Statements of His Eminence in Meeting with Various Groups of People on the Auspicious Birth of the Master of the Pious, Ali (peace be upon him)

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

May God bless this happy Eid and the fruitful day in the history of Islam for all Muslims, the oppressed, and truth-seekers of the world; especially for the truth-seeking, God-seeking, and Ali-loving nation of Iran and for you, dear guests of this Hosseiniyeh today. Particularly as among you, there are groups of respected families of martyrs from Tehran and some other cities. We hope that by the blessing of today's birth, all of you will be encompassed by divine grace and favor.

Perhaps among the well-known figures of the world, and specifically among Islamic personalities, we cannot find any personality—even the Prophet of Islam himself—who is as beloved among nations and followers of different religions and in various times as the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him). When you look, you see that even during his own time, when his sword of justice and the intensity of his justice alienated rebellious hearts and selfish spirits, creating a great front of enmity against him, even his enemies, when they delved into the depths of their souls, felt a belief accompanied by reverence, respect, and love for that great man. This continued in later times as well.

Ali (peace be upon him) had the most enemies; yet he also had the most admirers—even those who did not believe in his religion and path admired him. The family of Zubair in the first century of Hijra was known for their animosity towards Bani Hashim and especially the family of Ali (peace be upon him). This animosity was mostly due to Abdullah bin Zubair, the son of Zubair. One of Zubair's grandsons asked his father why the name of Ali and the family of Ali was spreading more and more among people, while their enemies, despite all their propaganda, quickly faded and disappeared. He replied, in essence, that they called to God and truth, and therefore no one could cover their virtues; but their enemies called to falsehood.

Throughout time, it has been like this. When you look at great thinkers, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, they express devotion to the Commander of the Faithful. If you look at great heroes, those who have strived and risen for their nations, you see that the name of the Commander of the Faithful is dear and esteemed in their eyes. When you look at poets, writers, artists, and humanitarians, you again see that they honor the name of the Commander of the Faithful. In short, anyone—young or old, learned or layman—who has studied the history of Islam and heard the name of Ali and the conditions of the Commander of the Faithful, feels love, fascination, and devotion towards him. In our time, several books have been written by Egyptian writers and literati about the Commander of the Faithful, with two or more volumes by Christian writers who do not accept Islam but accept the Commander of the Faithful.

Among Islamic figures, this is the characteristic of the Commander of the Faithful. Perhaps one reason is that this great man, in different periods of his life and in various conditions and situations, wherever he was, spent all his being in the best way for lofty goals. Consider the Commander of the Faithful as a young man of sixteen to nineteen in Mecca, or in the early days of entering Medina—when he was still a young man in his twenties. Look at the different periods of this great man's life; see that this young man is truly the best model for the best young people of all times. He desires nothing from the youthful passions, worldly pleasures, and beauties that gain value in the eyes of young people, except that lofty and high goal for which the Prophet's mission was sent. His entire being is in service of this goal. Everything else is secondary to him. It is a great thing that a young man does not pay attention to the world and its sweetness and pleasures for even a moment, and spends his youth, strength, vitality, and spirit—all that freshness and beauty and novelty in youth—in the path of God. This is the highest level. Truly, nothing is higher than this.

Consider this man in the period when he reached the age of maturity and perfection; he is considered one of the personalities of his society; everyone respects him, and perhaps thousands have heard his praises and commendations from the Prophet's tongue. The praises and commendations that have been narrated from the Prophet's tongue for the Commander of the Faithful, I think no Muslim narrator has narrated for anyone else to this extent and with this quality. Of course, other virtues have been narrated for other companions, but I do not think any Muslim narrator—regardless of Islamic sects—has narrated about anyone else other than the Commander of the Faithful with this quantity, quality, and content. Obviously, one of these praises is enough to make a person arrogant, self-admiring, and confused in choosing their duty.

They all heard hundreds of praises from the Prophet's tongue; then came the time of trial. The issue of caliphate was raised—we are not dealing with the issue of right and wrong and testament and such—and what is certain is that the Commander of the Faithful claimed the caliphate. No one doubts this. When he saw that the welfare of the Islamic world required him to step aside, he did so. That is, the Commander of the Faithful wrapped all those praises, commendations, entitlements, and all that he considered for himself and thousands had heard and knew, in a temporary oblivion and set them aside. Of course, these were not forgotten and will not be forgotten; they remain forever; but he did not bring them up. That is, all that was raised for him in the matter of the caliphate and the leadership of the Islamic world and a great responsibility, because he felt danger, he set aside. He said, 'When I saw the situation was dangerous and the religion of the Prophet might be endangered, I tied my hands and sat aside.'

