On the occasion of Seminary and University Unity Week
Prepared by the group responsible to collect Professor Tahaie's works.
Translated by: Mona Goharimanesh
Universities and seminaries can either be for all the prosperity and progress of a country or a center for all forms of deviation and degeneration.
Intellectual and committed people can come out of the university, if the university is qualified as a university and as an Islamic one as well i.e., accompanying research studies, their should be refinement and commitment, which could lead to the welfare of a country. Moreover, if seminaries are refined and committed they can save their country. Science by itself is not only harmful, but also useless (Imam Khomeini, 1980).
Hence, Islam has introduced faith and knowledge as superior and virtuous criteria, and its emergence has invalidated all other human beliefs.
The Holy Quran says, "Allah will rise up in ranks those who have been given knowledge. Allah is aware of what you do. (58:11)
«يَرْفَعِ اللَّهُ الَّذينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَ الَّذينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ دَرَجاتٍ وَ اللَّهُ بِما تَعْمَلُونَ خَبير»
According to this verse, faith and knowledge cause superiority and intellect, but who is faithful and what kind of faith? Perhaps many people claim to have great faith, but there are certain characteristics that are mentioned in the Quran as in the following verse, "Those only are believers whose hearts become full of fear when Allah is mentioned, and when His communications are recited to them they increase them in faith, and in their Lord do they trust. Those who keep up prayer and spend (benevolently) out of what We have given them. These are the believers in truth; they shall have from their Lord exalted grades and forgiveness and an honorable sustenance." (8:2-4)
«إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذينَ إِذا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَ إِذا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آياتُهُ زادَتْهُمْ إيماناً وَ عَلى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ* الَّذينَ يُقيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَ مِمَّا رَزَقْناهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ* أُولئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا لَهُمْ دَرَجاتٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَ مَغْفِرَةٌ وَ رِزْقٌ كَريمٌ»؛
In these verses, Allah refers to five parts of the outstanding believers characteristics, which also have spiritual aspects: a sense of responsibility, development of faith and reliance, and practical and external aspects including a relationship with Allah and Allah's creatures.
The first characteristic: a sense of responsibility:
«إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذينَ إِذا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ»؛
" Fear" ((وَجِلَتْis that fear human feels when they understand their responsibilities and the probable action towards obligatory duties against God and its source can be due to understanding the greatness of Allah's position.
The Quran affirms the link between consciousness and fear:
«إِنَّما يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبادِهِ الْعُلَماء» (فاطر/ 28).
It is only those amongst His worshippers that fear Allah who have knowledge. (35:28)
The second characteristic, the development of faith:
In continuation of this great verse: «وَ إِذا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آياتُهُ زادَتْهُمْ إيماناً». evolution and development are features of all living organisms and lack of it is equivalent to signs of no life. True believers have a vital faith and are always developing with no calm moments. It is interesting that the growth of faith is due to divine signs.
If you want to test your faith, consider the above verse; when it is read to you, how much does your heart shiver and your soul thrive?
The third characteristic, trust and reliance:
Another characteristic is that the faithful only rely on and trust in their Lord: “«وَ عَلى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ» “the horizon of their thinking is so high that they do not rely on weak creatures, even though they may appear to be great.
They draw water from the source and whatever they want and require they draw from the ocean of the boundless universe; they only want the pure essence of Allah and they merely rely on Him.
In other words, a faithful and reliant person uses his/her whole physical and mental powers that Allah has given them. Since he/she is well aware that whatever he/she owns comes from Allah, so he/she will not rely on him/herself and does not feel praiseworthy.
The fourth characteristic, a relationship with Allah:
Faithful people in the light of responsibility, understanding the greatness of Allah, increasing of faith, long-term thinking and trust, are tightly linked with God in which it is mention in the sentence: «الَّذينَ يُقيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ» .
Their prayers show that not only they say their prayers, but also do everything to have a firm and continuous relationship with Allah everywhere.
The fifth characteristic, a relationship with Allah's creatures:
Beside saying the prayers, one another practical plan of truly faithful people is spending out of what they have been given: «وَ مِمَّا رَزَقْناهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ» The interpretation of «مِمَّا رَزَقْناهُمْ» (whatever we gave away) is a broad interpretation that encompasses all material and the spiritual wealth.
They spend not only their money but also their knowledge, talents and thoughts and do not withhold on their position and wealth to help Allah's creatures.
Moreover, Allah speaks about the success and high position of these faithful people: «لَهُمْ دَرَجاتٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ», they shall have from their Lord exalted grades. In addition, they are included in divine forgiveness, mercy and fine provisions.
Who is the knower? The second privilege which Allah determined for humans is science and knowledge. According to the Muslims’ Islamic texts, the importance and necessity of the science is not hidden.
A scientist is someone who reads either books of creation and studies them or books of development and to Allah both are valuable because both of them are seeking knowledge.
