Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the Eid al-Fitr Prayer

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 created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light. Then those who disbelieved in their Lord are equal. Thanks be to God, the Creator of creation. The One who extends sustenance. The One who splits the dawn. The Judge of the Day of Judgment. Lord of the worlds. I seek His forgiveness and turn to Him, and I rely on Him and seek help from Him, and I send blessings and peace upon His beloved, His chosen one, and the best of His creation, our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and virtuous family, the guided Mahdis, especially the Awaited One on earth.

I congratulate all the Muslim brothers and sisters who are praying and all Muslims around the world on the blessed Eid al-Fitr, and I advise the praying brothers and sisters to observe divine piety and to preserve the valuable treasure that you have gained during the blessed month of Ramadan through fasting, standing in prayer, worship, remembrance, and humility.

We thank God that He has brought a Ramadan for our nation in which the atmosphere of remembrance, attention, and worship prevailed over our country and among our people. This is one of the great divine opportunities. You dear and faithful people have completed Ramadan with fasting, recitation of the Quran, worship, and revival, and thanks be to God, you have reached the day of Eid.

Today is Eid al-Fitr; it is a day of receiving from God the Exalted; it is a day when in the qunut (supplication) of the Eid al-Fitr prayer, millions of humble and remembering hearts have asked the Exalted God for the same blessings that He has given to His best servants, and to keep them away from the evils that have distanced the greatest and best humans in history from those blessings. Those blessings, primarily, are the ascension to the rank of attention to God, servitude to God, being familiar and connected with God, and drawing inspiration from the Divine Presence in all words, actions, and moments of life, and the worst of evils is associating partners with God, submission to non-divine and anti-divine powers, and being a servant and slave to others. We hope that God, by His grace and mercy, will accept the prayers of millions of Muslims that have flowed from their hearts to their tongues and will lead Muslims into the secure valley of servitude and the rank of His righteous and worthy servants.

Today, our dear people are celebrating Eid. Many of the Muslim brothers and sisters in Islamic countries also considered yesterday to be Eid. In our country, it was established for some in certain cities that yesterday was Eid; for some of the esteemed religious authorities, it was also established that yesterday was Eid al-Fitr, and according to what was confirmed for them, they acted accordingly. For some, it was not established, and according to religious rulings, today is considered Eid for them, and they are celebrating today as Eid. Both groups acted according to their duties. Previously, the predictions of specialists and astronomers in our country and scientific centers around the world were that this year Ramadan would last thirty days; however, if it was established for someone after the twenty-ninth of Ramadan - on the thirtieth night or the thirtieth day - that the month of Shawwal has risen, their duty is to consider that day the beginning of the month of Shawwal according to religious obligation. These matters are not a source of disagreement in Islamic law. Those who considered yesterday to be the first of Shawwal acted according to their obligations and certainties, and they will be rewarded by God the Exalted. The rest of the people, who followed some of the great religious authorities in Qom and Najaf, for whom it was not established that yesterday was the first of Shawwal - which was not established for us either - will also be rewarded by God the Exalted. Our duty was this, and their duty was that. What is important is to act according to obligation and not to lose the treasure of Ramadan.

Imam Ali (may peace be upon him) says in the Nahj al-Balagha: "Beware that today is the arena and tomorrow is the race"; this world is a place for preparation and training. In this great camp, preparing to enter the field of divine encounter - which is the Day of Resurrection - prepare yourselves for facing divine reckoning and accountability. Today is a day for training, preparation, and self-building, and tomorrow - that is, the Day of Resurrection - is a day for haste and racing towards an end that we have specified and determined for ourselves right here. "And the prize is Paradise, and the end is the Fire"; what will be given to the winners on the Day of Resurrection is Paradise; and what the losers of the Day of Resurrection will suffer is Hell and fire. "Is there not one who will repent of his sins before his death?"; is there not someone who, before death, will turn back from his mistakes and repent? Imam Ali invites people to correct any mistakes they have made; to find the path of guidance and to take steps towards righteousness and rectitude. "Is there not one who will work for himself before the day of his misfortune?"; is there not someone who will work for himself and prepare provisions before the day of misfortune? Our life is a field for gathering provisions. Earning and acquiring knowledge, political work, home, and all areas of our lives are places for action for God and striving and endeavoring for oneself.

Brothers, sisters, believers, dear nation of Iran! Let us work for our tomorrow. This work is the foundation of the world and the construction of the soul and body. This work consists of striving for the material and spiritual elevation of ourselves and our Muslim brothers and sisters and our country and nation.

O Lord! Grant our dear nation success on this path. O Lord! Include righteousness and rectitude for our nation. O Lord! Grant our nation victory over their enemies in all areas.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful By time. Indeed, man is in loss. Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds and advise one another to truth and advise one another to patience.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. And blessings and peace be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the pure and chaste lady, the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds, and the two grandsons of mercy, 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 guided Mahdi. Your proofs over Your servants and Your trusted ones in Your lands. And blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims and the protectors of the oppressed and the guides of the believers. I advise you, O servants of God, to be God-conscious.

What is necessary to mention in the second sermon is that our nation once again demonstrated the grandeur of faith to the people of the world on Quds Day. Quds Day is not specific to Iran; it is the day of the Islamic world, and thus Muslims around the Islamic world showed their presence to defend their Palestinian brothers. On this day, Muslims expressed their general will to confront the schemes of America and Israel in the oppressed and bloodied Palestine; however, our nation has been at the forefront in this regard, and this year, it prominently demonstrated this leadership and the greatness of national will in Iran.

