Statements on Meeting Thousands of People from Various Sectors on the Blessed Eid of Ghadir

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 al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Remaining One of God on the earth.

Thanks be to God who has made us among those who hold fast to the Guardianship of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Commander of the Faithful, and the infallible Imams (peace be upon them).

I congratulate all of you, esteemed attendees, and the entire nation of Iran, and all Muslims around the world on the blessed Eid of Ghadir; for the Eid of Ghadir, with its profound and significant meaning, belongs to all Muslims; the entire Islamic world should honor the Eid of Ghadir, which is truly the "Greatest Eid of God."

I sincerely thank our dear people for celebrating this noble Eid in a popular manner, in the streets, and along long paths for the Eid of Ghadir; it is a very good popular initiative. These days coincide with the fortieth day of the martyrs of service, which naturally renews the memory of these dear ones for the nation of Iran; on the other hand, there is an electoral enthusiasm among the people; these are sensitive days that coincide with this blessed Eid, the blessed Eid of Ghadir, and we all must ask God Almighty for success so that we can carry out our duties accordingly.

My remarks today will be a brief word regarding the event of Ghadir, just to express our respect, and then I will say a few sentences about the elections; this is the outline of our discourse today with you, dear brothers and sisters who have gathered here.

Regarding the Eid of Ghadir, which is the day of the announcement of the caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), there is a very striking and sensitive Quranic expression on this day; that expression is found in the first verses of Surah Al-Ma'idah, where it says: "Today those who disbelieve have despaired of your religion;" meaning that on the eighteenth of Dhul-Hijjah in the tenth year of Hijrah, the day of the announcement of Ghadir and the succession of the Commander of the Faithful, the disbelievers became hopeless of being able to eradicate the pure religion of Islam; until that day, they were still hopeful that they could do this; but on that day, they became hopeless. "Today those who disbelieve have despaired of your religion, so do not fear them, but fear Me;" (1) [it says] now do not let the might of the disbelievers intimidate you; do not give importance to the appearances and displays that the disbelievers make; be mindful of your behavior before the Lord of the worlds; [the meaning of] the verse is this. Why did the disbelievers become hopeless? This is due to the continuity of the "political rule of Islam."

At one point, there is Islamic belief, there is Islamic action, but there is no Islamic politics, no Islamic rule; when the rule of Islam is established, the spirit of Islam -- which I will explain -- will be realized; the spirit of Islam is "Imamate." Imamate is one of the important ranks of the divine prophets; that is, each of the prophets is an Imam, possessing the rank of Imamate. The rank of Imamate for the prophets is higher than the rank of prophethood. The meaning of the prophethood of a prophet is that he conveys the divine message to the people, but the meaning of the Imamate of a prophet is that he implements this message in the hearts of the people, in the thoughts of the people, and in the actions and behaviors of the people; this is the meaning of Imamate. Therefore, you see that God Almighty says to Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), after all the hard tests that befell that great man, at the end of his life: "And when his Lord tested Abraham with words and he fulfilled them, He said, 'Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people.'" After all these events, after all these hard tests, at the end of his life, God says to Abraham: "Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people." Why do we say at the end of his life? Because afterward, Abraham says: "And of my descendants?" (2) "Is there Imamate in my descendants as well?" To which God Almighty responds. Well, the descendants of Abraham relate to the old man Abraham. Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) in his old age -- perhaps at ninety years old or older -- had two children; the Quran says, "Praise be to God who granted me, in old age, Ishmael and Isaac;" (3) this is the meaning of Imamate. This Imamate is continued by the Prophet Muhammad under divine command, but the continuation of this Imamate must be accompanied by political rule; hence he announces the caliphate, he announces the guardianship; "Whoever I am his master, this Ali is his master." (4) Furthermore, know that the Hadith of Ghadir has not only been narrated by Shia, [but] it is widely transmitted among both Shia and Sunni; this Hadith, where the Prophet said, "Whoever I am his master, this Ali is his master," has been narrated by all or many of the hadith scholars of both Shia and Sunni. Well, when Imamate is continued, the Islamic way of life is also continued. When Imamate has political rule in society, the way of life of the community takes on an Islamic form, the Islamic model is realized in society. If the political rule of Islam is lost, the greatest loss is that the Islamic way of life, the Islamic social life will be eradicated; this is the greatest loss.

