Sheikh Muhammad Jawad Fazel Lankarani : Submission is the result of knowledge

Speaking in a gathering of Damghan clerics and seminarians in Dar al-Shifa Seminary, Hojjatul Islam Muhammad Jawad Fazel Lankarani stressed on the importance of maintaining piety and spiritual continence.

He said: "The Holy Quran says, يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ   (Believers, do not follow the footsteps of satan"^[1] ) The footsteps of satan as has been interpreted in the Quran is the biggest problem in front of believers. It actually means that the faithful ones should be careful not to fall into the traps of Satan. They have to avoid them."

"Satanic traps are not restricted to a particular stratum". He added. "Satan is seeking to weaken the beliefs of those who have faith in God, resurrection, prophet, Imam and other such ideological matters. Thus the satanic traps are not restricted to sexual matters and physical desires only."

Sheikh Jawad Fazel Lankarani stressed, "Submission to God's commands is the fruit of knowledge. We as the students of the Islamic Seminary should surrender ourselves to God's do's and don'ts. Submission comes from knowledge.  If a person earns religious knowledge yet he is not in the state of submission, he should know that he has not learnt the knowledge for God's sake. I believe, if he discontinues earning such knowledge, it would be far better than continuing it."

He further added, "If a person surrenders himself to God, he sure is a man of knowledge. The tradition also says, ^[2]تفكر ساعة خير من عبادة ستّين سنة (An hour of contemplation is better than sixty years of worship). The contemplation intended in the tradition is that which creates a state of submission in the person. If a person acquires education in order for him to be called an ayatollah or a hojjatul islam, his knowledge would bear no fruit of submission; it would be in vain for him."

Referring to the difference between submitting to an argument and submission to God he said, "There is a difference between these two kinds of submission.  Perhaps, some people may be strong in logic and rational argument and he might convince himself by way of reasoning but it is not submission to God. A Muslim man while believing in God should enter this state after he gains divine knowledge, otherwise he should try to find out the cause of the problem because his faith and knowledge have not had any impact on him."

[1] -  Al-Nur chapter, verse No. 21
 This same verse has been repeated in other chapters of the Holy Quran as well. See Al-Baqara chapter, verses No. 168 and 208, and Al-An'aam verse No. 142. 
[2] - Behar al-Anwaar, 66/ 292