Meeting with Thousands of Basijis from Across the Country

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

The week of Basij and the gathering of the brave children of this country, along with the renewal of memories of the greatness that these youths have created over the years, is a very important and significant opportunity.

Today coincides with the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). There exists a relationship between the movement of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) and the general movement of the Imams of guidance (peace be upon them), particularly the nine Imams who held this position from the time of the Ashura incident until the occultation of the Awaited Imam (may our souls be sacrificed for him), and the behavior, identity, and movement of the Basij today in our nation. When you look at the history of Islam, you see a period in which the caliphate—meaning a government based on the foundations of religion—transformed into a monarchy, which is one of the most dangerous periods in Islamic history. Of course, some of the great companions of the Prophet warned the Islamic community against this event at that time; however, it occurred. Why did it happen, what were the causes and factors, and who were involved? These are not the subject of my discussion at the moment, but this event did take place. The result of this occurrence was that the community, which had emerged based on religious and Islamic values and aimed at the happiness and well-being of humanity, drastically changed its course. When piety does not emanate from the source and center of governance in a society, and righteousness, religion, knowledge, and guidance do not flow forth, but rather, from the pinnacle of society, materialism, elitism, and lustfulness are issued and manifested, it is clear what will happen to the original and noble values in such a society. This event occurred in a period, years after the passing of the noble Prophet of Islam, in the early history of Islam. In such circumstances, what duty do the sincere and devoted believers have? At the forefront of all, those who have the greatest responsibility are the infallible Imams; because the Almighty God has granted them a great share of His knowledge, spirit, guidance; He has made them scholars, infallible, guides, and those who are guided. Our Imams in this era considered it their duty to stand against this strange deviation. They stood for a time with clear and confrontational political resistance—like during the times of Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (peace be upon them), which had its effects. That action ignited a deep flame of protest against the newly emerged deviant situation in the Islamic community, and thereafter, during the times of the subsequent Imams, this work continued with great complexity and hardship. The Imams (peace be upon them) considered it their duty to both strengthen and deepen the foundation of Islamic values and thought in the minds of the community and to strive to demolish and destroy the illegitimate monarchy that had taken the place of prophecy and to establish a true and correct foundation. The Imams (peace be upon them) were engaged in these two tasks. What I am presenting is the subject of a very lengthy and detailed discussion that will be written about; this is a general overview from a distance.

The Imams (peace be upon them) engaged in a very arduous, laborious, meaningful, and comprehensive struggle; both in the spiritual and cultural realm, to preserve the foundations of Islamic belief and to prevent the deviation that could arise in the direction of establishing a monarchical government, which had already emerged; and also in the realm of political struggle. The peak of this movement was during the time of Imam Sadiq. It cannot be said that in other times this movement did not have its peak; why, during the time of Imam Reza (peace be upon him) and in other times, it was the same; however, the era during Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) provided an opportunity and space that this great figure was able to do something that would make the foundations of correct Islamic knowledge so solid in society that distortions could no longer destroy these foundations. He did this work so that this foundation would remain, and in every period of history, those who are worthy could utilize this foundation to establish an Islamic system and a foundation based on Islamic values and to build this lofty structure. This is the work of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). What we are facing today in the Islamic Republic system bears a resemblance to this profound and significant movement that requires the patience and perseverance of the Imams (peace be upon them); it has equally deep impacts.

Today, the Islamic world consists of approximately one and a half billion people, with about fifty countries and governments. If among this vast population—who also reside in important parts of the world—there were a reliance on Islamic values, undoubtedly, today the Muslim nation and the great Islamic community would be at the forefront of science, civilization, knowledge, and the manifestation of religion, the world, ethics, and life; something that we do not have today, and there is nothing in the world that revives this image in our minds. The nations and governments of the West have scientific advancements; brilliant manifestations are observed in their lives; however, this is only part of human existence, and ethics and spirituality, compassion and fairness, attachment to lofty divine ideals, connection with God, and engagement with the heart are not part of their lives and are becoming increasingly faint, and they will continue to fade. If at one time their temples and churches had a hint of spirituality, that too has gradually weakened under the influence of the dominance of worldly materialism; however, we have not had a vast human community in the world over these centuries that could both cultivate its world in terms of benefiting from the bounties of nature and worldly scientific advancements and also have attention to spirituality and ethics as a main part of their lives, and not sever their connection with God and deprive themselves of divine teachings for important life connections. The Islamic world could have had such a situation; however, unfortunately, it has not come to pass. The Islamic world did not experience a system based on Islamic teachings and guidance until the great Islamic revolution occurred. This revolution was precisely in line with the direction of the Imams (peace be upon them). If in these twenty-seven years we have been able to align our movement with the same rhythm and pace that the Imams (peace be upon them) followed, we would have reached very lofty peaks today; however, we are weak and imperfect. What the Prophet of Islam accomplished in the span of ten years of his governance, ordinary societies and ordinary leaders who are faithful to that path cannot achieve in a hundred years. The rhythm of our work and the pace of our movement stem from our weaknesses. We are weak individuals in the shadow of those holy and great humans; nevertheless, we have moved forward to the best of our ability and capacity.

