Condolence Message on the Passing of Grand Ayatollah Haj Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani

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

Indeed, we belong to God, and to Him do we indeed return.

With great sorrow and grief, I received the distressing news of an immense and irreparable loss. The great scholar, renowned jurist, esteemed Marja' Taqlid, the righteous servant, and pious, pure, and virtuous Ayatollah al-Uzma Haj Seyyed Mohammad Reza Golpayegani (may God sanctify his soul and elevate his rank) has departed this transient world. After a lifetime filled with good deeds and a record of abundant virtues and benevolence, he answered the call of the Creator and hastened to the divine reckoning. With a heart full of pain and supplication, I beseech the Almighty God to welcome this benevolent and obedient guest with 'Peace, a word from a Merciful Lord,' and to grant him the exalted rank of meeting God, bestowing upon him the finest rewards of the righteous. This venerable and elderly scholarly figure was among the most successful and fortunate among the great Marja' Taqlid. Thirty-two years as a Marja' Taqlid, approximately seventy years of effort in the seminary of Qom, and about eighty-five years engaged in learning and teaching the jurisprudence of the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them). He established the first modern-style religious school in Qom. He founded the first major Quranic institution in Qom. He created the first comprehensive jurisprudential and hadith index using modern human knowledge and inventions. He established hundreds of schools, mosques, and religious propagation institutions throughout the country and in other countries. He enriched thousands of students with his profound and mature jurisprudence, offering many jurisprudential opinions and views that reflected his insight and innovative mind. Above all, with his pious and pure conduct and behavior, which could serve as a living and tangible model for scholars and jurists, he spent a blessed life in complete purity. This great figure was considered one of the pillars of the revolution and the Islamic Republic system. During the era of oppression and in confronting the formidable events of the years of Imam Khomeini's (may his soul be sanctified) exile, there were instances when the voice of this great man was the only threatening voice that arose from the seminary of Qom, invigorating and empowering the movement. After the victory of the revolution, he consistently had a prominent presence in the public spheres of the country, offering explicit support for the Islamic Republic system and the exalted position of leadership and the noble person of the late Imam (may God sanctify his pure soul), and he was held in profound respect and honor by that revered figure.

The loss of this remnant of the great predecessors and this refuge and Marja' of the believers is a great breach and an irreparable loss. I extend my condolences for this distressing loss to the presence of His Holiness Baqiyatullah al-Azam (may our souls be sacrificed for him), to the great scholars and Marja' Taqlid, to the seminaries, and to all the Shia, his admirers, and followers, especially to his noble and esteemed family and his respected sons. On this Thursday night and the night of mercy, I pray for God's grace, favor, and forgiveness for him.

Seyyed Ali Khamenei

18/9/72