Sermons of the Eid al-Fitr Prayer, First of Shawwal

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 equate (others with Him). We praise Him, seek His help, believe in Him, and rely on Him, and we send blessings and peace upon His beloved, His chosen one, the best of His creation, our master, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One of God among the inhabitants of the earth.

And send blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers.

I congratulate all of you, dear brothers and sisters, who are present for the Eid al-Fitr prayer. I also extend my congratulations to the great nation of Iran and to all the Muslim nations and the great Islamic Ummah across the world.

The day of Eid al-Fitr has two outstanding characteristics. The first characteristic is the state of purity, cleanliness, and sanctity that has arisen in the hearts and souls of the faithful believers; as a result of the spiritual and divine exercises of the blessed month of Ramadan, of which fasting is one. Through fasting, a person voluntarily and willingly refrains from material pleasures for long hours and overcomes the desires and cravings of the soul during the days of fasting. In addition to this, the connection with the Quran, the recitation of the words of the Lord, and familiarity with the teachings and concepts of the Quran; in addition to that, the state of remembrance, supplication, and humility, and the closeness that a person develops with the Almighty God during the days and nights of Ramadan, especially the blessed nights of Qadr, all of these bring a light to the heart; a cleanliness and purity to the soul of a person, which indeed contains great lessons for us that we must also utilize.

One lesson is that the will of a God-seeking person can overcome all the desires and cravings and material pleasures that the soul calls them to. This is a very important point for us. Sometimes a person convinces themselves that they cannot overcome their desires. The fast of Ramadan proves to a person that they can; when they decide, when they make a firm determination, they can overcome their desires and be victorious. The alluring temptations, the ugly and undesirable habits that exist within us can be subdued with strong will and reliance on the Almighty God, freeing oneself from them. This strong will - which for us is a great lesson - can separate us from both our undesirable personal habits and our social habits and traits that are the cause of our backwardness in material and spiritual fields. The lesson of overcoming a firm will over all obstacles.

Moreover, during Ramadan, the spirit of helping others, the spirit of cooperation among people becomes prevalent. The selfishness of individuals is subdued in favor of altruism. You see, fortunately, in recent years and this year, how many individuals, without names or recognition, have turned mosques, even streets in certain areas, into centers for the feast of God's servants. They organized iftars and invited people to their iftar tables; without the usual formalities; without the considerations and awkwardness that exist in personal gatherings. This spirit of cooperation, this spirit of goodwill for the people, is a very valuable thing that leads to the spiritual purity of a person. How much assistance was provided to the needy during this month; even blood donations were made during Ramadan. When officials announced that fresh blood was needed for patients, many individuals donated their blood during Ramadan. This is the very state of prioritizing altruism over selfishness; prioritizing the interests of others over one's own interests, which is largely a result of the spiritual atmosphere of Ramadan, which, thanks be to God, this year was like previous years, and as we heard from credible news and documented reports, this year the general atmosphere of the country was filled with remembrance, supplication, and humility; especially during the nights of Qadr and in those blessed hours, all individuals, especially the youth, participated in gatherings of supplication and remembrance; from various social and individual backgrounds and political inclinations, they enlivened the gatherings; all raised their hands in prayer and connected their hearts with God. This very attention and devotion and this grace that a person receives is a divine blessing; this very attention of the Lord is what Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) states in the farewell supplication of the blessed month of Ramadan: "You were the one who inspired gratitude in the hearts of the grateful."; "And you rewarded those who praised you and taught them how to praise you." As the poet says:

"God said, 'O Allah, You are our response.' And this need and pain and burning is our messenger."

In truth, the very fact that you say 'O Allah,' the very fact that a person becomes close to the Almighty God, speaks with God, is a divine grace and a blessing that God has granted to a person. This 'O Allah' contains the promise of the Lord's response. This spiritual pleasure, especially you youth, have tasted; this spiritual pleasure you have experienced with your pure, radiant, and untainted hearts. Do not lose this pleasure; do not abandon it. Utilize the capacity of the five daily prayers, the recitation of the Quran, mosques, the supplications that have been transmitted, Sahifa Sajjadiyya, and others, so that this purity and radiance continues. This is a prominent characteristic of the day of Eid al-Fitr, that you carry this radiance from the month of Ramadan with you.

The second characteristic is also manifested in this prayer of yours. The day of Eid al-Fitr embodies and displays the true and heartfelt unity of the nation; the unity of the nation, the collective adherence to the rope of God, is one of the very valuable things. We must preserve this as a Ramadan lesson for ourselves, which is also a product of the same spiritual meanings of the month of Ramadan. Especially since our month of Ramadan - especially we, the Iranian nation, thanks to our great Imam - includes the Day of Quds, which is one of the true manifestations of the unity and cohesion of the Islamic world. And this year, the Day of Quds, the massive march of the Iranian nation, drew the attention of the Muslim nations from all corners of the world. The Iranian nation raised their voices in unison and supported the oppressed nation of Palestine. And I must express my gratitude to the dear people of Iran, to all the individuals for this great movement that took place on the Day of Quds this year.

Dear brothers and sisters who are present for the prayer and all the people of Iran! Let us continue the blessings of the month of Ramadan for ourselves, for our loved ones, for the Islamic community, as much as we can, and preserve this divine treasure, which is a great blessing from God.

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

By time. Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds and advise one another to truth and advise one another to patience.

Second Sermon

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 his pure and chosen progeny, especially upon Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the pure and chaste lady, the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds, and Hasan and Husayn, the two grandsons of mercy and the leaders of guidance, 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, may God's blessings and peace be upon them all, and send blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers. I advise you, servants of God, to be God-conscious.

