Grand Ayatullah Shirazi Highlights Significance of Piety as Cornerstone of Spirituality, Morality
Grand Ayatullah Shirazi Highlights Significance of Piety as Cornerstone of Spirituality, Morality
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Senior Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq al-Husseini al-Shirazi has stressed that piety (taqwa) is the foundation of shaping the human self and a key safeguard against moral collapse, violence, and major human tragedies.
In a recent address, His Eminence said individuals bear primary responsibility for guiding their own moral development, warning that neglecting ethical and religious discipline allows the human soul to drift toward wrongdoing and deviation. He argued that many of the greatest disasters in human history—including wars, massacres, and abuses against civilians—were the direct result of unchecked desires and the absence of moral and religious education capable of restraining harmful behavior.
The Supreme Marja explained that the human soul possesses free choice and is shaped by the intellectual, educational, and behavioral influences a person adopts. He said piety elevates individuals in both worldly and spiritual terms, while surrender to base desires leads societies toward violence, injustice, and historical disgrace.
Grand Ayatullah Shirazi also warned that weak religious awareness and flawed moral education can open the door to collective crimes, whether committed by individuals, leaders, or governments. He noted that many large-scale atrocities were carried out by people who lacked grounding in ethical and humanitarian values.
He emphasized that neither a religious environment nor a corrupt one alone determines moral outcomes. Rather, he said, personal awareness and continuous self-discipline—through piety, knowledge, prayer, and determination—are decisive.
His Eminence concluded by urging adherence to Quranic teachings and the example of the Prophet’s household as essential to protecting society and preventing future tragedies.
