Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the Sermons 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. And peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim, the chosen Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, the infallible guides, especially the Awaited One of God among the inhabitants of the earth. And may peace be upon the leaders of the Muslims and the protectors of the oppressed and the guides of the believers. God, the Wise, says in His Book: "And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is a great burden except for the humbly submissive."

I congratulate the dear nation of Iran, you esteemed and honored worshippers, and all the Muslim nations and the great Islamic Ummah around the world on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr; although the crimes of the Zionists in Palestine have left no joy for the Muslims.

Eid al-Fitr is the day of receiving rewards and witnessing divine mercy after the month of Ramadan. Thanks be to God, you have passed the month of Ramadan - which was the month of patience and prayer - in good health, and the Almighty God has enabled you, through supplication, remembrance, and communion, to fulfill the obligation of fasting and to be humble before the Divine Presence. Today is the day when, God willing, the Almighty God will grant you your rewards. Perhaps one of the greatest divine rewards is that God enables all of us to keep the means of divine mercy until the next Ramadan for ourselves. The divine mercy in the month of Ramadan is derived from the good deeds that you are granted the opportunity to perform in this blessed month.

In the month of Ramadan, there is attention to God, kindness to the needy, maintaining family ties, and caring for the weak, as well as purity and piety; there is reconciliation with those from whom you have distanced yourself; there is fairness with those with whom you have had enmity. It is a month of tenderness, attention, and communion; hearts soften, and souls are illuminated with the light of divine grace and mercy, and a person finds the opportunity to perform these good deeds. Continue this until next year; let us take the lessons of the month of Ramadan for the entire year. This will be one of the greatest rewards from God, to grant us such success. Let us seek God's pleasure, mercy, acceptance, forgiveness, and health. This will indeed be the true Eid.

What I wish to convey to our dear people in this sermon is that the greatest lesson of the month of Ramadan is self-building. The first and most important step of self-building is that a person critically examines themselves and their morals and behaviors; they should see their faults clearly and carefully and strive to eliminate them. This is within our own capacity, and it is an obligation upon us.

I tell the people: Have compassion for one another so that the Almighty God may have compassion for you. Those whose hands are open should not extend their hands to transgress the interests and welfare of others. Those who possess intelligence, resources, power, and various individual and social responsibilities should not use these abilities to infringe upon others. Let us consider ourselves servants of God; in relation to the other servants of God, let us feel obliged to accompany, do good, and observe fairness; then the rain of God's mercy and grace will pour down upon us; it will cleanse us and bestow its blessings upon us. Of course, this is the duty of all; but those who have influence, power, status, wealth, and a voice among the people bear greater responsibility in the face of this heavy burden - the burden of self-building and limiting their powers from infringing upon others.

One of the greatest duties of a person is to recognize their legal limits wherever they are and not to exceed them. Exceeding limits is the very ugly and disgraceful concept of despotism and global arrogance. The greatest danger for a person is to fall into despotism and global arrogance. Everyone can be afflicted by this malady; they must be vigilant about themselves. Of course, those whose social standing is higher are more exposed to this malady. A person who has the spirit of arrogance, if they have more power, wealth, and higher status, poses a greater danger to themselves and to the people; thus, they must be more vigilant about themselves. Those who become corrupt in society - whether financially, morally, or politically - ruin themselves and harm the people; the main cause of this is that a person feels constrained in the face of the limits of law and Sharia; they want to remove any obstacle in their path. When a person, God forbid, falls into this state, they no longer recognize any limits; they become combative against anything that hinders their access to their interests and take a stance of opposition and enmity. This is how danger arises in society. The reason I have warned and requested officials to combat financial corruption is precisely because of this. A person who becomes financially corrupt does not merely consume and hoard the wealth of the people; the problem is that a germ of corruption wants to fight against anything that stands in its way and uses all its power to remove this obstacle. Now, if this obstacle is Sharia, they will fight against Sharia; if it is the Constitution, they will fight against the Constitution; if it is ordinary laws, they will fight against ordinary laws.

Thanks be to God, the judiciary and part of the executive branch have seriously entered the field following our request. Everyone must assist them. No one should defend the corrupt and corruption. Anyone who weakens this legal and logical anti-corruption movement has supported and aided corruption; they have fallen into a kind of despotism and global arrogance; that is, they have rebelled against the law.

Of course, I advise both the judiciary and the executive branch to be vigilant in practice and to observe the limits. Let no one be wronged; let no one's reputation be tarnished without deserving punishment. The press must also be vigilant about this matter. In any case, this movement is a correct and principled movement and must be pursued.

