Speech at the Meeting with Guests and Participants of the Global Conference of Ahlul-Bayt (Peace be upon them)

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master and Prophet, Abul-Qasim Muhammad, and his pure, immaculate, chosen, guided, and infallible family, especially the remaining proof of God on earth.

Peace be upon you, O Ahlul-Bayt of Prophethood, the source of the message, the place of the angels' frequent visits, the descent of revelation, the mine of mercy, the treasure of knowledge, the end of forbearance, the roots of generosity, the leaders of nations, the guardians of blessings, the elements of the righteous, the pillars of the virtuous, the governors of the servants, the foundations of the lands, the gates of faith, the trustees of the Most Merciful, the descendants of the prophets, the chosen ones of the messengers, the family of the best of the Lord of the worlds, and God's mercy and blessings.

I welcome all dear guests, whether those who have come from outside the Islamic Republic of Iran or those who have gathered from across our Islamic homeland, and I thank them for their efforts and steps taken.

The issue of Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them) is one of the most important and significant issues of Islam and ranks among the foremost matters of this sacred religion. The love for Ahlul-Bayt is an obligation that Muslims worldwide, regardless of sect or affiliation, have accepted and take pride in. We, who are honored to follow the jurisprudence of the noble Ahlul-Bayt and have learned the religion—both its principles and branches—from them, should not think that the love for Ahlul-Bayt is exclusive to us, nor should we mistakenly believe that Ahlul-Bayt belong only to us. Ahlul-Bayt belong to Islam, just as their grandfather, the Noble Prophet, belonged to Islam. Ahlul-Bayt belong to the world and history, just as their grandfather, the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), belonged to humanity and history.

The important point is that the Islamic world can unite and come together around two points related to Ahlul-Bayt: one is love, which is an emotional and doctrinal matter, and Muslims have been commanded to love Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them), and all have accepted it. This point can be the focal point of the emotions and feelings of all Muslims. The second point is the teaching of religion and the learning of divine knowledge and laws as the counterpart of the Quran and according to the Hadith of Thaqalayn, which has been narrated by both Shia and Sunni and various Islamic sects.

This is significant because raising the flag of Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them) in the Islamic world can truly bring the Islamic world and Muslims together from these two perspectives. Today, this great opportunity is available to all Muslims, especially those who have realized the school of Ahlul-Bayt in practice and have connected to it in faith and action.

Today, in the Islamic Republic of Iran—where the sovereignty of Islam and the Quran has given hope to all Muslims worldwide—thanks be to God, the flag of Ahlul-Bayt is flying, and we see that all Muslims around the world respect this system, this republic, this flag, and the exalted flag of Islam that is flying here, and they feel honored by it. "With your guardianship, the word was completed, the blessing was magnified, and the division was united."

Today, it is necessary for the followers of the school of Ahlul-Bayt to focus on two fundamental tasks:

Firstly, they should become acquainted with each other, cooperate and collaborate, solve problems, untie knots, feel kinship, and know that wherever they are in the world, their acquaintance and proper organization will bring joy to the sacred heart of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him and may God hasten his reappearance). These noble ones were averse to division, disunity, and enmity; they were people of unity and the cause of gathering and the light of the assembly. Today, their followers and admirers must ensure this.

Secondly, the followers of the school of Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them), wherever they are in the world, must wholeheartedly believe that they are part of the great family of Muslims; not just in words, but with all their feelings. If it is otherwise, the enemies of Islam and Ahlul-Bayt will find maximum satisfaction and joy.

For a long time, the enemies of Islam have seen their remedy and malicious intentions in the Islamic region in dividing Muslims and fragmenting them, weakening or diminishing their commonalities, and emphasizing things that separate them. Thanks be to God, the Islamic Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic have prevented or neutralized many of their desires and goals.

Today, throughout the world, various sects and followers of different Islamic schools raise slogans in the name of the Islamic Republic. Our great Imam (may his pure soul be sanctified) was deeply rooted in the hearts of Muslim masses in the East and West of the world, and they loved and cherished him without regard to which sect or Islamic school they belonged to. This very fact caused the enemies of Islam to try to separate the Islamic Republic from the rest of the Muslims. Today, millions of dollars are spent on propaganda to awaken sectarian zeal and fanaticism in some people and separate them from the Islamic Republic and the path of the revolution. You must neutralize this.

