AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Ayatollah Reza Ramezani, Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, at the morning Ashura mourning ceremony in Rasht, explaining the three fundamental missions of the prophets, scholars, sages, and religious leaders, said, "Religious scholars, sages, and above all, the divine prophets came for three important matters: first, to confront ignorance (jahl); second, to confront foolishness (jahalat); and third, to confront the age of ignorance (jahiliyyah)."
Stating that ignorance is an ancient enemy of humanity, he added, "The more ignorance there is in a society, the more backward that society will be; whether this ignorance is about oneself, about others, about religious rulings, or about God Almighty."
The representative of Gilan province in the Assembly of Experts stated, "Ignorance has always been harmful, and many conflicts and disputes in human society have been formed due to ignorance. From the totality of verses and narrations, it is understood that society must move toward knowledge, because knowledge is the tool to confront ignorance."
Knowledge: The Way to Confront Ignorance
Ayatollah Ramezani, emphasizing that society should not be devoid of a scholar, a learner, or at least a lover of knowledge, said, "It is narrated: 'Be a scholar, or a learner, or a lover of knowledge.' This shows that a believing person and a religious society must define their relationship with knowledge."
He continued, "Teachers, scholars, and prophets have this very duty. In the Holy Quran, teaching is also considered one of the important duties of the prophets. The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, 'I was sent only as a teacher.'"
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, referring to verses from the Holy Quran, stated, "God says about the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h): 'It is He who sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom.' That is, the Prophet's mission is to recite the divine verses, purify the people, and teach them the Book and wisdom."
Ayatollah Ramezani, stating that the teachers of society must show the path and destination to others, said, "The discussion of knowledge and teaching is very extensive, but in short, one of the main duties of the prophets and scholars is to bring society out of the darkness of ignorance and lead it to the light of knowledge."
Cultivation of the Self: The Mission to Confront Foolishness
He continued, "The second mission of the prophets and religious scholars is to confront foolishness (jahalat), and there is a difference between 'ignorance' (jahl) and 'foolishness' (jahalat). Foolishness relates to the realm of human cultivation and the cultivation of the self. The human self has great potentials, and these potentials must be actualized."
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, referring to the greatness of human potentials, stated, "Many of humanity's potentials remain untouched. Man has so much capacity that in the verse of the Trust, the acceptance of divine trust by man is mentioned. This potential must be cultivated so that it can deliver the trust to its destination."
Stating that God is "Rabb" (Lord), meaning the Cultivator, he added, "God is the cultivator of man, and man must emerge from foolishness. If a society becomes accustomed to carnal vices, that society will regress. Arrogance, envy, malice, lying, slander, backbiting, extremism, and other carnal vices must be corrected through cultivation."
Ayatollah Ramezani, referring to a narration from Imam Sadiq (a.s.), said, "God cultivated the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) and perfected his cultivation: 'Indeed, God Almighty cultivated His Prophet and perfected his cultivation.' Ethics teachers have defined cultivation (adab) in three areas: cultivation of the self, meaning man cultivates himself; cultivation in dealing with others; and cultivation in the presence of God Almighty."
The Quran: The Divine Banquet and the Table of Human Cultivation
Recalling the words of Allamah Hassanzadeh Amoli about the Holy Quran, he stated, "Our teacher, Allamah Hassanzadeh, paid attention to the narration 'Indeed, the Quran is God's banquet.' The Quran is God's prepared table, but not everyone can partake of this table; man must have a healthy temperament."
The representative of Gilan province in the Assembly of Experts added, "Just as if the best food is placed before someone with an unhealthy temperament and digestive system, he cannot benefit from it, benefiting from healthy spiritual food also requires a healthy temperament of the soul. Man must keep his soul's temperament healthy, and this is done by man himself through his will."
The seminary and university professor emphasized, "The role of the prophets is to cultivate man and bring him to spiritual and self-health. One who wants to appear in society and cultivate others must first cultivate himself."
Ayatollah Ramezani, citing the teachings of Nahj al-Balaghah, said, "Man must begin with himself. Until one builds himself, he cannot build others. The best governance is governance over the self. If we are captive to the self, we cannot be commanders and managers. We must have mastery over our eyes, tongue, ears, hands, feet, and other faculties."
He continued, "A society whose people have governance over their selves will emerge from foolishness. Ignorance causes people to fall upon one another, and foolishness, if not controlled, will lead to savagery. If the faculties of desire, anger, and intellect are not cultivated, their output will be dangerous for society."
