Statements in the Sermon of 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 disbelieve in their Lord are equal. And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, with no partner. As God has borne witness to Himself, and His angels and the possessors of knowledge among His creation have borne witness. And we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. He sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religions, even if the polytheists dislike it. O God, send blessings and peace upon him and his pure, chosen family, especially the Remaining One of God among the inhabitants of the earth.

First of all, I congratulate the blessed Eid al-Fitr to all of you dear attendees - the worshippers - to the entire nation of Iran and to all Muslims around the world. An Eid that, according to the supplication of the prayer's qunut, is expressed: "the one You have made an Eid for the Muslims and a treasure, honor, and dignity for Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)." It is the Eid of Muslims and a source of honor and dignity for the great Prophet of Islam.

My dear ones! You spent the month of Ramadan with fasting, worship, recitation of the Quran, remembrance, supplication, and prayer. The month of Ramadan is a manifestation of servitude to God; it is a clear path towards piety; it is a means of forgiveness of sins; it is a source of light for the hearts. It is a month in which the Almighty God accepts His servants to His banquet, and the servants draw closer to the Almighty God. It is a great month. The Almighty God has ordained the magnificent ceremonies of this month in such a way that they do not easily and simply come to an end. At the end of this month - which is a month of worship - He has designated a day to be a day of Eid, a day of gathering, a day of greatness; Muslim brothers should congratulate each other; they should appreciate the successes of the month of Ramadan; they should account for themselves before God; and they should preserve what has been stored for them in this noble month. That day is the day of Eid al-Fitr. Therefore, although the day of Eid al-Fitr is a celebration, it is also a day of worship, supplication, remembrance, and drawing closer to God, which begins with prayer and ends with supplication, invocation, and remembrance. Value this day; consider the treasure of piety as precious and regard Eid al-Fitr as significant.

Today in the qunut of the prayer, you asked God nine times: "O God, I ask You for the best of what Your righteous servants have asked of You"; meaning grant us the best thing that the righteous servants of God seek. "And I seek refuge in You from what Your sincere servants seek refuge from"; and from that which the sincere servants of God seek refuge in You, we also seek refuge in You. What you have asked for is God's pleasure, drawing closer to God, success in action for God, and success in divine servitude. What you have sought refuge in God from is the servitude of the self, the servitude of desires, the servitude of others besides God, and polytheism against the Lord.

O Lord! Grant this supplication for all of us, for all the nation of Iran, and for all Muslims around the world. O Lord! Free us from the bondage of the desires of the self. O Lord! Make us friends of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. O Lord! Gather us in this world and the hereafter with them. O Lord! Make us pious and God-conscious. Make this month of Ramadan and today a month and day of nearness to You. O Lord! Make the treasure of piety a support for us in all matters of life.

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."

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 the master of the prophets and messengers, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad and his pure, chosen family, especially Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the pure and chaste Fatimah, the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds, 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 upon Your servants and Your trusted ones in Your lands. And I ask God for forgiveness for me and for you, and I advise you to have piety towards God.

Dear brothers and sisters! Cultivate God-consciousness and consider the Almighty God in your speech, in your actions, in your decisions, and in your intentions, for this is the source of happiness.

First, I must thank the great nation of Iran for commemorating "Quds Day." You, the nation of Iran, have preserved the dignity of Islam, the dignity of Quds, and the dignity of the honor of Muslims. This year's Quds Day was, like previous years, a day of the glory of Islam. This is the source. This is the place of the outpouring of thoughts, feelings, emotions, determination, and Islamic resolve; this is the truth. Thanks be to God, this year's month of Ramadan was also a month of worship; a month of supplication and humility; mosques were flourishing; the youth engaged in religious and worship ceremonies and recitation of the Quran, and what brings spiritual illumination to a young heart. These are God's blessings and, by God's grace, will bestow their blessings.

Unfortunately, in Pakistan, some of our Muslim brothers were martyred during Ramadan for being Shiite, at the hands of a fanatical group - who know nothing of Islam but its name. In Lebanon, too, some of our Muslim brothers were martyred under the bombardments of the Zionist regime - perhaps while fasting. In many parts of the Islamic world, Muslims have endured great sufferings; however, the Muslim people of the world, thanks to the unity, thanks to the unity of the word of monotheism, thanks to the awakening and awareness that the great movement of the Iranian nation has bestowed upon them and the clear path that our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified) has laid before all, God willing, will overcome these problems.

