Note: As the Decade of Dignity approaches, the unveiling ceremony of the comprehensive portal of contemporary jurisprudence was held in the city of Qum with the presence of distinguished scholars and teachers of the seminary, researchers, officials of educational and research centers, and Ayatullah S. Kazim Nur Mufidi (may his blessings be lengthened), the respected founder of the Center for Contemporary Jurisprudence Studies.
Ayatullah S. Kazim Nur Mufidi: Contemporary jurisprudence must respond to emerging global challenges. At this ceremony, Ayatullah S. Kazim Nur Mufidi “may Allah preserve him”, the founder of the Center for Contemporary Jurisprudence, emphasized the need for a change in the jurisprudential approach of seminaries and said: Today’s jurist must have the ability to communicate with the world and be familiar with the language and sciences of the day in order to be able to provide precise, accurate, and effective answers to emerging issues in the world.
The representative of the Supreme Leader in Gulestan Province, referring to the prominent position of jurisprudence in Islamic civilization, said: Today’s jurists must have a comprehensive view and focus on all individual, social, cultural, political, and international dimensions of human life.
Referring to the transformation that has occurred in the attitude towards jurisprudence after the Islamic Revolution, he added: Contemporary jurisprudence has been seriously pursued in the seminaries with the wise guidance of the late Imam and the continuous support of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, and today we are witnessing the formation of research, educational, and practical trends in this field.
Emphasizing that although the seminaries have achieved a worthy position in deepening and expanding contemporary jurisprudence, the Imam of Gurgan city said: However, we are still at the beginning of the path and need additional efforts, innovation, and modernization in the areas of education, research, and training of specialized forces.
In part of his speech, the representative of the Assembly of Experts emphasized the need to redefine the outputs of the seminary in specialized fields of jurisprudence and said: The final product of the specialized jurisprudence education system in seminaries should be a personality that is distinct from the university in its conventional sense; that is, a graduate who is simultaneously rooted in traditional jurisprudence and is able to analyze, respond to, and confront the complex issues of the contemporary world.
He added: The future of Islamic civilization and the position of jurisprudence in the management of society depend on the training of such personalities who, while benefiting from the rich jurisprudential heritage, are familiar with world literature, the logic of scientific reasoning, and a systematic understanding of human issues.
Ayatullah S. Mujtaba Nur Mufidi: The Contemporary Jurisprudence Research Center is the answer to the current issues and challenges of the Islamic society.
Ayatullah Seyyed Mujtaba Noormafidi, the head of the Contemporary Jurisprudence Research Center, also cited a valuable hadith about the high position of jurisprudence in religion and stated: This research Center was founded with inspiration from the necessities and needs of the Islamic Ummah today, in order to explore various jurisprudential issues with a profound and methodical approach and to answer the questions of the time.
He continued, referring to the missions of this scientific institution, and stated: The main focus of the research center is based on two basic axes; first, fundamental research that explains the foundations, principles, and theoretical frameworks of jurisprudence, and second, applied research that is designed and implemented with the aim of responding to the everyday problems and challenges of society so that jurisprudence has an active and effective presence in the context of contemporary life.
The head of the Contemporary Jurisprudence Research Center stated: “In the history of Islam, scientific trends have always had a dynamic presence in two fundamental and applied formats, and the superiority of each of these two approaches has arisen from the specific needs and requirements of each period; as the developments of time have determined the direction of research and shaped the path of religious thought.” Referring to the scientific structure of the research center, Ayatullah Nur Mufidi said: “Currently, 11 scientific groups consisting of 40 prominent seminary teachers are active in this center, and more than 30 research project contracts have been concluded with various scientific centers and institutions so far.” Emphasizing the need for effective communication and cooperation with scientific centers and avoiding parallel work, he added: “Over the past five years, this complex has succeeded in holding more than 200 prominent scientific meetings and has published 26 scientific journal subjects, which is a testament to its dynamism and problem-oriented approach in the field of jurisprudential studies.”Also, the Comprehensive Portal of Contemporary Jurisprudence has been launched with the aim of producing content, managing knowledge, and providing specialized services in the field of contemporary jurisprudence, which includes various sections such as the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jurisprudence, the Digital Library of Contemporary Jurisprudence, courses outside of Contemporary Jurisprudence, electronic journals, scientific meetings, and the research center’s information base.
Ayatullah Fazil Lankarani: For the advancement of jurisprudence, one must return to the Qur’an and benefit from its social potential
Ayatullah Muh. Javad Fazil Lankarani, in a meaningful and profound speech at the unveiling ceremony of the Comprehensive Portal of Contemporary Jurisprudence in the city of Qum on Wednesday evening, referred to the fundamental role of the Holy Qur’an in the formation and advancement of jurisprudence, and stated: “To achieve real progress in jurisprudence, it is necessary not to distance ourselves from the Qur’an and always return to it.”
Pointing out that the verses of Ahkam constitute only a part of the great jurisprudential capacities of the Qur’an, he added: Unfortunately, throughout history, the social verses of the Qur’an have received less attention from jurists, while these verses are full of important principles and orientations in the field of social relations, justice, security, responsibility, and people’s rights that can play a fundamental role in establishing Islamic civilization.
Continuing his speech, the head of the Imams’ Fiqh Center emphasized the importance of social jurisprudence and said: Paying attention to this part of jurisprudence not only promotes Islamic societies culturally and socially, but can also lead to strengthening unity among Muslims and greater cohesion at the international level.
He also criticized some of the conflicts between jurisprudence and law in today’s society and clarified: The laws of the country must be formulated based on jurisprudential principles and under the scientific guidance of the seminaries. Laws such as enjoining good and forbidding evil should not be approved and implemented without a documented and solid jurisprudential basis. Therefore, the serious entry of seminaries into this field is necessary and inevitable.
Ayatullah Fadil Lankarani continued by referring to the jurisprudential developments in recent decades and added: Although Shi’i jurisprudence has always been in touch with its time throughout history, in the post-Islamic Revolution era we have witnessed the flourishing of new dimensions of jurisprudence, including social jurisprudence, political jurisprudence, security jurisprudence, and art jurisprudence, which is itself evidence of the great capacity of jurisprudence in responding to the emerging and complex issues of today’s world.
At the end of his speech, he emphasized: Today, contemporary jurisprudence must be able to comprehensively and comprehensively respond to the diverse needs of humanity. Jurisprudence must have an active and influential presence not only in the individual sphere, but also in all dimensions of human social, political, and cultural life, and based on the enlightened teachings of the Qur’an, it must provide an efficient model for governing society.
At the end of the ceremony, the comprehensive portal of contemporary jurisprudence was unveiled. This scientific and research portal was created with the aim of producing content, managing knowledge, and providing specialized services in the field of contemporary jurisprudence. It includes various sections such as the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Jurisprudence, the Digital Library of Contemporary Jurisprudence, external courses in contemporary jurisprudence, electronic journals, scientific meetings, and the research institute’s information base.