This effort that our Imams (peace be upon them) made throughout their two hundred and fifty years of life for the rule of Islam, the struggle they undertook, the work that later some of the great Shia figures did, the work that Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and the nation of Iran did during this period to establish the Islamic Revolution, all of this is to ensure that Imamate is supported by political rule, and this leads to the expansion of "Islamic life" in society.

What does "Islamic life" mean? What does the manner of Islamic social life entail? This can be found in the Quran, in Nahj al-Balagha, and in the traditions. In this model, there exists "that people may maintain justice" (5), meaning "justice"; in this model, there exists "harsh against the disbelievers" (6), meaning "boundary-setting with the enemy"; in this model, there exists "merciful among themselves" (7), meaning "the kindness of believers and people towards one another"; these are the main lines; if we neglect any of these and let them remain unaddressed, a deficiency arises in the model of Islamic life.

In this model, there is "it is grievous to him what you suffer" (8); meaning the ruler of the community feels the suffering of the people with all his heart. The Quran says, "It is grievous to him what you suffer"; you are suffering, the Prophet suffers. This is from the ruler towards the people. From the people, there is also "Obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you"; (9) the people also cooperate, obey, assist, and follow. There are thousands of clear lines for elucidating Islamic life in the Quran, in Nahj al-Balagha, in Sahifa Sajjadiyya, and in numerous traditions. This is the meaning of Ghadir. Ghadir, in fact, offers the gift of Islamic life for the continuation of the history of Islam; now what happened later regarding the issue of Ghadir is another discussion. The meaning of Ghadir is the continuation of divine and Islamic rule so that this rule can continue the prominent and advanced model of Islamic life through Imamate; this is the meaning of Ghadir; this does not differ for Shia and Sunni; all Islamic sects benefit from this. We should view Ghadir with this perspective that it is a source of "unity"; we should not use Ghadir as a pretext for disputes between Shia and Sunni. This is the point regarding Ghadir.

And now about the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him). What can we say about Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him)? Can an ordinary human mind and the eye of an ordinary intellect perceive that sun, gaze upon it, and be dazzled by it? Is it possible? No. The spiritual beauty of the Commander of the Faithful cannot be comprehended; we cannot understand it; we do not recognize the celestial rank of the Commander of the Faithful; that is, words are spoken, an image may arise in our minds, but we truly cannot grasp the essence and meaning of that bright truth that the Commander of the Faithful embodies; an ordinary human cannot comprehend it; the Imams understand it, the Prophet himself understands it. So how can we learn from the Commander of the Faithful? From the words of the Commander of the Faithful that are in Nahj al-Balagha, which, thanks be to God, have been compiled and are available. One of the great divine blessings for Islamic societies is this Nahj al-Balagha; this is not exclusive to Shia; the greatest commentary on Nahj al-Balagha was written by Ibn Abi al-Hadid, a Sunni. In this recent century, the well-known Egyptian scholar, Muhammad Abduh, wrote a commentary on Nahj al-Balagha; that is, Nahj al-Balagha is not only for Shia, it is for all Muslims; it is a lesson, a path, a presentation of criteria, a statement of foundations; it is something great. When we look at this Nahj al-Balagha and also at the verses of the Quran, we can derive the dimensions of the personality of the Commander of the Faithful for learning. Now I will present a few brief sections; it may take years if someone wants to sit down and talk about the virtues of the Commander of the Faithful; one hour, one and a half hours, or ten hours will not suffice. Now I will present a few words.

The virtues of that great man are such that, as Khalil ibn Ahmad, the well-known scholar of the second century, said, the virtues of Ali ibn Abi Talib were concealed both by his enemies and his friends; his enemies concealed them out of enmity; his friends concealed them out of oppression, taqiyya, and fear; they concealed them, they did not speak. Despite the fact that both enemies and friends concealed them, the virtues of the Commander of the Faithful have filled the entire world; his expression is: "He filled the two horizons." What great personality is there whose non-believers write several volumes about him? This is specific to the Commander of the Faithful; this is only specific to Ali ibn Abi Talib. A Christian speaks about him, a Hindu speaks about him, a Buddhist speaks about him, Muslim brothers from the Sunni sect who are not Shia but fully accept the Commander of the Faithful write books about him, speak about him; this is the virtue of this great man.

