Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution in Meeting with Various Classes of People from Azerbaijan on the Occasion of 29 Bahman

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

First, I thank all the dear brothers and sisters who have traveled this long road and honored this Hosseiniye with your presence, creating this gathering full of warmth and sincerity. You are very welcome! Brothers and sisters, you have come beautifully!

The memory of the courageous and vigilant struggle of the people of Azerbaijan will not be erased from the memory of the Iranian nation. The twenty-ninth of Bahman in the year 1356 (1978) is one of these memories. You have had many such events in your historical identity, both in the past and in the post-revolution period, during the imposed war, and up to today. Of course, the history of the proud people of Azerbaijan reaches its peaks at certain points, one of which is this twenty-ninth of Bahman.

If we want to depict the issue in two sentences for the dear youth who did not witness that day, the matter is that a movement arose in confrontation with the treacherous regime, from a point, namely from the seminary of Qom and the people of Qom. The audacious and treacherous regime, reliant on America, severely suppressed it, and breaths were held in chests. Everyone thought the matter was over. The point that did not allow this issue to end here and transformed an incident into a movement and a process was Tabriz and Azerbaijan. The brave, courageous, and intelligent people of Tabriz turned an incident into a movement; they did not allow this incident to be buried in Qom. If we want to liken it to events in the early Islamic period, it is like the actions of Zain al-Abidin and Zainab al-Kubra in preserving the event of Ashura and preventing it from being buried and forgotten in the desert of Karbala. You made this a banner and held it powerfully, and this banner became a symbol. This shows the importance of the incident.

If we want to relate this incident to the spirit and characteristics of the people of Azerbaijan, the result is that these people have both enthusiasm and high awareness; they know what actions are important and when they are important; they have enough courage and honor to carry out these actions, even if they are very dangerous; they are an awakened people, awake; the awakening that you chant. I wholeheartedly accept this slogan, and I have said so for years. In response to your slogan, I affirm this statement: Azerbaijan awakens, the revolution revives.

The entire matter is summarized in this awakening, awareness, high understanding, situational awareness, and timely and courageous action. If you assume a nation that, over centuries, due to the corruption of ruling systems, due to various tyrannies, has fallen into negligence, has lagged behind, has fallen behind the caravan of knowledge and civilization, and everything, and then colonialism has entered with very complex and mysterious methods, keeping them in that state, destroying their vital resources, historical and cultural values, and taking the reins of this nation and this country into its hands, what does it need to turn the page? Can one go to the cruel and treacherous colonizer and ask him: Sir, please stop your colonialism, give up your interests? Can this be done? Is there any benefit? If not, should we say we do not beg, we negotiate, and it will be solved through negotiation? Can one take the prey from the mouth of the wolf through negotiation, through reasoned words? Can this be done?

Nations at such junctures have only one way, and that is to show their essence, bring their power to the scene, and utilize their capabilities so that the enemy cannot rely on their weaknesses and incapacities. There is no other way for a nation. This is what the Iranian nation did. This action also requires being awake, being aware, not being lazy, not giving in to petty material desires and comforts, considering great goals and ideals, and entering the field; it requires this. The foundation is awakening; this is what the Iranian nation did.

The twenty-second of Bahman was the peak of this action. The awakener who cried out for years to awaken these people was our Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). In this action, all well-wishers, all reformers, all scholars, all compassionate clerics helped; various classes gradually entered and assisted. Suddenly, our nation transformed from a nation that had the legacy of the Qajar era and had been completely trampled during the Pahlavi era into a living and awakened nation, coming to the forefront, revealing its power, bringing its power to the scene. This power is national power; it is the power of the people, and no force can withstand this power. Nations should test this. Of course, the test is not easy; it requires sacrifice and correct leadership. If this is provided, no nation in the world will remain under oppression; it will not suffer from poverty. This condition has been provided in our dear country.

Without faith, this awakening could not have come into existence. The faith of the people activated their essence from within like a driving motor. If there were no faith, death would not seem so small in the eyes of the people. What diminishes the significance of death in the eyes of the people is faith. Therefore, the higher the faith, the more insignificant death becomes. A faith like that of Ali ibn Abi Talib diminishes and belittles death to such an extent that he says, I not only do not fear death, but I am also fond of it. "I am fond of death like a child is fond of its mother's breast"; I am fond of it, I have an affinity for it; it is not that I am not afraid; I welcome it; this is due to faith. When there is faith, death is not the end of life.

