While speaking about seminary of Lucknow, Maulana Sayyid Raza Haider Zaidi said: "The seminary of Lucknow has also produced great scholars. grand Ayatollah Sayyid Dildar Ali Naqvi Gufran Ma'ab, and the scholars from his family, Allama Mir Hamid Hussain Musavi, and the scholars from his lineage, and many other prominent scholars were the product of the Lucknow seminary."
On May 16, 2025, the Friday prayer was led by Hujjatul Islam wal-Muslimeen Maulana Sayyid Raza Haider Zaidi, the principal of Hawza-e-Ilmiya Hazrat Gufran Ma'ab Lucknow, at the Shahi Asafi Mosque in Lucknow.
During his sermon, he mentioned the 100-year anniversary of Hawza-e-Ilmiya Qom, founded by grand Ayatollah Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri (R). A grand seminar was held in Iran to commemorate this occasion, attended by scholars and intellectuals from various countries.
Representing India were Maulana Sayyid Kalbe Jawad, Maulana Sayyid Safi Haider (General Secretary of Tanzeemul Makatib, Lucknow), and Ms. Rubab Zaidi (Principal of Jamia-tuz-Zahra, Lucknow). The seminar was held under the leadership of Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, the current head of the Qom seminary.
Maulana Zaidi referred to the manifesto of Qom seminary, highlighting Ayatollah Arafi in his one-hour-and-fifteen-minute speech, in which he read a special message from the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei.
About the manifesto caretaker of Imam Reza’s (A.S.) shrine in Mashhad said: the Supreme Leader had cancelled all meetings for a week to prepare this message, so its significance for scholars to study and discuss its content.
Maulana Zaidi also praised Qom seminary for producing outstanding scholars like Imam Khomeini and Shaheed Murtaza Mutahhari.
Returning to the contributions of Lucknow’s seminary, Maulana Zaidi reiterated its historical role in shaping major scholars.
Turning to the condition of Indian seminaries, Maulana Zaidi said: “I saw the seminaries of Qom and then thought about the seminaries of Lucknow and felt sorrow. There are many faults—not just theirs, but ours too—which have weakened our seminaries.”
Addressing those who are financially capable and obligated to pay khums and zakat, he urged: “Don’t just hand over money to the administrators—go and see the condition of the students and seminaries. These institutions are like medical colleges, training religious scholars just as medical colleges train doctors. As the quality of doctors depends on the colleges, so does the caliber of scholars on the madrasas.”
In conclusion, Maulana Sayyid Raza Haider Zaidi emphasized:
"Strengthen the seminaries. If they are strong, great scholars will emerge who will defend your religion and stand against oppression. What we are facing today are intellectual and cultural invasions. No one but these students and scholars can fight them. If seminaries are strengthened intellectually, the message of Ahlul Bayt (A.S.) will reach every corner of the world."
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