Specialized Session on "Genealogy of Ayatollah Va'ez-Zadeh’s Ecumenical Thought" Held with Dr. Ahmad Moballeghi

The Office for Scientific Conferences and Seminars of the Vice-Presidency for Research and Technology at the University of Islamic Denominations organized a specialized session with Dr. Ahmad Moballeghi on the topic of “Genealogy of Ayatollah Va'ez-Zadeh's Ecumenical Thought.”

Held both in-person and online on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 (20 Khordad 1404), from 10:00 to 12:00, the session drew the attention of scholars in Islamic studies.

Dr. Moballeghi began by emphasizing the influential role of Allameh Tabataba'i in shaping Ayatollah Va'ez-Zadeh Khorasani’s ecumenical thought. He stated, “In his interviews, he clearly indicated that he learned the theological and philosophical foundations of ecumenism more from Allameh Tabataba’i than from any other teacher.”

He also added that Ayatollah Va'ez-Zadeh, as a jurisprudential student of Ayatollah Boroujerdi, had adopted concepts of jurisprudential ecumenism and the revival of comparative fiqh literature (such as Sheikh Tusi’s Khilaf) from him.

Referring to Ayatollah Va'ez-Zadeh’s innovation in framing ecumenism as a theological—not merely jurisprudential or political—issue, Dr. Moballeghi remarked, “He placed ‘the unity of the ummah’ on par with ‘divine unity,’ introducing it as a fundamental, immutable pillar of Islam.” He further mentioned the founding of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought in Iran by Ayatollah Va'ez-Zadeh, inspired by Egypt’s Dar al-Taqreeb established by Sheikh Shaltout.

Dr. Moballeghi also stressed the importance of structural reform in the University of Islamic Denominations, founded by Ayatollah Va'ez-Zadeh: “This university must become the terminal for comparative fiqh and a model for practicing unity to counter the increasing conspiracies of division in the Islamic world.”

The session concluded with a scholarly Q&A between the speaker and participants.
This gathering was the first pre-conference session for the upcoming international conference commemorating Ayatollah Va'ez-Zadeh Khorasani, to be held in March this year by the University of Islamic Denominations in collaboration with other institutions.