Especial Attention of the Seminary to AI/The Duty of the Clergy is to Safeguard People's Religiosity

We extend our congratulations on the auspicious birth of the Seal of the Prophets, the Noble Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), as well as Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), the leader of the Shia school of thought, to the revered Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance), to all Muslims, Shia, and to the respected audience and dear ones present. We also honor the occasion of the "Week of Unity," which is one of the decisive periods for the Islamic Ummah.

I will briefly speak on the occasion of the birth of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and then mention some points. One of the matters that the Islamic seminaries must address is introducing the Prophet from the perspective of the Qur'an. This is necessary not only for those outside the Muslim community but also because one sometimes feels that the Muslim Ummah itself has not recognized the Prophet as it should. The intention is not merely to present a personal aspect of the Prophet's asceticism or his life, though all these should be evaluated thoroughly in their place. Thanks to the naming of a year as "The Year of the Great Prophet" by the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, we had such a year in our country. Nevertheless, some of the words, actions, and positions taken by writers and thinkers reveal that the true essence of the Prophet and the values he brought to the Muslim Ummah and even to humanity have not been fully understood.

In the verse that was recited, Allah says:  

"Certainly, a Messenger has come to you from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer." Our great Prophet considered himself a partner in all the sorrows of society, as if every pain and hardship the community and individuals experienced first befell the Prophet. This is because he is a witness over the actions of the Ummah. "He is concerned over you"—the Prophet was eager for the guidance of the people. We must contemplate and reflect on this statement. The Prophet was not just a messenger from God to deliver a message and then say, "I have conveyed God’s message, and whether people act on it or not is no concern of mine." This was not the case. The Prophet was eager for the faith of individuals, their levels of monotheism, their beliefs, their actions, their ethics, and even their practice of jurisprudential issues.

Sometimes, when we emphasize certain secondary religious matters, some people with spiritual illness think that we neglect other issues. This is not true. The term "He is concerned over you" (as used in the Qur'an) has a broad meaning in jurisprudence, indicating that the Prophet was eager regarding the entire set of beliefs, ethics, and rulings. In essence, anyone claiming that the Prophet’s duty was merely to convey the message and nothing more is in contradiction with the meaning of **"He is concerned over you."**

In Surah Al-Kahf, Allah says:  

**"Perhaps you would kill yourself in grief over their footsteps if they do not believe in this message out of sorrow."  The word "kill" here is understood both linguistically and through narrations as meaning "to destroy oneself."** Allah is telling the Prophet that out of sorrow that people do not believe in this Qur'an, or that some remain polytheists and disbelievers, he would almost destroy himself. This expression is mentioned in two places in the Qur'an: once here and once in Surah Ash-Shu'ara where Allah says:  

**"Perhaps you would kill yourself over their disbelief."

The question is, what are the jurisprudential implications of these expressions? Are they merely statements of the Prophet's ethical behavior, or do they also carry jurisprudential messages?

A significant jurisprudential message from these verses pertains to the religious scholars (the clergy). According to the narration **"The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets,"** scholars, who claim to be the heirs of the Prophets, must be eager for the faith of the people. If there is a weakness of faith in society, they should not remain at ease. Sometimes, there is a debate about the justification for the involvement of the clergy, and sometimes the principle of enjoining good and forbidding evil is misinterpreted and restricted, as if it only applies to the Infallibles (peace be upon them), rendering its existence or non-existence irrelevant. Such an approach to religion is incorrect. Attention to people's beliefs and actions is explicitly clear in the Qur'an, and the clergy are responsible for monitoring the religious commitment of the people. Before the Islamic Revolution, this practical monitoring of the people's faith laid the foundations of the Revolution and rooted it in the hearts of the people. Today, this responsibility is even greater because religion has a broader meaning in society. The clergy have such a critical responsibility.

Some who wish to oppose the clergy say that the clergy have only brought superstitions. Unfortunately, this baseless accusation was made by an individual who also carries the title of a university professor. Where has the clergy promoted superstition? The words of the clergy are based on the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet's family (Ahlul Bayt). The clergy discuss realities and knowledge. Were philosophers like Avicenna (Ibn Sina), Farabi, Mulla Sadra, and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi not among the clergy? The key scientific principles in universities are founded on their theories, and they were pillars of the clergy and still are. We are proud to have such comprehensive scholars among the clergy.

The clergy are the manifestation of knowledge. While we respect all branches of science, only the knowledge that is infused with spirituality and connected to divine revelation is in the hands of the clergy. Although all sciences originate from Allah, the Exalted, as He is the Creator of knowledge, the knowledge that is grounded in the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet's family resides in the religious seminaries. What science is more complex, profound, and influential than the knowledge of Allah? The principles, dimensions, and rules of divine knowledge are all within the domain of the clergy, and the clergy continually analyze and develop these ideas. The seminaries constantly work to enhance and enrich these foundations. The primary responsibility of the seminaries is this enrichment.

