time when students were not faced with the multitude of mental import and practical assignments they face today.

Another point is the issue of jurisprudential priorities. Today, with the formation of the Islamic system and the introduction of governance in the Islamic way, important issues have become priorities for the seminary that were not considered in the past; issues such as the state’s relations with its people and with other states and nations, the issue of negating the moustache, the economic system and its fundamental foundations, the fundamental foundations of the Islamic system, the origin of sovereignty from the perspective of Islam, the role of the people in it and taking a position on important issues and against the system of domination, the concept and content of justice, and dozens of other fundamental and sometimes vital issues, are priorities for the country’s present and future and await a jurisprudential response. (Some of them also have a theological aspect that should be discussed in their place.)

In the current way of working of the seminary, in the jurisprudential section, insufficient attention is paid to these priorities. Sometimes we see that some scientific skills, which generally have an organic aspect and are preliminary to reaching the ruling of the Sharia, or some jurisprudential or fundamental issues outside of priorities, so immerse the jurist and researcher in them with their tempting sweetness that they completely distract his mind from those main and priority issues and sacrifice irreplaceable opportunities and human and financial resources, without contributing to explaining the Islamic lifestyle and guiding society in the face of the onslaught of disbelief.

If the goal of scientific work is to demonstrate scientific excellence and reputation (2) and to compete in appearing virtuous, it will be an example of a materialistic and worldly act and “taking his god as his desire” (3).

Second - Training a civilized and efficient workforce

It is an extroverted institutional domain. The output of the seminary at all levels serves the thought and culture of society and humans. The seminary is responsible for “clarifying rhetoric.” The scope of this rhetoric is vast, from the sublime monotheistic teachings to personal religious duties, and from explaining the Islamic system and its structure and duties to lifestyle and the environment, and protecting nature and animals, and many other areas and aspects of human life.

The seminaries have long been engaged in this heavy duty, and many of their graduates(4) at various academic levels have turned to various methods of propagating religion and have spent their lives in it. After the revolution, institutions emerged to organize and perhaps give consistency to the content of these propagating movements in the seminary. Their valuable services and those of other proponents(5) of the cause of propagating religion should not be ignored.

What is important is to become familiar with the intellectual and cultural atmosphere of society and to create a balance between the propaganda contributions and the intellectual and cultural realities among the people, especially the youth. In this area, the field is in trouble. These hundreds of articles, magazines, parliamentary and television speeches, and the like, in the face of a flood of fallacious insinuations, cannot fulfill the task of explanatory rhetoric as needed and deserved.

The place of two key elements for this section is empty in the field: “education” and “refinement.”

Delivering a message that is up-to-date and fills the void and fulfills the goal of religion definitely requires education and learning. An institution must take on this mission and teach the student the power of persuasion, familiarity with the method of conversation, awareness of the type of interaction with public opinion and the media and virtual space, discipline in facing the opposing element, and through practice and practice, in a limited period, prepare him to enter this field. On the one hand, by using the technical tools of the day, it should collect the latest and most common intellectual and moral suggestions and plagues and provide the best, most eloquent, and strongest response to them in the form of literature appropriate to the time, and on the other hand, it should compile the most necessary religious knowledge appropriate to the cultural and intellectual situation of the day in the form of packages suitable for the thought and culture of the young and adolescent generation and families. This collection of form and content is the most important subject of education in this sector.

In the work of propaganda, a positive and even aggressive stance is more important than a defensive stance. What has been said about repelling and removing doubts and insinuations should not cause the propaganda apparatus to neglect attacking the certainties of the deviant culture prevalent in the world and possibly in our country. The imposed and induced culture of the West is rapidly becoming distorted and decadent; the field of philosophers and theologians is not content with defending against suspicion, but rather creates intellectual challenges in response to this distortion and misguidance and forces the misguided claimants to respond.

The preparation of this educational apparatus is one of the priorities of the field; this is the cultivation of “cultural warriors,” and considering the movements of the enemies of religion who are seriously building up their strength, especially in some important areas, it deserves to be considered very serious and accelerated.

Refinement is another necessity alongside education. Refinement does not mean isolation. A major part of the scope of the cultural fighter’s activity is calling for the refinement of the soul and Islamic morality, and this is an ineffective and blessed task without the caller enjoying what he is calling for. The field needs to be more active than ever in emphasizing moral advice.

