Senior scholars and researchers described Milani as a figure of rare scholarly mastery, a political activist in times of crisis, a reformer who revitalized the Khorasan seminary, and a philosopher whose rational approach deepened theological discourse.
Ayat. Seyed Jafar Seyedan, senior seminary professor, praised Milani’s unmatched command of jurisprudence, principles, and seminary sciences.
He recalled Milani’s organized struggle against sectarian deviations and Wahhabi propaganda, noting, “His strategic dispatch of preachers safeguarded Shia doctrinal boundaries”.
Seyedan emphasized: “Milani’s stature transcended description, embodying both scholarly excellence and social responsibility”.
Speaking in a televised session of Dar al Ilm, Hoj. Ali Rad of Tehran University explored Milani’s political thought through the “crisis framework.”
He argued: “Milani’s activism was shaped by Iran’s political, cultural, and economic upheavals under the Pahlavi regime”.
He highlighted Milani’s outspoken criticism of dictatorship, colonial influence, and cultural erosion, as well as his explicit support for Imam Khomeini’s movement.
“Milani believed firmly in establishing an Islamic government, grounded in Sharia, law, independence, and oversight by religious authority”, Rad asserted.
Hoj. Ali Khayyat, director of the Khorasan seminary, described Milani’s migration from Najaf to Mashhad in the 1950s as a civilizational turning point.0
He called the move a “scientific renaissance” that ended the seminary’s stagnation and restored Mashhad’s role as a center of Shia authority.
“Milani was influential on future leaders, including Ayat. Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and his pioneering role in establishing institutions for women’s religious education, countering cultural assaults of the Pahlavi era”, Khayyat noted.
In another specialized session, Dr. Ahad Faramarz Qaramaleki, president of the Islamic Research Foundation of Astan Quds Razavi, emphasized the philosophical dimension of Milani’s thought.
“Milani used rational analysis to resolve apparent contradictions in Qur’anic verses, particularly on doctrines such as infallibility”, he explained.
“Philosophy”, he argued, “was not a substitute for belief but a tool to deepen theological understanding, making Milani’s works a lasting model for scholarly dialogue and unity”.
Together, these perspectives presented Milani as a comprehensive figure whose legacy continues to shape jurisprudence, politics, education, and theology in the Shia world.