When the time of death comes and one leaps from the essence, everything perishes except His face. There is a line of separation between this world and the next; some are dragged across this line with chains; those who cling to worldly life, some leap themselves, throwing themselves; why? Because they see what is there. They witness the divine promise. Therefore, the dear martyrs whose names you have heard, many of whom you know, some of you have been with them, lived with them, these martyrs were not afraid of death; they were in love with life. When one looks at their wills, one understands this. This is the path of a nation. Our nation started this path.

The difference between this nation and its revolution and many other nations that have revolted is that this nation connected itself to a firm anchor; "Indeed, he has clung to the firmest handhold." The firm handhold means that if you want to cross a precipice, if you want to cross a narrow edge, there should be a strong rope to hold onto. When you hold onto it, you are assured that you will not be thrown off. This is the firm handhold. "So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in God has indeed clung to the firmest handhold"; disbelief in Taghut, belief in God. Our nation had this, so it crossed this passage; it did not have any concerns, and this caused this great movement to remain among the people.

Dear youth should pay attention to this point; those who are knowledgeable and thoughtful should pay attention. The revolution is a movement; it is the same everywhere; it is a movement, not just an incident, but this movement stops in many places along the way. Look at the history of various revolutions, great revolutions; they stop midway. Some reach a victory, become complacent, forget the people, and gradually the people abandon the scene; it all ends.

The great French Revolution, which began in the eighteenth century - at the end of the eighteenth century - had faded away by the early nineteenth century; it had disappeared, and nothing remained of it. They revolted against the dictatorship and abolished the monarchy, but after about fifteen years, another powerful tyrant named Napoleon Bonaparte came to power. For decades, they were trapped, and gradually they managed to extricate themselves from some of those issues.

Revolutions do not last; they are left unfinished; because there is no faith; because there is no firm handhold. This revolution remained among our people and became more vibrant day by day, and its effectiveness became more evident day by day. This year, look at the twenty-second of Bahman. Twenty-nine years have passed since the revolution. This year, the twenty-second of Bahman, as Mr. Mojtahed Shabestari from Tabriz reported, I also inquired from various points - whether Tehran or other cities - those who are engaged in this work and are discerning have almost unanimously stated that this year the presence of the people, the enthusiasm of the people, the participation of the people was greater than last year and previous years; why? Because this nation is alive; because this revolution is alive.

Those who, over these years, suddenly became excited and declared that the revolution was over, the revolution was dead, Imam was forgotten, made a mistake, miscalculated, and were mistaken. The revolution became more vibrant. The values of the revolution became more alive.

Today, whoever comes among the people and raises the slogans of the revolution, the people will vote for him; the people want him; because they see the effectiveness of the revolution; the actions that the revolution has taken in this country, the position it has created for this nation in the world, the spirit of self-confidence that has been instilled in the youth of this nation, these are things that sometimes take a hundred years to achieve. This revolution accomplished these. Problems are solved in this way.

Youth, talents, inner capabilities, necessary preparations gradually transform from potential to actual. Raw humans become outstanding human products, and the power of management, the power of construction, the power of production, the power to compete in human competitions on a global scale - competitions of nations - is given to them, and a nation advances. The foundation of all these is the revolution and the values of the revolution.

These values must remain enduring and have remained; until today, these values have remained enduring; they have become more alive. I have said many times: our youth today, compared to the youth of 1359 (1980) when the imposed war began, their readiness to participate in the battlefield is not less than before; it is not less. Our path for the future is clear, and planning is based on the general behavior of the revolution, with God's grace and the favor of the Lord. We know what we want to do.

The Iranian nation has many treasures within its country, within the talents of its people, and in the depths of its history; we want to revive these treasures. When these treasures are revived, a nation becomes wealthy; a nation becomes knowledgeable. Technology, science, civilization, the power of expression, and a superior position in international disputes will be achieved for it. Then that nation becomes a model for other nations. Until today, our nation has been a model.

