An urgent need to expert Shi’as

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Raheem

I’m really happy to meet you here as my dear brothers and my sources of hope and inspiration. It makes me happy to see your spiritually illuminated faces here in person. You are studying various fields of knowledge there in Pakistan. What I like to share with you is that everywhere, especially in countries like Pakistan where Shi’as live as a minority, our survival depends on Shi’a experts in any fields of science. You can doubtlessly protect interests of the Shi’as more effectively if you enjoy prominent academic figures in different fields of science. Please have this in your minds with regards to your community in Pakistan.

Precision and critical learning matter

It’s fortunate, or unfortunate, that a number of Shi’as from my country and yours have immigrated to other countries. As a result, now there are Shia’s living everywhere in the world. Everywhere, the key to our success is that our young generation, without any difference between male and female, should educate and develop their capabilities. In today’s world, those can be influential who can understand the world’s language. This will be possible only when you gain high status in the academic areas. Therefore, I first and foremost ask you to study hard and try to be creative. Pay attention to what you learn and insist on being critical. Contemplate on what you are learning with a critical view and avoid accepting anything without logical thinking. We benefit from the same talents as those living in Europe and the US; however, they are precise and do things with accuracy. We should do the same. I hope every one of you, my beloveds - not only in your own country, but also throughout the world - will be a source of scientific as well as social movements.

Shi’as as symbols of Imam Ali (as) in practice

You are now studying in Pakistani universities. If needed, go to European and American universities for further education. You know in Pakistan both Sunni and Shi’a students study together. If you choose to continue your education in the West, there you’ll see different faiths and creeds as well. Try to preach Shi’ism not only through words, but also through actions. Try to be a symbol of Imam Ali (as) each. Please pay attention to this important point that we have the belief in the authority of Imam Ali (as) in our hearts. It’s Allah’s grace that we are born in families who conveyed this love to us. We would not love Imam Ali (as) if he didn’t want us to be so. So he likes us and it’s not a unilateral love.

Actions speak louder than words

Love of the Ahlulbayt (as) is not a mere kind feeling. We should keep Imam Ali (as) in our hearts and protect his reputation through good manners and doing right; as it is said by Imam Al-Sadiq (as), ‘Be ornaments to us and do not bring shame on us.’ This requires us to represent the Ahlulbayt (as) so that we can lead all people to their path through our actions and make them discover the Shi’a path. In fact, the Imam means that ‘actions speak louder than words’. This saying is found in Ahlulbayt’s teachings as this hadith (narration): ‘Invite people to the truth not using your tongues [but through your actions].’ This is a very important point.

Protecting the interests of Shi’as through relationships with other Islamic schools

This house was once owned by Ayatollah Boroujerdi, a Shi’a marja’. According to one of his theories, we are a minority among Muslim world. Therefore, we need to define our relationships with other Islamic schools of thought. You know other than twelver Shi’as, there are Hanbalis, Hanafis, Shafi’is, Malikis, Isma’ilis, the Alavi Bohras and various other schools. We are not going to take a sword and fight against all these, but we want to live together. The Sunni schools are the majority and they are naturally dominant according to the modern democracy. We should have relationship with them if we are going to protect the rights of Shi’as. We have no problems with Sunni brothers and sisters. It is Wahhabis and Salafis who are problematic for us. These two sects even do not recognize Shafi’is and Hanbalis and label them as infidels!

Keep relationship with different schools of Sunni brothers and sisters. No need to insult them. We want to live with them. The growing of Shia’s and protecting their rights, in Pakistan for example, depends on our relationship with other Muslim communities. Some of them have 50 per cent in common with us; some 40 per cent and some 30 per cent. Let’s make contracts with all those who have something in common with us to accompany them. In the face of those who, without any sound reason, detonate themselves with explosive belts, our interests lie in the unity of Shi’as and Sunnis. Therefore, the Shi’a communities should ally with those Sunnis who are reasonable and do not practice takfir (excommunication of Muslims). The moderate Sunnis try to settle the quarrels through logical discussions and this is the reasonable way everywhere in the world. The interests of Shi’as will not be safeguarded if we leave politics and be isolated. The interests of Shi’as will be safeguarded when we take steps forward and take each others’ hands. Try to elect politicians who have promised you to protect the interests of Shi’as more. Then help them and claim your rights. This policy is common in the world.

The way that Allama Syed Sajid Ali Naqvi is dealing with affairs in Pakistan is a reasonable way and no opposition to this is understandable. The interests and growth of the Shi’a lies in this way and we all support the Allama. This is the way that our maraje’ have practiced. The late Ayatollah Boroujerdi followed the same model as well. He made contracts with Al-Azhar University in Egypt as the academic centre of the Sunni world. The well-known fatwa by Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout on recognizing the Shi’a as one of the Islamic schools of thought and jurisprudence was a result of Ayatollah Boroujerdi’s conduct. This fatwa is one of the best documents for recognizing the Shi’a within the Muslim world, upon which the Sunnis are required to recognize the Shi’a according to the ideas of their own great scholars. We even have no problems with secular parties and can make coalitions with them. We make allies with parties who tolerate our ideas politically.