The Age of Ignorance: The Domination of Uncontrolled Desires
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly then referred to the third mission of the prophets and divine saints, namely confronting the age of ignorance (jahiliyyah), and said, "The age of ignorance does not merely mean not knowing. The age of ignorance is when human faculties and uncontrolled desires dominate society and governance."
He added, "When the faculty of desire and the faculty of anger, without cultivation and rationality, dominate society and the governance system, they drive society toward destruction. This issue is very important in the discussion of the age of ignorance and must be understood precisely."
Ayatollah Ramezani, referring to narrations related to knowing the Imam, stated, "It is narrated: 'Whoever dies without knowing the Imam of his time has died the death of the age of ignorance.' This expression shows that the issue of Imamate is the axis of emerging from the age of ignorance."
The member of the Assembly of Experts also referred to the Quranic verse about the display of ignorance and said, "The Holy Quran in Surah Al-Ahzab says, 'And do not display yourselves as the display of the former age of ignorance.' From the expression 'former age of ignorance,' it is understood that another age of ignorance can also emerge; an age of ignorance that some commentators have referred to as the latter age of ignorance, and perhaps today it can be observed in the form of modern ignorance."
Referring to a narration from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) about the conditions of the era of the Appearance, he added, "It is narrated that when the Savior rises, he will face an ignorance more severe than the first age of ignorance. The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) faced people who worshipped stone, rock, wood, and man-made idols; but the divine Savior will face those who enter the field with God's Book and justify it for their own benefit."
Modern Ignorance and the Deceptive Literature of Human Rights
Ayatollah Ramezani, stating that the new age of ignorance can appear with elegant but dangerous literature, said, "Today in the world, much is said about human rights, animal rights, and human values. In the West, many books have been written about ethics, cultivation, and even animal rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has also been drafted."
He added, "But the important question is, in this view, what kind of human being is being spoken of? What is seen in much of this literature is more focused on the sensory human being, not the intellectual human being nor the intuitive human being. Man's intellect must be cultivated, his nature must flourish, and he must become a person of observation, meaning, connection, and attachment to the truth."
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly stated, "If man is defined only at the level of sense and material desires, human rights literature cannot bring him to true dignity. Man needs the cultivation of intellect, nature, and soul, and this is what religion and the system of Imamate are responsible for."
Referring to the performance of international organizations in the face of the crimes of the contemporary era, he said, "Today, many international organizations have been formed with the slogan of defending man and human rights, but one must see how much they actually defend human rights. In Gaza, many children are martyred, brutal crimes occur, and the worst injustices are committed; but what have the claimants of human rights done in the face of these tragedies?"
Ayatollah Ramezani emphasized, "The age of ignorance is when uncontrolled desires, in the faculty of anger and desire, become excessive and dominate the structures of power and society's management. When this excess occurs at the level of governance, society moves toward corruption."
Excessiveness and Bullying: Two Signs of the System of Ignorance
The seminary and university professor, stating that in many societies people take their lifestyle from the rulers and those in power, said, "If a government is given to flattery, sycophancy, indulgence, and self-interest, the people of that society also move in the same direction. 'People follow the religion of their kings.'"
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly continued, "In Islamic history, one can also see the difference between society in the era of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) and the Umayyad and Abbasid periods. When the rulers moved toward indulgence, flattery, and self-interest, society was also influenced by that same path, and service, justice, humanity, and human dignity were removed from their minds."
Referring to the consequences of the domination of the faculty of desire, he said, "When the faculty of desire dominates the governance system, excessiveness emerges. An excessive government is never satisfied, and no matter how much is given to it, it still wants more. Today, the arrogant states have such a situation; they are never satisfied and consider their excessiveness as their right."
Ayatollah Ramezani added, "They speak with specific literature; they wage war and call it peace, they inflict damage and claim to be establishing calm. Literature changes in the system of ignorance; war is introduced as peace, aggression as defense, and injustice as justice."
The representative of Gilan province in the Assembly of Experts continued, "They even turn justice upside down in meaning. If one side has weapons and the other does not, they give weapons to the side that does not have them and say justice has been established. In such an atmosphere, all concepts are transformed, and the oppressor presents himself as the creditor, not the debtor of man and humanity."
The System of Ignorance: An Illogical and Ruthless Phenomenon
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly considered excessiveness as one of the characteristics of the system of ignorance and said, "Such a system wants to enslave everyone. On the other hand, when the faculty of anger becomes excessive at the level of governance, bullying and extortion take shape."
He added, "If an ordinary person is overcome by anger, he will at most fight with a few people and shout; but if the faculty of anger emerges in governance and the power structure tends toward domination, extortion begins from a neighborhood, a city, a country, and then from other nations."
