Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with Officials on the Occasion of Eid al-Fitr

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

I extend my congratulations on this great day and this distinguished Islamic Eid to all our dear nation, the great Islamic Ummah, and especially to you, the honorable attendees of this assembly. An Islamic Eid has a special meaning and an Islamic direction. Eid means a ceremony accompanied by joy for a nation and a community, which is repeated at intervals - once a year or similar. Every Eid must have meaning and direction; just as the national Eids of nations each have a specific direction. An Islamic Eid has two directions; one is attention to God and spirituality, and the other is the gathering of all Muslims around a single axis.

The axes and orientations of an Islamic Eid are thus. Therefore, you see that in the two Eids of Fitr and Qurban, prayer, and that too in congregation, has been legislated. Congregational prayer is the manifestation of those two directions; both attention to spirituality, attention to God, remembrance, and humility, and unity, gathering, and coming together around a common axis. In my opinion, both subjects are the issues of the day for our nation and for the Islamic Ummah. Of course, regarding our own nation, we can look at everything very hopefully; because the evidence, signs, and events are all hopeful. Our nation, contrary to what others expected and anticipated, has an increasing inclination towards religious matters. By 'others,' I mean both our enemies, neutral observers, and perhaps even some insiders.

The assumption was that over time, religious slogans - which are the spirit of this revolution - would fade. But the opposite has been proven. This year, people's attention to religion was greater than last year. Last year was also greater than the year before. Young people are inclined towards religion. Girls and boys pay attention to religious teachings and rulings, and the spirit of religion, meaning attention to God and submission to the Lord and acting for God, thanks be to God, is spreading among the people. It should be this way. That is, if this nation wants to build its country, build its world, gain its dignity, and provide the facilities that are important for a nation, both in the horizons of the world and within itself, it must pay attention to God. It needs this attention, and this matter is effective for it.

The same is true in the field of unity. Predictions before the revolution were that since various ethnic groups are present in the Iranian nation and different languages are prevalent, there is a lot of ground for discord; but the opposite was proven, and everyone saw that our nation is a united and unanimous nation. You see in various ceremonies and in scenes where there is a place to express an opinion on a political issue - like the 'Quds Day' ceremony that was held the day before yesterday, and you observed what a commotion it was throughout Iran, both in the east and west and in the center - how our united nation displays its unity! Different ethnic groups, wherever they are - their Persians, Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Baluchs, and Turkmens - all move uniformly, chant the same slogan, and speak the same words. All this indicates a strange and great unity. When it comes to elections, people participate in the same way. When it comes to the sacred defense - our eight-year war - people participate in the same way from everywhere; everyone gives martyrs; everyone enters the field for God and acts around a common sense of duty. Even during the sacred defense, among our volunteers - the conscript soldiers aside - non-Muslim compatriots also participated. There were Christians who voluntarily went to the battlefield and sacrificed their lives in this path. We saw them, we knew them, and we know them. That is, there is a strange unity among our nation; despite the fact that the enemy has worked hard to destroy it. Therefore, within the Islamic country of Iran, thanks to the sovereignty of Islam and the existence of fundamental unifying axes, both the axis of divine remembrance and general unity are secured, and in the future, God willing, it will be like the past. The concern is for the Islamic Ummah; because unfortunately, at the level of the Islamic Ummah, the conditions are not like this.

I now turn to the second part of the issue. The first part has a separate story and is another matter. Therefore, we do not enter that field. In the first part, it can be said that the inclination of Muslim nations everywhere in the Islamic world - in some places with more speed and in some places with less speed - towards spiritual and religious matters has increased day by day. But the issue of unity, the issue of integration, the issue of a single direction for the Islamic world, and the issue of 'Hold fast to the rope of God all together,' which the Quran commands us to do, unfortunately, is not as it should be, and this is the work of the enemy. Islamic nations are inclined to unite. But the enemy makes special efforts to disrupt this matter; that is, through various means, they make specific material and spiritual investments to create division, part of which is related to the past, such as strengthening extreme nationalists, from before the revolution.

In Iran, they strengthened extreme Iranian nationalism, in Arab countries, extreme Arab nationalism, and in Turkish-speaking countries, extreme Turkish nationalism. Within these countries, wherever there was a minority, they strengthened the extreme ethnic nationalism of that minority. Suppose in Iran, regarding some Iranian ethnic groups, suggestions and insinuations were made so that their ethnic tendencies would manifest in an extreme form. In North African countries - in Egypt and other places - among some Arab ethnic groups that have been in those areas since ancient times, they strengthened their specific ethnic slogans and feelings and made them revolve around those axes. Wherever there was a religious minority, they strengthened it; and so on. Such efforts, which existed in the past, were doubled and strengthened after the Islamic Revolution in Iran; because they saw that the unifying sun of Islam was shining on the Islamic world with ultimate brilliance and warmth.