This year, our nation raised its voice in defense of the oppressed and fighting Palestinian people and in condemnation and expression of disgust towards America and Israel and the Zionists. America and Israel, with all their false claims regarding human rights and democracy, are committing the most horrific injustices against an oppressed nation. I, as a humble servant of the dear nation, sincerely thank you for elevating the Islamic Republic in the world. Wherever there is a field for the presence of the nation, the nation shows its presence with strength and power, will, and awareness, and it has shown that.

The issue of Palestine remains at the forefront of the issues of the Islamic world. Let us take a look at the Palestinian people, and let us look at the oppressive and savage occupiers of Palestine. The Palestinian people are suffering; they destroy people's homes; they obliterate people's farms and orchards; they take away the means of work from the youth; they imprison their capable men; they massacre their populations, and even their children are subjected to the sword of their oppression. Today, the oppressed, isolated Palestinian people are defending themselves with all their might under the blessed name and flag of Islam against the oppressors and occupiers and are standing firm.

From this magnificent Eid al-Fitr prayer in Tehran and on behalf of all the people of Iran, we send our greetings and salutations to the Palestinian people, their youth, teenagers, women, and mothers; those brave and faithful hearts who stand at the forefront of the Islamic world against the enemies and aggressors with their lives and loved ones and all their existence.

And now, let us look at the occupiers; the usurping Zionists and their supporters; namely, the aggressive government of America. If someone reflects more deeply on the issues of Palestine, it becomes clearer to them that the American government and the Zionists have reached a complete deadlock in Palestine; they have no way to advance, nor any way to retreat; they are doomed to failure. The new generation of Palestinians has awakened and realized that the way to salvation from the occupying enemy is nothing but resistance; they have understood that participating in international meetings and speaking according to the wishes of the occupiers and their supporters is not the way to save Palestine; they have realized that they must stand firm, desire, strive, and sacrifice to achieve their goals. This is something that the Palestinian people have understood deeply; therefore, they resist. When the source of this feeling arises from a religious origin and belief in monotheism - which, thanks be to God, is the case in Palestine today - it will never dry up. We hope that God the Exalted will hasten the day of victory for the Palestinians.

Another issue of the Islamic world is the issue of Iraq. The Americans entered Iraq in the name of democracy, human rights, fighting against weapons of mass destruction, and chemical and biological weapons, claiming that they wanted to grant freedom to the Iraqi people! But today, they have made life so difficult for the Iraqi people that they are forced to confront them, and they are doing so. Their presence has been so humiliating for the Iraqi people that they have not tolerated them. The American people should know that their government has plunged them into a quagmire in Iraq, and the longer they stay, the deeper they sink. Look at where America has reached in Iraq, that it attacks its own occupied Baghdad from its ships - which are at sea - with missiles. This is a sign of America's inability to manage Iraq, which will only worsen the longer they remain. This region does not tolerate occupation. They claim they want to make the Middle East a region of democracy! This is a shameful lie. They are opposed to democracy and know that if they were to refer to the votes of the people in Iraq right now, the overwhelming majority would choose those who would not allow the Americans to remain in Iraq for even one day. Today, wherever there are popular elections in the Islamic world, the result is what the Americans fear; the rise of those who consider the Americans their enemies with all their being. The Americans, who want to prevent popular elections in Iraq, should know that any imposed constitution and any imposed law and structure will lead to the resistance of the Iraqi people. If the President of America allocates four hundred billion dollars or even four thousand billion dollars, he cannot enslave the peoples of the Middle East and the Muslim nations.

The American government, which has committed so many crimes against democracies and democratic movements in the world under the pretext of democracy; the regime that orchestrated the coup of August 19 in Iran; led the coup in Chile against the lawful government of that country; carried out dozens of coups in Latin America, Africa, and other regions against national governments; and supported dictators like Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in Iran for many years, and even today, any dictator who is not worse than him and submits to him is acceptable to him, is a government whose claims of democracy and human rights are not accepted by anyone. These days, the President of America openly expresses the long-held desires of American arrogant powers - which they had hidden in their statements - and says that he wants to conquer nations and sacrifice their interests for the illegitimate interests of America. America should know that nations will not submit, and the great, struggling, resistant, and deeply-rooted nation of Iran stands as a model among nations.

Dear people; my brothers and sisters across the country! You have shown that you are a resilient and faithful great nation; you have consistently thwarted your enemies in these years following the revolution and have kept them at bay. The most important thing that has helped you in this path has been faith in God and unity of word. Faith in God and unity of word makes your presence in the arenas more pronounced and terrifies the enemy to the depths of their being.

We have elections ahead of us. Elections are one of the arenas of the national presence of our people. I see that those in global power centers do not want the Iranian nation to demonstrate its presence and steadfastness in the arena with another enthusiastic and magnificent election, and they are already engaged in very insidious propaganda against the elections that, God willing, will be held in about three or four months; be vigilant! There are many things to say about the elections, and there is still time until the elections, and if we are alive, we will speak to our nation about what needs to be said. What I want to say now is that everyone should view the elections as a significant national event that can equip and arm our nation with even greater strength in the path of building their country. If the elections are held well and magnificently, and the people show their presence sincerely and faithfully in it - which, by God's grace, they will - with divine help, they will destroy the enemy, and then the enemy will understand that they cannot decide about the future interests of this country. The enemy wants to take the reins of decision-making away from our people, just as in the days of tyranny and oppression, and make decisions for our country and nation beyond its borders, in the dark palace of Washington.

Once again, I advise all dear brothers and sisters to return to divine will and obedience and to help one another and contribute to the progress of the country, and I ask God the Exalted for the happiness and victory of our nation over its enemies and its progress in all material and spiritual matters.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Indeed, We have granted you al-Kawthar. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him). Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off.

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