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

First Sermon In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God, the 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, chosen one, the best of His creation, the Master of the Prophets and Messengers, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One of God on earth. And send blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers. God, the Wise, has said: "And complete the period and glorify God for what He has guided you." I congratulate the blessed Eid al-Fitr to all segments of the Muslim nation of Iran, to the entire Islamic Ummah, and to you dear worshippers. Spending the month of Ramadan with worship, fasting, supplication, remembrance, humility, and entering the day of Eid al-Fitr is truly a celebration for the believer. This Eid is not of the kind of worldly material celebrations; this is the Eid of God's mercy; this is the Eid of divine forgiveness; this is the Eid of gratitude and thanks from the people who have successfully passed the month of Ramadan with the worship of the Truth and have entered the magnificent divine banquet in health and well-being, and during Ramadan, to the best of their ability, have benefited from remembrance, supplication, humility, fasting, and prayer. This is the Eid of Muslims who have reached the day of Fitr with the hope of divine forgiveness and reward. There is a narration from Suwayd ibn Ghaflah - who is a friend of the Commander of the Faithful and has been described as "one of the allies of the Commander of the Faithful"; he was among the close companions of the Commander of the Faithful - who says: On the day of Eid al-Fitr, I entered the house of the Commander of the Faithful. "And there was a table spread before him"; a very humble meal was laid before him. "And a dish containing a humble meal"; a very modest food was placed before him. "Humble food" is food prepared with the least possible means; for example, they would mix some milk and some flour; a completely poor meal. "I said, O Commander of the Faithful, on the day of Eid, such a humble meal?"; I said, O Commander of the Faithful! You eat such an insignificant and low-value food on the day of Eid? It is customary for people to eat their best foods on Eid days; you have settled for this food? "He said: This is only a celebration for those who have been forgiven"; he said today is a day of celebration; but for those who have received divine forgiveness. That is, the celebration of today is not about eating colorful foods and indulging in childish joys; this is a true celebration for those who can and have managed to obtain divine forgiveness for themselves. In another sentence, the Commander of the Faithful said: "This is a celebration for those whom God accepts their fasting and thanks their prayers"; Eid al-Fitr is a celebration for someone whose fasting is accepted by God and whose prayers and worship are acknowledged and thanked by Him. "And every day on which God is not disobeyed is a day of celebration"; the day when you and I find the opportunity to commit no sin is a day of celebration and joy. Of course, it has been said that on Eid al-Fitr, greet one another; wear your new clothes; consider that day a day of celebration and joy; but the essence of this Eid is attention to spirituality and seeking forgiveness and requesting the mercy of the Lord. Dear brothers! Dear sisters! You fasting believers throughout the month of Ramadan with your fasting - for those for whom fasting was obligatory - with your worship, with your supplications, with your intercessions, with your revivals, with the recitation of the Quran you performed, with the remembrance and humility you exhibited, you created this opportunity for yourselves to draw your hearts closer to the Almighty God; consider this opportunity valuable; regard this achievement as significant and preserve it for yourselves. Our nation is a believing nation; the hearts of our youth are pure and radiant; our women and men across the country have a sincere heart connection with the Almighty God; this is a great opportunity for our nation to attract divine mercy. O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, grant our nation success in the fields of spirituality, in the fields of material growth and flourishing, in individual and social arenas. O Lord! Grant us the success of piety and the acquisition of God-consciousness and the preservation of piety. O Lord! Honor and elevate our nation; include Your mercy and forgiveness upon all of us and our predecessors; make the prayer of the Awaited One of God (may our souls be sacrificed for him) encompass us. In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Say: He is God, the One. God, the Eternal. He neither begets nor is born. And there is none comparable to Him.

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 upon our Master and Prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen progeny, especially Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the Pure Siddiqa, 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, may blessings 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, O servants of God, to be God-conscious. We thank God for granting our nation success in various arenas. Last year on this day, in the Eid al-Fitr sermon, we told the Iranian nation to prepare for the presidential elections. At the beginning of the year, we also told the people to consider this year as the "Year of National Unity and Public Participation." Our dear nation, by responding to this humble request, entered the elections with joy, pride, and enthusiasm, creating a memorable election in the country and in the history of the Islamic Republic. The movement of the Iranian nation towards its ideals must become more serious day by day and in accordance with principles and regulations, moving forward and onward, and our nation is ready. Although the enemies of this nation and the enemies of the Islamic Republic - which is a system born from the heart of the people, the beliefs of the people, and the will of the people - have tried for over twenty years to diminish the light of the Islamic Revolution, they have not succeeded either inside the country or in the Islamic world. It is true that if it were not for the malicious propaganda of your enemies, today your brothers in all Islamic regions, indeed in all corners of the world, would be more familiar with the wonders of this nation’s work, but despite that propaganda, today the Iranian nation is portrayed in the global image as a brave nation, possessing determination and will, with lofty ideals, ambition, and capability. You are introduced to the world as a nation that can achieve any goal it pursues with determination; the truth of the matter is just that. The uproar they create is precisely because of this. We must add one point to the characteristics of the Iranian nation and emphasize it, and that is the victimization of the Iranian nation. Our nation is a brave nation, with determination and will, and it is victimized. Victimized by whom? By the powerful and wealthy who care neither for humanity nor for human rights nor for dignity; for them, irresponsible and endless domination and power are what matter, and they pursue that on a global scale. The thirteenth of Aban (November 4) is the day that symbolizes the victimization of the Iranian nation. On the thirteenth of Aban, the Iranian nation cried out its victimization. The documents that emerged from the den of espionage revealed around a hundred volumes of clear truths - which exist, have been published, and are accessible to all - showing that the American government has not spared a moment against the Iranian nation and its interests - especially after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. However, this great nation is not one of those victims who submit to oppression; it is victimized, but it stands against oppression and does not tolerate it. Many years have passed since the events of the thirteenth of Aban, and that incident has become part of history; however, the truth that the events of the thirteenth of Aban and the seizure of the den of espionage symbolized - namely, the victimization of the Iranian nation and its intolerance of oppression from anyone - remains unchanged. Today is no different. Today, we do not oppress anyone; we do not invade any nation; we do not trample the rights of any nation in any corner of the world; but if the powerful of the world wish to trample our nation’s rights as per their habit, our nation will not tolerate oppression from anyone or any power; that is, victimization without enduring oppression and relying on oneself, not on unreliable international powers. Maintain this "self." My request from all segments of the Iranian nation, from political groups and from various factions, is that they do not harm this "self"; do not allow various illusions and minor grievances to tarnish this magnificent and glorious "self"; that great identity of the Iranian nation which, by the grace of faith, has been able to advance itself for many years. Although compensating for past backwardness still requires more effort and work, you, the nation, God willing, can and will reach the point that is worthy of this nation; the condition is that you rely on your identity, trust in your God, seek guidance, support, help, and success from God, and do not allow differences, trivial political disputes, and the use of minor excuses to tarnish the "self" of the Iranian nation - this great and brilliant identity. O Lord! We beseech You by the rank and status of Your saints to make the Iranian nation more successful day by day on the proud path it has ahead. O Lord! Unite our honored and dear martyrs with the Prophet. O Lord! Unite our great Imam with His saints and the saints of the religion. O Lord! Include us in the prayer of the Awaited One of God. In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. By time. Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised one another to truth and advised one another to patience. And peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.