Statements of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on the Day of the Guardian

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

At the outset, I congratulate you dear ones who are present in this gathering and all the guardians throughout the great Islamic homeland on the third of Sha'ban, which is rightly named "the Day of the Guardian." I also congratulate you and all segments of the nation on the birth of Abal-Fadl al-Abbas and Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon them).

It is noteworthy that these great personalities, each of whom has illuminated the history of mankind in their own way - Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him), Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), and Abal-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him) - were thought to be completely destroyed and absorbed in their time, according to the false materialistic belief. Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him), along with all the young and prominent figures of his family - brothers, children, relatives, young men, and valiant companions - was martyred in complete isolation and was buried in complete isolation. No one mourned for them, nor did anyone hold a mourning ceremony for them. Some, under the false impression, thought that if they remained, they might instigate revenge. They believed that with the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) and his companions, the matter was settled. Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) lived in Medina in apparent isolation thirty-four years after that day. There was no army, no group, and no apparent commotion. Abal-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him) is also one of the martyrs of the Day of Ashura. The false perception of materialistic powers - which govern with material logic - is usually that these figures have ended and disappeared; but you see that the reality is not so. They did not end; they remained, and day by day their greatness, majesty, charm, and influence increased; they captured hearts and expanded their existence. Today, hundreds of millions of Muslims - both Shia and non-Shia - seek blessings in their names; they benefit from their words; they honor their memory. These are victories in history; true and lasting victories.

The question that arises in the human mind is, what is the matter? What is the cause of this survival? In my opinion, this is one of the most fundamental, yet at the same time, clearest and most common truths of human life. However, like all clear truths, it does not awaken the attention of heedless individuals. All truths of the world are significant phenomena - this sun, this moon, the coming of night and day, the arrival of various seasons, the coming and going of this world, dying, living - each of these events is worthy of contemplation and lesson for a human being; yet heedless individuals do not pay attention to them. It is the contemplative individuals who heed them; they utilize them and benefit from them. The truth we mentioned is one of those clear truths that has existed throughout history, and that is that we have two kinds of power factors: material power factors and spiritual power factors. Material power factors refer to money, force, and the actions that powerful individuals have taken throughout history. Even if some results have emerged, they are the results of a few days of life. You see how long these powerful individuals lived; how long after those wars and political maneuvers and all that effort they were able to reap the fruits of it! Very briefly, just a few years, which in reality is nothing. But there are also spiritual power factors; that is, faith, purity and piety, honesty and righteousness, religious and divine values accompanied by struggle. This power is the enduring power. The power that is obtained through this means is not about taking and benefiting and enjoying; it is the historical power that shapes human destiny and remains; just as the prophets have remained alive until today; the great figures who are the torchbearers of justice and fairness in human history are still alive. What does it mean that they are alive? It means that the line they strove and struggled to establish and promote has remained in human life and has become a lasting concept and a lesson for humanity. Today, all the goodness, beauty, and virtues that exist for humanity stem from those lessons and the continuation of the teachings of the prophets and the efforts of reformers and well-wishers. These remain.

Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) had the spiritual power factor. Although he himself was martyred; his struggle was not for a few days of happiness in life, so that we would say now that he was martyred, therefore he was defeated. His struggle was to make the line of monotheism, the line of the sovereignty of God, the line of religion, and the line of salvation and righteousness for humanity enduring and established; because some factors were trying to completely erase this line. You see today that this is still the case. There was a time when when we spoke of these truths, they were considered mentalities; but today all those mentalities have materialized. You see that today the powers of the world insist and spend money to erase the line of the sovereignty of religion from the world. An event has occurred in part of the world; a nation has risen and established a religious sovereignty and religious values against the will of the powerful. This has become a lesson in the world for other nations. Today, the effort is to erase this line. The issue is not just to defeat this system; the issue is to erase the very essence of the matter from human consciousness and from the collection of lessons that remain for humanity, so that no one can learn from that lesson; neither today nor in the future. This propaganda effort is for this purpose; otherwise, if we assume that a system has been established with a claim, with a truth, with an idea, and with a faith, remains, but abandons its thought; the framework of the system remains, but its spirit is abandoned; individuals remain, but they disavow and distance themselves from that thought; this system has failed and the desires of the enemies of religion have been fulfilled. For them, religion is important. More than destroying people and more than the efforts of a political-military organization that is not to their liking, what is important is that that thought, that desire, that goal, and that claim are eradicated and defeated. The best way for its defeat is that those who championed that claim suddenly say we were wrong! You are thinkers and analysts; you see that today the world is pursuing this. The main goal regarding the Islamic Republic for the arrogant powers is this. This is important. The prophets, saints, righteous, martyrs, and great figures in history have triumphed in this aspect of the matter - which is the more important aspect. Ultimately, a human being is mortal; all the powerful and affluent will die - that is not important - what is important is that the path, the line, and the pointing finger that indicates a direction remains; and this has remained; it has remained until today; it develops day by day and becomes more established.

