In a ceremony held to commemorate benefactors, donators, and those involved in Astan Quds Razavi’s endowment affairs, Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Seyyed Ibrahim Raeisi talked about Astan Quds Razavi’s endeavors and efforts for paving the way of endowment among different groups of people with different levels of income. This ceremony was held on Azar 25th / December 15th and 150 donators and benefactors participated in it.
Member of the supreme council of Khorasan’s seminary introduced collaborative endowment as a factor to wide spread the endowment culture among all levels of income in the society and added, “If some people cannot afford an independent endowment, “collaborative endowment” is a good way for anyone, with any level of financial ability, to participate in endowment and make a good thing for Islam and Islamic Nation”.
In continuation of his speech, member of the managing board of assembly of experts referred to the importance of purity of intent in charity affairs and said, “Although benefactors’ intention of endowments is not the condition of correctness, the divine intent of the benefactor is a necessary condition for the acceptance of the endowment. Endowments please God when benefactors have a pure intent in making God pleased”.
He recognized endowment as a symbol of immortality and eternal life and also a factor for consolidation and purification of human soul. He also said, “During Islam history, endowment has always been an important factor to develop religious principles and also to boost Muslims for propagating Islamic culture”.
Referring to the political repression in Pahlavi regime, Astan Quds Razavi’s Custodian stressed, “During Pahlavi’s regime which was against religion, endowments were not a source for the development of religious teachings and what helped the development of mosques and pulpits at that time was the properties, donations, and endowments of people who had endowed them as a result of their love and affection to God and the infallible Imams (A.S.).
Noting that donation and endowment will make the benefactor’s soul purified and end in prosperity of his properties and incomes with blessings, he stressed, “Endowment is a bridge to God which teaches the body and soul of the man a freedom from material things and an immortality respectively. Endowment is the best example of good works and it is one of the best types of charity and good traditions for the human which is, in fact, a key to the eternity and immortality of the mankind”.
Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Seyyed Ibrahim Raeisi introduced good tradition of endowment as a way to remove all material and spiritual deprivations and an eternal legacy of human dignity. He also added, “People’s cooperation can solve many economic and social problems of the country. Endowment is a tradition, by which, lots of problems and difficulties of the society can be known and properties of benefactors can be voluntarily used to solve these problems”.
Member of the supreme council of Khorasan’s seminary went on, “Good tradition of endowment is one clear example of charity and loving others in the shade of loving God established by the mankind since a long time ago. Enjoying teachings of prophets and Imams (A.S.), man has left it in his social life. Spirit of social cooperation and putting others behind in doing good things has come into reality in endowment and gives the benefactor’s act and intent a kind of immortality and eternity”.
Saying that spread of religious teachings and supporting the poor and needy are some of the blessings of endowment, he said, “Presence of people is a key principle for achieving success in every job and this public cooperation can be seen in the issue of endowment”.
Noting that endowment is a way for showing affection and love towards the infallible Imams (A.S.), Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi said, “One of the manifestations of people’s love toward Imam Reza (A.S.) is their endowments in Astan Quds Razavi. Divine tradition of endowment is a very good way for those who seek eternity and it is in fact one of the immortality keys”.
“The benefactor shares his properties with others and meets lots of social needs. Endowment is a kind of empathy and sympathy with the poor people of the society and it creates justice in an indirect way”, he said.
At the end of his speech, Hujjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Raeisi introduced donation and endowment as two bases of Astan Quds Razavi’s economy and said, “Economic activities are some marginal jobs of the organization and what this holy organization has been relied on, since the past up to now, are donation and endowment”.