Now I will say a few words about some characteristics of the life of the Commander of the Faithful and his personality, in which he is at the pinnacle. First, certainty; what keeps a person, a seeker of the path, a pursuer of a goal on the path? "Certainty"; [that is] to have certainty, not to become hopeless, not to despair, not to fall into doubt; the Commander of the Faithful is at the pinnacle of certainty. His own expression is: "Indeed, I... have insight from my soul and certainty from my Lord." (10) There is also a famous saying: "If the veil were lifted, I would not increase in certainty" (11) which, of course, I did not find this saying in Nahj al-Balagha, [but] it has been transmitted from him. This certainty of the Commander of the Faithful is at the pinnacle of this meaning.

Regarding feelings towards humans; not only towards Muslims, not only towards his followers, but towards [all] humans, his feelings are also at the pinnacle. In Nahj al-Balagha, there are several instances, and I will present one of them here. It was reported to the Commander that the wicked and the ruffians of Sham were coming armed to the granary (12) and attacking the houses of people, pulling gold from the hands and feet of women, tormenting and harassing them; [when] this news was conveyed to the Commander, he said: "I have been informed that one of them would enter upon the Muslim woman and the other who is under treaty and would seize her ring;" see! He says, "I have been informed that they enter the house where there is a woman -- either a Muslim woman or a non-Muslim woman -- then when he says this, he adds: 'If a Muslim man dies out of grief after this, he would not be blamed.'" If a Muslim man dies from this incident, from this news, from the grief that the ruffians and wicked men of Sham enter the house and assault Muslim [and non-Muslim] women, if he dies from grief, "he would not be blamed; rather, it would be worthy of him." (13) You see the peak of feeling! Indifference towards the masses of society is in stark contrast to this feeling towards each and every individual of society, even a non-Muslim woman; he says if a Muslim man dies from this grief, from this sorrow that the ruffians and wicked men of Sham enter the house and assault women, it is "worthy of him"; you see the peak of feeling! Compassion towards all people at such a peak; this is another aspect of the personality of the Commander of the Faithful.

Regarding the issue of justice; one cannot even speak about the justice of the Commander of the Faithful; it is simply indescribable. Now I will quote one sentence from him; he says: "By God, if I were to spend the night on the thorns of Sa'dan, or be dragged in chains, it would be more beloved to me than to meet God Almighty on the Day of Resurrection as an oppressor to any of the servants." (14) All of this is better for me than to meet God on the Day of Resurrection while having oppressed someone! [If] the greatest tortures were inflicted upon me in this world, it would be acceptable to me rather than having oppressed someone. Then you see who is saying this; someone who is at the head of a government whose east and west are several times larger than our current Iran. That is, the country over which the Commander of the Faithful ruled -- from the Jihun River to the Nile River, which includes Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Egypt [was included]; only Sham was separate, which Muawiya had separated; the rest were all under the rule of the Commander of the Faithful [was] -- he says [if] any one of this vast population living in this great country is oppressed, it is heavier for me than to be tortured all my life! This is the justice of the Commander of the Faithful. I said that one cannot even speak about the justice of the Commander of the Faithful; it is so significant, there are such strange signs of the justice of this great man. This is also at the pinnacle.

Regarding vigilance against the enemy, again at the pinnacle. I will present one sentence from Nahj al-Balagha; he says: "By God, I will not be like the deer that sleeps through the long night." (15) The summary of its meaning is this: "I am not someone who is lulled to sleep by the enemy's lullaby." Many people become reassured by the enemy's smile, thinking there is no danger; if the enemy sings a lullaby, they fall asleep! The Commander of the Faithful says, "And whoever sleeps, the enemy does not sleep from him." (16) If you fall asleep, it does not mean the enemy has fallen asleep; he is awake. The enemy's caress and lullaby do not make me fall asleep; this means this vigilance against the enemy is at the pinnacle.

Another point, regarding the people's role in governance, the mutual rights between the people and the ruler; "And you have rights over me like those I have over you." (17) He says the same amount of rights I have over you -- now see what a great right the Commander of the Faithful has over the people; the manifestation of God's power, the manifestation of God's mercy, the manifestation of God's knowledge, how great is the right he has over humans? The same amount of rights I have over you -- you [also] have rights over me; the people's role in the Islamic system is this. Now a number of people sit and say that the Islamic Republic of Iran learned elections and democracy and popular governance from the West! Is Nahj al-Balagha from the West? The people's role in governance in the words of the Commander of the Faithful [is this]; now there are many verses in the Quran that can be understood from this meaning. This is also the word of the Commander of the Faithful.

