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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Investigations And Challenges Chapter 1: Our Responsibility in the Sphere of Culture (Part 1) I thank God for giving me this opportunity to be in the company of the committed and honorable professors. I hope that this will serve as the beginning of a blessed and auspicious movement in discharging our heavy responsibilities and sublime duties in this particular period.

At the outset, I beg your permission to touch on the importance of this responsibility so that in the future session, I can deal on the subject matters suggested by the dear brothers. In the Islamic school of thought, there is a principle called the balance between capability and responsibility. That is, God the Exalted gives responsibility to every person commensurate to the extent of blessing, capability and talent endowed on him.

The issue on human responsibility is an important subject with extensive discussions. Before properly embarking on this principle, I will briefly explain it. Responsibility Conscious or right-seeking man Apart from the fact that through his own natural disposition [ fitrah ], man discerns that he is not like animals which are not set free and have no responsibility. Religions have also emphasized this fact.

Perhaps, you might have heard that the famous Western philosopher, Immanuel Kant,[^1] used to say, “Two things have touched and astonished me. One is the visage of stars in the sky while the other one is the voice in the natural disposition of man. In fact, this nature is the most beautiful voice that exists.” Anyway, through his primary nature, man, more or less, discerns that he has a certain responsibility.

However, elucidating and proving this natural discernment is not of our concern in the current issue. In contrast to the theory of instinctive essence of responsibility, there is another theory which has existed since ancient times and has gained special prominence and momentum in the recent decades. This theory believes that to talk about human responsibility and duty is an old-fashioned and retrogressive thinking which must be discarded.

Accordingly, man in the present day demands his rights and claims from the world, nature, God, and government. Today, man is no longer regarded as servant, and God as his Master.