Sermons of Eid al-Fitr Prayer

First Sermon:

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds. Praise be to God who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light. Then those who disbelieve in their Lord are equal. And peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, especially the Awaited One on earth. And peace be upon the leaders of the Muslims and the guides of the oppressed and the guides of the believers. I advise you, O servants of God, to have piety towards God.

I congratulate all of you dear worshippers, the entire Iranian nation, and the whole Islamic Ummah on the blessed Eid al-Fitr. The greatness of this day is evident in the fact that in this prayer, during its supplication, we repeatedly invoke God, saying "by the right of this day"; this reminds us of the significance of this day.

I also find it necessary to seek God's blessings and mercy for the dear martyrs of the events of the fifteenth of Khordad; martyrs who were martyred in Tehran, Qom, Varamin, in Pishva, or in other parts of the country. We hope that God, by the blessing of the pure souls of these martyrs, will keep the Iranian nation steadfast on this proud path.

I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Iranian nation for the effort they made on the last Friday of the blessed month of Ramadan, participating in this great nationwide rally across the country; this was a significant movement, and perhaps many do not realize how much this strong and steadfast presence of the people impacts global policies, disrupting the calculations of the enemy against the Iranian nation.

The blessed month of Ramadan was a month of divine blessings, a month of divine mercy, a month of cleansing hearts, a place for the emergence of faith. Throughout this month, how many of our youth and adolescents endured the hot days of fasting for the sake of God's command. This year, many of our adolescents also had school exams, yet they did not abandon their fasts, enduring the hardship of fasting in the hot weather alongside the difficulties of studying and exams; these are very valuable; they demonstrate the growth of religious faith among our youth and our emerging generations.

The spiritual test of the people during this month was a good test; the presence of the people in mosques, in husseiniyahs, in the shrines, in various religious areas of the country was warm, lively, and pure; in Tehran, what we were informed about during those days was the gatherings of the people, whether for listening to enlightening and clarifying speeches from speakers, for reciting prayers, or for pre-dawn supplications and the tears flowing during the pre-dawn hours; these are truly great blessings, spiritual reserves arising from the pure hearts of the youth in this country, which, God willing, will bless our future.

Among the blessings of this month are the Quranic gatherings that are increasing; almost everywhere in the country, there are gatherings for Quran recitation, which are very valuable and very useful. The will of the people during this month is strengthened in the way of God and moves towards divine piety; especially during the nights of Qadr, where these great gatherings of the nights of Qadr are truly thought-provoking; various individuals, different social classes, with different clothes, manners, and behaviors all gather under one roof, seeking intercession, their tears flowing; these should be appreciated. Ramadan is the month of the flow of divine mercy; this is a reserve for our country and our nation, and we hope that God will help and grant us success to preserve this reserve until the next Ramadan so that you can once again open this door of divine mercy upon yourselves.

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.

Second Sermon:

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful And praise be to God, the 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 family, especially the Awaited One on earth. I mention the pure Imams: Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), the Commander of the Faithful, and Hasan and Husayn, the masters of the youth of Paradise, and Ali ibn Husayn, the Lord of the Worshippers, and Muhammad ibn Ali, the Interpreter of the Prophets' knowledge, and Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, and Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kadhim, and Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad, and Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi, and Hasan ibn Ali al-Zaki al-Askari, and the Awaited Imam, may peace be upon them all, and I seek forgiveness from God for me and for you.

In the first sermon, we discussed matters related to the servitude of the Lord and attention to the Almighty God; in this sermon, we will address matters concerning the servants of God.

Another aspect of this Ramadan, as in every year, is the aspect of helping the people and the increasing public inclination that, thanks be to God, is growing day by day in the country. Regarding the simple iftars that were recommended, thanks be to God, people responded positively; in mosques, in husseiniyahs, in the streets, and even in alleys, sometimes in the large squares of the city, iftar tables were spread, and people participated; various individuals, even those with limited means, were able to join these public and collective iftars. Then, in one place, a call for iftar was made, and people welcomed it and contributed to the iftar, collecting billions [of tomans] for iftar, which was spent on iftar. These are great works that, thanks be to God, are developing among our people as blessed Islamic habits.

Also, the Ramadan assistance of the people to those affected by floods was remarkable. And I would like to say here - both to all our brothers and sisters across the country and especially to the esteemed officials - do not let the issue of the flood victims be forgotten. The issues of the flood victims are important; these matters must be pursued seriously, and their problems must be resolved with utmost seriousness, especially in areas like Khuzestan, where the weather is getting warmer, and the heat in this season and the coming seasons can be unbearable in some regions; we must think of these brothers and sisters. One of our necessary and urgent tasks, both for the people and for the officials, is this matter.

In international matters, the issue of Palestine is currently one of the top issues in the Islamic world. The treachery of some Islamic countries has led to explicit treasonous actions regarding the issue of Palestine. This conference that is set to take place in Bahrain belongs to the Americans, but the rulers of Bahrain, with their weaknesses, their various incapacities, and their very bad anti-people and anti-Islamic spirit, have paved the way for this and committed themselves to hold this conference. The goal of this conference is to realize the treacherous and malicious plan of the Americans regarding Palestine, which they have named the "Deal of the Century." Of course, this will not happen, and the Deal of the Century, God willing, will never take root by divine grace. We thank those Muslim countries or Arab countries that have opposed it, as well as the Palestinian groups that have opposed this plan. This is a great betrayal to the Islamic world. We hope that the rulers of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia understand what quagmire they are stepping into and what harms it holds for their future.

O Lord! Through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, make the Islamic world aware of its interests and guide the Muslim people, the Muslim Ummah, the Muslim nations, and the Muslim rulers towards the path of growth and righteousness.

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.

And peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.