Another sentence that also respects the opinion of the people [is this]; and this is also at the pinnacle. "Do not refrain from speaking the truth or giving fair counsel;" (18) the Commander of the Faithful, who is the mine of wisdom, the mine of knowledge, whose knowledge is connected to the knowledge of God, whose knowledge has not been acquired through ordinary means, this person with such scientific greatness says: "Do not refrain from speaking the truth;" if a truthful word comes to your mind that you should tell me, say it; do not remain silent; or "giving fair counsel;" when you want to give me some advice, if something comes to your mind, give counsel. In everything, at the pinnacle, in every aspect, at the pinnacle!

Again, another point is about the presence of the people and their influence on the fate of the country [is this]. He says: "And no person, even if he is belittled by souls and overlooked by eyes, can be without contributing to that;" (19) anyone, no matter how small they may seem to you and you want or can ignore them, is not without influence on the fate of the country; that is, even the smallest individuals in society, the poorest individuals in society, the most helpless individuals in society can be influential in the fate of the country. Now these are some aspects of the personality of the Commander of the Faithful. If we want to speak in ordinary language, we must say that the personality of the Commander of the Faithful has, for example, a hundred dimensions, and now we have mentioned some of these dimensions using the words of that great man and have seen that in all these dimensions, the Commander of the Faithful is at the pinnacle; not only does he possess these dimensions, [but] in these dimensions, he is at the pinnacle. Now his asceticism, his worship, his sincerity, his charity, his generosity, are all matters that I have mentioned; [if] someone wants to speak about this, the discussion is not for one hour or several hours; one must sit and speak for days, months, and years. Therefore, in the words of this great man, other dimensions can also be shown and found.

Become familiar with Nahj al-Balagha; I especially emphasize this to the youth; learn Nahj al-Balagha. Fortunately, good translations of Nahj al-Balagha have been made and are accessible to everyone. Read Nahj al-Balagha; read it, see what the Commander of the Faithful teaches us; what lessons he gives and what news he provides from his existence. What the Commander of the Faithful expresses is the highest embodiment of all these values. In the words of other Imams (peace be upon them), it is the same.

In this visitation on the day of Eid Ghadir, today, there is a well-known, detailed visitation from Imam Hadi (peace be upon him), transmitted with a reliable chain, which is in Mafatih. Now [the reason] why Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) speaks so extensively about the Commander of the Faithful, I have an analysis that we will not delve into much. In this visitation, he refers to dozens of Quranic verses and applies them to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him). After mentioning all these matters regarding the Commander of the Faithful -- perhaps ten to twelve pages in Mafatih -- Imam Hadi (peace be upon him) addresses his great grandfather and says: "No one can encompass your description;" whoever praises you cannot reach your description; it is impossible! After all these words -- which are ten pages about the Commander of the Faithful -- that is Imam Hadi (peace be upon him), who himself is a great celestial Imam, says: "No one can encompass your description, nor can the one who opposes you diminish your virtue;" (20) that one who is opposed and hostile to you cannot conceal and hide these amazing descriptions. This is how it is. This is the description of the Commander of the Faithful.

Let us learn; we must learn. The name of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), his blessed name, and the praises said about this great man are accessible to all of us, and we repeat them, but this is not enough; the Commander of the Faithful is a teacher; we must kneel down and learn. Everyone must learn; the leader must learn, the subordinate must learn, the high-ranking manager must learn, and even someone like me -- a cleric -- must learn; all people must learn; we must learn. I said the Commander of the Faithful is the highest manifestation of Imamate, which is responsible for elucidating and emphasizing Islamic life in society; we must learn this life. Of course, the revolution helped; the revolution created a transformation. The nation of Iran was previously completely oblivious; and we all were. God's mercy upon the great Imam, God's mercy upon the pioneers of this revolution, many of whom became martyrs; they worked hard, they labored, they strived, the revolution triumphed, and thanks be to God, they were able to familiarize us to some extent; God's mercy upon the nation of Iran; this is preserved; but we are still in the initial steps; we must walk a long way, we must strive a lot. Well, this is regarding Ghadir and the Commander of the Faithful.

