Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a message on January 15, 2008 expressing his condolences on the departure of the honored scholar the late Dr. Sayyid Ja'far Shahidi. The text of the message is as follows: I extend my condolences on the departure of the honored scholar the late Dr. Sayyid Ja'far Shahidi to his esteemed household, relatives, students, and the scientific and academic community of the country.
He was a learned man of letters and an insightful historian and a great and noble man who was numbered among the contemporary luminaries and who left immortal and valuable written works. May Allah bestow His endless mercy on this sincere and faithful man and place his soul among the souls of his immaculate forefathers.
Sayyid Ali Khamenei
25.10.1386