But they did not stop at these efforts and forced elements to create division. Thus, they took away the unifying slogans of the Islamic Ummah from them, one of which is the issue of confronting the Zionists. The slogan of confronting Zionism was a unifying matter among Islamic nations. Previously, Muslim nations felt kinship and sympathy with each other in the face of the clear and explicit aggression of the Zionists against an Islamic country. The enemies broke and destroyed this unifying slogan and Islamic feeling. In addition, they tried to make Islamic governments and nations suspicious of each other. They sat down and tempted them to distrust each other.

Today, they continue such efforts. Currently, the political and intelligence circles of countries with ambitions in this region, at the head of which are the United States of America and the Zionist intelligence agencies, are in constant contact with the political circles of countries to make governments distrust each other. They gain several benefits from this: one of its benefits is disrupting the unity of the Islamic world. One of its benefits is selling weapons. One of its benefits is military presence. One of its benefits is the race to establish relations with the usurping Zionist government in the land of Palestine. These are the benefits that global arrogance gains from these efforts. This situation is very damaging for the Islamic world. Of course, the issue of nations in this regard is not very difficult. The problem is the issue of governments. Islamic governments must pay attention to a simple matter that any wise person notices, and that simple matter is that a wise person uses the resources and facilities at their disposal. Islam is a valuable resource available to Islamic countries. Islamic governments should make optimal use of this resource and opportunity; even if they are not very committed to Islam. Islam causes the Islamic Ummah to feel connected and united, and this vast multitude of over a billion Muslims to be present in various issues of the Islamic world. Undoubtedly, if the support of the Islamic world for the Muslims of Bosnia did not exist, today there would be no news of the Muslims of Bosnia in Europe, and they would have been eliminated. Although not all Islamic countries fully supported, the fact that it was felt that most Islamic governments were concerned with this issue helped them. The same issue is applicable everywhere in the Islamic world. Countries are not independent of each other's help and the immense weight of the feelings of the Islamic Ummah. So, they can use this valuable treasure and why not use it? There is a simple calculation that is not paid attention to. Therefore, the result is in favor of the enemies of Islam.

An Islamic Eid is for reviving the feeling of unity among Muslims. An Islamic Eid means a day that people celebrate throughout the Islamic world. You observe! Today is Eid for more than a billion people. Of course, the difference in the horizon today or yesterday in determining the first day of the month of Shawwal is not important. In some countries, Eid was yesterday, and in some countries, it is today. Is this a small and insignificant matter that a large and vast number of this billion people participate in the prayer ceremony on this day and perform a single prayer towards a single Qibla, with single rituals and a single content?! This matter is very great; but unfortunately, it is not paid attention to, and neglecting it is a great loss. All our efforts in the field of foreign relations with the Islamic world are to emphasize this point. The benefit of this issue is as much for us as for others. We have no problem in our own country, thanks be to God. Perhaps it is rare to find a country in the Islamic world where the government and officials of various branches of the country are so comfortable, sincere, friendly, close, and cordial with the people. We rarely find a country with this characteristic in the world. The people love the officials of the system; they appreciate them; in various fields, they rush to help them with all their capabilities and stand behind them. This is a clear matter that everyone sees. But the conditions in other Islamic countries are not like this, and they have problems in this regard. Therefore, the unity of the Islamic world and attention to the unifying axis of Islam is beneficial for the entire Islamic world. It is even more beneficial for others. The Holy Quran says: 'And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and do not separate.' That is, even holding fast to the rope of Allah, which is a relationship between a servant and God and seems to be an individual relationship, is said 'all together.' Do it all together and hold fast to God together. The gathering and unity among the Islamic Ummah is of such importance in Islam.

In any case, our dear nation and you dear ones must appreciate this opportunity that the Almighty God has placed at your disposal. This inclination that your hearts have towards God and spirituality and remembrance and humility and attention and supplication is very valuable. This is the same factor that once transformed Islam from a limited and strange group into a great global civilization, and this civilization managed the world for centuries - at least in the first few centuries - and today the world is indebted to Islamic civilization. Attention to God and attention to spirituality led to the formation of such a civilization, otherwise, with material motivations and efforts, such a lasting civilization would not have been created.

Today, we also need attention to God and spirituality. The motivations for this attention have been given to you by the Almighty God. So, appreciate it. Especially appreciate the unity and solidarity that exists among our nation. Such unity is very valuable and dear. The great and diverse knots of a nation are untied by the miraculous fingertip of that nation's unity. Just as the unity of our nation has been like this and will continue to be so in the future. This is the same characteristic that Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) constantly advised and counseled us about and always invited the people to 'unity of word' and unity in slogans, movements, actions, and harmony with each other. That day, the solution to problems was unity of word and unity; today, unity and unity of word are also the solution to problems.

We hope, with God's grace and with the attentions and pure prayers of His Holiness the Remaining Proof, may our souls be sacrificed for him, this spirit of unity-seeking and attention to God, God willing, will increase day by day in our nation.

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