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In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

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و الحمدلله ربّ العالمين و الصّلاة و السّلام علي سيّدنا محمّد و آله الطّيّبين

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و صحبه المنتجبين و من تبعهم باحسان الي يوم الدّين

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You are very welcome dear guests of this gathering and assembly

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and I thank you for your presence in this scientific and social move

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and [also] thank the organizers of this useful and, God willing, promising move,

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and also thank Grand Ayatollah [Nasser] Makarem Shirazi, who really endeavored and started a great step,

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which can,  God willing, continue and lead to very good results.

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Dear brethren, [and] dear sisters! Today, any move, which would lead to the unity of Islamic Ummah would be blessed,

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[and] would be a good act. The intention of enemies of Islam is to create division,

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[and this is why] the intention of us, who have faith in Islam, must be to create unity in the Islamic world and among Islamic Ummah

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and [focus on] familiarizing various groups and sects of Islamic Ummah with one another.

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And this move, which you started, and this gathering is one of the instances of working toward unity of the Islamic Ummah.

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One of those things, which we have always looked upon as a problem is that

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various sects among Islamic Ummah do not know one another correctly

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[and] do not have correct knowledge that would conform to reality of one another.

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[Therefore,] enemies, foreigners, and aliens have taken steps in many instances and have introduced this given sect to that given sect

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and introduced that given sect to this given sect through a hostile view and with evil purposes and with the intention of causing animosity.

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We observe and see many conspicuous instances [of this effort by foreigners] during the recent history of [the past] 100 years and 150 years.

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With regard to these issues [that unraveled] during the past several years,

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we can clearly see judgments that are passed on a given [Islamic] sect before the eyes of the other Islamic sects and vice versa.

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Our enemies try to make us see one another in an ugly way,

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[and] see one another in an undesirable manner; this is what enemies do.

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[Therefore,] any move, which would make us know one another correctly, know one another more, know one another better,

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know one another’s fortes [and] create synergism among these fortes [and] transfer [their fortes] to one another,

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this move would lead to unity and solidarity and advancement of the Islamic Ummah and this [congress] is one of those steps [which makes this possible].

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Throughout history, Shia Islam has made a huge [and] remarkable move for the advancement of Islamic sciences and natural sciences.

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The collection of the works of Shia scholars in [all fields of] Islamic sciences, like [Islamic] jurisprudence, like hadith, like philosophy in particular, [like] rational sciences,

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[and] the science of Islamic discourse in addition to the works and books, which have been produced in these fields and exist [among us],

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fairly speaking, are cause of pride and ecstasy for any Muslim who would observe these [works].

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We must recognize this, [and] Islamic Ummah must feel this, must recognize this, [and] must know this.

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This will help us get close to one another, [and] this will help us know one another.

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Among Shia scholars, those ones who were top-notch in various Islamic sciences –

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[including] in [Islamic] jurisprudence, in philosophy, in Islamic discourse, in rijal (biographical evaluation), [and] in hadith –

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like Allameh Helli, like Sheikh Tousi and the likes of them are numerous. Fortunately, such people have existed in our time as well.

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The books, which have been written on the Quran, on the Quranic sciences, [and] on the interpretation of the Quran,

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these are very important books, [and] are problem-solving books. [If] these [scholars] are introduced, are made known,

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know about one another’s works and the efforts that they have made, are made available to everybody,

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the Islamic Ummah would take pride in these measures; [and] this [measure] will lead to consolidation of the Islamic Ummah.

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And we must be very careful in all [our] moves and in this very scientific move, which you are busy with,

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so that there would come about no controversy [and] no doubt

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that would cause discord, cause division, cause separation, [and] cause grievances on the part of various Islamic sects about others,

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because this is what enemies want.

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Therefore, one issue is the issue of the unity of Islamic Ummah, and God willing,

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in my opinion, a large part [of it] will be materialized through this step [that you have taken].

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Another issue is the issue of [the country’s] scientific progress.

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Islamic world lagged behind and came under domination [of Western powers] because of its scientific backwardness.

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The West, after having lagged behind for many centuries and after obtaining [various] sciences from Muslims

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and using Islamic books as references and preludes and steps for ascension toward scientific [progress],

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managed to overtake Islamic countries and Islamic world in scientific terms.

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This caused their wealth to increase, and their military power to increase,

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and their political power to increase, and their propaganda power to increase as well.

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And this [state of affairs] led to colonialism. [In this way,] the phenomenon of colonialism came into being and Islamic countries,

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which were under blood-stained and ruthless boots and in clutches of colonialists, felt this backwardness and this

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deprivation of [scientific] progress in all [aspects of] their life, [and] in all fields of science,

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[and this backwardness finally] led to the situation that you see today: global powers, Western powers in particular,

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and devils of the world bully Islamic countries [and] Muslim nations and impose [their will on them]

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and, unfortunately, many Muslim rulers follow suit with them [and] this is due to scientific backwardness [of Islamic countries].

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We must change this situation. We in the Islamic world

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must start a serious move toward progress in all sciences [and especially] all sciences that [can help us] build civilization – from rational sciences

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to all kinds of humanities and social sciences, to natural sciences – and we can [do this].