For a sincere political person, a noble person, someone who does not want to employ their desires, self-control cannot be higher, better, more eloquent, or more astonishing than this! Consider this person in the position of the leader of the Islamic world. He became the leader of the Islamic world. People came and inevitably chose him. All rivals, competitors, friends, and enemies, whoever they were, either pledged allegiance or declared non-opposition. A few, four to six people, did not pledge allegiance; but they said we do not oppose. They sat aside; the rest all pledged allegiance, and he became the leader of the entire Islamic world. Do you know what the Islamic world meant at that time? It meant from the borders of India to the Mediterranean! This is the Islamic world. Iraq, Egypt, Sham, Palestine, Iran, all and all, the collection of the Islamic world; perhaps the leader of half of the civilized world of that time, with complete power.

At that time, the life of the Commander of the Faithful, the asceticism of the Commander of the Faithful that you have heard, relates to this period. That is, this sweet world, the pleasure of life, comfort, happiness, and things that attract great people, cause them to slip at a critical stage and fall out of the circle, all these together could not cause the Commander of the Faithful to doubt, hesitate, or falter for a moment. This great man showed that he is stronger and more powerful than all the factors of human misguidance. Greatness means these things. These are what make generations, histories, people, and societies humble before them. If someone wants to be fair, they cannot rebel and be arrogant in front of such a personality. Hearts become humble before him.

Anyone who has a trace of what was in the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) in themselves can overcome a world of rebellions and desires within and outside themselves. This great Imam whom you saw, the greatest personalities of the world in our time felt insignificant before him; his representatives in the world, wherever they went, because the name and memory of the Imam accompanied them, made the greats, rebels, and powerful of the world humble and modest. This great Imam of ours was able to create a part and a corner of that mine of beauty and sincerity of that great man in himself. Of course, this part that we say is very great; but compared to the boundless ocean of the personality of the Commander of the Faithful, it is insignificant and a drop; but it is very much and very great in itself.

My dear ones, the Commander of the Faithful cannot be known in this way; it cannot be. Unless a person with these comparisons feels a little what he was. Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) in front of one of his companions who said to him: O son of the Messenger of God! You put so much pressure on yourself, you give yourself trouble, you worship and practice asceticism so much, why this much asceticism and this much pressure on yourself? He urged Imam Sajjad to have some mercy on himself. Imam Sajjad cried and said: Compare me with the Commander of the Faithful, see where I am and where the Commander of the Faithful is! Pay attention; he is the adornment of the worshippers.

The personality of Imam Sajjad is one of those unattainable personalities. Not only is it unattainable in practice, but it is also unattainable even in the mind. It is one of those shining suns that we can only see its rays from afar. When he looks at the Commander of the Faithful, he looks with such reverence and glorification as a small child looks at a great hero. The Commander of the Faithful is like this. This is the Commander of the Faithful, with this greatness.

My dear ones! The point that relates very much to me and you is this part of the matter; because being a follower of this man cannot be done with words. In the battlefield, you keep saying so-and-so is our commander and keep expressing devotion to such-and-such commander, then that commander lines everyone up, but you do not go; he invites you to practice, you do not show up; he orders an attack, you turn your back. What kind of command is this?! This is not a commander. A person behaves like this with his enemy and with a stranger. The Commander of the Faithful is our master; he is our Imam, leader, and guide. We are the Shia of Ali and we are proud of it. If someone mentions the name of the Commander of the Faithful with less reverence, our hearts fill with hatred for him, so it is necessary that this has an effect in our lives.

I am not saying we should become like the Commander of the Faithful. Imam Sajjad also said that he cannot act like the Commander of the Faithful. The Commander of the Faithful also said: 'Behold, you cannot do that.' To whom? To Uthman bin Hunaif, with all his greatness. He said to him that you cannot act as I do. This is clear. But at least be in that path, in that direction, in his front. This is necessary. If you want to be in the front of the Commander of the Faithful, the most prominent characteristic of him during his rule—which relates to today for me and you—is two things: one is social justice, the other is asceticism towards the world.

My dear ones! We must raise these two values like a flag in our society. Social justice means that the view and look of the power and government apparatus towards all people should be equal. In front of the law, privileges and treatments should be equal. Of course, a person is friends and relatives with one; therefore, interactions with everyone are not the same. Those who have a responsibility somewhere—a responsibility of an office or a desk, it does not matter. The responsibility of a small area or large responsibilities, all are the same—know that after all, a person is familiar with one and not familiar with another. We do not want to say this. What we mean is legal treatment and behavior. Where privileges come into play and the movement and look and gesture from this official becomes effective, here it must be equal. Everyone must feel that they benefit equally from the blessings of the Islamic system. Of course, some are lazy and do not pursue work; some are negligent; some wrong themselves; their account is separate. But the meaning of social justice is that the law, regulations, and behaviors towards all individuals in society should be equal and no one should have an undue privilege. This is the meaning of social justice. The Commander of the Faithful did this.