Once, in the first two centuries of this industrial revival in Europe, when they turned to science, it was imagined that religion had died. The thoughts that you see today some newcomers to the field of thought and politics express are the words of nineteenth-century philosophers and politicians of Europe. They thought that religion was over! Their experience showed that religion, tainted with superstitions and mixed with darkness, could not withstand the onslaught of science; it melted away and disappeared. They imagined that religion among humans was like what they had as a sample in Europe and the West; that type of Christianity, that type of religiosity, those prejudices, and at the same time, amidst those prejudices, numerous corruptions! They thought that religion had disappeared and the issue of religion in the world was completely resolved; they began to imagine that they were organizing and arranging the corners and edges; to eradicate the survival of religion from the depths and corners of humanity. Today you observe; the religious motivation, attention to religion, attention to spirituality, especially attention to that pure and common aspect of religion - that is, the spiritual aspect and devotion to spirituality - has filled the world and is increasing day by day. Of course, in some places, unfortunately, since they do not have a correct religious foundation, this spiritual feeling is a superficial feeling; which if the correct ideological and intellectual foundation that exists in Islam accompanies it, it becomes an extraordinarily valuable and lofty feeling. Therefore, the opposite of what they imagined has occurred. This is the spiritual power factor. Exactly the same issue arose in the revolution. The same matter occurred in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

I insist that you dear guardians, wherever you are, pay attention to the spirit and essence of the matter of guardianship and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The establishment of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was not merely that the system wanted to create a new armed force - the matter did not end there - it was a matter that was even higher than this. The issue was that in a military organization that was being established by the revolution, thought, belief, and faith - that is, the spiritual power factor - should be observed and considered in all components, and as much as possible, this was done. The essence of the matter was this; otherwise, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, after its establishment, was taken to the brink of dissolution by those who did not want it, and they isolated it; they ignored it and did not provide it with resources; they often spoke ill of it; but the Guard remained and will remain. This kind of solid foundation remains; why? Because the spiritual power factor has been abundantly present within this organization and still exists today. What is that spiritual power factor? Belief, faith, sincerity, struggle to fulfill duty, struggle for God, struggle minus the material income of that struggle and effort. These are important; these are what preserve a collection and a system. This was the essence of the revolution and it is still today. We should not be deceived by some of the appearances that the opponents of the system try to exaggerate and color. The truth of the matter is the existence of faith.

Today, faith is widespread in the hearts of our youth, in the hearts of the people, and throughout our country. Of course, some do not understand this. Both on the day when spirituality was in isolation - like the time of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) - and on the day when spirituality was in power - like the time of the Prophet - in both cases, there were those who could not comprehend what the purpose of this effort, this struggle, and this spiritual movement was; "Thus does Allah seal the hearts of every arrogant tyrant." In one of the verses of the Quran, it says to the Children of Israel: "You have remained in doubt about what has come to you." Even Joseph, who was at the peak of power and the divine right shone in the face and in the Josephite system like the sun, some of the Children of Israel could not comprehend it. When Joseph passed away, they said that after Joseph, no prophet would remain! There are hearts that are like this. Then it says: "Thus does Allah seal the hearts of every arrogant tyrant"; or "from every arrogant one who does not believe in the Day of Judgment." For the power that relies on spiritual power factors, the essential issue is the direction of that power. What is the direction of that power? The righteousness and salvation of humanity; the salvation of humanity from material and spiritual afflictions; the salvation of humanity from injustice; the salvation of humanity from the ignorant enmities and hatreds among the hearts of humans; the salvation of humanity from the clutches of collective, heedless, and blind power that understands nothing but self-interest. The great affliction of humanity has always been this. Humanity has been caught in the clutches of powers that have been intoxicated by self-interest and selfishness for most of its life, and what has not mattered to them and does not matter is the fate of human beings. You see in the world those who claim that our nation - meaning their own nation - should take all the issues of the world into its own hands, and if other nations are trampled, destroyed, and become miserable and poor, so be it! This is what European colonizers said during the colonial era; today, the arrogance - and specifically the United States - expresses it openly. The interests of that government, the interests of that country, the interests of that nation are paramount, and wherever those interests are threatened, anyone who stands against those interests must be suppressed; even if they have interests too! Ultimately, when you arrive in a certain part of the world, you constrict the living space of governments, nations, and countries and trample their interests, they too will stand against your interests. What preference do your interests have over those of those governments?! They do not understand this clear logic at all!