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Once, Islamic world stood on the pinnacle of human civilization.

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Why it should not be repeated [again], [and] why we must not do something that in a suitable period of time –

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[for example] up to forty years from now, [or] fifty years from now – the Islamic Ummah would [once more] stand on the pinnacle of human civilization? Is there a problem with that?

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We must move. This is a job for governments and a job for elites.

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Both Islamic governments are duty-bound and elites in the Islamic world are duty-bound [to do this].

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Ulema, intellectuals, writers, poets, [and] artists in the Islamic world

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must launch a huge intellectual movement and [create] a public demand

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for the scientific progress [of the Islamic world] and for reaching the pinnacle of science and knowledge, and making this step is possible today.

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We, the Islamic Republic made an effort [to this effect] and this effort was successful.

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Compared to the situation [that existed in Iran] before victory of the revolution and in the time of the monarchial regime, we have moved a lot ahead;

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[and] our pace in this regard has been good. According to official global scientific references, during the past years,

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the pace of the Islamic Republic in [scientific] progress has been thirteen times that of the world’s average.

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We have not claimed this, [but] major scientific reference centers of the world have pointed this out in their official documents.

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Of course, since we greatly lagged behind, this [pace, which is] thirteen times [more than] the intensity of global [scientific] growth,

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has not been able so far to take us to that desirable point, but we have been able to move remarkably ahead and we will continue to move on.

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I said that we must transcend the frontiers of science and knowledge and must go beyond the limits of global knowledge;

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we must move on and, God willing, we will do this and the Islamic Republic will do this, [of course,] in a way dissimilar to the West.

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Being stingy is a Western tradition; I mean, what they have, [and] that thing, which is their best scientific finding,

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they do not share it with anybody but themselves.

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Yes, that [part of science] which has been in use for a long time, yes, they transfer it [to other nations,]

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but they do not transfer their prominent scientific advances.

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Unlike their tradition, we have said that whatever we achieve [in terms of scientific advances],

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we are ready to transfer it to our Muslim brethren in [other] Islamic countries; [and we will do this] in all fields [of science].

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This movement must go on. We must also advance in the field of Islamic sciences.

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In the field of [Islamic] jurisprudence, we need to cast a new look at jurisprudential issues.

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What these gentlemen pointed out – about specialized forms of jurisprudence – concerns this.

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When it comes to management of various sectors of the country and management of human societies,

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[Islamic] jurisprudence can offer fresh ideas, [and Islamic] jurisprudence can offer and come up with new ideas;

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we must work [more] in these fields; this is what [Islamic] jurisprudence does.

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We must speed up our movement in [the fields of] philosophy and rational sciences

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and fortunately, rational sciences have seen a very good growth in Shia societies and especially in Iran.

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It has been like this from the past. Great scientists and thinkers in the field of rational sciences

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have existed and been present in our country and within the totality of Islamic sciences and their works still exist.

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Therefore, we must advance in this field of rational sciences as well. Western [societies], through extension of their philosophies,

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have solved political problems, governance problems, [and] social problems.

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Yesterday, I saw books at the [Tehran international] book fair, which had been written by Western writers [about] the impact of philosophy in football;

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I mean, [their] philosophy extends even into football!

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Look, this is how they extend their intellectual ideas into all fields of life and areas of life;

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we must also do this. We are strong in terms of philosophy; Islamic philosophy is stronger

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and has a deeper root and is more solid than Western philosophy, but its extension into [all areas of human] life must be tangible.

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The judgment passed by our philosophy on [the nature of] government, on social issues, on economy,

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[and] on all issues, which have to do with building civilization, must be clear, [and] must be unequivocal. These are steps, which must be taken.

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These are [steps, which must be taken] with regard to specific Islamic sciences, [but] it is also the same in the field of natural sciences.

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Fortunately, at the present time, awakening has taken place in the Islamic world, though Western countries tried to deny this awakening.

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What came about was Islamic awakening in this West Asia region and in the North Africa region and in Arab countries;

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this is some sort of awakening, [and] this awakening exists in all parts of the Islamic world.

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Young people have queries, pose questions and are willing for their questions to be answered by Islam.

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They have expectations from Islam and have a tendency toward it.  Despite all this propaganda that Western countries have launched against Islam and against the Islamic life

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and Islamic lifestyle, there is high tendency toward Islam.

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This tendency promises us that, God willing, the future of the Islamic world will be much better than its present.

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God willing, the Islamic world will see days in which Islamic Ummah

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will stand on the pinnacle of it’s the Islamic civilization and life

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and enemies of Islam and bullies such as America and the likes of America will not be able

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to give orders to heads of the Islamic states [by telling them] that you must do this [or] you must do that.

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This [state of affairs] existed [in the past and] unfortunately, it still exists in some cases and this situation, God willing, will end

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and the Islamic world will reach its climax through God’s Grace and with Allah’s permission.

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Once more, I thank all of you and hope that this scientific move would continue,

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and once again, I thank the group that made [this] effort [and] was in charge [of this event], especially

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Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, and I hope that, God willing, the Almighty would keep him [for us] and help him

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and increase and sustain on a daily basis the vibrancy and motivation that, praise be to God

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, has always existed in him and still exists today.

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Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and His blessings