We must seek the grace of God to observe piety in what we say, hear, and do, in all circumstances.

One point regarding this year's Day of Quds is that this great movement in the Islamic world has become more established and has gained more expansion day by day. This year, the Islamic world witnessed demonstrations from various segments of most Muslim nations; from the east of the Islamic world, namely Indonesia, to the west of the Islamic world, namely Africa and Nigeria. In Muslim countries, wherever the people were allowed to express their intentions and will on the Day of Quds, groups of people came out and showed what feelings they have regarding the issue of Quds. Even Muslims living in Europe, minorities who are under the pressures of the biases of European governments and institutions, also commemorated the Day of Quds. This is a sign that the issue of Palestine, despite what the usurpers of Palestine and their supporters wanted, is becoming more alive in the Islamic world day by day. Their intention was to erase the name of Palestine from the memories of the Muslim nations. Their will was to completely remove and erase the map of Palestine and a nation called Palestine from the geography of the Islamic world. They have concentrated all their efforts over these sixty years since this great catastrophe on this task; however, what has occurred is the opposite of what they wanted and pursued. Today, the Islamic world is much more sensitive and motivated regarding the issue of Palestine. The reason for this is that the Islamic world has awakened. If this awakening had existed in 1948 AD - that is, 1327 in the solar calendar - when Palestine was officially usurped and fell into the hands of the Zionists, the realities would have been different, and this bitter incident in the Islamic world and this deep wound on the body of the Islamic Ummah would not have occurred. Today, Muslims are awake, aware, and day by day, with the grace of the Lord, they will become more awake. And I must say that one of the most important factors of this support and global expansion is the steadfastness and resistance of the brave Palestinian nation. We send our greetings to the Palestinian nation. This nation has truly proven that it is worthy of the name of Islam and worthy of being a living nation. From here, in front of you, the Muslim gathering, we say to the Palestinian people and to the legitimate government of Palestine and to our brother, the Mojahedin, Mr. Haniyeh: Know that the Iranian nation has not left you alone and will not leave you alone.

On the contrary, the Zionist enemy is becoming weaker day by day, both in spirit and in terms of its external reality and existence. Today, the leaders of the Zionists admit that they are facing weakness and defeat, and certainly the Islamic world will witness that day, and we hope that the current generation of the Palestinian people will see the day when Palestine is in the hands of the Palestinian people, the nation of Palestine, and the rightful owners can live there according to their own will and as they deserve.

The second point I must mention is that today the Islamic world is facing a comprehensive political, cultural, and propaganda assault from the enemies of Islam. This point should not be overlooked by all people in the Islamic world, especially the elites, especially intellectuals, religious scholars, and prominent political figures. Today, the assault against Islam and the sanctities of Muslims is comprehensive, and this is not because the enemy has become strong, but because the enemy feels weak in the face of the great Islamic movement; therefore, they resort to various psychological wars, various assaults, scaring nations and Muslim countries from one another, and propaganda against one another. The way forward is for the Islamic world to maintain its unity. Once again, for the hundredth time, the thousandth time, I say from the voice of the Iranian nation to all Muslim brothers around the world: Maintain your unity; do not become a plaything in the hands of common enemies who, under the guise of Arab and non-Arab ethnicity, under the guise of Shia and Sunni sects, and under various other titles, sow discord among you. They are neither friends of Shia nor friends of Sunni; they are enemies of Islam. In order to weaken Islam, one of their methods is to incite these groups against each other; to scare countries from one another. Here, where the banner of Islam has been raised, they try to scare countries and governments from the Islamic system, from the Islamic Republic with various lies and deceptions. We are all brothers together. The Iranian nation is advancing in the path of Islamic progress and, with the grace of the Lord, is moving forward rapidly, and it considers this to belong to all the Islamic world; it considers its honor, the honor of the Islamic world; its progress, the progress of the Islamic Ummah.

I would also like to say a word to our brothers, dear brothers at the national level. This call for unity and agreement, which is addressed to all the Islamic world, also has its audience within the country. The dear Iranian nation should maintain unity and agreement. Until today, what you have achieved has been due to the blessing of unity and agreement. Unity and agreement do not mean that everyone has the same taste and preference; unity and agreement mean that different tastes sit together, hold hands, and prioritize national interests over personal whims, and do not allow selfishness - which Ramadan was the month of suppressing these selfishnesses - to enter various political and social arenas and interactions. These days are days when the Muslim nation of Iran is experiencing great movements; it is accomplishing important tasks that are praised by fair and knowledgeable individuals around the world.

Thanks be to God, on the threshold of the fourth decade of the victory of the revolution, the Iranian nation is vibrant, ready, and the youth are fully motivated - the living, passionate revolutionary generation of today - are in the field, ready to work. You see the results of their work; in the fields of science, technology, various social activities, and political vitality; these are very precious. In order for these achievements to be preserved for the Iranian nation, it is necessary for all individuals, especially political elites, social elites, and prominent figures to pay attention to the fact that maintaining unity is more important than anything that may seem important in the realms of groups and communities. Unity must be preserved. The Almighty God says: "That abode of the Hereafter We assign to those who do not seek exaltation in the earth nor corruption, and the outcome is for the pious."; The good end of affairs belongs to those who are pious and keep themselves away from the prohibitions of God; who set aside their selfishness, strive for God, for God, in the direction of national interests, and for the exaltation of the word of Islam.

O Lord! Grant success to all of us - the speaker and the listener - in what we have said. O Lord! Unite the pure soul of the great Imam and the pure souls of the martyrs with Your saints. O Lord! Make our nation more and more honored and victorious day by day.

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.