“Until the Constitution is Amended, the Country’s Problems Will Not Be Resolved”

Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdolhamid, in today’s Friday prayers (August 8th, 2025) in Zahedan, attributed the growing number of problems and various crises in the country to “constitutional issues” and “weak governance,” stressing the need to “amend the Constitution” as the way out of these crises.

The Country Faces Crises of “Poverty” and “Long Power And Water Outages” / Inflation is Rampant, and the National Currency Has Lost its Value
According to the official website of the Sunni Friday Prayer Leader in Zahedan, Mawlana Abdolhamid stated:
“These days, the country is facing numerous problems and crises. Poverty, destitution, and hunger on one hand, and long power and water outages on the other — outages occurring in many towns and cities — have disrupted the operation of factories and workshops, with other serious consequences for the country.”
He added:
“Inflation is rampant across the country. The national currency has collapsed and lost its value. Poverty, economic hardship, and the devaluation of the currency have been present for a long time, but now the situation has become even more severe.”

People Attribute All the Country’s Problems to “Poor Management”
The Friday Prayer leader of Zahedan said:
“At present, we see no solution for the country’s various problems. If officials have a solution for these challenges and a clear horizon for the Iranian nation, they should present it to the people. The people consider all these problems to be the result of poor governance and weak management.”

“Continuing Executions” Under Such Difficult Conditions is “Against Reason and Wisdom”; Stop Executions and Reduce Restrictions
Mawlana Abdolhamid continued:
“Unfortunately, under these circumstances — when people are suffering from poverty and economic hardship as well as from the war imposed on the country and the nation by its enemies — the process of executions still continues at full force.
“The continuation of executions is extremely heavy to bear. While the people are already burdened with many pains and problems, adding another pain through the issuance of death sentences — including for some well-known individuals — is a great strain. No country in the world behaves in this way.”
The Friday Prayer leader of Zahedan emphasized:
“Those in charge and the decision-makers must reflect. Executions should not be carried out in the country; they should be stopped. In these difficult times, when people’s hearts are wounded, all forms of harshness should be reduced so that no additional, unbearable pressure is placed on the people — pressures that could manifest themselves in other ways.”
He further noted:
“It is against reason, wisdom, and human decency to impose further hardship on someone already afflicted and suffering. Wisdom dictates that such a person should instead be treated with kindness and relief. Rather than imposing more pressure and violence on the people, officials should open the doors of kindness and leniency in these circumstances.”

Fifty Years of Experience Shows Past Policies Have Reached a Dead End; Enter the Stage With New Policies and Mechanisms
Mawlana Abdolhamid again stressed the need for constitutional reform, stating:
“Nearly half a century has passed since the Iranian Revolution, and the fifty years of experience, along with the current crises in the country, show that the Constitution has not worked. This Constitution contains fundamental problems, and until it is amended and these problems are resolved, I doubt officials will be able to solve the country’s problems. They might be able to resolve some issues temporarily, but the problems will re-emerge in the future.”
He continued:
“The country’s Constitution is not God’s law, nor divine revelation, nor the Qur’an; it is a resolution of the Assembly of Experts and a product of human effort. Although the members of the Assembly of Experts were scholars and academics, human beings are not immune from error. Experience has shown that the Assembly of Experts committed significant mistakes when drafting the Constitution. Many of its articles were either based on global legal models or on scholarly reasoning — in both cases, the possibility of error exists.”
He stressed:
“Past policies have failed and reached a dead end, and it is wise to revise them. Therefore, discard past policies and enter the stage with new policies and mechanisms; wisdom demands this as well.”
He concluded:
“Of course, Allah’s court is not a court of despair, and the Iranian people are not hopeless that Allah Almighty will change the circumstances and resolve the problems. The best way forward is to return to Allah Almighty. My advice to the Iranian people is to turn to Allah, and for all social groups and classes to pray and seek forgiveness, so that Allah Almighty will bring about change and solve the problems.”

Israel’s Decision to Fully Occupy Gaza is “Wrong and Unjust” / The Best Solution is “Establishing an Independent Palestinian State”
In another part of his Friday sermon in Zahedan, Mawlana Abdolhamid referred to Israel’s decision to “fully occupy the Gaza Strip,” saying:
“Israel has decided to completely occupy Gaza. This decision is extremely wrong and unjust. It will harm both the people of Gaza and Israel itself, because the international community does not agree with it, and Israel will end up in isolation.”
He emphasized:
“The best solution is to recognize an independent Palestinian state, as many Islamic and non-Islamic countries are striving for the Palestinians to become independent and take control of their own destiny. This is the best option under the current circumstances.”