You, young students and scholars, are certainly capable of completing the task of morally refining today’s young generation with the help of your pure and untainted hearts and honest language, provided that you start with yourself first. Sincerity in action and blocking the path to the temptation of wealth, name, and status is the key to entering the delightful atmosphere of spirituality and truth; and thus, the difficult task of cultural struggle will become a sweet task and an effective movement. The hardships of seeking in such a situation, instead of hindering the militant behavior of propaganda, will become a means of strong will and firm determination.

I emphasize that the field of religious propaganda should never be viewed as an unrivaled field, and one should never neglect for a moment the fight against the ambiguities and fallacies that are constantly sent to the field.

In this section, in addition to training forces for eloquent rhetoric, attention should also be paid to training forces for specific tasks in the system and administration of the country, as well as training forces to organize the interior of the seminary and carry out its tasks, which requires a separate discussion.

Third - The front line of confrontation with enemy threats in various fields

This is one of the most unknown aspects of the seminaries and the function of the collective religious scholars. There is no doubt that no reform or revolutionary movement in the last 150 years in Iran or Iraq has been led or led by religious scholars. This is an important sign of the nature of the seminaries.

During this period, in all cases of colonialism and tyranny seeking dominance, it was only religious scholars who initially entered the field and in many cases, thanks to the support of the people, were able to defeat the enemy. No one else dared to speak out or did not understand the issue properly, and it was only after the scholars cried out that others might have raised their voices.

Kasravi, who is considered a staunch opponent of religious scholars, admits that the beginning of the constitutional movement arose from the wise companionship of two Seyyeds Behbahani and Tabatabaei. Yes, in those days when the giant of tyranny was raising the flag in Iran, no one but the religious authorities and scholars dared to speak out.

The shameful contracts during this period were annulled with the opposition and obstruction of the scholars; the Reuters contract was prevented by Hajj Molla Ali Kani, a great scholar of Tehran; the tobacco contract was ordered by Mirza Shirazi, the supreme authority, and accompanied by the great scholars of Iran; the Vosq-ud-Dawlah contract was revealed by a teacher; the fight against foreign textiles was initiated by Agha Najafi Isfahani and accompanied by the scholars of Isfahan and supported by the scholars of Najaf; and other cases.

In the same years that coincided with the formation of the Qom seminary, parts of Iraq and the borders of Iran, centered in Najaf and Kufa, were the scene of armed conflict between the scholars and the British occupying forces; not only students and teachers, but also some famous scholars such as Seyyed Mustafa Kashani and some of the children of the scholars participated in these conflicts, some of whom were martyred and many were subsequently exiled to distant parts of the British colonies.

The activity of the great authorities in the Palestine issue – both at the beginning of the century when the policy of migration and arming the Zionists was being implemented in Palestine, and in the third decade of that year when a significant part of Palestine was officially handed over to the Zionists and a fake Zionist state was declared – is one of the proud parts of the seminaries. Their letters and statements on this matter are among the most valuable historical documents. The unparalleled role of the Qom seminary and then other seminaries in Iran in creating the Islamic movement and establishing the revolution and justifying public opinion and bringing the general public to the field is also one of the most prominent signs of the jihadist identity of the seminaries. The graduates of the seminary, with active minds and eloquent tongues, were among the first to respond to the enemy-busting roar of the Imam Mujahid and entered the field with speed and seriousness, while enduring injuries, and began to spread revolutionary concepts and justify public opinion.

It is with the awareness of these facts that the late Imam (may Allah be pleased with him) in his meaningful and moving message to the seminaries, (6) considered the clergy to be the pioneers of martyrdom in all popular and Islamic revolutions, and conversely, he considered the path of martyrs and their work to reach the truth of understanding. In another way, he introduced the scholars as pioneers in the field of jihad and support for the homeland and support for the oppressed. For the future of the seminary, he placed his greatest hope in the students and the virtuous who were motivated by the concern for the movement, struggle and revolution, and he expressed his dissatisfaction with those who, regardless of these vital issues, were content with only their books and lessons. This message repeatedly refers to the petrified, warns of the enemy’s influence by taking advantage of their negligence, and warns of the evolving methods of selling religion. In the opinion of the venerable Imam Saeb, the colonial hunters around the world are lying in wait for the lion-hearted clerics and politicians, planning to fight against the glory, greatness, and popular influence of the clergy.

