Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: Fear in the Face of an Oppressive Government is a Sign of Wisdom, but Cowardice is a Product of Ignorance

The daily scholarly session led by Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq al-Hosseini al-Shirazi continued in his honourable residence on Tuesday, 16 Jumada al-Awwal. As in previous sessions, the Supreme Marja addressed attendees’ questions regarding various jurisprudential issues.

Regarding the concept of fear, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi stated: “The fear of a powerless and unarmed person in the face of an oppressive government is a sign of wisdom. This is mentioned in narrations, especially in Bihar al-Anwar, where it is referred to as Khawf (fear).”

His Eminence distinguished between fear and cowardice, explaining that in narrations, these two are described as the “soldiers of wisdom” and the “soldiers of ignorance.” This means that fear is a soldier of wisdom, while cowardice and timidity are a soldier of ignorance.

He emphasized that fear is not only not condemned but is also highlighted as important. In contrast, cowardice and timidity are what are criticized.