The distinctive and diverse lifestyles and behaviors of a portion of scholars and students at the seminary (hawza) in Qom continue to be heavily shrouded and mysterious, other than what the official Iranian media broadcasts and despite the information revolution and the massive amount of media coverage of almost every event, trivial or significant. They may, however, change the face of the world's largest Shiite institution in the foreseeable future.

The prominent Shiite scholar Mohammad Hassan al-Najafi al-Qohani presented the first detailed, anthropological report on the Najaf Hawza in Tourism of the Orient some 100 years ago. The book offers readers astonishing insight into unfamiliar and extraordinary lives. Mehdi Khalaji, a former student at the Qom Hawza, and current Iranian opposition figure, also wrote reports and personal blogs about the lives of students in the QomHawza under the title "Natani," which means "a brother who is not blood-related." Still, much about the Holy City remains obscure.

Islamic thought and reform

For more than 100 years, the Qom Hawza has embraced the most prominent religious reform movements in the Shiite world, whether officially accepted or rejected. A large number of pioneering critics of Shiite religious thought have graduated from it after having spent long periods of time there. Some, such as Sayyed Abul Fadel al-Burqu’i, adopted the Sunni doctrine, after having criticized key principles of Shiite theology. Others, most notably Sheikh Muhammad Mujtahid Shabastari, became liberals, criticizing religious theology and ideologies in general.