The university students in the scope of creation books deal with subjects such as the sky, earth, geography, atmosphere and stars as well as plants, animals and everything which is related to the world and environment. But the seminary student, in the scope of books of development, contemplates on verses of the Quran and the Ahlulbayt’s wise sayings. Moreover, by considering the behaviors and methods of religious leaders, share the sweets of divine doctrines to others. So, the honeymoon of seminary students is dealing with the Quran, the Ahlulbayt and their wise sayings and the honeymoon of university students is their demands and acquisition which they search in the books of development.
The connection point of this group has be mentioned in this verse: «إِنَّ في خَلْقِ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ اخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَ النَّهارِ لَآياتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْباب»؛ Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for those with minds. (3:190)
Allah, by showing the mysteries of creation and His invitation to contemplate, invites people to intuitive understanding of nature; however, it is not enough and the ontology is considered as an introduction to theology. In this regard, one is more wise who recognizes more signs and embraces the whole book of creation and laws on the right and divine track. Therefore, not only the goal, responsibility and behavior of the student and the clergy are not separated, but also they are in the same line and complement each other.
In the Quranic vision, the reader feels the power of Allah in the whole system and other powers are manifested as hollow and then screams:
The United States can do no wrong, and this would explain the student's research and policy insights and always is to note that all of this research should pass the filter of belief and ethics.
Therefore, the result of these words is that two elements of faith and science are building societies and neither students nor clergies should consider themselves needless of them.
In addition to these two attributes, there are other common features which scholars and students should consider:
Keeping alive human nature
One of the main semantics of the word "nature" is creation. Scientists’ interpretation dealing with natural theology shows that they have passed two different ways. Some think that nature means logic and a rational approach which each person can reach after achieving full knowledge and seeing the environment and its secrets. It is impossible that this original system and dramatic secrets result from a source without any sense and knowledge, but nature has another meaning which in this issue seems more accurate:
When humans understand the facts without logic, he/she clearly sees and accepts it.
For example, when somebody sees a beautiful and fragrant flower and admits to its beauty, this sense implies that he sees no need to any logic because it is beautiful and does not need logic. Moreover, understanding the nature of Allah is something like this.
The Holy Quran says, «فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنيفاً فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْها لا تَبْديلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَ لكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لا يَعْلَمُونَ»؛: "…therefore set your face to the religion purely, the upright creation upon which he originated people. There is no changing of the creation of Allah. This is the valuable religion, although most people do not know?" (30:30)
Allah created humans based upon the nature of theocentricity . All people, especially the clergies and students do their best besides keeping alive the human-divine nature; helping themselves and others to assist in the development and growth of this treasure. This is the continuation of the prophets' deeds, in which Imam Ali (PBUH) said,.
:«وَ يُثِيرُوا لَهُمْ دَفَائِنَ الْعُقُولِ وَ يُرُوهُمْ آيَاتِ الْمَقْدِرَةِ» (Prophets came) to reveal the hidden strengths of minds and introduce the signs of God's power" (Nahjolbalaghe, Sermon 1).
So, the preparation of the people must be based on Quranic revelation.
In order to wake up and show the nature of good and evil, both groups (clergy and student) must use modern fields of science and very sophisticated and precise techniques in all matters and in this connection with the society, they should acquire thought and behavior from the Quran and Ahlul-Bayt (PBUH). They also provide people with the best services without any compensation.
Commitment and Responsibility
However, Islam places a high value and position on science and knowledge, measures the people's values based on commitment and responsibility, in which that knowledge was created for them, while some people consider knowledge as the only criteria regardless of commitment and responsibility which science has provided. According to Islamic teachings, when experts of the society attribute their personal and social responsibilities, and have influential and active roles in creating virtues and fighting corruption, the path of science becomes real. In this case, their position is valuable and depending on their commitment and responsibility deserve deep respects.
Nowadays, the purpose of scientific endeavors are not clear for people and they just want to get a degree while we must know why we are studying?
It is very selfish that we use community facilities and other investments only for our own and do not think about the community..As the Quran notes, salvation is in the shadow of faith and action and holding one another to truth and patience.
The society can embrace happiness and success if people always hold each other to truth and patience.
When faith emerges in the human heart, its lights reflects in his/her life and lights the society with a divine and truth light and saves one from false darkness to be distribute everywhere and then it is followed. By showing the truth, all desire and wishes of evil such as greed, hatred, egoism, gold hoarding and so on will be eliminated.
Undoubtedly, the founders of the unity of the seminary and university have been trying to nourish the Islamic community with knowledge, pure thought, and commitment, as well as responsibility in the shadows of science and faith, following and charging to truth and patience.
What is our mission?
Now that several years have passed since the Islamic Revolution by the blessing of a great and capable man (Martyr Mofateh) a link between seminary and university has been created and so it seems that one of the main missions is using more from this unity.
The seminary, due to its contacts with the university and using its facilities can introduce the investments which were hidden in books and were not offered to the world. Then the world will understand what the seminary has and what it learns. In fact, this is a win-win relationship and a mutual feeling.
Researchers and thinkers of seminaries and universities mostly use each other's research in the academic scientific conferences.
In this case, we believe that the revelation of the Quran and the sciences should be explained on the basis of divine revelation and it is not acquired unless the seminary and university organizes seminars to discuss and share their thoughts and ideas.