Leader calls on Shia Muslims to introduce Imams to world

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the scholars overseeing the Fifth Global Congress of Imam Reza (AS) on May 8.

The 5th Global Congress of Imam Reza (AS) will be held from May 15 to 16 in Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province.

The 5th and 6th rounds of the congress, which is scheduled to be held every two years, are titled “The Civilizational Though of Imam Reza (AS)”. 

"Firstly, it is truly commendable to hold such a conference and gathering within the Shia community as it is important for us to deepen our understanding of the Imams for us before sharing their teachings with others. Sometimes we focus excessively on one aspect without having a strong reason for doing so, and other aspects are ignored. At times, we may not even pay attention to that aspect and be content with the appearance of matters alone. In my opinion, one of our greatest responsibilities as Shia and as members of the Shia community is to introduce our Imams to the world."

"Now some of the Imams (pbut), such as Imam Hussein (pbuh) and the Commander of the Faithful (pbuh), are well-known for certain reasons. Others have written and spoken about them, and they are known by many including those outside of the Shia and Muslim communities. However, most of the Imams (pbut) remain largely unknown. For instance, Imam Hassan Mujtaba, despite his greatness, has not received the recognition he deserves. Similarly, Imam Musa Kazim, Imam Hadi, and Imam Ja’far Sadiq are yet to be known in the world despite all their great establishments and extraordinary efforts."

In my opinion, three dimensions of the lives of the Imams (pbut) should be studied. One of those dimensions is spirituality or the holiness of the Imams (pbut). This is a dimension that cannot be ignored and it must be discussed. However, it must be a strong discussion. Sometimes some things are said, and weak narrations are brought to support those words. We must discuss the celestial aspect of the Imams (pbut), their spiritual, heavenly aspect. These are not things we should conceal. We must speak about the spiritual, heavenly aspects of the Imams (pbut), he added.

"The second aspect we must consider is their words and teachings in various fields, which you gentlemen have also mentioned. This includes issues related to life and various matters that human beings need, such as ethics, social interactions, religion, and religious rulings. Our Imams have discussed these matters, and their words form a comprehensive school of thought. This should be spoken of. Some of these aspects that we may overlook at times have great significance in the world. Consider the issue of animal rights, for instance. There are so many narrations from our Imams regarding the issue of protecting and caring for animals and animal rights."

"If these are introduced to the world and if the world learns about these, this will have an important effect. Who amongst us thinks about this and pursues this matter? Topics regarding social interactions and communicating with the non-Shia and non-Muslims are all covered in our hadiths, and in accordance with the Holy Quran. [For example,] “Allah does not forbid you in regard to those who did not make war against you on account of religion … from dealing with kindness and justice with those [polytheists] …” (Quran, 60:8). We have discussed this repeatedly before. This topic should be expressed and conveyed through the words of the Imams."

"Today, communicating with the world has become easy. With just the press of a button and by spending just ten minutes, the most distant points in the world - such as Australia, Canada, America, or wherever you want - they hear what you have to say. This is very important. This method should be used, but the language you use to express yourself is also important. This is the second aspect that should be taken into consideration for introducing the Imams."

"The third issue is politics. This is what I mainly looked into and researched in the lives of the Imams during my years of research. What did the Imams do and what did they want to achieve? Politics is a very important aspect. What were the political activities of the Imams? Would an Imam, with all of his greatness and divine rank, be content with simply explaining Islamic rulings and teaching ethics? Upon reflection, this seems inconceivable and illogical. The Imams had great goals."

"Their main goal was to establish an Islamic society, and that is impossible without establishing an Islamic state. Thus, they pursued the establishment of an Islamic state, which is one of the important aspects of Imamate. Imamate refers to the leadership of religion and the world, the leadership of matter and meanings. Matter refers to the politics and governance of a country, or the governance of a state. All the Imams pursued this without any exception. However, they had different methods and short-term goals at different periods in time even though their long-term goal was the same."