O Lord! We beseech You by this noble day and by Your saints and by Your great Prophet, by the family of the Prophet and the Imams of guidance and by all the good and righteous and by the blood of the martyrs of Islam from the beginning until today, keep us steadfast on Your path. Grant success and support to those who strive and struggle for You and in Your way.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Say, "He is God, 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 Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. We praise Him, seek His help, ask for His forgiveness, believe in Him, rely upon Him, and send blessings and peace upon His beloved and chosen one, the master of the prophets and messengers, Abu al-Qasim, the chosen Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, the infallible guides, especially Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and Fatimah al-Zahra, the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds, 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 Scholar of the Prophets, 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 al-Hujjah ibn al-Hasan al-Mahdi, may peace be upon them all. I advise you, O servants of God, to be God-conscious.

I recommend all dear brothers and sisters to observe divine piety, and I hope that on this noble day, the Lord of the worlds will alleviate the troubles of the Islamic world with His grace.

In this sermon, we look at the Islamic world. Today, there are great troubles in the Islamic world. All Muslims are responsible. Governments, scholars, intellectuals, academics, and artists throughout the Islamic world, and all those who have influence, bear greater responsibility. Today, some major governments, under the guise of international evil, have exceeded their limits; to advance their policies, they spare no effort in exercising any form of coercion; they exert military, political, and propaganda pressure against nations that wish to live freely and cut off the hands of plunderers from the abundant table of their national interests. Today, the tragedy of Palestine is at its peak of ugliness and shock. Today, the oppressed people of Palestine, without having committed any crime other than wanting to live freely in their home and homeland and not to be humiliated, are labeled as terrorists! This is one of the greatest historical injustices. The Palestinian nation sees the usurpers in their own home; their life has been plundered; their home has been taken from them; their wealth is in the hands of their enemies; in addition to this, they are humiliated in their own home, city, and land. If a young Muslim in Palestine wants to go to Friday prayers, they are thoroughly searched; they are humiliated; they are insulted and prevented from attending Friday prayers. If they have even the slightest suspicion of a young man or woman, they are humiliated and insulted in their own homes. If they say something or if a spark of their anger is ignited, they bring their weapons into the streets without any hindrance and destroy their homes with tanks. If this oppressed nation defends itself, if it cries out, if it seeks help from the Islamic world, it is labeled a terrorist?! The Zionist regime is committing terrorist acts with increasing ugliness and audacity every day. They close their eyes to its actions; yet they label this oppressed nation as terrorists! This is the greatest injustice being perpetrated. The Islamic world must awaken and feel its duty.

I sincerely thank our dear nation for their powerful and enthusiastic presence on Quds Day. The nations of the world express their hatred as much as they can and as much as they are allowed; but this must be translated into action in the decisions of governments. Muslim governments must feel that they have a responsibility in the face of this issue.

Public opinion in the Islamic world must also understand: America and the arrogant governments cannot enter the affairs of our countries from a position of compassion and goodwill and mediation. Their position is one of enmity and support for the oppressor and aggressor. Our duty does not end. This duty is a lasting one and is upon everyone. We must equip the Palestinian Muslim nation, assist them, and encourage them so that they can continue their brave jihad. Of course, let me tell you: Today, the Palestinian nation has proven with its resistance, steadfastness, courage, and tirelessness that blood can stand against the sword, and God willing, it will prove that blood will triumph over the sword.

We are also concerned about the issue of Afghanistan. The situation of our neighboring, Muslim, and culturally similar nation is dangerous. The current situation - which we have welcomed - can be disrupted by the intervention of great powers and the influence of foreign hands in Afghanistan. This calm, which has emerged after years of turmoil, will be destroyed if governments seek to intervene and pursue their own interests - not the interests of the Afghan people - within Afghanistan. The formation of the Afghan government must be free from international influence. Those who should take charge of Afghanistan must be from the people themselves and familiar with the sufferings of the Afghan people. They should not bring four people from abroad; people who do not know Afghanistan well; who have not seen Afghanistan for decades; who have lived their lives in European countries and elsewhere; what do they understand of the pain of the Afghan people?! Those who should take charge must be those who understand the pain; who have shown compassion for the Afghan people; who have felt the sufferings of the people with their own flesh and blood. Afghanistan has suffered all it has over the past twenty-five years due to foreign influence. If this nation can take charge of its own affairs, these sufferings, God willing, will come to an end. We ask the Almighty God to grant happiness and prosperity to the Muslim people of Afghanistan.

O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, encompass the people of Afghanistan, the people of Palestine, and all Muslim nations with Your mercy and grace; grant them victory and cut off the hands of their enemies and ill-wishers.

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 each other to truth and advised each other to patience.

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