Ayatollah Shirazi: Religious Rituals Are a Result of Religious Understanding and Align With the Culture of Exalting Divine Symbols
Ayatollah Shirazi: Religious Rituals Are a Result of Religious Understanding and Align With the Culture of Exalting Divine Symbols
The highest religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq al-Husseini al-Shirazi (may his shadow extend), has emphasized that religious rituals represent the fruit of religious understanding and respond to the requirements of the era. He noted that their forms and manifestations can be shaped in various times in a manner that aligns with the culture of exalting the symbols of Allah, the Almighty.
His Eminence stated, “Religious rituals are the fruit of religious understanding and a response to the demands of the contemporary era. They can manifest differently in each era in a way that aligns with the culture of exalting the symbols of God, thereby gaining their identity and legitimacy.”
In his discourse regarding the ‘Muhsiniya’ mourning ceremonies, Ayatollah Shirazi addressed objections based on the perceived lack of historical precedent for certain forms of these ceremonies. He asserted that the mere absence of historical precedent does not represent a criterion for judging the legitimacy of these rituals.
Ayatollah Shirazi stated, “Describing the Muhsiniya mourning ceremonies as ‘unprecedented’ is far removed from the logic expected of a seeker of knowledge who has studied ‘Makasib’ and ‘Rasa’il’. Is the criterion for the legitimacy of rituals merely their possessing historical precedent? Certainly not.”
His Eminence’s guidance underscores that an evaluation of rituals should not be limited to seeking alignment with historical precedents; rather, it is linked to their religious understanding and their harmony with the culture of exalting the symbols of God, with the potential for forms and manifestations to emerge that correspond to the conditions of each era.
