AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Ayatollah Reza Ramazani, Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly elaborated on various dimensions of attaining a comprehensive understanding of religion in his meeting with scholars and professors of the Al-Mustafa (p.b.u.h) International University, Isfahan branch.
Recalling the story of the reasoning of Prophet Abraham (a.s.) with the star-worshippers and sun-worshippers, he noted that such arguments address the innate (Fitrah) disposition of the audience and guide them back to their Fitrah (human’s divine nature).
He added that the Quran calls humanity to a “pristine life,” and that if one reflects upon it carefully, the Book can become a source of vitality for humankind in all dimensions.
Ayatollah Ramazani stressed that in order to grasp the language of the Quran, one must turn to those who truly understand it - the AhlulBayt (a.s.). “Thus, we must know the AhlulBayt (a.s.) so that through their perspective we may come to know the Quran,” he said.
Explaining the ranks of human beings, he noted that some divide mankind into three categories: sensory, rational, and intuitive. “A sensory person is bound to matter; a rational person bases thought on reason; and an intuitive person relies on unveiling and inner perception.” He emphasized that the Quran elevates the human being from the sensory realm to the rational and intuitive realms, making the human being divine-oriented.
The Secretary-General warned that efforts are underway today to distort both the Quran and religion. “Our view of religion must be a maximal one,” he cautioned. “Our approach to religion must be comprehensive rather than narrow. The Quran has not come to push us into isolation; it has come to send us into society and make us socially responsible.”
He stated that even personal acts of worship, such as prayer and fasting, have social dimensions and produce social effects; for instance, prayer “prevents indecency and wrongdoing.”
Quoting Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, he stated: “Understand religion comprehensively, precisely and deeply; then convey this understanding to others.”
Ayatollah Ramazani then outlined three fundamental forms of distortion confronting religion today. The first, he said, relates to the misuse of attractive phrases such as “compassionate Islam.” Although the phrase is correct in essence, some use it to argue for absolute pacifism and to negate resistance. He clarified that while “compassionate Islam” is indeed acceptable, resistance must also find its place within that framework.
He likened disbelief to a corrupt weed that spreads its corruption through society and drags it away from a monotheistic worldview. Citing verses from Surah al-Hajj and Surah al-Baqarah, he noted that permission for defensive struggle is granted in cases of resisting oppression or the unjust expulsion of people from their homes. These are examples of “clarifying jihad,” he said, and must be explained correctly to prevent distortion.
Addressing the second distortion, he warned against the claim, promoted by certain intellectuals, that religion is purely individual and an entirely personal experience. “In truth,” he stressed, “religion carries both individual and social dimensions. Indeed, the social rulings of religion are not fewer than its individual ones.”
The major danger, he said, is “replacing the Sharia,” a process earlier witnessed in Christianity, where legal obligations were eventually abandoned. This path leads to the gradual removal of prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage. “For instance,” he noted, “they say: ‘Why spend so much on Hajj? Give the money to young people instead so they can marry.’”
Rejecting the claim that “a pure heart alone is sufficient and there is no need for prayer or fasting,” he stressed, “The Quran does not regard a pure heart alone as adequate; faith requires action.” He pointed, by example, to the existence of a so-called liberal mosque in Berlin.
Ayatollah Ramazani also referred to “changing concepts and meanings” as a third form of distortion, using the family as an example. “The Quran identifies the pillars of the family as man and woman,” he said, “but the West now presents broader definitions: woman with woman, man with man, and even human with animal!”
Citing a narration from the Prophet (p.b.u.h), he warned that worse than today’s conditions is a time when people command what is wrong and forbid what is right, mistaking virtue for vice and vice for virtue; a form of ignorance frequently lamented by Imam Ali (a.s.) in Nahj al-Balagha.
In conclusion, he highlighted the responsibility of Islamic seminaries to articulate the system of human values in a language understandable to the international community, emphasizing the need to explain clearly “what is taking place around us.”
Ayatollah Ramazani concluded his remarks by stating that Islam is a trans-temporal religion whose language is the language of innate disposition and reason, while its communicative language is Arabic.
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