Ayatullah Nur Mufidi: The Efficiency of Jurisprudence Is Impossible Without Considering Time and Space in Ijtihad and Without Government

Explaining the School of the Imam (may his soul be sanctified) on the Eve of the Anniversary of His Demise

Ayatullah Nur Mufidi: The Efficiency of Jurisprudence Is Impossible Without Considering Time and Space in Ijtihad and Without Government

The speaker at the 22nd seminar “Explaining the School of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)” on the topic “Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), the Pioneering and Preeminent Seminary, and Requirements of Efficient Jurisprudence,” emphasized the comprehensiveness of religion, the role of government, the impact of time and space in ijtihad, and foresight to respond to societal needs.

Coinciding with the approach of the anniversary of the demise of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), the 22nd seminar of the “Series of Seminars Explaining the School of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)” titled “Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), the Pioneering and Preeminent Seminary, and Requirements of Efficient Jurisprudence” was held on May 27, 2025, featuring a speech by Ayatullah Sayyid Mujtaba Nur Mufidi at the Yadegar-e Imam Complex in Qom. In this seminar, explaining the views of the late Imam and the Supreme Leader, he outlined fundamental and impactful requirements for achieving efficient jurisprudence and a pioneering seminary, emphasizing the necessity of transformation in seminary approaches to respond to daily societal needs and governance.

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the 22nd session of the seminar series “Explaining the School of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)” was held by the Institute for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), Qom Branch, featuring a speech by Ayatullah Sayyid Mujtaba Nur Mufidi, Professor of Advanced Classes (Dars-e Kharij) at the Islamic Seminary of Qom. This meeting was convened in the presence of a group of scholars and interested attendees.

At the beginning of his remarks, Ayatullah Nur Mufidi, while thanking the organizers, pointed to the importance of explaining the school of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), particularly during the days surrounding his demise. Citing the recent message of the Supreme Leader, he added: “His message is an updated and complementary edition of the frameworks delineated by Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) for an ideal seminary.”

The seminary professor described the pillars of a pioneering and preeminent seminary as five fundamental principles and proceeded to outline them.

He identified the first and most fundamental principle for an ideal seminary as self-purification (tahdhib al-nafs) and divine piety (taqwa), naming it the bedrock of any growth and elevation in the Islamic seminary, and reminding: Without self-cultivation (khudsazi) and adherence to ethical principles, other efforts will not lead to their ultimate goal—namely, training godly human beings and guiding society.

The second pillar, in Ayatullah Nur Mufidi’s view, was “seminary comprehensiveness.” This is a point emphasized by both the Imam and the Supreme Leader. The late Imam stated in this regard: “Scholars must possess diverse dimensions, and according to the dimensions Islam possesses and according to the dimensions humanity possesses, seminaries too must possess diverse dimensions.”

He further added: “The Supreme Leader stated similarly: The seminary is an extroverted institution whose output at all levels serves the thought and culture of society. The seminary is not merely a teaching and learning institution, but an ensemble of knowledge, education, and social and political functions. Therefore, a pioneering seminary must actively maintain contact with society and respond to its intellectual, cultural, social, and political needs.”

A jihadi identity for the seminary and the clergy was the third principle emphasized by Ayatullah Nur Mufidi, who pointed to its key components, stating: “A jihadi identity, rejection of the system of dominance, and combating world devourers” is one feature of a pioneering seminary.

He noted accompanying the people and being a pillar of support for the deprived as the fourth principle, reminding: “These place the Islamic seminary and the clergy on the frontline of combating oppression and arrogance, defending the rights of the people—especially the deprived strata.”

The fifth pillar of a pioneering seminary, in Ayatullah Nur Mufidi’s view, is possessing a governmental and social perspective. He stated in this regard: “This perspective enables jurisprudence to provide solutions on a macro social scale for governing society.”

Ayatullah Nur Mufidi further addressed two other crucial points referenced in the recent message of the Supreme Leader:

• First, participation in producing and explaining governance systems for society.

• Second, civilizational innovations within the framework of Islam’s global message.

Enumerating these pillars, Ayatullah Nur Mufidi depicted an image of the ideal and aspirational seminary—one rooted both in authentic religious foundations and the thought of the late Imam, while updated and completed by the Supreme Leader with a view to the future and societal needs.

Pointing to the gap between the current state of Islamic seminaries and this aspirational image, the seminary professor cited Imam Khomeini’s expression stating: “As long as the clergy does not maintain an active presence in all issues and problems, it cannot comprehend that conventional ijtihad (ijtihad-e mustalah) is insufficient for governing society.” He also pointed to the note raised in the Leader’s message regarding “the disproportion between promotional/propagation outputs and the intellectual and cultural realities of the people, especially the youth,” considering this gap an undeniable reality.

Continuing his remarks regarding the concept of the “efficiency of jurisprudence,” Ayatullah Nur Mufidi stated that the efficiency of jurisprudence means “the effectiveness of jurisprudence in achieving goals.” He emphasized that to evaluate the level of efficiency of jurisprudence, its goals must first be clearly specified. Rejecting the view that considers religion solely for otherworldly matters, he pointed to Imam Khomeini’s comprehensive perspective—a perspective viewing jurisprudence and Islam as answering all human life needs from birth to death. In the words of the Imam (may his soul be sanctified), jurisprudence is a complete program for managing human life capable of guaranteeing the growth and progress of nations.

Subsequently, Ayatullah Nur Mufidi outlined four requirements for making jurisprudence efficient in a pioneering and effective seminary:

1. A Comprehensive Perspective on Islam and Jurisprudence: The first condition is possessing an all-encompassing understanding of religion and jurisprudence—a religion that pays attention to both the worldly life and the Hereafter of man.

2. The Role of Government in the Efficiency of Jurisprudence: He emphasized that without government, jurisprudence cannot become efficient. In the words of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), “Government for the jurist is the practical philosophy of all jurisprudence.” For this reason, belief in the theory of religious government and the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist (Wilayat al-Faqih) is essential for jurisprudence to become efficient.

3. Attention to Time and Space in Deducing Rulings: He stated that understanding temporal and spatial conditions in comprehending and extracting jurisprudential rulings is of immense importance. This issue received special attention particularly in the final years of Imam Khomeini’s life. Assisted by this perspective, the jurist can provide more accurate and updated answers to social and governmental issues, transcending traditional ijtihad.

4. Foresight: Referencing Imam Khomeini’s words, Ayatullah Nur Mufidi added: “Islamic seminaries and the clergy must be aware of future societal needs and always move several steps ahead of events; for this reason, jurisprudence and the seminary must always be prepared to respond to emerging issues accompanied by planning and foresight.”

In conclusion, Ayatullah Nur Mufidi referred to the two other points mentioned by the Supreme Leader—namely “participation in producing and explaining governance systems for society” and “civilizational innovations within the framework of Islam’s global message”—emphasizing the importance of a macro, comprehensive, and systematic view in jurisprudence that guarantees internal coherence of its parts. He expressed hope that with ongoing scientific efforts in Islamic seminaries, we will witness movement toward a pioneering, preeminent, and benchmark seminary, achieving the true efficiency of jurisprudence.