Academic Event Held in Skardu, Awards Presented to Essay Competition Winners

Academic and Research Event Held in Skardu; Awards Presented to Winners of Essay Competition on the Thought of the Late Leader

Shiite News: An academic and research event was held at Hawza Ilmiyya Jamiat al-Najaf in Skardu, Baltistan, Pakistan, where awards were presented to students who performed prominently in an essay and article-writing competition on the intellectual and scholarly contributions of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the philosophy of Imam Hussain’s uprising, and the promotion of Islamic thought and civilization in the contemporary era.

The event also paid tribute to the services of Maulana Sheikh Sikandar Ali Behishti, head of the Research Department at Jamiat al-Mustafa International University Karachi, who has conducted various workshops and academic sessions.

The event was attended by Jamiat al-Najaf Principal Allama Sheikh Muhammad Ali Tauheedi, chief guest researcher and author Muhammad Hassan Hasrat, Hujjat al-Islam Sheikh Sajjad Hussain Mufti, Hujjat al-Islam Sheikh Ahmad Noori, Hujjat al-Islam Sheikh Sikandar Ali Behishti, Hujjat al-Islam Dr. Muhammad Ali Mumtaz, Hujjat al-Islam Sheikh Muhammad Ali Zakari, Sheikh Ghulam Hassan Jafri, Sheikh Muhammad Jan Haidari, Agha Zamani, Sheikh Ibrahim Noori, Sheikh Abdullah, Muhammad Aslam Naz Shigri, as well as scholars, teachers, students and figures from various academic and religious circles.

Speakers said that after monotheism and faith, Islam gives exceptional importance to knowledge, reflection, contemplation and research. They said the fundamental responsibility of religious seminaries is not merely to transmit knowledge but also to cultivate a research-oriented mindset, intellectual insight, and the ability to reason and present evidence. In light of the ideas of Shahid Murtaza Mutahhari, they outlined four fundamental elements for the successful communication of a message.

Jamiat al-Najaf teacher Sheikh Sajjad Hussain Mufti emphasized the importance of knowledge and research, saying that people should not accept something merely because a particular person has said it. Rather, careful thought and research are necessary to reach the truth of any matter. Students presented research papers on topics including the thought of the late leader, Islamic civilization, and the philosophy of Imam Hussain’s uprising.

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Researcher and author Muhammad Hassan Hasrat also stressed the importance of knowledge and research. He said that while speeches and oratory have their own significance, the impact of books, academic papers and research writings tends to be more lasting. The principal of Jamiat al-Najaf said that the youth of Baltistan possess exceptional intellectual abilities and that what is needed is to provide them with proper direction and research training.

Sheikh Sikandar Ali Behishti said that social media, print media and electronic media are effective means of conveying the Islamic message. Referring to the concept of the “Second Phase” presented by the late leader, he said that the next stage of the Islamic Revolution is civilization-building. He added that presenting the world with a comprehensive alternative based on Islamic knowledge and research, ethics, economics, justice and an Islamic way of life in comparison with Western civilization is an important need of the present era.