Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: Some Narrations Recommend Acts of Worship for Nowruz

Grand Ayatollah Shirazi: Some Narrations Recommend Acts of Worship for Nowruz
————————————–
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sadiq Shirazi said that, according to some narrations, Nowruz includes recommended acts such as prayer and fasting, noting that jurists have endorsed these practices based on the principle of leniency (tasāmuḥ).

Speaking at a scholarly session on Nowruz and its place in Shiite jurisprudence, His Eminence said that narrations about the occasion differ. He referred to the work of Allama Majlisi in Bihar al-Anwar, where Nowruz is discussed in detail, though scholars disagree on its exact date.

He explained that narrations fall into two groups: some in which the Imams are understood to have approved Nowruz, and others that negate it, noting that the latter are considered weak in transmission.

Al-Shirazi added that scholars who accept the principle of leniency have reconciled these reports by interpreting the negation as meaning that Nowruz is not an official religious Eid, while still allowing recommended acts on that day. The Supreme Marja cited the late Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Mohammad Shirazi as among those who adopted this view.

He concluded that while Nowruz is not regarded as an Islamic religious festival like Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, performing recommended acts such as prayer and fasting on that day is supported by some narrations.