University Must Be a Tool for Knowledge & Resistance, Not Brainwashing & Corruption

At the beginning of the academic year; How can university education be a field of resistance?

This important question is explored and analyzed in the following lecture given by His Eminence Ayatollah Isa Qassim to university students on 11 September 2015.

I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed Satan

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious (to all of creation), the Most Merciful (to the faithful believers).

Peace and blessings be upon the most honorable of prophets and his pure Ahlul Bayt (as).

Indeed, there are two types of human societies in terms of the level of concern and outlook on the future; outlook on the future is a characteristic of humans among other creatures on the face of the earth. Others survive only with temporary concerns, driven by the need for sex, hunger, or others. Only humans among the animal species have an outlook on the future.

The level of outlook of these societies on the future varies. There are societies whose concerns are individual, looking to the future but on the individual level without feeling their responsibility in the larger society, and without giving any attention to preparing for the future of that society. There are societies, in addition to their individual concerns, whose members survive to secure only the – present and future – concerns of the group. In these two cases, there is an interest in the future; the difference is in how the individual views this future.

In the first case, there is no preoccupation with planning for the future of their society and building a social power on all levels and aspects. This view will not establish a society that can compete with other societies because of its closed-minded perception.

Yes, we do not know the unseen; however, we can build our future. If we do not do that, we will live in a state of dispersion, and will not be able to face the many and varied surprises of the future that may cause us embarrassment, anxiety, turmoil, and defeat. This is in contrast to a society that plans for the future in a thoughtful manner, so when it is exposed to some new circumstances, it will deal with them successfully. We want our society to have a future-oriented view and a social sense.

Undoubtedly, one must be aware of everything related to his existence: its benefits and its harms; however, there is also something greater than this existence.  This is the existence of which I am a member, which is the social existence. One must examine to what extent he feels responsible for this existence, to be steadfast, strong, resistant and victorious in the future.

If the vast majority do not think as such, then their society will not promise a happy future. We must have a thoughtful, in-depth future vision accompanied by an abundant sense of social awareness. Let us strive to provide social interest. Let us strive to ward off social corruption.

You who are joining or have just joined the university, with what vision have you joined the university? By what weapon have you joined, from what perspective, and with what sense do you join the university?

Sometimes this is to have a salary. That is okay, but when I limit my outlook to asking for this salary, then I am a failure, not a university student. I am like a porter who toils, earns, and tires in order to provide a living.  If the university degree is only to save money, there is a shorter way. If my only concern is money and my individual future, I will not refuse any opportunity that involves the loss of honor, religion, and other losses that may lead to my destruction and the destruction of my community.

Ask for money, but not at the expense of your soul, not at the expense of your humanity, not at the expense of your country, nation, and affiliation, not at the expense of your religion. This is a very important issue that one must think about deeply before he undertakes university studies.

It is good that education is my concern. It is good that I become familiar with sociology, engineering, history. It is good that I aspire to be knowledgeable, an expert in this or that scientific arts and their branches; this is fine and has its positives, but it is individual concern that does not build a strong human personality in more than one dimension.

Seek knowledge – seriously and diligently – and acquire as much knowledge as possible. Nevertheless, go beyond the ego to the collective interests of the society. Go beyond your own present and future, and care about the present and future of your society and nation.

Let the greatest concern be to build a strong personality on several levels; a personality that is not satisfied with wordily success. There is a big difference between succeeding in this life and failing in the hereafter; there is no success for a person who has separated from Allah and Islam. Success that is limited to this Dunya and separated from Allah (Almighty and Majestic) leads to loss. If all the strong & lofty potentials that you acquire end up with a meager goal, then all of that is loss and misery.

Join the university to improve the living conditions for yourself, your family, the poor of your village, the poor of your country, and the poor of your nation.  Join the university to raise the level of this nation scientifically. There is a big difference between aspiring to achieve an academic level that serves society and aspiring to an advanced academic level where my only goal is to serve my livelihood and prestige. The second ambition is isolationist, limited and withdrawn.

You may sacrifice your society and its interests, you may sacrifice religion and its interests for the sake of that. You will go beyond your personal academic needs and put pressure on yourself and exhaust yourself in order to achieve an academic level that does not serve society but rather so that you are financially satisfied, so that you obtain a personal academic prestige and reputation. You will get tired because you will exert double the effort, but society needs this effort in order to specialize in a particular field that may require more years of study and more efforts from you. We join the university to build a human, integrated, and balanced personality. The academic dimension may be one of the basic dimensions; but there is a big difference between this being my only concern and seeking it as an essential pillar in forming a strong personality on more than one level.

Four academic years – the minimum period of university study – can be spent destroying the student’s personality, destroying society, and destroying the family. Hence, look at how these years are invested? And what kind of personality is formed during them? Is it a balanced, rational personality that is not influenced by the misguided, careless, cunning, deceitful, and foolish environment?

Learn what is beneficial from everyone, from the believer and the non-believer, from the Muslim and the non-Muslim, but with reason and wisdom. Choose what refines your personality in the small and large social environment, even within from your parents and siblings. Take the best of what is said. Take the best of what is done. Take the best of what is good.

There are patterns of behavior, patterns of thinking, and patterns of dealing in the university; should I open to all of these patterns, embrace them, and be impressed by them?

It is not required that you be impressed by everything except what is beneficial. Interact with the university environment – small and large – but take what is beneficial and does not contradict your religious beliefs.