In that wise text, written with mystical and romantic feelings, the venerable Imam’s concern that the trend of petrification and sanctification will tempt the seminary to separate religion from politics and social activities and block the right path to progress is evident. This concern stems from the promotion of a dangerous trend that portrays the seminary’s involvement in the fundamental issues of the people, its involvement in social and political activities, and its fight against oppression and corruption as contrary to the sanctity of religion and its spiritual sanctity, and recommends the clergy to be peaceful and avoid the dangers of entering politics.

Promoting this false illusion is the greatest gift to the elements of colonialism and arrogance, who have always suffered from the presence and entry of religious scholars in the battle to fight them and have been defeated in numerous cases; and it is the greatest gift to the elements of the corrupt, wicked, and mercenary system that was eradicated and eliminated by the movement of the Iranian nation led by a leading authority.

The sanctity of religion is most evident in the fields of intellectual, political, and military jihad, and is established through the sacrifice and jihad of the bearers of religious knowledge and the shedding of their pure blood. The sanctity of religion can be seen in the life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family), who upon entering Yathrib, his first action was to form a government, organize a military force, and integrate the realm of politics and worship in the mosque.

In order to protect its spiritual credibility and loyalty to its existential philosophy, the seminary must never be separated from the people, society, and its fundamental issues, and must consider jihad in all its forms in times of need as its definitive duty.

This is the same important statement that the venerable Imam has repeatedly shared with the seminary, its elders, and especially with its young students and scholars, and has emphasized it.

Fourth - The Center for Participation in the Production and Explanation of Social Systems

Countries and human societies are governed by specific systems in all their social aspects; The form of government, the method of governance (despotism, consultation, etc.), the judicial system and arbitration in disputes and legal or criminal matters, the economic and financial system and the issue of money, etc., the administrative system, the business system, the family system, and others, are all among the social aspects of the country that are administered in various ways and in the form of various systems in societies around the world.

Undoubtedly, each of these systems relies on an intellectual foundation - whether it comes from the minds of thinkers and experts, or is born from local and hereditary traditions and habits - and arises from it.

In an Islamic government, this basis and rule must naturally be derived from Islam and its authentic texts, and the systems for administering society must be extracted from them.

Although Shiite jurisprudence has not dealt with this task sufficiently except in some cases - such as the chapter on judgment -, thanks to the extensive jurisprudential rules derived from the Book and Sunnah, as well as with the help of secondary titles, it has the necessary adequacy to design various systems of governing society.

Regarding the origin and origin of government, the outstanding work of the late Imam in the discussions of "Wilayat al-Faqih" during his exile in Najaf was a blessed beginning and opened the way for research to seminary scholars, and after the establishment of the Islamic Republic, its various dimensions were developed in theory and practice; however, this work has remained unsuccessful and disorganized in many of the country's social systems. The seminary must fill this void; this is among the inevitable duties of the seminary. Today, with the rule and establishment of the Islamic system, the duty of the jurist and jurisprudence is heavy. Today, jurisprudence, as the late Imam explained, cannot be considered as drowning in individual and religious rulings, as the ignorant do. The jurisprudence of the nation-building is not limited to the limits and scope of religious rulings and individual duties.

Of course, the seminary needs to be familiar with the findings of the world today regarding these systems to the necessary extent in order to design and regulate social systems. This familiarity will enable the jurist to find the presence of mind necessary to use the statements and hints of the Book and Sunnah by exploiting the right and wrong of these findings and to design the structure of social systems for the comprehensive and complete administration of society based on Islamic thought.

In addition to the seminary, the country's university also has the ability and responsibility in this field; this can be one of the cases of cooperation between the seminary and the university. The great task of the university is to identify the right and wrong of the prevailing views of world knowledge in the humanities related to governance and popular systems, with the help of a researcher's and critic's perspective, and to present the content of religious thought in appropriate formats, in cooperation with the field.

Fifth - Civilizational Innovations within the Framework of the Global Message of Islam

This is the most prominent expectation from the seminary. Perhaps it may be considered ambitious and wishful thinking. On that historic night after the attack on Faiziyah in 42, when the late Imam was speaking to a small and frightened group of students in his house after the Isha prayer, perhaps the lofty statement that “they will go and you will stay” was considered ambitious and wishful thinking by some of us, but the passage of time has shown that faith, patience, and trust can remove mountains of obstacles and that the plots of the enemies are ineffective against the divine Sunnah.