Ayatollah Ramezani stated, "Bullying is excess in the faculty of anger, and excessiveness is excess in the faculty of desire. These two are fundamental characteristics of the system of ignorance. The system of ignorance is a system that is not bound by any logic or principles."
Referring to the Machiavellian view in politics, he added, "In such a perspective, any means is used to achieve the goal; killing women, children, innocent people, military attack, nuclear bombs, and any action that the power-seekers want is put on the agenda. These are international thieves and extortionists."
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly said, "An ordinary thief may plan to rob a house, but the system of ignorance wants to plunder the entire world. This system is illogical, ruthless, savage, wild, and bound by no human principle."
Ashura: Confronting the Return of Ignorance
Ayatollah Ramezani, referring to the age of ignorance before the mission of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h), stated, "One must study the history of the age of ignorance before the mission and see what crises existed in ethics, economy, lifestyle, and human dignity. In that era, man had no dignity, women did not have a worthy place, and many groups of people were considered worthless."
He added, "In the contemporary era, many examples of this same ignorant view can be seen. Native Americans were oppressed and massacred, Black people were oppressed because of their race, racial discrimination took shape, and a group considered themselves the superior race. Such a view drives the world toward crisis and oppression."
The member of the Assembly of Experts, stating that the only thing that can resist the system of ignorance is the Imam of the community, said, "If the system of Imamate is not in place, confronting the age of ignorance is not possible. Perhaps temporary movements may form, but true and lasting confrontation with the age of ignorance is possible only with the centrality of the Imam."
He emphasized, "Imam Hussain (a.s.) fought because society was facing a return to the age of ignorance. The Ashura uprising was to confront the ignorant thought; a thought that, if it dominates, will make religion a tool of power and distort the truth of religion."
Ayatollah Ramezani, criticizing the actions of the Umayyad caliphs, said, "Sometimes one feels grief when studying history at the crimes and betrayals the Umayyad caliphs committed against Islam. Islam became a tool in their hands. In the words of the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.), religion was entrusted to the wicked, and they committed the worst crimes against religion."
Imam Hussain (a.s.) Raised the Level of Religiosity
The seminary and university professor added, "Ignorant currents distorted religion and lowered the level of religiosity; but Imam Hussain (a.s.) raised the level of religiosity. Ashura showed that religion is not preserved merely by appearance and slogans, but must be internalized in man's soul."
To explain this meaning, the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly said, "Sometimes a person tastes something but has not yet eaten it and become full. A person may taste honey or food, but tasting is different from eating and digesting. Some only taste religion, and this much preserves them to some extent, but if religion is internalized in man's existence, society will become happy, dignified, and wise."
He continued, "If religion is implemented in society in its true sense, society will become paradise. This is the nature of religion; if religion is properly implemented, it will guide human society toward paradise, dignity, rationality, and honor. But not all dimensions and levels of religion have yet been revealed and activated in society."
Ayatollah Ramezani, referring to the characteristics of the end times, said, "In the end times, the level of religiosity rises, and religion comes to the field. It is narrated that those who contemplate Surah Tawhid are people who are present in the end times. They understand 'Say, He is God, the One' profoundly, comprehend it, and reach the depth of monotheism."
Stating that today the world faces the system of ignorance, he stated, "The bullies of the time are bullying, and many have become powerless against them. But a seminary-educated and schooled person in the school of Imam Hussain (a.s.), named Imam Khomeini (r.a.), with his messianic breath, entered a society where ignorance, foolishness, and the age of ignorance had become widespread, and stood against the system of ignorance."
Imam Khomeini (r.a.) Gave Meaning to Ashura in Today's Language
The representative of Gilan province in the Assembly of Experts, emphasizing the greatness of Imam Khomeini's (r.a.) movement, said, "Imam Khomeini (r.a.) performed a miracle. Some do not want to understand this truth, some pretend to be oblivious, and some consider themselves superior, but the reality is that Imam Khomeini (r.a.) gave meaning to Islam and Ashura for us."
He added, "Imam Khomeini (r.a.) gave meaning to the school of Imam Hussain (a.s.) in such a way that man does not yield to evil. This is the spirit of Ashura; a spirit that teaches man not to remain silent in the face of the system of ignorance."
Ayatollah Ramezani, referring to a saying of Imam Musa Sadr, stated, "In the words of Imam Musa Sadr, many people beat their chests and shed tears at ceremonies, but if this chest-beating and crying does not lead man to confront the system of ignorance, it does not have the necessary value. The value of mourning lies in placing man on the path of truth, justice, and resistance."
