Ayatollah Marefat and the Need for Quranic Research Movement

 

Since a long time ago whoever studied jurisprudence (fiqh) in schools of religious studies was considered as a great scholar which can finally reach to the position of the most knowledgeable specialist in the field of the Islamic law (Marja al-taqlid)*. If a person had the capability to be Marja al-taqlid but he preferred to deal with philosophy, mysticism, Quranic sciences or its interpretation, he would be downgraded to lower ranks. Allameh Tabatabaee or Ayatollah Amoli are among the recent examples. Even Imam Khomeini, who was a Marja al-taqlid, when started teaching mysticism and philosophy once in Qom and once in Tehran after victory of revolution held Quran interpretation classes was criticized so much that he stopped the courses. Ayatollah Marefat who passed away three days ago was among the figures who could be Marja al-taqlid, but he decided to do Quranic researches with an intellectual look and based on the needs of the present society. He was unique in his deep and different look to Quran. All successful Quranic researchers who are active now in this field, have been in a way his student or interested in his works. Finding solutions for the problems from Quran which is a divine book can eradicate many ambiguities. Ayatollah Marefat, whom every knowledgeable person in the field agrees that he was the top Quran researcher, had this approach to Quran as what our religious society needs a lot. The fact that many considered him as a knowledgeable figure caused that he faces little oppositions from schools of religious studies. Still the intellectual students of such schools could understand that there is an invisible displeasure from his stances. It is a great necessity to refer to Quran and understand its meaning by the use of thoughtful interpretations of religious figures like Ayatollah Marefat. God took him away from us at the time that our society needs such thoughtful and intellectual thoughts and he joined the majesty and his son who was martyred.

 

* literally means "Source of Imitation", "Reference of Emulation" or "Source of Tradition." It is the label provided to Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and less-credentialed clerics (wikipedia)