Sermons of the Eid al-Fitr Prayer

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One on earth.

We congratulate all of you dear brothers and sisters who are attending the prayer, all of the Iranian nation, and the great Islamic Ummah across the world on this blessed Eid al-Fitr. We ask the Almighty God to bestow His mercy and grace upon all Muslim brothers and sisters around the world on this noble and blessed day; to accept their acts of worship and devotion over the past month in the best manner, and God willing, to make this day a true celebration for the Islamic Ummah.

In the blessed month of Ramadan, many successful and fortunate people were able to reap a great harvest; a harvest that will bear blessings for their year, and in some cases, for their entire lives. Some developed a connection with the Quran, benefited from its teachings, and contemplated its meanings; others established a routine of communion and supplication with God during this month, illuminating their hearts. People fasted; through fasting, they brought purity to their souls; this purity and sincerity and illumination are the sources of many blessings in individual and social life. This spiritual purity grants a person good thoughts, cleanses the soul from envy, greed, arrogance, and lust. The purity in a person's soul transforms the community into a safe and secure environment spiritually and morally; it brings hearts closer together; it fosters kindness among believers; it spreads compassion within the faithful community. All of these are the fruits of the blessed month of Ramadan for the successful and fortunate people.

Another major product of this month is piety; as He said: "So that you may attain piety." (1) "The hand that takes the reins"; this is the meaning of piety. Sometimes we can take the reins of others correctly; if we can take the reins of ourselves, restraining ourselves from disobedience, wildness, and crossing the divine red lines, this is a great art. Piety means being vigilant about oneself to move along the divine straight path; seeking knowledge, understanding, and insight, and acting based on knowledge, understanding, and insight. Fortunately, our society had many fortunate individuals during Ramadan who were able to acquire these blessings. It can be said that the predominant face of our country and our people, thanks be to God, was such a face. In various gatherings, in sessions of remembrance and prayer, in Quran recitation sessions, during the nights of Qadr, in various ceremonies - as we followed the news, saw the images, and became informed - our youth, our men and women, our various social classes, with different styles and tastes, all gathered around this divine banquet during Ramadan and all benefited.

If a poet once said, "The hand that takes the reins / today is not in anyone's sleeve," however, in our time, there are many groups that take their reins. This young society of our country, this vibrant generation that has come to power, is moving in the right direction, practicing piety; this is a great promise for the future of this country, and indeed for the future of the Islamic Ummah.

What is necessary is that we preserve these achievements, maintain this harvest; we must not allow the lightning of sin to burn and destroy this valuable harvest. We must keep the path of God, the path of attention, the path of spiritual purity, the path of communion with the Quran, the path of maintaining our relationship with God, expressing our hearts to God, and speaking to God open before us. If you speak to God, God will speak to you; "So remember Me; I will remember you." (2)

O Lord! Through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, always make our community a Quranic community, a community of purity, a community of love and affection, a harmonious and sympathetic community. O Lord! Bring this great nation, these dear youths to their lofty aspirations and valuable ideals; grant them victory over their enemies. O Lord! Please the sacred heart of the Awaited One; include us in the prayers of that great one. O Lord! Be pleased with the pure soul of our great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and the pure souls of the martyrs.

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

By the time. Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds and advise one another to truth and advise one another to patience. (3)

Second Sermon

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

And thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds; we praise Him, seek His help, ask for His forgiveness, rely on Him, and send blessings and peace upon His beloved and chosen one, the master of creation, our master Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the pure Fatimah, and Hasan and Husayn, the masters of the youth of Paradise, 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 Awaited Mahdi, Your proofs over Your servants and Your trusted ones in Your lands, and send blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers.

In the second sermon, let us make a reference to our situation and the situation of the world. First, I find it necessary to thank and appreciate our noble and dear nation for their valuable and magnificent presence in the Quds Day march. I am not worthy to express gratitude or appreciation to this great nation; it belongs to the people themselves; they did it for themselves and took the right steps. We must thank God for this public insight, this public determination, this widespread motivation in the hearts of Muslim men and women. This year's Quds Day was a very glorious day. The events that have occurred in the region have caused some other Muslim nations to participate more than in previous years in this great test, in this massive anti-arrogance movement. We hope that the Almighty God will diminish the evil of the oppressive and bloodthirsty Zionists from the Palestinians and the region.

