Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi Calls for Special attention to Contemporary Jurisprudence Works

According to the news agency of the seminary, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, the Grand Marja of the Shia, deemed it necessary to pay deep attention to the subjects in of contemporary jurisprudence.

He made the request in a meeting with the heads of the seminaries and the contemporary jurisprudence department while praising their accomplishments in the field. He emphasized the importance of focusing on the depth of the subjects and ensuring a strong intellectual role the Office of Contemporary Jurisprudence should play.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ayatollah Arafi expressed gratitude to Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi for his support, discussed seminary administration and programs, and highlighted the initiatives and publications of the Office of Contemporary Jurisprudence.

He emphasized the importance of thorough 5-year planning for significant tasks, including the activities of the Office of Contemporary Jurisprudence. The focus is on advanced lessons rooted in seminary methodology, avoiding pseudo-enlightenment ideas, and relying on independent seminary principles. The institute collaborates with seminary and university teachers to analyze subjects jurisprudentially. This year, a 9-volume book on ijtihad in contemporary jurisprudence has been published, with plans for an equal number of new books next year.

The head of Iran's Islamic seminary highlighted the collaborative effort behind the book Al-Fā’iq and its commentary, authored with the support of renowned advanced jurisprudence teachers. He emphasized that this book, as a supplement to Kifāyah, has sparked intellectual growth in the seminary. He also noted that future publications will be added to the seminary education system which will complement Makāsib in subjects such as 'legal entity.'

Identifying and publishing books which in the last 100 years have been authored in Najaf and Qom on contemporary subject was a project he considered one of the other tasks of Contemporary Jurisprudence Office in the next year.

 

 

Ayatollah Arafi noted: "We have contacted different Government bodies and have collected their issues and principle needs and formed more than 20 intellectual committees with the respected research executive Hujjatul Islām wa al-Muslimīn Muqīmī Ḥājī."

He stated that students, teachers, and seminary centers conducting strategic research aligned with announced guidelines to address societal issues will receive support, adding that over 100 projects have already commenced and are set to be published by next year.

Rapid Growth in Seminary Lessons

Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimīn Esna Ashari, head of the Department of Contemporary Jurisprudence of the seminary, for his part said: ‘Although these lessons began in the second half of the seminary school year, 72 teachers and more than 1000 students participated in these lessons and it is anticipated that this number will be doubled in the next year.

With over 200 teachers, around 4,800 students are enrolled in advanced contemporary jurisprudence lessons, and 2,500 in Al-Fā’iq courses, he reported and said the figures reflect 45% of high-level students' engagement with contemporary issues in some capacity.

Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimīn Esna Ashari added: "At higher levels, students and teachers not only teach and study but also research new lessons alongside traditional seminary subjects. This allows them to grasp traditional principles of ijtihad while exploring its application to contemporary issues."

The office of contemporary jurisprudence highlighted the popularity of introductory books in this semester, including 'Usury and Islamic Banking' and 'Analysis of Methods to Elude Usury' by Ayatollah Makarem, 'Governance in Islam by Ayatollah Khalkhālī, 'Our Economics' by Shahīd Ṣadr, 'Jurisprudence of Guardianship and Governance' by Ayatollah Maẓāherī, and Fiqh of Cryptocurrencies by Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Reza Modaressi.

 

Seminary Initiatives Essential in Jurisprudence Development

During the meeting held at Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi's residence, he highlighted the growing interest in jurisprudence and its principles within the seminaries, emphasizing their foundational role in religious rulings. He acknowledged the significant initiatives in this field, praising them as important steps in the right direction.

He highlighted subjectology examples, emphasizing the need for precise analysis of money, its origins, and generation within the complexities of the modern global economic system.

He argued that topics of cryptocurrencies, their classification as money or commodities, and the analysis of various company forms and investment types require precise scrutiny.

 

 

"Additionally, the foundational rulings on these subjects must be clarified. The issue of loans, borrowing, and the disapproval of such practices, as noted in Imam Khomeini's writings, is another critical matter that demands serious attention and action," the Grand Marja said.

Hujjat al-Islam Esna Ashari reported an extensive seminary-university team being established from different scientific fields and serious attention is being given to interdisciplinary research and different thematic aspects such as money. Likewise, opinions of legislative groups are being taken into account and lengthy periods are being dedicated to thematic while sometimes last over a year.

At the end, the Ayatollah demanded the abstracts and conclusions of teachers' intellectual works on cryptocurrencies and other publications to be sent to him for a review.