The basis of Ali's (peace be upon him) enemy-making was this. The one who said so much poetry for the Commander of the Faithful and against his enemies and showed so much love—Najashi the poet—when he broke the divine limit during the month of Ramadan, the Commander of the Faithful enforced God's limit on him. He said: You have violated God's limits. During the month of Ramadan, he publicly drank wine—it was both drinking wine and breaking the sanctity of the month of Ramadan—people came and said: Sir! He has said so much poetry for you, shown so much love for you; so many of your enemies pursued him, he did not go to your enemies; keep him somehow. He said (to this effect): Yes, let him stay—for example—his step on the eye; but I must enforce God's limit. He enforced God's limit. He also got up and went to Muawiyah. That is, the Commander of the Faithful behaves like this with God's command and divine limits. The same Commander of the Faithful, when someone who committed one of the sins—stealing—came to him; the Imam said: How much of the Quran do you know? He recited a verse of the Quran. The Imam said: 'I have forgiven your hand for the Surah Baqarah.' I was supposed to cut your hand, but I forgave it for the Surah Baqarah; go.

This is not an undue distinction. This privilege is for the Surah Baqarah and for the Quran. The Commander of the Faithful did not consider anyone in observing principles, values, and criteria. There, he enforces the divine limit on that person who has committed debauchery because of his debauchery and does not consider that he has a benefit for me. But here, because of the Quran, he overlooks the limit of theft. This is the Commander of the Faithful. That is, he moves one hundred percent based on divine criteria and values—and nothing else. This is the justice of the Commander of the Faithful. It has been said: 'He was killed in the niche of his worship for the intensity of his justice'—of course, I do not know exactly who said this; but it is a correct statement—the justice of the Commander of the Faithful caused those with influence not to be able to tolerate him.

Now some say: Sir! That justice which did not allow Ali to continue his blessed rule; how do you want to implement it today? I say that as much as we can and have the capacity, it must be implemented. We do not claim that we must implement justice like the Commander of the Faithful. We say that as much as the capacity of today's believer in the world allows, it must be implemented. But if this amount of justice that can be implemented and must be implemented becomes a culture and people understand the meaning of justice, then it will be bearable.

The masses of people liked the justice of the Commander of the Faithful—they did not dislike it—those with influence were upset. The reason they defeated the Commander of the Faithful and were able to bring about that situation in the Battle of Siffin and then martyr him, the reason for all the heartaches of the Commander of the Faithful was that the people's analytical power was weak. Those with influence affected people's minds. The analytical power and understanding of political issues in society must be improved to be able to implement justice.

The second issue is the asceticism of the Commander of the Faithful. The most prominent point in Nahj al-Balagha is asceticism. The Commander of the Faithful said this asceticism as a remedy for the fundamental disease of the Islamic society and I have repeatedly said that today we must also read those verses of asceticism. Even in those days when the Commander of the Faithful said not to be attracted to the sweetness and pleasures of the world, there were those who could not reach these sweetnesses and pleasures—perhaps the majority of people were like that—the Commander of the Faithful was addressing those who had become wealthy and privileged due to the conquests of the Islamic world, the years of expansion of the Islamic empire and international power; he warned them. Today, when we say a few words about asceticism—say, consider a little—some say that sir, most people do not have these things you say. The answer is that we do not say it to them; we say it to those who have the means; those for whom the pleasures of the world have opened their arms; those who can reach the beauties and sweetnesses of life through unlawful means. Of course, in the next degree, we also say it to those who can reach those pleasures through lawful means.

Of course, the highest and most obligatory asceticism is to avoid the unlawful; to be pious; to keep one's garment clean and practice asceticism. But asceticism from lawful pleasures is also a high level. Of course, fewer people may be addressed by this address. Today is also the same day—with differences in the situation of the time and the historical characteristics of each period, which are specific to it—those who have access, those who can benefit from beauties, luxuries, pleasures, comforts, and the ever-increasing expansion of life, must remember those addresses of asceticism of the Commander of the Faithful. Of course, this address is more severe and heavier for those who have responsibilities. For those who do not have governmental responsibilities, the same address exists, but it is less; they are more addressed. If our Islamic society, which faces all these dangers and hostilities, considers these carefully; if it turns this into a culture; if everyone knows it, says it, and wants it, then implementing such justice and asceticism will not endanger the Islamic system at all; rather, it will strengthen it. It will make the Islamic system strong and invulnerable.

People who are not deceived by the pleasures and desires of the world and do not lose themselves can stand against hostilities and enemies and save their society and system at the moment of danger. All this hostility is with the Islamic Republic system. This responsibility is very heavy on everyone; especially on the youth and those who have responsibilities. Especially on the respected clergy and various groups of people and those whom people look up to as role models. The Commander of the Faithful has lit these two torches to illuminate all of history and they do illuminate. If some people disobey, they will harm themselves. But the name of Ali, the memory of Ali, and the lesson of Ali will not be forgotten in history. These will always be.

We hope that Almighty God makes us worthy of the great and sacred name 'Follower of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him)', and makes the pure soul and holy heart of that great man pleased with us and makes the holy heart of the Master of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) pleased and satisfied with us and makes us act on what we say and think, and may He gather the pure soul of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) with his saints, God willing, and return the plots and despair of the enemies to themselves.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings