Permission of absolute Ijtihad given by late Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani (may his soul rest in peace) to his honorable son

Although His Eminence's respected son did not wish to publish the permission for Ijtihad which had been written ten years ago he consented to its publication on the website when a number of prominent (scholars) and faithful individuals persisted.

All Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may Peace and benedictions be upon His best creation, His beloved and elect, Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his pure, immaculate, and infallible Progeny, especially the last of his successors, the Imam of Time (a). And permanent curse be upon their entire enemies until the Day of Resurrection.

I hereby testify that the light of my eyes, the fruit of my heart and the product of life, His Honorable Hojjat-ul Islam wal-Muslimeen Al-Sheikh Muhammad Jawad Al-Fazel Al-Lankarani – may Allah grant him long life and success in further serving Islam and Muslims especially the clerics and dignified ones of the students (of  the religious seminaries) – is one who has been acquiring seminary education and the teachings of the Ja'afari school for more than 20 years. He has spent his life studying Fiqh (jurisprudence) and Usul (legal theories) and teaching for most of the years in Al-Hawza Al-Elmiyah (Islamic seminary) of Qom until he ended up in teaching the kharij (postgraduate) level of the legal theories of jurisprudence. Praise belongs to Allah, he continued his efforts and struggles until he attained the degree of absolute Ijtihad. Therefore, he has to act according to what he himself infers from the Islamic laws and it is forbidden for him to do taqlid or act in accord with the saying of another jurist. He has to praise Allah, the Exalted, for what He has granted him and thank Him for His blessings. I advise him to observe full precaution in all matters for it is the way of salvation.

Wassalam alaikum warahmatullah wa barakatuh

22/ Ramadhan/ 1418
Muhmmad Fazel
(Sealed)