Religions  serve as a prelude to producing a perfect

Religions serve as a prelude to producing a perfect

Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic through his works stressed that religions, including Islam, serve as a prelude to producing a perfect man and the Qur'an is a Book to elevate this creature - the main goal behind the mission of prophets.

According to Imam Khomeini, the delegation of prophets and messengers for the construction and elevation of man to perfection is deserving of him.

Hence, if man in the course of perfection, moved towards the Almighty and became like God, he would be transformed into (a manifestation of) God's great attribute and image of Him.

Furthermore, from the viewpoint of Imam Khomeini, revelation, which is in no way in conflict with sound human intellect, is man's way towards guidance and perhaps the best and the sole way for his upbringing and making.

The only way of education is the one presented through revelation and Lord of the Universe. The sole path is the one offered by the Almighty. It is the way of purification and Divinely upbringing introduced by the prophets. It is a science presented to people by the prophets to be trained and led to his desired perfection.

From Imam Khomeini's viewpoint there is no conflict between philosophy and religion or, borrowing his words, "wisdom and supreme philosophy."

 It was not without reason that in his letter to Gorbachev, the last leader of Soviet Union, he stressed the Qur'an and referred him to the views of Muslim philosophers for a critique of material thought:

"The Holy Qur'an criticizes the foundations of material thought. If you are interested in doing research in these areas, you may refer to the writings of Farabi, Bu 'Ali Sina, may God's mercy be upon them, as well as books by Sohrewardi, may God's mercy be upon him, Sadr al-Muta'alihin's transcendental wisdom - may God's mercy upon him and may he be associated with prophets and the righteous on the resurrection day - so that it would be clear that the truth of knowledge is verily a being abstract and separate from matter and glorified from any concept of matter, nor will it be subject to the rules of matter."

With this mentality, Imam Khomeini negated mere reliance on narrations and akhbarigari

 (traditionalist) methods and did not subscribe to a reactionary view of and rigidity in religious thought.

The book Kashfu'l­ Asrar "Discovery of the Secrets'' is expressive of this mentality of Imam towards reactionarism and rigidity inspired from absolute obedience. He also considered that obedience was only applicable in religious decrees but other dimensions of religion rested on intellect.

For instance, referring to a narration, he wrote:

"By religion is meant obeying decrees. If in the words of some prominent traditionalists has been provided that in demonstration of unity one should rely on narrative argument, it is of strange things if not disasters from which we should seek refuge in God Almighty."

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