Before the Islamic revolution, the Palestinian nation always stagnated, always regressed. The Islamic nations, which had some youth with feelings, turned to the left, and with the collapse of the leftist camps, everything ended. But the revolution revived them; it awakened the nations. If we take a look at the surrounding scene and the Islamic world, this meaning becomes completely clear. Until now, the Iranian nation has been a model. But the day you youth, you brilliant talents that cover the entire land of our country, can bring these talents to fruition, God willing, this nation will become a practical model for countries that are under oppression; this is very important. The key to the happiness of this nation and the key to the happiness of other nations is in the hands of our nation; it is in your hands, youth. And the enemy knows this; the enemy has realized this point; therefore, they try to divert this nation from continuing its path.

All the propaganda, political, economic efforts, various pressures, various sanctions, various resolutions are aimed at convincing this nation not to continue this path; they want to prevent this nation from continuing this path. They know that if this path continues with this nation with this momentum, with this power, the umbrella of oppression and global arrogance and greed and plunder that they have spread over the Muslim nations and the Islamic community will be gathered; it will be destroyed; the existence of arrogance among the countries that are dependent on the Islamic community will be endangered. They know this; well, they strive; they strive hard.

Look, just a few days ago, the President of the United States said: We are putting pressure on Iran so that the people of Iran realize that pursuing nuclear energy is not beneficial for them. The meaning of this statement is that the Iranian nation reaching a peak of technology, which for them is now symbolized by the issue of nuclear energy, excites other nations so much, it convinces them of the capabilities of the Muslim nations that they can no longer control it; they cannot restrain it. They want it not to reach that point. Of course, they give it another name; they say: We are afraid of the atomic bomb! But they know well, many people in the world know that they are lying; their issue is not the atomic bomb. They know that Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon; it is seeking nuclear knowledge; it is seeking nuclear technology; they are upset about this. A nation, without having sought their permission, without having sought their help - without extending a begging hand towards them - can create such an upheaval from within and reach a peak. This is what angers them. "We support such and such a faction, such and such a group"; why? Because that faction has said or promised that it does not agree with pursuing such paths; it does not agree with standing firm; it agrees to go to America and ask them to allow us to progress(!) The prey cannot be taken from the mouth of the wolf through negotiation; it must be taken with power. For a thousand and one hundred years, it has been said in the literature of our country:

If the chief is in the jaws of the lion, risk your life to seek it from the jaws of the lion.

Sometimes this has been acted upon in our history, many times it has not. Today, the Iranian nation is implementing this advice with its steadfastness; "risk your life". This is our issue.

Our issue with America and our issue with the arrogant powers of the world is this. They say: Do not bring your existence, your talents, your power to the scene so that there is no rival against our power, our weapons, our propaganda capabilities; we can dominate the field. Our nation's response is: No, we can defend our rights; we can prevent your aggression; if we do not, God will hold us accountable.

The path that the Iranian nation has chosen is the right path; presence in the scene, not abandoning this great achievement. Minor issues, differences, do not matter. The disputes that this group has with that group, this person with that person, these do not matter. These are minor things. The family of the revolution must maintain its unity. At the beginning of this year, I said: "National unity"; that is, the family of the nation, the family of the revolution must preserve their unity, their inwardness towards each other, their connection and cohesion with each other; they should not allow disunity to arise. The nation, thanks be to God, has taken this advice to heart; it may not have needed our saying. We are also followers of the same great rationality that exists in our nation; we have also conveyed this to the nation, and they have shown that it is indeed so.

In a few days, we have elections. Participation in the elections is also of this kind; it is presence. I insist on participation in all elections. One must come to the ballot box, and in the face of the enemy's blindness, cast their vote. The enemy wants the nation not to have elections, not to have the twenty-second of Bahman marches, not to have Quds marches, not to have presence in great religious ceremonies, not to have religious sentiments. They want our youth to be indifferent, without spirit, and indifferent to desires, drowning in corruption and drugs. This is what the enemy wants; this is good for the enemy, so they promote this; sometimes in the language of ideological expression, sometimes in the language of political threats, sometimes in the language of military threats, sometimes through drug trafficking gangs, sometimes through promoting provocative films; the enemy enters the field in every way and strives and tries to divert this nation from this direct, strong, and noble movement. When elections come - you may remember - often before elections, they say something whose meaning is that people should not participate in the elections; they do things, they strive; sometimes through unaware and deceived individuals, sometimes through dependent individuals, they do things to prevent people from participating in these great ceremonies, of which elections are one of the most significant.