“Establishing Islamic civilization” is the supreme worldly goal of the revolution, meaning a civilization in which science, technology, human resources, natural resources, all human capabilities and advancements, government, politics, military force, and everything at the disposal of mankind are used in the service of social justice and public welfare, reducing class gaps, increasing spiritual development, scientific advancement, increasing knowledge of nature, and strengthening faith.

Islamic civilization is based on monotheism and its social, individual, and spiritual dimensions; it is based on respecting man in terms of humanity - and not in terms of gender, color, language, ethnicity, or geography; it is based on justice and its dimensions and examples; it is based on human freedom in various fields; it is based on public struggle in all fields where there is a need for a jihadi presence.

Islamic civilization is the opposite of the current material civilization. Material civilization began with colonialism, with the seizure of lands and the humiliation of weak nations, with the mass killings of natives, with the use of science to suppress others, with oppression, with lies, with the creation of class divides, with bullying, and gradually corruption and deviation from moral principles and sexual restraints also found their way into it and grew.

Today, we see clear and complete examples of this perverse structure in Western countries and their followers: peaks of wealth next to valleys of poverty and hunger; bullying by those who are obsessed with power to anyone who can be called a bully; the use of science for mass killings; bringing sexual corruption into families and even to children and infants; unparalleled cruelty and cruelty in examples such as Gaza and Palestine; threats of war for interference in the affairs of others in examples such as the behavior of American statesmen in recent times.

It is obvious that this false civilization is going to disappear and will be eliminated; this is the inevitable tradition of creation: “Indeed, falsehood was a thing of the past”;(7) “As for the froth, it goes away dry.”(8) Our task today is, first, to help to nullify this falsehood and, second, to prepare an alternative civilization in thought and action to the best of our ability. To say: “Others could not, so we cannot either” is a fallacy. Wherever others acted with faith, calculation, and perseverance, they succeeded and won. A clear example before our eyes: the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic.

In this struggle, there are injuries, blows, pains, and losses that must be endured. In this case, victory is certain. The Great Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) secretly left Mecca at night and from among the circle of idolaters and hid in a cave, but after eight years he entered Mecca with glory and authority and cleansed the Kaaba of idols and Mecca of idolaters. During these eight years, he suffered incalculably and lost companions like Hamza, but he was victorious.

Our eight-year sacred defense against the global coalition of powerful, oppressive, and lying powers is another example. The great and efficient seminary of Qom today, which faced those hardships in the beginning, is also an example before our eyes; and there are many such examples.

The seminary has a valuable task in this regard, and that is, first of all, to draw the main and secondary lines of the new Islamic civilization, and then to explain, promote, and cultivate it in society. This is one of the best examples of "eloquent rhetoric." In terms of drawing the shape of Islamic civilization, jurisprudence plays a role in a way, and rational sciences play a role in a way. Our Islamic philosophy must draw a social extension for its main issues. Our jurisprudence, by expanding its field of vision and innovating in inference, should enumerate the emerging issues of such a civilization and determine its rulings.

The clear statement of the great Imam about jurisprudence and its method in the field of science is a path-breaker. In this statement, the method of inference is the same as the method of traditional jurisprudence and, in his words, gem-like ijtihad; however, “time” and “place” are two determining elements in ijtihad. It is possible that a subject had a ruling in the past, but with the change in the relations governing politics, society, and economy, it has now found a new ruling. This change in ruling is due to the fact that although the subject is apparently the same as before, due to the change in political and social relations, etc., it has actually changed and become a new subject, so it requires a new ruling.

In addition, successive global events and scientific advances, etc., can in some cases lead a skilled jurist to a new understanding of a document from the Book and Sunnah and become a religious argument for changing a ruling; as often happens in the change of opinion of mujtahids. In any case, jurisprudence must remain jurisprudence and new understanding should not become a corruption of the Sharia.

Regarding the definition and interpretation of the title of theological seminary and its deep content, I will suffice with what has been said and say a short word about the Qom seminary, which has now reached its centenary.