If we lose this depth in the seminaries, we distance ourselves from our core responsibility. If we operate in such a way that students focus on earning a degree, obtaining grades, or advancing in rank and level without paying attention to the depth and truth of the teachings, we have deviated from this core responsibility. If we carefully analyze the current challenges facing the clergy, it becomes clear that these issues stem from our detachment from the deep, divine sciences, including beliefs, jurisprudence, ethics, and more. This is a warning directed at the esteemed administrators of the seminaries and all of us. It is not a concern solely for the administrators of the seminaries; the professors and students share this responsibility.

After this introduction, we express our gratitude to Allah for being in the twenty-seventh year since the establishment of this Fiqh Center. This blessed tree was planted by the esteemed religious authority, the late Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani (may Allah's mercy be upon him), and today, we are witnessing its fruits and blessings. The honorable deputies of education and research have mentioned some of these fruits, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to them for their efforts.

Many research projects, particularly in the field of theology, have been conducted by our colleagues on various occasions, especially regarding issues like Salafism, ISIS, and in the form of scientific meetings and publications. We hope, God willing, to compile all these works into a comprehensive collection. All these efforts are due to the grace and kindness of Allah and the prayers of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance), and I have no doubt that his grace encompasses the religious seminaries, of which this Fiqh Center is a part, both in Qom, Mashhad, Afghanistan, and other places. We thank Allah for this.

Our goal is to ensure that the esteemed scholars in this institution become well-versed in the deep religious sciences and attain mastery over the most profound topics in jurisprudence, theology, and exegesis. When a student completes their intermediate level of study, they should be able to teach "Rasa'il," "Makasib," and "Kifayah." Of course, alongside studying, we must also focus on moral development and spiritual refinement.

Another point is the attention that the Supreme Leader (may Allah protect him) has been emphasizing in recent years regarding artificial intelligence. Last year, I had a discussion on the topic of "Demand and Will" and "Amr Bayn al-Amrayn" (a theological concept) and found some precise differences between the theories of Imam Khomeini (may Allah's mercy be upon him) and the late Ayatollah Khoei (may Allah's mercy be upon him), which had not been written anywhere before. I discussed this with one of our colleagues who had the necessary tools and asked him to consult artificial intelligence on the difference between these two theories. To my amazement, it provided exactly the same insights I had reached. This is very astonishing!

Once, when there was talk about artificial intelligence, one of our friends said, "So why do we study?" I replied, "This is where the meaning of the hadith **'Knowledge is a light that Allah casts into the heart of whomever He wills'** becomes clear. Artificial intelligence cannot explain the difference between this theory of Imam [Khomeini] and that of Mr. Khoei without possessing this knowledge. We must create theories, and artificial intelligence should become a tool for you and me, to help us create and produce theories. Those theories cannot be realized through artificial intelligence." I further told my friend, "When the Qur'an says, **'None shall touch it but the purified,'** it means that the Qur'an has inner truths and realities that artificial intelligence cannot understand. If you now ask artificial intelligence to explain the firm and ambiguous verses of the Qur'an, a thousand artificial intelligences working for a thousand years still would not have the capacity to comprehend it, because it requires absolute purity—first possessed by the Infallible Imams and the blessed existence of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and then by individuals who have degrees of purity. They alone have the ability to understand."

I only wanted to remind [everyone] that this is how the seminary operates. Those who say the seminary is pursuing superstitions should know that ever since computers were introduced to Iran over thirty years ago, this tool has been accessible to scholars and students. The seminary uses new scientific developments. In the field of medical jurisprudence, for which I must especially thank the honorable director of this department, for over ten years in this center under his management and with the supervision of the esteemed research deputy, new jurisprudential issues in medicine have been discussed and scrutinized. Then, people say the seminary has no connection with science.

Today, the most important new economic issues are discussed in the seminary, as well as the most important new medical and political issues. Regarding the production of political jurisprudence in particular, which has been carried out in this jurisprudential center, I can confidently say that no institution inside or outside of Qom has produced such works. This is not just a claim. We can present and demonstrate where such ijtihad-based discussions in political jurisprudence have been raised. We thank God, and we saw this as our duty.

The main criterion for the seminary is knowledge. Its main criterion is faith. Its main criterion is paying attention to the people. And today, the main criterion for the seminary is paying attention to the revolution—a seminary that must safeguard the revolution and its goals, the goals of the martyrs, Imam [Khomeini], and the leadership. This is a very clear matter.

Thanks to the revolution, the seminary has expanded so much scientifically. It is thanks to the revolution that religion has emerged from within the seminary and spread throughout Iranian society and beyond. Shouldn't the seminary protect such a great achievement? Shouldn't the seminary identify potential harms? Shouldn't the seminary strengthen the intellectual and scientific foundations of this system? Praise be to Allah, one of the goals of this Fiqh Center is to, in its capacity, clarify the scientific foundations of the revolution in all its dimensions.

The root of nuclear jurisprudence, which was a new topic in universities and seminaries, was planted right here in this Fiqh Center, and all of this is by the grace of Almighty Allah.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all the esteemed brothers who help us in this institution and pray that all these efforts will be pleasing to Almighty Allah and Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance).