Statements of the Supreme Leader in the Eid al-Fitr Prayer Sermons

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. Thanks be to God who guided us to this, and we would not have been guided if God had not guided us. We praise Him, seek His forgiveness, believe in Him, and rely on Him. We send blessings and peace upon His beloved and chosen one, the best of His creation, our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, especially the remainder of God on earth.

I extend my congratulations on the blessed and happy Eid al-Fitr to all Muslims around the world, especially to the great nation of Iran and to you, dear brothers and sisters in prayer. Today, thanks be to God, your great gathering in this religious-political ceremony and in this grand assembly is a source of pride and honor.

Eid al-Fitr is a very great and significant day. In the first sermon, I will present a hadith from the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, about this day for you, dear brothers and sisters, so that it may serve as a lesson for me and for you, God willing.

Saduq, may God have mercy on him, narrates from Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him: 'From his father, from his grandfather, peace be upon him, who said: The Commander of the Faithful, Ali, peace be upon him, delivered a sermon to the people on the day of Eid al-Fitr.' He said: 'O people! This day is a day when the righteous are rewarded and the wrongdoers are at a loss.'

Those who have spent Ramadan in worship and seizing spiritual opportunities, today is the day they receive their reward from the Almighty God. The reward for sincere fasting, recitation of the Quran, night prayers, supplication, charity, and all that you dear youth, you faithful people familiar with Islamic truths, have done in the blessed month of Ramadan is presented to you in the spiritual realm today.

'And it is the day most similar to the Day of Resurrection.' Because it is a day of reward and recompense for the righteous and a day of loss for the wrongdoers, it resembles the Day of Resurrection; just as on the Day of Resurrection, those who have spent their worldly life in good deeds will receive rewards, and their hearts and eyes will be illuminated by divine grace; but those who have spent their lives in heedlessness, wrongdoing, tyranny, rebellion, disobedience to the Almighty God, indulgence in desires, selfishness, and self-worship will suffer loss that day.

Since the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, makes this analogy, he beautifully uses it. He advises: 'Remember, as you leave your homes for the prayer ground, your emergence from the graves to your Lord.' As you leave your homes to come to the prayer ground, remember the time when you will emerge from your graves to stand before God on the Day of Resurrection. 'And remember, as you stand in your prayer ground, your standing before your Lord.' With your standing in the prayer ground and during prayer, remember the day when you will stand before the Almighty God on the Day of Resurrection to receive the reward for your deeds, just as today you are given the reward for your deeds. 'And remember, as you return to your homes, your return to your homes in Paradise or, God forbid, in Hell.' When you return to your homes, remember the moment on the Day of Resurrection when you will return from the field of Resurrection to your homes in Paradise, or God forbid, in Hell.

Just as today is a day of reward and recompense for the righteous and a day of loss and deprivation for the wrongdoers, that day is also ahead.

Value every moment of your life. Use the hours of your life for good deeds. Bring yourself closer to God. Immerse your time in striving for God and struggling for Him. The hours of life, the years of life, pass by like lightning; you will remember these moments in the field of Resurrection. Blessed are the righteous, and woe to the losers.

O Lord! We beseech You by the right of Your saints, by the right of Your luminous laws, by the right of the Quran, and by Your majesty and greatness, grant each and every one of this gathering and every believer and Muslim success in performing good deeds and obedience in worldly life. O Lord! Do not place us among the losers on the Day of Resurrection. O Lord! Make this sermon and advice a lesson in our lives.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. By the time. Indeed, mankind is in loss, except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. Blessings and peace upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, especially the Commander of the Faithful and the Pure Truthful Lady, the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds, and Hasan and Husayn and Ali ibn Husayn and Muhammad ibn Ali and Ja'far ibn Muhammad and Musa ibn Ja'far and Ali ibn Musa and Muhammad ibn Ali and Ali ibn Muhammad and Hasan ibn Ali and the remaining, the awaited Mahdi. Your proofs over Your servants and Your trustees in Your lands. Bless the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers.

In the second sermon, I also advise and invite all dear brothers and sisters to God-consciousness and piety in all aspects of life. Thanks be to God, the year we are in is a year of great successes, great works, and great actions for the Iranian nation. We thank God for bringing the hearts of the Iranian nation closer together. We thank God for increasing the dignity of the Iranian nation in the eyes of the people of the world. We thank the Almighty God for once again placing the determination of this people before the eyes of the world on Quds Day.

In the great march of Quds Day, the Iranian nation clarified its positions to the world. Especially this year, this vigilant, aware, politically savvy, time-conscious, and situationally aware nation knew that it must enter the scene stronger and more passionately than every year. The nation and the government, officials and individuals, men and women, young and old, organized massive gatherings across the country and loudly proclaimed the slogans of the revolution and the true political positions of this country and the prominent points of the luminous line drawn by the Imam of the nation, which is the line of dignity for this nation, so that the world may know the Iranian nation and understand it well.

Of course, the nations know the Iranian nation; but the colonialists still do not know this nation, they do not know the officials, they do not know the President, they do not know the line of the Imam, they do not know the base of the Imam, and they still cannot determine the depth of the faith of these people. Greetings to this nation. Greetings to these awakened hearts that were able to speak and shout their words to the world at the right time with a clear and eloquent language. How can a nation express its words? This is the best way to shout the heartfelt words of a nation, which was done in the streets of Tehran and major cities. I sincerely thank and appreciate each and every person in Tehran and the provinces and the dear officials who revived and honored the name of God, the name of the revolution, and the name of the Imam.

Muslims around the world are in distress. In addition to the general distress of Muslims, which is the dominance of global arrogance, unfortunately, the dignity that the Islamic nations deserve and the honor that Islam gives to Muslims is not observed. Where is that dignity on a global scale and among Muslim nations? Except for the Iranian nation, which, by the grace of God, has taken up the banner of Islamic dignity - 'And to God belongs the honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers' - the rest of the Muslim nations are thirsty for dignity; but unfortunately, the dignity befitting their status is not granted to them.

The situation of Muslims in Islamic countries is difficult. The situation of the Iraqi nation is bad. The situation of the Afghan nation is bad. The situation of some nations in Central Asia is pitiful. The situation of the people of Algeria is very bad. The massacres in Algeria have disgraced the claimants of governance over the great Algerian nation in the world. The Algerian officials cannot, with impudence, remove the accusations that will never be separated from them throughout history. They are responsible.

I do not claim that these massacres are the work of the Algerian government; I do not know. This task is also the responsibility of the officials of the Islamic world. Today, if Muslim countries make an effort, the Islamic Conference, with the presidency of the Islamic Republic, can also accomplish this great task. Our government and President proposed this to Muslim countries. Therefore, it is a task that must be determined after investigation. I say that in a country where such atrocities occur, whoever is responsible, the government is responsible. The government must protect its people. Even if it is not the work of the government, the government is still responsible. Can they, with nonsense and accusing this and that, free themselves from the judgment of history and the judgment of the public opinion of the world?! Unfortunately, in Pakistan and many other parts of the Islamic world, sectarian differences have become problematic. This is bad. The solution is to return to Islam.

Eid al-Fitr, 'which You have made a festival for the Muslims and a treasure, honor, dignity, and increase for Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family.' Why is Eid al-Fitr like this? Because Eid al-Fitr is a manifestation of the gathering and unity and brotherhood of people with hearts turned towards God. If this is achieved in the Islamic world - that is, unity and hearts turned towards God and bound by God's laws - the dignity of the people will also be secured. You, dear Iranian nation, have this, so value it. Although unfortunately, in our country, there are those who, either irresponsibly or with ill intent, try to create discord, duality, and resentment among the people; but the masses and the broad sections of the people and the officials of the country, thanks be to God, have enlightened and pure hearts. The nation and the government are good with each other; the masses of people are also good with each other. If you see someone writing, saying, and spreading discord, know that they are either not aware of the interests of the nation, do not feel responsible, or are not interested at all.

O Lord! Awaken all of us from the sleep of heedlessness. O Lord! Unite and bring closer the hearts of this nation. O Lord! Gather the blessed soul of our dear and great Imam in the highest ranks with the saints and the righteous. O Lord! Gather the pure souls of the martyrs of Islam, especially the martyrs of this nation and the martyrs of the imposed war, in the highest ranks with the martyrs of Karbala. O Lord! Grant abundant and complete reward to the faithful youth, to the sacrificing families, to the families of the martyrs, to the disabled veterans, to the freed captives, to the missing, to their families, and to all the sacrificers.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Say, He is God, the One. God, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings