According to the reporter of the Esra NEWS Agency: Grand Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, in one of his Akhlaq classes, congratulated the Decade of "Kiramat" and said, "I congratulate the blessed birth of the 8th Imam (P.B.U.H) to the Islamic world, the Shia Howzeh, Islamic and revolutionary Iran and Congratulations to all of you. We appreciate the opportunity provided these days for accomplishment dignity. The dignity that continues from the first to eleventh of of Dhu al-Qadah, teach us to be angel because dignity is one of the greatest attributes of angels. Therefore, in Surah Al-Anbiya Allah introduce the Anges as the dignified beings﴿بَلْ عِبادٌ مُكْرَمُونَ ٭ لا یسْبِقُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَ هُمْ بِأَمْرِهِ یعْمَلُونَ﴾"

He continued, "In the Ziyarat Jamie of Imam Hadi (peace be upon him), the infallible and pure Ahl al-Bayt were praised for their "Kiramat" like angels. In "Ziyarat Jamie" we say, «عِبادٌ مُكْرَمُونَ ٭ لا یسْبِقُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَ هُمْ بِأَمْرِهِ یعْمَلُونَ﴾،[1] The holy angels which described as "Kiram" are responsible for the revelation of the Qur'an, ﴿بَلْ عِبادٌ مُكْرَمُونَ﴾، ﴿بِأَیدِی سَفَرَةٍ ٭ كِرَامٍ بَرَرَةٍ﴾[2] This means this Quran has come to us from the path of "Kiramat"(dignity)."

Referring to the virtues of the 8th Imam, peace be upon him, His Eminence continued, "The most important statement that the Divine Essence has about the Holy Qur'an is in the enlightening words of the 8^th Imam, Ali bin Musa al-Reza al-Mortaza (upon him and upon his father and grandfathers and his sons be thousands of peace and blessings) that the Prophet brought all these teachings to benefit everyone, especially Iranians. When Imam Reza entered Iran, he brought the school of Shiism with him. When he entered the land of Khorasan, he asked what is the important issue here? He was answered Imamate and Caliphate. Hazrat said, what do they know about the caliphate and Imamate?! What do they know what Imamat is?! What do they know what caliphate is?! That enlightening speech that was narrated by the late Kilini, and others have also narrated it, has reached us from the blessed existence of the 8th Imam, when he said, «اَلإِمَامُ وَاحِدُ دَهْرِهِ وَ هُوَ بِحَیثُ النَّجْمُ مِنْ یدِ الْمُتَنَاوِلِینَ وَ وَصْفِ الْوَاصِفِینَ فَأَینَ الِاخْتِیارُ مِنْ هَذَا وَ أَینَ الْعُقُولُ عَنْ هَذَا وَ أَینَ یوجَدُ مِثْلُ هَذَا»؛[3] The Imam is the star of the sky, no one can reach the sky with his hand and touch the star! Can Imamate be understood that easy? Is it possible to know Velayat without Ghadir? Is the truth of Imamate an appointment by people? From then on, Hazrat tried to teach us the Imamat."

Grand Ayatollah Javadi Amoli pointed to the teachings of the 8^th Imam (a.s.) and continued, "We say that the Imamate is Allah's covenant and God must grant it, because he said to Ibrahim Khalil﴿لاَ ینَالُ عَهْدِی الظَّالِمِینَ﴾،[4] we must know that this covenant is the subject of "یَنالُ". This means the imamate is my covenant, promise, decree and command. This command must be issued from above. This is the divine appointment and not the people's. Imamate is not a choice for people to vote for Imamate. Imamate is not appointed by people. why? Because the imams themselves said on behalf of Allah, the divine essence, if someone wants to know the imam, he must know the prophet, if he wants to know the prophet, he must know Allah. why? Because the Imamate is the succession and caliphate of the Prophet, if someone wants to know the "Caliphate of the Prophet", he must whom he represents. If he does not know the main agent, he does not know the Caliph, and if someone wants to know the Prophet, he must know Allah, because the Prophet is the Caliph of Allah.

Imam Reza (a.s.) explained this completely in Khorasan and said, : الْإِمَامُ وَاحِدُ دَهْرِهِ لَا یدَانِیهِ أَحَدٌ» «وَ هُوَ بِحَیثُ النَّجْمُ مِنْ یدِ الْمُتَنَاوِلِینَ وَ وَصْفِ الْوَاصِفِینَ فَأَینَ الِاخْتِیارُ مِنْ هَذَا وَ أَینَ الْعُقُولُ عَنْ هَذَا وَ أَینَ یوجَدُ مِثْلُ هَذَا»، . Is it possible for anyone to become imam by people's vote? Can Imamate get recognized by the intellect of the people? He talked and talked and talked until he changed the environment of Islamic Iran to "Wilayat" and thus the difference between Ghadir and Saqifa became completely clear. Then the enlightened words of Imam Reza were explained by Hazrat Abdul Azim Hosni, Ahmad bin Musa and Fatima Masoumeh, these are the sisters, daughters and children of this family. Scholars also understood their word and the situation in Islamic Iran has improved. The blessed existence of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) said these words, the philosophers understood, the scholars understood, the jurists understood."

His Eminence emphasized, "The blessed existence of the eighth Imam (peace be upon him) ordered us all to live wisely and the country is governed by reason and nothing else. Intellect is also called intellect because it controls the illusion and fantasy in the realm of thought and lust and anger in the realm of motivation and makes it rational. One who has reason has tamed desires, illusions, imaginations, lust and anger. The blessed exitance of Imam Reza explained these things well. He said man has one friend and that is his intellect."

Footnote:

[1]. Al-Mazar al-Kabir (Laban Al-Mashhadi), p. 525.

[2]. Surah Abs, verses 15 and 16.

[3] Al-Kafi (i-Islamiya), Vol. 1, pp. 199-201.

[4]. Surah Baqarah, verse 124.

Source: Akhlaq classes on 20^th of Khordad, 1398