{"id":4727,"date":"2025-11-17T09:00:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T05:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/?p=4727"},"modified":"2026-08-31T09:50:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T06:20:57","slug":"replacing-the-sharia-turning-religion-into-private-matter-greatest-danger-facing-islamic-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/news\/replacing-the-sharia-turning-religion-into-private-matter-greatest-danger-facing-islamic-world\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cReplacing the Sharia, turning religion into private matter, greatest danger facing Islamic world\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to the Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly News Portal – <\/strong>Ayatollah Reza Ramazani, Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly elaborated on various dimensions of attaining a comprehensive understanding of religion in his meeting with scholars and professors of the Al-Mustafa (p.b.u.h) International University, Isfahan branch.<\/p>\n

Recalling the story of the reasoning of Prophet Abraham (a.s.) with the star-worshippers and sun-worshippers, he noted that such arguments address the innate (Fitrah) disposition of the audience and guide them back to their Fitrah (human\u2019s divine nature).<\/p>\n

He added that the Quran calls humanity to a \u201cpristine life,\u201d and that if one reflects upon it carefully, the Book can become a source of vitality for humankind in all dimensions.<\/p>\n

Ayatollah Ramazani stressed that in order to grasp the language of the Quran, one must turn to those who truly understand it – the AhlulBayt (a.s.). \u201cThus, we must know the AhlulBayt (a.s.) so that through their perspective we may come to know the Quran,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Explaining the ranks of human beings, he noted that some divide mankind into three categories: sensory, rational, and intuitive. \u201cA sensory person is bound to matter; a rational person bases thought on reason; and an intuitive person relies on unveiling and inner perception.\u201d He emphasized that the Quran elevates the human being from the sensory realm to the rational and intuitive realms, making the human being divine-oriented.<\/p>\n

The Secretary-General warned that efforts are underway today to distort both the Quran and religion. \u201cOur view of religion must be a maximal one,\u201d he cautioned. \u201cOur approach to religion must be comprehensive rather than narrow. The Quran has not come to push us into isolation; it has come to send us into society and make us socially responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stated that even personal acts of worship, such as prayer and fasting, have social dimensions and produce social effects; for instance, prayer \u201cprevents indecency and wrongdoing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quoting Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, he stated: \u201cUnderstand religion comprehensively, precisely and deeply; then convey this understanding to others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayatollah Ramazani then outlined three fundamental forms of distortion confronting religion today. The first, he said, relates to the misuse of attractive phrases such as \u201ccompassionate Islam.\u201d Although the phrase is correct in essence, some use it to argue for absolute pacifism and to negate resistance. He clarified that while \u201ccompassionate Islam\u201d is indeed acceptable, resistance must also find its place within that framework.<\/p>\n

He likened disbelief to a corrupt weed that spreads its corruption through society and drags it away from a monotheistic worldview. Citing verses from Surah al-Hajj and Surah al-Baqarah, he noted that permission for defensive struggle is granted in cases of resisting oppression or the unjust expulsion of people from their homes. These are examples of \u201cclarifying jihad,\u201d he said, and must be explained correctly to prevent distortion.<\/p>\n

Addressing the second distortion, he warned against the claim, promoted by certain intellectuals, that religion is purely individual and an entirely personal experience. \u201cIn truth,\u201d he stressed, \u201creligion carries both individual and social dimensions. Indeed, the social rulings of religion are not fewer than its individual ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

The major danger, he said, is \u201creplacing the Sharia,\u201d a process earlier witnessed in Christianity, where legal obligations were eventually abandoned. This path leads to the gradual removal of prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage. \u201cFor instance,\u201d he noted, \u201cthey say: \u2018Why spend so much on Hajj? Give the money to young people instead so they can marry.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Rejecting the claim that \u201ca pure heart alone is sufficient and there is no need for prayer or fasting,\u201d he stressed, \u201cThe Quran does not regard a pure heart alone as adequate; faith requires action.\u201d He pointed, by example, to the existence of a so-called liberal mosque in Berlin.<\/p>\n

Ayatollah Ramazani also referred to \u201cchanging concepts and meanings\u201d as a third form of distortion, using the family as an example. \u201cThe Quran identifies the pillars of the family as man and woman,\u201d he said, \u201cbut the West now presents broader definitions: woman with woman, man with man, and even human with animal!\u201d<\/p>\n

Citing a narration from the Prophet (p.b.u.h), he warned that worse than today\u2019s conditions is a time when people command what is wrong and forbid what is right, mistaking virtue for vice and vice for virtue; a form of ignorance frequently lamented by Imam Ali (a.s.) in Nahj al-Balagha.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, he highlighted the responsibility of Islamic seminaries to articulate the system of human values in a language understandable to the international community, emphasizing the need to explain clearly \u201cwhat is taking place around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ayatollah Ramazani concluded his remarks by stating that Islam is a trans-temporal religion whose language is the language of innate disposition and reason, while its communicative language is Arabic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Speaking to scholars and faculty members of Al-Mustafa (p.b.u.h) International University, Isfahan branch, the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly warned against the serious threat of distorting religion in the present era, stressing a comprehensive, reason-based, and innate understanding of Islam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,58],"tags":[197,255],"class_list":["post-4727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-secretary-general","tag-ayatollah-reza-ramazani","tag-seminary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4731,"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4727\/revisions\/4731"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahlulbaytworldassembly.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}