My recommendation to the people is primarily to come and enter the field of elections, to enliven the ballot boxes. The very lines that stand may have some hardship; in the cold weather; for an hour - more or less - but this is striving, this is jihad; this hardship has a reward before God Almighty. They should go and vote. This is the first priority.

Who should they vote for? The criterion is that the slogans of the revolution must be revived day by day by our officials and elected representatives. This is the criterion. It has nothing to do with factional divisions, it has nothing to do with names. The remedy for the pains of this nation and the means to reach the ideals of this nation are the slogans of the revolution; these must be preserved. Those who oppose these slogans in the true sense of the word are the enemies of these slogans; they should not be in decision-making centers. They are among the people, let them be. The masses of the nation, anyone with any opinion, it does not matter; but the one whose belief is that this machine should not start, cannot be put behind the wheel. A person who believes that this vehicle should not move from here cannot be placed behind the steering wheel; this vehicle will never move. We must place someone who believes in this movement, who believes in this path, who believes in that goal, who believes in national capabilities, who believes in Islam, who believes in the revolution, and who accepts the criteria. This is the critical point. This is the second point.

Of course, one must exercise vigilance; one must exercise vigilance. One must be wary of duplicity and the different appearances and realities of individuals. Many times, throughout history, Islam has suffered from this duplicity, the inconsistency between the appearance and the reality of individuals. Now, there are many narrations in this regard. This must be guarded against. You are a vigilant people; whether we know this or not, whether we say it or not, our history, our revolution, the events of these twenty-nine years have proven this; not only to ourselves but to the world. Therefore, they take pride in your name, your nation, your people, and your Imam. The same distinguished martyrs of the Islamic world, the same dear martyr who was martyred a few days ago by the Zionists, took pride in being the children of the Imam; they considered themselves the children of the Imam. This dear martyr, Hajj Imad, considered himself the son of the Imam. That is, if we compare him with one of our youth, he did not believe that this Iranian youth was closer to the Imam than he was. He considered himself, like an Iranian youth, the son of the Imam and close to the Imam; why? Because the Imam had given him spirit; the Imam had revived him. Such youths have always been in Lebanon, in Palestine, in Gaza, and everywhere, but such great deeds did not come from them. Who would have thought that Lebanese youths with ordinary weapons could push back an army that claims to be one of the largest armies in the world with such disgrace? In the early days after the thirty-three-day war ended, the Zionists said no, we did not lose(!) Now the report of this committee has revealed the facts. They pretended that there was no great disgrace; but it is completely evident; a well-equipped army, America also directly intervened - know this, America directly intervened in the thirty-three-day war in Lebanon; it both supported and intervened directly, quietly - but they all failed. From whom? From a group of youths whose means were self-confidence, reliance on God, and fearlessness of death, standing firm in the field; they were able to defeat them. The myth of the invincibility of powers is thus shattered.

We thank God; we thank God for the blessing of the revolution, we thank God for the blessing of the Imam, we thank God for the greatness that the Iranian nation has shown, we thank God for the success that has been granted to this nation. Each one of you people and you youths is a great blessing from God that one must thank God for - "And if you count the blessings of God, you will not be able to enumerate them" - can the divine blessings be counted? These blessings must be preserved. The authorities must recognize this blessing; they must preserve this blessing, give thanks so that this blessing remains for them, and all the people must appreciate this blessing of God. Know that the future of this nation will be much better, clearer, and more delightful than today. And God willing, you youths will see those days. And you will be able to reap the fruits of these great struggles, and God willing, bring a world to prosperity, happiness, and success.

O Lord! Please be pleased with the sacred heart of the Master of the Age; make us soldiers of that great one; keep us alive with their guardianship and love, and let us die with it. O Lord! Please be pleased with the pure spirit of the Imam, the pure souls of the martyrs; gather them in the highest ranks with Your saints.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.