A few sentences regarding the elections. Dear brothers, dear sisters! Elections are very important. In three days, the nation of Iran will face a test. Elections are always a test, now it has more significance than ever. It has been almost forty days since the loss of a good president, a beloved, popular, and hardworking president whom the people loved, and whose funeral was held with millions across the country -- these are all merits -- yet, around the fortieth day, the people are holding an election; this is very important; such occurrences are rare in the world. The nation of Iran has this determination.

Well, I hope, God willing, that God brings the nation of Iran out of this election with honor. What does honor mean? Honor consists of two matters: first, "maximum participation," and second, "choosing the best"; both of these are important. High participation, which we insist on, is because the most important effect of high participation is the honor of the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic has had fierce enemies since the moment it was established; they have done everything they could against the Islamic Republic; they are still busy; they are constantly plotting, which I have mentioned in various talks and have spoken about their plots; we have been able to unveil some of their plots, so that it can be seen what they intend to do; they are still busy. The Islamic Republic has enemies. One of the things that makes the Islamic Republic prevail over its enemies is elections. If the good participation of the people in this election is observed, this will be a source of honor for the Islamic Republic.

The participation of the people is inherent to the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic -- "Republic" means the people -- [means] the general public should enter the field with an Islamic method, with an Islamic approach. This field has many manifestations, the most important of which is this election and the determination of the officials of the country. "The entry of the people into the field" means that the Islamic Republic is truly a republic, [thus] the tongues of the enemies are shortened. In every election where participation has been low, the tongues of the critics of the Islamic Republic and the envious of the Islamic Republic have been long, they have criticized. When participation is high, the tongues of the detractors are shortened; they cannot criticize, they cannot rejoice, we do not make the enemy happy; the reason I insist on high participation is this. Therefore, the first element is the participation of the general public; they should not be lazy, they should not be indifferent, they should not underestimate; they should participate in every corner of the country. Participation is not just for cities; it is not just for large cities; in various collective centers, villages, and districts, people must participate in the elections so that the Islamic Republic can be honored in the world.

And now the second point: choosing the best. What does choosing the best mean? Who is the best? The best is the one who, first and foremost, has a heartfelt and genuine belief in the principles of this revolution and this system. "With insight" and "with certainty"; just as we mentioned from the words of the Commander of the Faithful; he must have belief in this path; this is one. Our late president, the martyr of service, dear Raisi, truly had belief. Well, I have known him for a long time; during his three-year presidency, he constantly met and interacted with us; it was completely evident that he was moving with heart and soul, with belief; one is that he must have belief; the second is that he must be capable; he must not know day or night, he must pursue work, he must have the ability to work; he must use good elements and good colleagues, which I will mention a sentence about at the end. The ability to work and the enthusiasm for work, along with a firm belief in the principles of the revolution, constitute eligibility. When this eligibility exists, this person with these characteristics can utilize all the capacities of the country.

Here I have written a list of the capacities of the country that I want to explain; it would take too long to elaborate. We have many resources in this country; of course, some of these resources are natural, some have gradually emerged and been produced in the years after the revolution, but governments have not been uniform in utilizing these capacities; some governments truly did not utilize all these capacities; some governments did, and some did well. This thirteenth government was one of those that utilized these capacities well. If this government had continued, I strongly believe that many of the problems of the country, mainly economic problems, would have been solved. Now I will mention some of them briefly without explanation.

The most valuable capacity is the educated young population; now I do not know much about the rest of the world, but in the countries of the region, no other country has as many educated young people as we do.

The innate intelligence and talent of Iranians; this is one of the capacities.

The vast mines of the country; not just oil, not just gas. I once said (21) our population is about one-hundredth of the world's population, but our essential and important mines are four to five percent of the world's; that is, several times larger than our population; this is a capacity; we must utilize these.

Geographical location; we can be a means of communication between the north and south and east and west of the world, which, well, the late Raisi had prepared the groundwork for this, and some of his works are still being carried out, and God willing, the next government can carry this out properly; this is very important for the country.

A long maritime border with the open seas, southern and northern seas, the number of neighbors, the large market of the region, the eighty-million market of our own country, the climatic diversity of the country, the network of railways and roads throughout the country, which is one of the great advantages of our country that has been accomplished over time in various governments. The technical capabilities of our men and youth in housing, in roads, in dams, in various centers, the industrial capabilities of the country in producing various equipment; all of these are the infrastructure; all of these are important capacities; these are the foundations for the advancement of the country.