The Qom seminary today is a living and growing seminary. The presence of thousands of teachers, authors, researchers, writers, speakers, and thinkers in Islamic knowledge, the publication of scientific and research journals, and the writing of specialized and general articles, are collectively considered a great wealth for today’s society and a huge capacity for the future of the country and the nation. The popularity of exegesis and ethics courses and the increase in centers and courses in intellectual sciences are a prominent point of strength that the seminary before the revolution did not have access to. The Qom seminary had never seen such a number of students and intellectuals. Active presence in all fields of the revolution and even in the military field and the dedication of precious martyrs during the period of sacred defense and before and after it are among the great honors of the seminary and among the countless virtues of the late Imam. Opening the way to the field of global propaganda and educating thousands of students of knowledge from various nations and the presence of its graduates in many countries is another great and unprecedented work that should be appreciated. The attention of fresh jurists to contemporary issues and related jurisprudential courses also promises a favorable future in scientific progress and development. The interest of young scholars in the accuracy of the epistemological points of authoritative Islamic texts, especially the Holy Quran, also bodes well for the introduction of more of the Quran in the seminary. The establishment of women's seminaries is also an important and influential initiative, the permanent reward of which will be given to the pure soul of the late Imam. From this perspective, the Qom Seminary is a living and dynamic entity that gives rise to hopes.

However, the logical expectation that the Qom Seminary be a progressive and outstanding seminary is far from the current situation. Attention to the following points can reduce this distance:

- The seminary must be up-to-date; it must constantly move forward with the times, and even move ahead of the times.

- The training of forces in all sectors should be given importance. The path of this nation and the future of the revolution will be drawn by the forces that are being trained today in the seminary.

- The seminarians should increase their relationship with the people. Plans should be made for the presence of the seminary’s scholars among the people and for a close relationship between them.

- The seminary administrators should use appropriate measures to neutralize biased insinuations that discourage young students from the future. Today, Islam, Iran, and Shia enjoy a dignity and respect in the world that they never had in the past. Young students should study and grow with this feeling.

- Look at the younger generation of society with an optimistic eye and interact with them with this view. A significant portion of today's youth with high IQs, despite all the destructive indoctrinations of religious thought and feeling, are loyal to religion and advocate for it, and many others are not at all hostile to religion and the revolution. The very small minority exposed to religious manifestations should not subject the field to unrealistic analysis.

- The curriculum of the seminary should be written in such a way that jurisprudence that is transparent, responsive, and up-to-date, and of course technical and based on the method of ijtihad, along with a clear philosophy that has a social extension and is an expert in the structure of society's life, along with the knowledge of the word of God that is clear and solid and has the power of persuasion, is taught by skilled professors, and all three of these are illuminated, illuminated, and profound in the light of understanding the Quran and the lessons of interpretation.

- Asceticism, piety, contentment, renunciation of other than God, reliance, the spirit of progress, and readiness for struggle have been the constant recommendations of the venerable Imam and the elders of morality and knowledge to young students, and now you, the dear youth of the seminary, are the addressees of these same recommendations.

- Regarding the academic degrees of the seminary, my constant and current recommendation is that the diploma should be awarded to graduates by the seminary itself - and not by a center outside of it. Of course, seminary ranks can be replaced with the names known in academic centers in the country and the world, for example: Bachelor's, Master's, Research Bachelor's (PhD) and the like.

I will end my speech here and ask God Almighty for the increasing glory and honor of Islam, the increasing strength and stability of the Islamic Ummah, the increasing progress and prosperity of the Iranian nation, the increasing pride and efficiency of the seminaries, and victory over enemies, ill-wishers, and opponents.

May God's peace be upon the remaining ones of His Holiness (may our souls be sacrificed and may God hasten their relief), and our sincere prayers be upon the souls of the martyrs and the pure soul of the Imam of the Ummah.

Peace be upon you, and may God’s mercy and blessings be upon you

Seyyed Ali Khamenei

1404/2/8

1 Religious, pious

(2 Fame, reputation

(3 Surah Al-Furqan, part of verse 43

(4 Graduates, educated people

(5 Professionals

(6 Sahifa-e-Imam, vol. 21, p. 273; Message to clerics, authorities, teachers, students and Friday and congregational imams (1367/12/3)

(7 Surah Al-Isra, part of verse 81;