As the family of Shia, we must wholeheartedly feel and declare that we are committed to the unity of the Islamic world and the unity of the followers of "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." Today, we must become a source of unity in the world, just as all our great Imams (peace be upon them) have always been the cause of gathering and unity.

Everything about those noble ones is a model. Their struggle against oppressive powers is also a model. All our Imams, without exception, fought for the establishment of Alawi governance and divine rightful governance. The conduct of these noble ones is before our eyes. Today, we understand well what they did. All of them practiced dissimulation, and for this reason, all those noble ones, without exception, were martyred. Dissimulation pertains to the field of struggle; "Dissimulation is the shield of the believer." The shield pertains to the field of struggle, and martyrdom is its result. Their knowledge, worship, faith, action, sincerity, mysticism, forbearance, knowledge, and everything about them—which are truly the crown jewels of the world of creation—are for us a means of following and emulation.

Our dear brothers from the followers of the school of Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them)! Wherever you are in the world, never forget these two points:

First, acquaintance, communication, connection, and keeping informed of each other's views and helping one another. I have learned that you have desired and approved the establishment of a global assembly. God willing, with the efforts of the brothers, we will take action on this, and we hope that this work will be done in the service of Islam, the Quran, the unity of Muslims, the advancement of the Islamic world, and towards the correct Islamic knowledge that emanates from the school of Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them).

The second point is to create unity and kindness with other Islamic sects. Do not let the enemy exploit this. Do not let the enemy weaken and destroy them with the hands of brothers; "And do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart." In the Islamic world, consider everyone as brothers. Today, the entirety of Islam is threatened by enemies. Today, the very essence of religion is under pressure and threat from the powers of global arrogance.

America and its followers have well understood that with the sovereignty and spread of religion and religious knowledge, they will not be able to maintain the global system of domination. The path to success for America and other powers, reactionaries, oppressive rulers, and the chains of global domination is for people to be devoid of religion, knowledge, and religious faith; to become unrestrained, faithless, without belief, without zeal, and without religious honor. This is how they prefer people and nations. Therefore, when they see that from a center like the Islamic Republic of Iran, faith, action, and jihad are emanating and spreading everywhere, they fiercely oppose it. Today, all the arrogant, oppressive, and satanic powers are opposed to Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran—as the center of Islam. In such a situation, we must, with all our being and resources, firmly hold on to Islam and Islamic unity and preserve it.

In the Islamic world, thanks be to God, an Islamic awakening has emerged. The usurping Zionists, almost after forty years of comfort, during which only occasionally a few brief attacks were made by governments and then their losses were compensated many times over by America, are today threatened by Islam within the Palestinian territories. It is Islam that threatens them. The Palestinian organizations, those who were indifferent to religion and alien to it, have shown their inability. Today, the situation has reached a point where the leaders of the so-called Palestinian organizations send messages to the Palestinians inside the occupied territories and some other areas, telling them not to make things difficult, not to create problems. They consider true struggle as a problem for themselves! The fate of a movement that is separated from religion is no better than this. But religion will save Palestine. Islam will reclaim Palestine from the aggressors.

You see, in every corner of the world where there is a Muslim community, on one hand, they feel an Islamic identity, and on the other hand, the pressure on them is greater than on others. The example of yesterday is the regions of Soviet Azerbaijan and some other areas, and the example of today is Kashmir. Muslims there speak their rightful words. Anyone who is aware of the events and history of Kashmir knows that what the poor Muslims of Kashmir say is not a hair's breadth away from the truth. Those who silence them speak falsely. Those who attack them commit wrongful acts. Unfortunately, the world also looks at these events with indifference.

If Muslims want to defend Islam, they must become strong themselves. In the Islamic Republic of Iran and in the sacred system that was established on the basis of religion and by the hand of the son of the Prophet and the descendant of the family—Imam of the Ummah (may God be pleased with him)—we intend to move towards the real and true power of Islam with all our strength and with all the national, inherent, and faithful power of our people, and we are confident that God will help us.

I am very pleased to have met the dear brothers here. Once again, I welcome you. God willing, this will be the beginning of a continuous movement, and in the future of this movement, by adhering to the desires of the Ahlul-Bayt, the family of purity (peace be upon them all), we can fulfill those desires and advance towards their goals, and day by day bring joy to the sacred heart of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him).

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings