Iran is celebrating Teacher Day which marks the day in memory of Ayatollah Morteza Motahari who was assassinated on May 1, 1979.
Ordibehesht 12 in the Iranian calendar corresponding with May 1 or 2 is the martyrdom anniversary of one of the most significant ideologists of the Islamic Revolution, Morteza Motahari.
Ayatollah Morteza Motahari was one of the most prominent intellectual and cultural figures of modern time. With a very high command of Islamic teachings, he met the myriads of the needs of the present generation. Having novel ideas, creative thoughts, and a proper understanding of Islam, Ayatollah Motahari played an important role in the enlightenment of enthusiasts, especially teachers and academics.
Motahari was one of the main axes of coordination among ulema and university professors during the exile of Imam Khomeini. He has always been regarded as a very knowledgeable expert of Islam and a powerful philosopher who was aware of the conditions of the time.
The awareness of the young generation was an important aim of Motahari and he has written so many books for them, including Dastan-e Rastan which received an award from UNESCO in 1965.
Motahari has also written many books on Islam, Iran, and historical topics. He did mostly work on giving lectures about Islam rather than writing books. However, after his death, some of his students worked on writing these lectures and managing them in order to publish them as books.
The 12th day of Ordibehesht, the second month on the Iranian calendar, which fell on May 2 this year, has been designated as Teacher Day in Iran to commemorate the martyrdom of Ayatollah Morteza Motahari, an Iranian cleric, philosopher, lecturer, and politician.