My dear, with tiring effort, staying up late and suffering, and with money, buy knowledge as much as you can.

Spend a lot in seeking knowledge; nevertheless, remember that acquainting religious sciences is more important than academic sciences. Knowledge is of two types: knowledge that connects you to Allah; and knowledge that separates you from Him and does not strengthen your religiosity.

You must give priority to what benefits you in this world and does not harm your religion. Buy it at a high price because you and your nation need it.

When the nation takes pride in its religion and refuses to exchange it for a cheap price, you will get tired, the group will get tired, and the state will get tired, but in that you will guarantee its pride, strength, loftiness, and a future full of strength and happiness.

There are many individuals and groups that are being fought; if they had given up their religiosity, they would not have been fought.  At the university and elsewhere, you have colleagues: colleagues of knowledge and colleagues of faith.While you are seeking knowledge, yearning and striving for it, there is another colleague striving with you and competing with you. Compete with him – with honor and love – not by wishing him failure, for that is envy. Honorable competition is to motivate yourself and him to progress and seek knowledge and to help him as you help yourself. Beware of exhausting yourself so that no one can get ahead of you in this field.

While you are at university, strengthen your faith. There you will have colleagues – brothers and sisters – who also have the qualities of faith, chastity, and piety. Even outpace these traits. The believer always competes in the path of goodness, not evil. Accompany them on the path of faith and compete with them in who is more pious not who is more knowledgeable.

Let us all remember that ignorance is abhorrent to Allah, yet worldly, material knowledge is also abhorrent because it harms people and destroys religion; it is knowledge for control, for exploitation, for building a personality that manipulates its power for evil. This knowledge, even if it is jurisprudence and interpretation of the Qur’an is worse than ignorance.

My dear, today you are joining the university at a certain scientific level; then in your last academic year, you will find a new stock added to your academic achievement.

After about 4 years, you may achieve a great scientific difference, perhaps after 6-8 years of learning, in other cases. Beware that the knowledge you possess is little. Do not be deceived by the knowledge you achieve. How much is that knowledge worth compared to this great world?  The greatest scholar on earth – in any field – is the one who admits that he is ignorant in his field.

The Holy Qur’an describes human knowledge as: {And you have been given only a little knowledge}. So let none of us be arrogant.

No one should be arrogant that he knows such and such, even if he publishes a book, reaches a scientific position, or achieves a scientific breakthrough. You can not achieve this by your own ability; rather, you should thank Allah. Do not be arrogant, rather reflect about where you got this knowledge from and why you were not this competent during high school? Did you get rid of your academic shortcomings by yourself? Did your family inherit you this knowledge? Can you protect yourself from dementia, forgetfulness, or ignorance?

Why be arrogant?

Do not accept that you are deceived by understanding issues that you did not reach an easy solution to. Rather, recall many issues that you spent a long time searching for in order to surpass your ignorance, and that there are other issues that still challenge you.  There is a knowledge that I do not possess, a scientific achievement that I do not guarantee will last, and great ignorance, so do not be deceived by what you know. The scientific path is long; a person will not reach its end, nor will he complete its course.

While you are enrolled in the university, and during your university studies, reflect on the reason behind choosing your major. Choosing a major is not based on your intellectual ability associated with it, but rather requires psychological orientation, patience, and perhaps other factors.

Studying during the four years may be intensive, and consume effort and time; so do you suspend the obligation to acquire religious sciences during it, and remain ignorant of your religion, and only look at the religious rulings that you need?

How great is our disdain for acquiring religious teachings and how severe is our negligence; he who has reached this state and neglected his duty is not religious. I am not saying that you should combine together the academic knowledge and the religious knowledge at the same time; I say – if you respect Islam – it is no justification for you to neglect the knowledge you need to protect your faith, daily dealings, worship, etc. You must ask and inquire; perhaps this reminder will motivate us to give our religion the effort it deserves.

Certainly, nothing is more obligatory on us than the effort we exert in order to acquire religious knowledge. In the hadith narrated by Ahlul Bayt (as): “Be a source of pride for us and do not be a source of shame,” and in another hadith: “Be silent preachers of religion.”

The Ahlul Bayt (as) want us – even if we do not utter a word – to carry their knowledge, to show its greatness. The purpose of showing its greatness is to show the greatness of Islam, which has refined their thought.  We do not glorify the personalities of the Ahlul Bayt (as) for themselves, but we consider it – as they are – the essence of the Islamic thought. Every success of theirs is – basically – a collective success and not a private one. This reveals the greatness, truth, power and integrity of Islam, and its high morality and great awareness.

It is important for us to be preachers about the Almighty and preachers about the Ahlul Bayt (as), who embody Islam and the will of Allah (Glory be to Him). The problem of societies all over the world is their separation – completely or partially and in a wide or narrow area – from religion.

University students should not be an additional problem for their societies, but rather the reformers through distinguished behavior, seriousness, diligence in studying, and achieving academic success in their majors. This should be done with humility, without arrogance, and with honor.

You should be chaste by not saying obscene words; perhaps the university’s liberal atmosphere may tempt you to do so. Say what expresses your personality, your psychological and intellectual level, your political affiliation, your social values. Say what expresses your connection to Allah, Islam, and Ahlul Bayt (as).

When you do not allow hatred to take over your heart, and when your conscious and committed personality combines seriousness, commitment to religion, knowledge of religious rulings, integrity, chastity, high morals, and tolerance, all of this is a call to Allah, His religion, and the Ahlul Bayt (as). Let us be like that.