We must also thank the Almighty God for the spiritual presence of the people during the Ramadan ceremonies. As reported, this year, the people's presence in various Ramadan ceremonies was very remarkable and widespread across the country; this is also a sign of God's mercy, a sign of God's grace. Whenever you find an opportunity to perform a good deed, thank God; for this is a sign that the Almighty God has grace upon you, is attentive to you, and grants you success. When we find ourselves without success, we should tremble, be afraid, seek refuge in God, and be vigilant to see what sin we have committed that has deprived us of His grace. This year, thanks be to God, divine successes were widespread. Let us take advantage of this spiritual atmosphere.

We have repeatedly told our dear nation that today we need several things: first, unity and harmony among the people with one another, and among the people with the officials, and among the officials with one another. This is a great need of our country. Today, the world is passing through an important part of its history. We must be very vigilant, very careful; we must understand what we are doing. If there are grudges, ill will, and discord among ourselves - whether among individuals, between officials and the people, or among officials with one another - we will not be able to fulfill the great responsibilities that are now upon us. This is an important recommendation, a primary necessity.

Another necessity is the feeling of work and movement. The entire country, all individuals, all officials - for "All of you are responsible" (4) - must have a spirit of activity and enthusiasm for work. We must rid ourselves of laziness, lethargy, and stagnation. Today, work is needed; scientific work, economic work, political work, and large social endeavors. Everyone, wherever they are, can define a work plan for themselves; this is one of the necessities, which we hope the Almighty God grants us all success.

This year, we have elections at the end of the year. Elections have always been somewhat of a challenging event in our country. Although compared to elections held in some countries of the world - whether in so-called advanced countries or in some other countries - where what wickedness, treachery, conflicts, and even killings occur, thanks be to God, these events do not happen in our country, but it is still a challenge; it draws the attention of the people. Be careful that this challenge does not harm the security of the country. Elections, which are a manifestation of the people's presence, a manifestation of religious democracy, must be a support for our security. We must not allow this thing, which is a reserve of security, a support for security, to harm our security. You have seen, felt, and closely experienced the time when the enemies wanted to exploit the elections against the security of the country. Everyone must be vigilant, everyone must be alert. All individuals, various officials, political leaders, those who can speak with the people, must all be vigilant, careful; they must protect the elections as a divine blessing. Of course, we have various discussions about the elections that we will present to the people in due time.

The Islamic world has also been going through significant events in recent months. The Islamic world has shown the greatness of the people's presence on the scene to all the world and to all of history. Once, thirty-two years ago, the Iranian nation demonstrated this greatness, this great power. Our people risked their lives and took to the streets, creating a transformation that changed the course of history in the region, and in a sense, the course of world history. Today, once again, the people are on the scene. The presence of the people on the scene has unlocked unsolvable knots, unbreakable locks. Who would have thought that the agents of America and Zionism in the region would fall one after another? Who would have thought that there is a hand that can break these idols? But this hand existed. This hand was the hand of the nations. Everyone must look at the Islamic Ummah with this perspective. The Islamic Ummah has such a powerful hand; and with reliance on divine remembrance, by saying Takbir, by invoking the name of God and remembering God, they gained this vitality and power and accomplished this great work.

Of course, the issues do not end here and will not end; this is the beginning, the start of a long journey. Nations must be vigilant. We have this experience. After the revolutionary scene, with all its grandeur and glory, exited its revolutionary state and a government came to power, they immediately set out to see if they could seize control; perhaps they could ride the wave; take advantage of the situation that had arisen. The vigilance of the nation and the prophetic leadership of our great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) did not allow this. The Muslim nations, whether in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, or in other countries, need this vigilance today. They must not allow the victories they have achieved to be seized by the enemies. They must not forget; those who today appear on the scene in Libya and consider themselves the owners of the issue are the same ones who just a short while ago were sitting with those who oppressed the Libyan nation and were drinking together. Today they have come and want to take advantage of the situation; the nations must be vigilant, awake.

Of course, we are very concerned about the situation in Bahrain. The people of Bahrain are being wronged, oppressed; promises are made, but those promises are not fulfilled. The Bahraini nation is a wronged nation. However, any movement, any action, when it is for God, when there is determination and will behind it, will certainly lead to victory; this is true everywhere, and it is true there as well.

The last point is about Somalia. The great sorrow that today casts a shadow over our hearts is the sorrow of the Somali people. Fortunately, our people have entered the field well, have helped well; but as much as you can - both officials and non-officials - God willing, help so that the Almighty God also removes this affliction.

O Lord! Through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, grant the Islamic Ummah, the Muslim nations, greater honor and dignity day by day.

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

When the victory of God and the conquest comes, and you see the people entering the religion of God in multitudes, then glorify the praises of your Lord and ask for His forgiveness; indeed, He is the Most Accepting of Repentance. (5)

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