Dear brothers and sisters! Value this revolution, this Islam, this dignity, and this becoming a model for the Islamic world; this is thanks to Islam. What has honored you is Islam. What has honored you is striving in the way of God. What has honored you is the unity of the word. Extend your hands to one another, entrust your hearts to God, open your eyes and insights, and step forward in the way of God. The Iranian nation, under the shadow of unity and the agreement of the word, behind the caring, faithful, God-fearing, and service-loving officials, God willing, will be able to pass through all difficult paths and twists and turns. The way of God is a clear path; even if there is hardship and suffering in it, that hardship and suffering is also considered a grace and favor from God, and God will reward it. If there is patience and resistance, the pains and problems will be removed from your path. This year, thanks be to God, it is felt that our Muslim people - the believers and the masses of this country - will maintain this unity with the same enthusiasm and vitality they have had in previous years. Of course, some will undermine unity, harm it, write and speak in vain; but thanks be to God, the essence of the nation, the chosen ones of the nation, the prominent figures of the nation, the guides of the country and the community, continue their path with the unity of the word.

Dear nation! Faithful and patient servants of God! Honor the path of God, the path of the revolution, and the path of the Imam; move hand in hand behind your caring officials, elders, and guides, and do not let your unity be harmed. Those who wish to create a wave in this calm ocean for their short-term interests, and do things that disturb the peace of minds, should know that they will gain nothing. This nation, this great gathering, this brave and striving community in the way of God, by God's grace, has its goal set on God, its goal is Islam, its goal is dignity, its goal is independence, and it knows that these will be achieved through the unity of the word. Trust in God, join hands with one another, and move behind your officials. Certainly, in a calm atmosphere that the country enjoys - and thanks be to God, it is endowed with it - the officials of the country can better address the problems of the people, the economic knots, and the tasks that are upon them. Preserve all manifestations of unity and consider everything that undermines unity as from Satan. What is necessary for everyone to pay attention to is to make gatherings, gatherings that are composed and faithful. In this past year and a bit, several incidents have occurred where some have made the atmosphere of Friday prayers tense. I want to say that you should preserve your Friday prayers. If there are any disagreements, Friday prayers are not the place to settle those disagreements. Friday prayers are a place of unity, a place of gathering, a place of bringing hearts closer; do not let it become a manifestation of discord. The enemy delights in seeing a place of gathering become a place of discord. The honorable Friday prayer leaders should also take care and not bring up divisive and discordant issues.

Preserve this great unity that, thanks be to God, exists in our country. Of course, despite the enemy's wishes, this unity will be maintained. Despite the enemies' desires, this nation will continue its movement in the way of God. The efforts of the enemies, the efforts of the propaganda horns, the efforts of the political schemers against the Islamic Republic - who have been experiencing and accumulating experience for twenty years and every day think they enter the field of propaganda against the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic with a fuller hand - will come to nothing. The nation and the officials are united. There is a single front, and that is the front of the revolution and Islam. Within this front, even if there are differences of opinion, the principle of respect for Islam, respect for the Quran, safeguarding the revolution, safeguarding the path of the great Imam, safeguarding the dignity and independence of this country, and striving to ease the minds of the nation and eliminate problems remains firm and preserved. This, thanks be to God, is a common matter among the caring individuals of this country, among the officials of the branches, among the heads of the country, among the officials of various sectors, and all of them are united in these matters. The enemy wants to create discord in these matters. Therefore, they magnify small issues and spread things that do not exist in the waves of propaganda to pollute the atmosphere. Thanks be to God, our nation is vigilant, our youth are vigilant, and they will not fall for the enemy's tricks. The world will see that this nation, due to its steadfastness and the sincerity of its leaders, will be able to carry heavy burdens, move mountains, and, by God's grace, will remove all obstacles from its path of growth and progress.

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

When the victory of God has come and the conquest, and you see the people entering into the religion of God in multitudes, then glorify the praises of your Lord and ask for His forgiveness; indeed, He is the Accepting of Repentance.

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