Hojat-ol-Eslam Saeed Jazari: Science without Faith and Spirituality Would Cause Trouble
The president of Ahlul Bayt International University said: “It is necessary for you students, no matter how much you reach the heights of science, to reach the heights of spirituality as well, because science without spirituality and spirituality without science are both causes of trouble.”
According to the public affairs department of Ahlul Bayt International University, the celebration of Student Day at Ahlul Bayt International University was held today, Wednesday, December 6th, and Hojat ol-Eslam Saeed Jazari, the president of the university, gave a speech to non-Iranian students and university professors, whose words are as follows:
“These days belongs to each and every one of you students, and I am really proud and happy to see the joy and high spirits that exists among you. While attending this ceremony, I visited the exhibition that was set up next to the venue of the ceremony and enjoyed it. I wish students from other universities would also be present here and benefit from these works of art.”
Iran’s History of Scientific Achievements
“Many countries celebrate Student Day and this day is important to them because each of you must build the future of that society and you were educated in order to build that society. I hope you get to know Islamic Iran and especially the professors of Ahlul Bayt International University will try to introduce you to this land, just as it is necessary for us to know your land, and for this reason, I asked the cultural deputy of the university to celebrate the National Students’ Day. And we must definitely hold exhibitions to preserve and recognize the works of art of different countries from India and Pakistan to Madagascar, Afghanistan and so on. On the other hand, you students also need to try to introduce the culture of your country.
Iran has had many successes in the field of science over many centuries. Five hundred years before Christ, we had a structural engineer like Artakhe. We have Berzoye Hakim, whose medical works have been recognized in western countries. We have Zakaria Razi in the field of chemistry and Mulla Sadra in the field of philosophy and many other great people that you need to get to know. When it comes to happiness, be sure that two wings together will lead you to happiness, which includes thought and knowledge, and the other is faith and understanding.”
The Importance of the Balance between Science and Faith
“Basically, the first universities in the world were founded by religious scholars, that is, science and faith were together. The verses of the Holy Qur’an also refer to this issue, for example, it is stated in verse 11 of Surah Al-Mujadalah: ‘O you who believe! when it is said to you, Make room in (your) assemblies, then make ample room, Allah will give you ample, and when it is said: Rise up, then rise up. Allah will exalt those of you who believe, and those who are given knowledge, in high degrees; and Allah is Aware of what you do.’ This shows that faith and science together bring people to happiness. The first university in Islamic countries is Zaytouna University, which was founded by Obaidullah bin Habhab, who was a religious scholar, in 774 AD in present-day Tunisia. Al-Azhar University was also founded by a religious scholar in Egypt. Even the Sorbonne University, which is one of the most prestigious universities in France, was founded around 1200 AD by a priest who was also a scientist. Therefore, you students should be aware that the first universities were founded by religious men and this shows us the importance of balance between science and faith.
With these preliminaries, it is necessary for me to point out some points about the characteristics of a successful student. Our mission at Ahlul Bayt International University is also to help provide the grounds for the growth of successful students. The first indicator of a successful student is to have planning and order in life. One of the Infallibles has said that success and happiness depend on planning. Each of you has come to this land with a purpose and you are our guest, so keep this planning in mind in different parts of life. The second indicator is ethics. Ethics has two parts, which includes individual and social ethics.
I explain individual ethics in three dimensions, the first dimension is in the field of happiness. Above all, maintain physical and mental vitality and take advantage of the sports available here and the artistic opportunities available here because sports are good for your body and art is good for your soul. Politeness is also important here. The most important scholars in the East and West of the world, when they want to gift a book to their family, that book is about politeness. As Aristotle and Farabi gave such books as gifts at the height of science and thought. When you yourself want to set someone as an example, you set the example of teachers who are decorated with more politeness than others. The third dimension here is to pay enough attention to art because the impact that a person has on the transmission of scientific and cultural works by producing a film is much greater than other efforts. If you pay attention to the works of Master Farshchian, you will understand the effect of viewing the painting of Ashura on thinkers.”
The Role of Scientific Diplomacy in Increasing the Communication between Countries
“One of the important characteristics of the late Allameh Tabatabai was that he paid attention to the art of calligraphy. In the traditional Islamic schools of the 6th to 9th centuries, calligraphy was the introduction to learning science because the elders said that this art calms the soul. The next dimension is social ethics. When the Qur’an wants to tell the story of Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh), it says: They said, ‘We heard a young man mentioning them. He is called ‘Abraham.’ Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh) was a young man who influenced the society by breaking idols. You should also play a role in society. Another characteristic of a successful student is paying attention to the value of science. In the 21st century, we are facing a concept called scientific diplomacy. Scientific diplomacy means that countries try to communicate with each other through science in order to develop scientific benefits. In this case, we will be successful in other areas, including industry and trade. Sometimes science is used for diplomacy and to develop good relations; For example, we do not have an embassy in Benin, but there are students from Benin in Iran, and this shows the role of science in increasing communication between countries.
Another characteristic of a good and successful student is the student’s commitment to society. You have a commitment to both the Iranian society and your own society, and you must be able to establish a friendly relationship with these societies. Another point is about the importance of paying attention to spirituality. I said at the beginning that the society got its university through religious scholars, so I need to tell you that no matter how much you reach the heights of science, you must also reach the heights of spirituality, because science without spirituality and spirituality without science are both causes of trouble. The supreme leader of the revolution has emphasized many times in many meetings since 1995, in meetings with students, that the field of spirituality and the field of science should be provided equally for students. Therefore, we hope that you will strengthen your scientific and spiritual understanding at the same time so as to pave your path to happiness.”