Free trade zones, if utilized correctly; not in the way they have been misused over time. If used correctly, these free zones or special economic zones are among the opportunities of the country.

Cultural and civilizational legacies of the country; all of these are among our important resources. The potential for expanding tourism.

The religious faith of nearly all the people of the country; this is very important. Our people are truly faithful people, which may be rare in Islamic countries. It is possible that in terms of performance and appearances, some may not show proper adherence to the law and Sharia, but religious and Islamic faith exists in a majority of the population. Well, these can be used for the advancement of the country. The one who can utilize these capacities is the best; the one who has the ability to utilize these opportunities, these capacities is the best; that individual is the best.

Some politicians in our country think that they must cling to this power and that power; and without clinging to such a well-known and great power, progress cannot be made in the country; some think this way. Or they imagine that all paths to progress pass through America; no, they cannot. Those who have their eyes outside the borders of the country do not see these capacities; when they do not see them, when they do not appreciate them, naturally they do not plan to utilize them. The reason we say do not look outside is that one reason is that when one does not look outside, one becomes capable of seeing, understanding, and recognizing these internal capacities. The Islamic Republic, by God's grace, has so far shown that it can progress and has progressed without relying on foreigners, and even in the face of the malice and challenges of foreigners; this is what the Islamic Republic has shown; in the future, by God's grace, the nation of Iran will not allow others to write its destiny.

When we sometimes say these things in speeches and talks, some either misunderstand or write that this means encircling the country and a lack of communication with the world; no, absolutely not; I have never been against communication. We have, with its ups and downs, for as long as some of these gentlemen have lived, been involved in politics and in the issues of the revolution and in the issues of the country. From the beginning, we believed in communication with the whole world except for one or two exceptions. One day -- at the beginning of the revolution -- South Africa was a country where racial discrimination was in power; we cut our relations with South Africa; after racial discrimination ended, we established our relations; our relations are also good. What causes the severance of relations must be eliminated; otherwise, we believe in communication with the whole world; we have, thank God, communication. In some governments that were firmly committed to the principles, like the government of martyr Raisi, our international communications were also strengthened. Therefore, when we say we must not have our eyes on foreigners, it does not mean severing relations; it means national courage, it means national independence. If you have national courage, if you have national independence, the nation of Iran will show its personality, its ability, its independence, and its power to progress to the world, and its respect in the world will be much greater and higher; as it has, thank God, happened; one achieves even more successes.

Well, our remarks have concluded. I want to make two recommendations: one recommendation to the people, one recommendation to the esteemed presidential candidates. My recommendation to our dear people is that we said "a strong and proud Iran"; this became a slogan. A strong Iran has many supporters. Being strong in Iran is not just about having various types of missiles; thank God we have them, we have various types, and we have useful and applicable ones; but it is not just this. Becoming strong has various dimensions; it has scientific dimensions, cultural dimensions, economic dimensions; one of its dimensions is this aspect of presence in the political field and the field of elections; this is also a sign of strength. Therefore, anyone who is interested in a strong Iran must participate in this election. Anyone who believes in the necessity of supporting the Islamic Republic must double their efforts in this regard; this is our recommendation to the people.

And now our recommendation to the candidates of the elections; I say to these esteemed gentlemen: make a covenant with God that if you succeed and manage to obtain a responsibility, do not appoint your associates and officials from those who have even a slight deviation from the revolution. The one who has even a slight deviation from the revolution, from Imam Khomeini, from the Islamic system, is not suitable for you; he will not be a good collaborator for you. The one who is attached to America and imagines that without the favor of America, one cannot take a step in the country, will not be a good collaborator for you; he will not utilize the capacities of the country, he will not manage well; the one who disregards the principles of religion and Sharia will not be a good collaborator for you. Choose someone who is religious, who adheres to Sharia, who is committed to the revolution, who has complete faith in the system. If you esteemed candidates make such a covenant with God, know that all the efforts you make for the elections will be virtuous; if you have such an intention. If you make such a covenant with God, your electoral activities will become a virtuous act and will have a reward before God Almighty.

We hope that God Almighty bestows His successes upon all of them, upon all of us. May God, God willing, protect you all.