Jurisprudence and ijtihad rest upon piety

In this regard, the head of the Dar al-Thaqalayn Wali al-Asr Institute said, “The issues ‎of the Islamic Seminaries, the science of jurisprudence and ijtihad are different from ‎other sciences. That that which is important in all sciences is that knowledge elevates a ‎person and the one who is more knowledgeable becomes a specialist and can find a ‎lofty position.”‎

Ayatollah Faqihi added, “But this is not the case in the science of jurisprudence and ‎ijtihad – meaning that jurisprudence and ijtihad are based on science and piety. If one ‎doesn’t have piety in physics, he can still become the best physicist and there is no ‎need for piety but in jurisprudence, the person who has the highest level of piety, can ‎reach a lofty level in jurisprudence.”‎
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His Eminence said, “Many scholars of jurisprudence didn’t achieve anything because ‎they lacked piety but piety alone can’t be enough. For this reason, it’s necessary for the ‎evolution of jurisprudence and ijtihad to include knowledge as well as piety. If we find ‎the most clergy-like individual who has no piety, his harm to Islam would be greater ‎than that of others.”‎

Ayatollah Faqihi said, “These two wings must coordinate with each other in the Islamic ‎Seminaries. Meaning the Islamic Seminaries must be strong in both knowledge and ‎piety. The Islamic Seminaries must be strengthened alongside each other in this wing, ‎namely, jurisprudence, the principles of jurisprudence, exegesis, biographical evaluation ‎and other seminary sciences, must be strengthened but must be strengthened alongside ‎lessons in ethics. However, that which is more important than lessons in ethics in the ‎practice and implementation of these lessons in ethics.”‎