The Early Foundations of the Qom Seminary
The Qom Seminary officially commenced its serious activities around the early 1920s (circa 1922–1923). In its nascent stages, around 1925, Ayatollah Rafi’i Qazvini (RA) emerged as a prominent professor of the rational sciences within this institution, despite also being a distinguished jurisprudent in the transmitted sciences. Among his notable students was Imam Khomeini (RA). Furthermore, the late Ayatollah Shahabadi resided in the holy city of Qom from 1928 to 1935. Recognized as an eminent scholar in the fields of theoretical mysticism, philosophy, and jurisprudence, he served as a principal mentor to Imam Khomeini (RA) during those years.
Subsequently, Imam Khomeini (RA) assumed the responsibility of teaching the rational sciences in the seminary, instructing courses in both philosophy and mysticism. He became the leading authority for the discipline of rational sciences within the institution, while concurrently demonstrating exceptional brilliance in the domain of ethics. During that era, he operated within a scholarly environment graced by luminaries such as Mirza Javad Aqa Maleki Tabrizi (RA), Ayatollah Rafi’i Qazvini (RA), and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Shahabadi (RA). Gradually, however, Imam Khomeini (RA) transitioned into the central figure of the seminary in the realm of rational sciences.
The Pedagogical Shift and the Rise of Allameh Tabatabai
Later, as Imam Khomeini (RA) gravitated more towards jurisprudence and its principles, Allameh Tabatabai (RA) arrived at the Qom Seminary and assumed the mantle of teaching the rational sciences. He undeniably brought about a profound expansion in this discipline. Although Imam Khomeini (RA) had laid robust foundations, Allameh Tabatabai (RA)—by cultivating exceptional students, with his lectures sometimes drawing up to two or three hundred distinguished seminarians—facilitated a remarkable and expansive development in Islamic philosophy.
The Intellectual Stewardship of Eminent Disciples
Following Allameh Tabatabai (RA), his eminent students took charge of the discipline. This cohort included esteemed figures such as Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, Ayatollah Hassanzadeh Amoli (RA), Shahid Motahhari (RA), and Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi (RA), among others. Allameh’s pedagogical methodology and his establishment of steadfast philosophical foundations were of such profound consequence that many of these tenets later informed the theoretical underpinnings of the Islamic Republic’s system.
This scholarly trajectory has endured to the present day. In summation, following the foundational luminaries of the Qom Seminary, Imam Khomeini (RA) and Allameh Tabatabai (RA), it was their students who bore the primary responsibility for the advancement of Islamic philosophy across these epochs. They rightfully and competently addressed the intellectual requirements of multiple generations of seminarians and thinkers.
Confronting Western Ideologies Post-Revolution
In the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution, it was predominantly the students of Allameh Tabatabai (RA) who stewarded the rational sciences and maintained a resilient intellectual stance against Western ideologies and syncretic currents. Shahid Motahhari (RA) stands as a quintessential exemplar of these erudite scholars; having attained profound philosophical maturation under the tutelage of Allameh Tabatabai (RA) in the seminary, he subsequently integrated into the university sphere while steadfastly preserving his ties with the seminary. Today, the vast expanse of Shahid Motahhari’s works and their indelible impact on the intellectual discourse of society is highly evident. Similarly, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi (RA) rendered unparalleled service to this field through the establishment of the Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute, alongside various other educational and research centers.
