Absence of Shiite missionaries abroad is still serious: Qazi Askar
The former representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs said, “While we have not planned in the major cities of the world, and if we have, there have been few, our competitors in the Islamic world are spending heavily to establish cultural centers. In many important cities of the world, we do not have a Shiite missionary, while many cities in the world demand for these people.”
At the unveiling ceremony of the book “Shiite Ambassador in the West”, stating that propagation abroad is a delicate issue, Hojat al-Islam Qazi Askar, the former representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs said, “Unfortunately, 42 years after the victory of the Revolution, one of the shortcomings of the Islamic Republic of Iran today, is that we have not trained enough qualified people to go abroad and propagate the religion.”
“What made late Mohagheghi Lahiji successful abroad was the comprehensiveness of his character. He had a high vision and did not just look at the domestic issues of Iran. Even before the age of 20, he decided to learn Russian, and even in the seminary of Qom, he did not pay attention to just one aspect of the religious knowledge and learned various sciences,” he added.
Saying that some people are giving speeches inside the country now, but their speeches are anti-propagation, and instead of attraction, they create hatred, Qazi Askar continued, “This shows that they did not have a complete understanding of Islam. Imam Reza (a.s.) said that if people understand the beauties of our (we AhlulBayt) words, they will surely follow us.”
“The late Mohagheghi Lahiji had comprehensive planning and strong connections with Muslims and non-Muslims. Currently, when Friday prayers are held in the Islamic Center and Imam Ali (a.s.) Mosque (in Hamburg), Muslims of different nationalities attend and consider there as their home,” said the former representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage affairs.
“The late Mohagheghi Lahiji did not consider Islam to be one-dimensional, but considered Islam in a way to unite all Muslims of all faiths and denominations and bring them under one umbrella,” he emphasized.
“Another reason for Mohagheghi Lahiji’s success was his simplicity of life and his humble spirit. Also, visiting the sick, burying the dead, and pacifying and loving others were other reasons for Lahiji’s success. Unfortunately, people like him were abandoned in their time,” said the former representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage affairs.
“While we have not planned in the major cities of the world, and if we have, there have been few, our competitors in the Islamic world are spending heavily to establish cultural centers. In many important cities of the world, we do not have a Shiite missionary, while many cities in the world demand these people,” said Qazi Askar.
It should be mentioned that the unveiling ceremony of the book “Shiite Ambassador in the West”, a description of the efforts of Hojat al-Islam Mohammad Mohagheghi Lahiji, the first Imam of Imam Ali (a.s.) Mosque in the Islamic Center of Hamburg, Germany, was held on Sunday, July 11, 2021, at the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.
The former representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs said, “While we have not planned in the major cities of the world, and if we have, there have been few, our competitors in the Islamic world are spending heavily to establish cultural centers. In many important cities of the world, we do not have a Shiite missionary, while many cities in the world demand for these people.”
At the unveiling ceremony of the book “Shiite Ambassador in the West”, stating that propagation abroad is a delicate issue, Hojat al-Islam Qazi Askar, the former representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs said, “Unfortunately, 42 years after the victory of the Revolution, one of the shortcomings of the Islamic Republic of Iran today, is that we have not trained enough qualified people to go abroad and propagate the religion.”
“What made late Mohagheghi Lahiji successful abroad was the comprehensiveness of his character. He had a high vision and did not just look at the domestic issues of Iran. Even before the age of 20, he decided to learn Russian, and even in the seminary of Qom, he did not pay attention to just one aspect of the religious knowledge and learned various sciences,” he added.
Saying that some people are giving speeches inside the country now, but their speeches are anti-propagation, and instead of attraction, they create hatred, Qazi Askar continued, “This shows that they did not have a complete understanding of Islam. Imam Reza (a.s.) said that if people understand the beauties of our (we AhlulBayt) words, they will surely follow us.”
“The late Mohagheghi Lahiji had comprehensive planning and strong connections with Muslims and non-Muslims. Currently, when Friday prayers are held in the Islamic Center and Imam Ali (a.s.) Mosque (in Hamburg), Muslims of different nationalities attend and consider there as their home,” said the former representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage affairs.
“The late Mohagheghi Lahiji did not consider Islam to be one-dimensional, but considered Islam in a way to unite all Muslims of all faiths and denominations and bring them under one umbrella,” he emphasized.
“Another reason for Mohagheghi Lahiji’s success was his simplicity of life and his humble spirit. Also, visiting the sick, burying the dead, and pacifying and loving others were other reasons for Lahiji’s success. Unfortunately, people like him were abandoned in their time,” said the former representative of the Supreme Leader in Hajj and Pilgrimage affairs.
“While we have not planned in the major cities of the world, and if we have, there have been few, our competitors in the Islamic world are spending heavily to establish cultural centers. In many important cities of the world, we do not have a Shiite missionary, while many cities in the world demand these people,” said Qazi Askar.
It should be mentioned that the unveiling ceremony of the book “Shiite Ambassador in the West”, a description of the efforts of Hojat al-Islam Mohammad Mohagheghi Lahiji, the first Imam of Imam Ali (a.s.) Mosque in the Islamic Center of Hamburg, Germany, was held on Sunday, July 11, 2021, at the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.