Violating People’s Property and Lives Harms Their Religion and Faith
At the beginning of his sermon, Shaikh-ul-Islam Mawlana Abdolhamid, citing the verses “O you who believe! Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly, except that it be trade by mutual consent among you. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is ever Merciful to you. And whoever does that in aggression and injustice – We shall cast him into a Fire; and that is easy for Allah” [An-Nisāʾ: 29–30], advised all people to engage in “lawful trade and permissible business” and to “avoid unlawful killing,” saying:
“We must conduct trade through lawful and legitimate means. Income should not be earned through prohibited, illegitimate, or wrongful ways. Bribery, usury, theft, extortion, embezzlement, and the like are unlawful and impermissible, and must be avoided.”
He added:
“We must avoid unlawful wealth and any violation of people’s property and lives, as these harm our religion and faith. We should not earn our livelihood by any and every means. A hadith states that any body nourished with unlawful wealth is deserving of the Fire of Hell.”
He continued:
“Some people turn to elders or the law to seize others’ property, but from a Shariah perspective such appropriation is completely forbidden. If a person acquires someone’s property in court through favoritism or flattery, that property is unlawful for them. Taking people’s property in any manner is forbidden.”
The Friday preacher of Zahedan added:
“In these times, when business is scarce and pockets are empty, some bring up disputes that date back forty or fifty years, demanding rights and claims. Scholars and community elders should not entertain such disputes, because they lead to multiple new conflicts. The scholars and jurists of the past did not involve themselves in such old claims, saying these matters only stir up strife. Of course, if someone reminds others of their legitimate old right and it is given to them, there is no problem — but such disputes should not be taken to court, elders, or other forums.”

“Unlawful Killing” Is a Grave Sin and Crime / Allah Almighty Has Decreed Five Punishments for “Intentional Murder”
Mawlana Abdolhamid went on to condemn “unlawful killing,” stating:
“Allah Almighty has clearly said: ‘Do not kill one another; indeed Allah is ever Merciful to you’ — do not kill one another, for Allah is merciful to you. But when you show cruelty towards each other and commit murder, you become deserving of Allah’s curse and the Fire of Hell.”
He added:
“Unlawful killing is a grave sin and crime, yet unfortunately today this sin and crime are on the rise in society. Many young people, over the smallest incident, pull out knives or firearms and attack the other person, killing them. Such a killing is considered intentional murder (qatl ʿamd) and carries the punishment of qiṣāṣ (retribution), even if the perpetrator claims they did not intend to kill.”
He then referred to the severe punishments for unlawful killing in Islam, saying:
“The Noble Qur’an says: ‘And whoever kills a believer intentionally – his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally; and Allah’s wrath will be upon him, and He will curse him, and prepare for him a great punishment’ [An-Nisāʾ: 93]. In this verse, Allah Almighty has mentioned five punishments for intentional murder: the killer will be sent to Hell; they will remain there forever; Allah’s wrath will descend upon them; they will be cursed by Allah; and a tremendous punishment will be prepared for them.”

“Hostage-Taking” Is a New and Deeply Ugly Phenomenon / Hostage-Takers Are Members of “Criminal Gangs”
Mawlana Abdolhamid also strongly condemned “hostage-taking for extortion”, saying:
“Unfortunately, hostage-taking for the purpose of extortion has become more common. This is a new and very ugly phenomenon. My advice to all tribes and communities in the region is that each tribe and community should monitor its own members and not allow them to join criminal gangs. Hostage-takers are part of criminal gangs. Some people have formed groups that live off unlawful wealth through hostage-taking and extortion. Such individuals are deserving of the Fire of Hell.”
He added:
“Some people take individuals hostage in order to recover debts; this too is a very shameful and wrongful act. If you want to recover your debt from someone, do not take a human being hostage. Some even take young children hostage. Has Islam granted you such permission? Did your forefathers ever commit such acts? If a creditor is in difficulty and the debtor refuses to repay, and the creditor has no other option, at most they may take an item or asset belonging to the debtor as collateral, or they have the right to file a complaint in court and have the debtor imprisoned, thereby claiming their right through lawful and proper means.”

Fighting the Ugly Phenomena of “Unlawful Killing” and “Hostage-Taking” Requires “Serious Public Determination”
The Friday Prayer leader of Zahedan further stated:
“Combating the ugly phenomena of ‘unlawful killing’ and ‘hostage-taking’ requires serious and collective determination. Parents, scholars, community elders, intellectuals, the educated, and all other sectors of society must advise young people not to get into conflicts with others and not to carry weapons. Efforts must be made to strengthen the religious commitment of young people, as religion can prevent the spread of murder, sin, and corruption.”
He added:
“Young people are our assets; if they act well, they bring honor and dignity to our society, but if they act badly, the honor and reputation of all of us will be tarnished. Therefore, all sectors of society must confront the ugly phenomena of ‘murder,’ ‘hostage-taking,’ and ‘theft,’ and officials must also fulfill their responsibilities in this regard.”

Disgracing Others Is Among the Gravest of Sins
Mawlana Abdolhamid stated: Disgracing others is among the gravest of sins. In our time, slander and false accusations against individuals have become alarmingly prevalent on social media. Those who engage in such conduct demonstrate neither faith in God nor belief in the Day of Judgment, and they have no fear of divine retribution.
He further remarked: Even in cases of personal dispute or dissatisfaction with someone, one must refrain from disgracing them or tarnishing their honor, for such actions incur the displeasure of the Almighty.