Yes to preaching our path, no to denying others’

For us Shi’as in countries like Pakistan, the ideal status is that Shi’as enjoy equal rights as Sunnis and can benefit from education and development as equally as the majority. And then, please note that the Shi’a school will develop when we preach our own thoughts. I mean we should not merely deny and bash others; we should introduce what we have got. What have we got at hand as Shi’as? What is our ethics? What is the ethics taught by Imam Ali (as) and Imam Sadiq (as)? These hadiths as well as du’as (supplications), even a single du’a like Du’a Kumayl, can attract thousands of people. The Shi’a school is really rich in terms of teachings. Please note that we have got Imam Ali (as). We have got his Nahj-ul-Balaghah. We have got Imam Hussein (as). We have got Ashura which others lack. There are gatherings under the name of Imam Hussein (as) everywhere and with much love and enthusiasm, many people gather together to remember him. Any political party needs to spend a lot to hold a meeting and gather people. But in Shiite culture, people gather themselves and beg scholars to go and talk to them about Imam Hussein (as) and recite lamentations. This is the wealth of Shi’as. Our wealth is Imam Sadiq (as), Imam Ali Al-Sajjad (as) and his Al-Sahifah Al-Sajjadiyyah (aka Psalms of Islam). Please appreciate all these. We need to be able to offer Shiite teachings so if a student, whether a Sunni or a Christian or a follower of any other faith, wants to know something about Shi’sim, they can understand it through us. That would be enough for us. Throughout history, the Shi’ism has spread in this way, not through any wars and killings. We enjoy enough attraction to spread our school of thought and all we need is a free atmosphere in order to be able to express ourselves. Therefore, please avoid spoiling this atmosphere with quarrels and extremism. Even here in Iran, even when we have nothing to do with them, sometimes Sunni extremists write down anti-Shi’a slogans on the walls to agitate their own people. They do these in order to gather their own followers together out of prejudice. This is because they are not able to protect their youth, so they want to keep them through prejudice. We should not give them this excuse and provide them with this opportunity. We can grow.

Shi’ism, the basis of Islam

I have frequently said that Shi’ism is the basis of Islam. It is not Islam’s biological child. It’s Islam’s real child. Even not a child of Islam; it’s Islam itself. The Shi’ism was established since the very moment the Prophet Muhammad (sawa) said, ‘Say La Ilaha Illa Allah (there is no god but Allah) and you will get salvation.’ Just take a look at the Yawm-ul-Dar (the Day of the House) hadith, where the Prophet Muhammad (sawa) said to Imam Ali (as), ‘You are my brother, my vizier and my successor after my death.’ In that well-known hadith, Imam Reza (as) quoted Allah as saying, ‘La Ilaha Illa Allah is my safe castle and everybody who enters my castle will be safe from my torment.’ What did the Imam say afterwards? ‘There are conditions for that safety of course, and I’m among the conditions,’ he insisted. Among the conditions of La Ilaha Illa Allah is the same Yawm-ul-Dar hadith: say La Ilaha Illa Allah and you will get salvation with Imam Ali (as). Islam is Shi’ism. Islam is Imam Ali’s thought. What will remain if Imam Ali (as) is departed from Islam? What will remain if Imam Hussein (as) is departed from Islam? Therefore, we have enough attractions and we just need to make it politically possible to preach our teachings.

No absolute unity between us and other denominations is possible. We have got our own ideas and will never leave them. They will never accept our ideas as well. What we are seeking is taqrib or bringing the denominations closer to each other. We have got many things in common and we can be a single power together. We need to support and keep on going this way.

No borders between our hearts

Finally, you know that there are borders between Iran and Pakistan. These are political borders. There are no borders between our hearts. You are our dear brothers and the Shiite marja’s are like fathers and no father discriminates between his children. In our view, no African or Pakistani or Indian Shi’a is different from an Iranian Shi’a. We should consider the interests of the whole Shi’a community. You are our dears. Your problems are ours. We will be grieved as well when, God forbid, there is an incident or killing in Pakistan. We really feel the same sadness for you as a father feels for losing his children. We have many ties between us. We are 400 million Shi’as all around the world. We all should be sympathetic and work shoulder to shoulder and help each other. Bring a marja’ means being a father for all Shi’a children everywhere in the world. I hope one day there will be possibilities for us to take big steps towards the excellence and welfare of Shi’a children, Insha’Allah (God willing).

Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and His blessings.