Statements of His Eminence in Meeting with a Group of Ahlulbayt Eulogists on the Anniversary of the Birth of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her)

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

First of all, I congratulate all the esteemed attendees on this very great holiday, this luminous day, and this unforgettable and unparalleled memory in human history, which is the birth of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her). God willing, may this holiday be blessed for you, and may you all be regarded by the Lady of the Two Worlds - the most distinguished female figure in human history and the greatest servant of God - and may she accept you. I sincerely thank the dear friends who performed the program - both the esteemed eulogists and the esteemed poets - as well as those who executed this very good, meaningful, and melodious performance.

Today, like many other periods in history, we - the followers of the Guardianship and the lovers of the Imams (peace be upon them) - need to elucidate; to speak, to express, to clarify, and to present the truths to the sight and knowledge of humanity. If elucidation were not important, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) would not have paid such attention to a poet like Kumayt; nor would Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) have done so for Dhibl; nor would Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) have done so for Farazdaq. The well-known poets whose names you have heard - like Farazdaq, Kumayt, and others - were not the Salmans of their time; they were quite mediocre compared to the highly esteemed companions of the Imams. Their knowledge was not on par with that of Zararah and Muhammad ibn Muslim and the likes of them; nor was their activity in the environment of the Ahlulbayt significant. However, you see that the Imam honors these individuals in a way that he does not for many of his noble companions; why? Because of elucidation. Because these individuals spoke a word at a certain time and clarified a point that shone like the sun in the minds and hearts, illuminating a truth for the people.

What does it mean when it is said: "Whoever speaks poetry about us and causes someone to weep or makes them cry, Paradise becomes obligatory for him"? Does it mean that Paradise has been made cheap? Is Paradise, which requires so much worship to attain, made so easily accessible? Or is it that the act of speaking poetry, captivating hearts with that poetry, and conveying a message on that day was so important that due to its significance, it was worthy of a promise of Paradise in return for a single verse of poetry that has such an impact? Whenever your poetry has this effect, without a doubt, the promise of Paradise exists in front of it. This is a completely logical and clear calculation.

In our time, when you want to compose or recite poetry and wish to have the reward and status of Dhibl and Farazdaq, what is the way? The way is to fill the same void that Dhibl, Farazdaq, Kumayt, or the other poets of the Ahlulbayt filled with their poetry. This is something I have always reminded the esteemed religious eulogists and poets.

You esteemed eulogists who are here - some of the present group, whether you are eulogists or have a passion for eulogizing; perhaps some of the youth will become very good eulogists in the future - know that eulogizing and praising the Imams (peace be upon them) is, in fact, the praise of goodness and spirituality and jihad; it is the praise of the sun of Imamate and Guardianship; the sun of a truth that efforts were made to cover; but these eloquent tongues did not allow it. Not only did the eulogists and poets not allow it, but all those who have worked in the path of religious knowledge and all the hearts illuminated by the love of the Ahlulbayt (peace be upon them) over these thirteen or fourteen centuries did not allow this sun to remain covered. Day by day, they pushed the clouds away from in front of that sun until we have reached this point today. This work must continue, and the truths of the Ahlulbayt (peace be upon them) must be made clear.

The eulogizing prevalent among us is a two-sided profession; it is not merely singing and reciting poetry; it is an artistic combination of these two elements. Of course, I do not know when this method became popular; whether it was from the Safavid era, before it, or after it. In any case, it is prevalent in our society today. A good voice, a suitable melody, and poetry are the three pillars of the work. This poetry itself has two parts: one part is the words, and one part is the content. If the four main pillars of eulogizing - that is, a good voice, a correct melody, good words, and a true content that meets the needs - are complete, it is the best means of elucidation, and its impact is greater than that of the sermons and jurisprudential lessons we deliver. The voice and melody are provided by the eulogists themselves; however, the words and meanings must be provided by the poet. Some words are beautiful and grandiose; however, they yield no results, and nothing is grasped from them by the listener. Some meanings are good and lofty; however, they are not expressed with eloquent words. All of these can become flaws. A eulogist must see themselves on the pulpit and view the listeners as those who wish to learn something from them. With this intention and motivation, they should stand behind the podium or the eulogizing pulpit.

The voices of some eulogists are good, but when they sing, people do not learn anything; however, some do; when they recite poetry, they teach us knowledge. What we learn is the best of what we need. Sometimes we recite flattering words about the Imams (peace be upon them) in succession, but neither does the listener grasp the depth of these words, nor does their understanding of these words add anything to their knowledge. These have little value. However, sometimes a eulogist who recites poetry conveys the lessons of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), the lessons of Amir al-Mu'minin, and the lessons of Imam Hussein (peace be upon them) to us; as a result, our path becomes clear. This is very valuable. We must know that if Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) were to appear among us today and spent an hour, two hours, or a day among the people, what would she command us to do? Which path among the paths opened before us would she point to and tell us to follow? We must pursue that and consider it in the elucidation and teaching and knowledge we wish to impart to the listeners, and we must fill the needs of the time.

Another point that some gentlemen rightly pointed out is that certain expressions about the Imams (peace be upon them) should not be used; these are trivial. For Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) - that sacred, exalted being, that superior human, and that teacher of mankind - expressions that any poet - whether a serious and reputable poet or a frivolous poet - uses for their beloved should not be employed; rather, appropriate expressions should be used. My belief is that if our dear poets - just as today, fortunately, both in the collective anthem and in some of the poems that the gentlemen recited earlier, this meaning has been justly fulfilled - use words and meanings to express the knowledge that our society needs to learn from the school of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), and the eulogist presents it with a good voice and a suitable melody for this work, one of the best forms of propaganda and promotion has taken place; that is, the same as the historical Dhibl, Farazdaq, and Kumayt have manifested and appeared here. The value will remain the same, and it can bring forth great divine rewards.

Today, fortunately, the people's interest in this multifaceted and versatile profession and art is high. Young people in Tehran and the provinces are interested in eulogizing sessions. This increases your responsibility, esteemed eulogists. Do not let five hundred, a thousand, or sometimes ten thousand people gather in a session and have a melody sung for them for an hour without anything being given to them. In this one hour, you can convey many points with good poetry. Of course, good poetry - as we said - is not merely poetry with good meanings; rather, it must be artistically composed, and good words and suitable phrases must also be employed.

We hope that God Almighty will, God willing, include all of you in His grace and mercy and that you will be regarded by Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) and be included in the attentions of the Awaited Savior, may our souls be sacrificed for him. Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.