The Iranian nation has sacrificed its life, its iron will, and to this day, great works have been accomplished, some of which resemble legends. This movement that has been ongoing since the beginning of the revolution until today, aimed at creating a lofty social structure based on divine guidance and the pointing finger of the Quran in our country, is a continuation of the same movement of the Imams (peace be upon them). The essence and core of this pure and complete movement from the beginning of the revolution until now has been the Basij. When we say "Basij," we do not mean just a military organization dressed in military uniforms and military training; rather, Basij means a collection of individuals who bring their strength to the field to be active in the general jihad of their country and nation, to reach the peaks, to collaborate, and to share in their work; this is the meaning of Basij. That mother who, with love for her child—love that mothers have for their children is something akin to legends; a legend that manifests in our lives thousands and thousands of times every day—willingly sends him to the front lines of defense, and then when she receives the body of her martyred son, instead of expressing regret, instead of expressing grievance, she expresses pride and honor, is the epitome of a complete Basij member. Those families who, during the difficult times of this country, considered themselves part of all the problems that faced this nation; with their words, with their money, with their handiwork, with their presence, they brought forth whatever they could do, these are Basij members. A political Basij member, a military Basij member, a student Basij member, a clerical Basij member, a farmer Basij member, a worker Basij member, a researcher and scholar Basij member, a professor Basij member, from all strata, a Basij member is one who brings their capabilities and possibilities into the arena for the great goals of this nation; they consider themselves part of it; they feel responsible and do not wish to sit aside while others strive; nor do they seek to benefit from the gains without contributing; or criticize and complain only when they are affected; we have such individuals in society; a Basij member is not like that. Wherever military action is needed, they are at the forefront; they do not distinguish between young and old; they do not distinguish between near and far; wherever there is a need for presence in the political arena and the field of politics, they are active and energetic; wherever there is a need for international presence—various international arenas; political, cultural, sports—they are there, representing the dignity of their nation and country. With this spirit, with this feeling, they present themselves there; wherever there is a need for knowledge, for research, for enduring the challenges of scientific innovation, they sacrifice their heart and mind; wherever there is a need for spending money, if they have money, they spend it. This is a Basij member.

Basij members also have varying degrees of intensity and weakness. Some in the field of Basij shine with their purity and sincerity like the sun and attract people. In any case, Basij is a culture; Basij is a prominent and elevated mindset in our society.

Expressing enmity towards Basij means expressing enmity towards struggle, effort, vitality, and work in all fields. It is very clear that the frustrated wishers of this nation are unhappy with Basij. Anyone who wishes for this nation to fail and be defeated is unhappy with the presence of Basij. All enemies, all envious individuals, all those attached to the enemy within, do not like Basij. If you can expand Basij as much as possible and bring more hearts and denser enthusiasm into this arena of action, the future of this country will be more assured. The Basij spirit is one that, if it arises in any place and in any stratum, it multiplies activity, vitality, movement, and life there; this is the meaning of Basij.

Some think that Basij is a governmental organization; however, this is not the case. If each of the various institutions of the country adopts a Basij spirit, their successes will increase. Today, fortunately, the government, the President, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and various officials take pride in being members of Basij. The Basij culture is what can prevail over all the transformations of this country and guarantee the movement of this country.

My dear ones! Our nation has been held back for decades from the path it should have taken; we must compensate for this backwardness. These are realities; these are the actualities of our history. With our nation, meaning the same nation that today, when it enters the field of science, creates wonders in the world; when it enters military confrontations, it astonishes equipped enemies; when it enters political confrontations, it matches powerful opponents—we have such a nation. This nation, with its human talent and this vast, fertile, and resource-rich land, could have reached the pinnacle of science, civilization, and material and spiritual advancement—but they made it one of the third world countries; and that too in the last ranks! The fact that so many knowledgeable individuals in this country curse and criticize the tyrannical regime is not in vain. This crime has been inflicted upon our country and imposed upon our nation. A nation that could have soared to infinite heights had its wings clipped, its feet bound, and was wounded; they turned our nation into a nation that is pessimistic about itself, hopeless about its future, inactive in reaching distant horizons, and captivated and enamored by others; but the revolution came and gave this nation a hard shake and a profound change in perspective, awakening the nation, making it move, setting it on its path, recognizing itself, and saying "we can"; and it could, and it has progressed. The engine of our movement is our faith, and our reliance is on God; our reliance is on divine guidance and teachings that exist in our religious knowledge and laws; our movement has also been a good one, and the enemy, coincidentally, bombards this fundamental point, the point of faith. Now, within our community, a collection of individuals take pride and heroically speak of their faith. This is very valuable. This is Basij.

All cultural and propaganda tools have been employed over a hundred years or more to make this nation pessimistic about itself—one of the well-known personalities said: An Iranian cannot make a simple clay pot!—a clay pot means a traditional water jug; back then, they made water jugs from clay. This is how they belittled this nation. Now this nation is doing work in various biological fields, in various scientific and research activities that places it among the top ten countries in the world; this is no joke. This matter warns our nation, you youths, wherever you are and in whatever field you work, to recognize your worth, to move forward, to not lose hope; you can. You are the generation that if you act well, you will guarantee the future of this country—for a hundred years, two hundred years, or more. This awakening, this sensitivity, this motivation, this faith, this hope, this reliance on divine guidance and trust in divine assistance, is the main fabric of Basij; this is a culture. If we move in this way, God Almighty will help. Divine assistance belongs to all creatures; provided that they prepare themselves to receive this help; extend their hands and pick this fruit; rise up, strive, and utilize this fruit; this is available to everyone. Of course, some do not want this; desires do not allow, misguidances do not allow, blindness does not allow them to see and understand and strive; but you are a nation that has desired, recognized, moved, and benefited greatly; you must continue to strive, so that, God willing, you may benefit from divine mercy, and God willing, the prayers of the Awaited Imam may encompass all of you.

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