Those who today speak of this meaning that we care about the interests of our own nation, if you understand the truth and investigate, you will see that this is also a deception! What is important to them is themselves. They mention the names of nations because their powers and governments depend on this; because their fame, title, and prosperity depend on mentioning the name of their nation! If they could speak the truth, this truth for them is that their desires, their self-interest, their arrogance, and their pride must be satisfied. This is fundamentally their issue. Is this not a burden for humanity? Is there a greater burden than this for humanity? The most important task of spiritual power is to save humanity from these self-interests; to rein in these self-interests and these prides and these unbridled powers. For humans, this is fundamental. The goal of spiritual power is to save humanity in material life, to save humanity in terms of human life, and to save in spiritual realms.

By the grace of the Lord, the Islamic Republic was built on these foundations of power. This system relies on spiritual power and is based on faith and solid ideological foundations. The thought on which the Islamic Republic is based today is a sound, logical, firm, substantiated, and irrefutable thought. The faith of the masses, their love for God, for the friends of God, for the Prophet, for the family of the Prophet; this is the greatest asset and the greatest tool and source of power for this country. Your collective, among these faithful groups, is one of them. Preserve and value the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with the same valuable elements that brought it into existence and enabled it to demonstrate power against the enemies and defend the security of the borders and the national independence; preserve it with the same characteristics and the same solid foundations. Today, the enemy is most hostile to the main centers of this nation's power and is focused on them. One of them is the Guard. One of the centers that the enemy is intensely hostile to is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They try to diminish this spiritual power as much as they can; this is a long-term endeavor of arrogance. Promoting debauchery, promoting materialism, and promoting self-interest among the masses are among the tasks they have undertaken. Now, how successful they are depends on the will of our faithful nation; it depends on the will of the hearts and enlightened and faithful individuals to preserve themselves. Rest assured that if you and every faithful person decide and rely on God, the enemy will not achieve any success in its misleading and deceptive endeavors. Value these foundations of spiritual power, this faith, and this solidarity - the solidarity and unity of hearts among the elements of the Guard throughout the country. Do not let your hearts be attracted to them by toys, deceptions, and colorful false appearances. You have defended, struggled, and fought for a significant and great truth and have triumphed. Your victory is that this system today, thanks be to God, stands firmly and the enemy feels that it cannot defeat this system. This is a great success.

Today, the enemy has entered the field against the Islamic Republic with all its military, political, propaganda, and cultural apparatus; but at the same time, one clearly realizes that the enemy is hopeless. The enemy feels that engaging with this solid system and inflicting damage on it is not within its capacity. Its hope is that we, who bear the responsibilities of this system, will create the factors of our own defeat. If we do not create the factors of defeat ourselves, the enemy cannot do anything. The greatest calamity for a nation is that the officials among that nation remain heedless of their true responsibilities; remain oblivious to what God has asked of them and what is the main foundation of their responsibilities; become preoccupied with trivial matters; become engrossed in their own interests and self-interest; their hearts beat not for divine duty, but for small and insignificant matters. Officials at all levels, in all sectors, and in all governmental and military organizations of the system must be aware of this responsibility and keep God in mind. The factors of power are abundantly present among this nation and in this system, and these spiritual factors have shown their power over these twenty years and have emerged victorious from difficult fields and hard experiences. These factors must be preserved.

Let us know that the Almighty God has promised assistance. That nation and group that strives in the way of God will never be unsupported by the Almighty God. If throughout history, in places where "truth" has faced bloody experiences, it has been because the "people of truth" were left alone; the people did not accompany and cooperate with them; those who were expected to act left the owner of the invitation alone. Like Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) who, if the elites of that day had not abandoned him, would not have faced this bloody experience, and certainly, Yazid would have been defeated. Just as in the time of the Prophet, the hearts of the believers, the people, and those from whom work was expected helped the Prophet and created that elevation and greatness. We saw this successful experience in our revolution, during the imposed war, and throughout these twenty years. The people cooperated with the officials; the people of truth were not left alone, and the invitation of truth was not left without support. By the grace of the Lord, divine assistance is with such a people; it has been with them during this period, and it will be with them in the future. By the grace of God and the prayer of the Master of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him), this nation will be able to pass through all these difficult turns and successfully overcome hard experiences and achieve the goal and end that the Islamic system is moving towards - that is, the worldly and otherworldly happiness and salvation for the Islamic community, God willing.

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