Stating that Imam Khomeini (r.a.) did a great work inspired by the school of Ashura, he stated, "This movement was a ray of the system of Imamate. If we saw an example of it in the Islamic Revolution, we should think about what great transformation will occur in the world with the Appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.)."
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly continued, "With the Appearance of the Promised Savior, the world will be transformed in terms of knowledge, insight, wisdom, spirituality, and security. The characteristics of the virtuous government are knowledge cultivation, wisdom, spirituality, and security, and these can all be explained based on verses and narrations."
The Appearance: The End of the System of Domination and Organized Ignorance
Ayatollah Ramezani, referring to verses from Surah Al-Hijr about the story of Satan's defiance, said, "When God created man and breathed into him of His Spirit, He told the angels to prostrate before him: 'So the angels prostrated, all of them together, except Iblis.' Iblis refused to prostrate, and God asked him why he did not join those who prostrated."
He added, "Iblis replied, 'I will not prostrate to a human being whom You have created from dried clay.' He considered himself superior and, with a false comparison, stood against the divine command. God then banished him from his station and said, 'Indeed, you are accursed, and upon you is the curse until the Day of Judgment.'"
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly continued, "Satan asked God for respite and said, 'Give me respite until the Day of Resurrection.' But God said, 'Indeed, you are among those given respite until the appointed time.' That is, you are given respite, but not until whatever time you want, but until the appointed time."
Stating that there are different views about the "appointed time," he said, "Some have considered it the Day of Resurrection and others the second trumpet blast, but it seems that in social and civilizational analysis, the 'appointed time' is when society reaches a governance in which the system of domination is dismantled. At that time, Satan will no longer be able to dominate society in the form of the system of ignorance."
Ayatollah Ramezani emphasized, "With the Appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.), the system of domination will be dismantled, and the system of life, rationality, knowledge, justice, and dignity will prevail. This truth must be properly understood."
Iran: The Home of Lions and the Standard-Bearer of Ashura Thought
The representative of Gilan province in the Assembly of Experts, referring to the Islamic Revolution and the path of resistance of the Iranian nation, said, "We witnessed an example of this confrontation with the system of ignorance in the Islamic Revolution. Imam Khomeini (r.a.) and our great martyrs taught the nation not to yield to the system of ignorance."
He added, "Today, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, is continuing this same path. One should not yield to the system of ignorance. Of course, if the discussion of negotiations comes up, it is with the permission of the Supreme Leader and with specific conditions and frameworks; but the main point is that the other side must understand that this is Iran."
The seminary and university professor, emphasizing the dignity and authority of the Iranian nation, stated, "Iran is the home of lions. The enemies wanted to humiliate the Iranian nation, but they themselves were humiliated. They wanted to threaten Iran, but they themselves were placed in a position of threat. They wanted to divide Iran, but their own power declined."
Ayatollah Ramezani continued, "Today, that awe and voice of invincible power of theirs has disappeared. Iran is not Venezuela, Syria, or Lebanon; Iran is Iran; the land of lions and the powerful; a land that has Ashura and Mahdavi thought and seeks dignity, strength, power, and independence."
He stated, "The Iranian nation has paid a price for this path; heavy and great costs. They took the best from us; our children, our commanders, our scientists, our loved ones, our infants, and our great ones were taken from us. But this nation is alive with the school of Ashura and does not accept retreat in the face of ignorance."
Mourning Ceremonies Must Become an Epic
The Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, referring to the status of martyrs and mujahid scholars, said, "We have lived with our great ones and martyrs, we have been close to them, we have learned in their classes of Quran, commentary, and knowing the Imam. They beautifully introduced Ashura, awakened us, brought us to life, and gave us leadership, dignity, and honor."
He added, "Our great ones stood against the system of ignorance and did not yield for a moment. They taught us that peace with the system of ignorance is meaningless, because ignorance is incompatible with logic, justice, and human dignity."
Ayatollah Ramezani concluded by emphasizing, "All mourning ceremonies must become an epic. One should not suffice with merely shedding tears for the lovers of the AhlulBayt (a.s.); the tears of Ashura must awaken man, set society in motion, and make the nation resistant against modern ignorance, oppression, arrogance, and distortion of religion."
The member of the Assembly of Experts noted, "The school of Imam Hussain (a.s.) is the school of dignity, rationality, justice, honor, and resistance, and a society that lives with this school will never bow to any system of ignorance."
**************
End/ 345
