Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with Officials and Servants of the System on the Occasion of Eid al-Ghadir

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

I congratulate you dear ones, all the people of Iran, and all those throughout the world and throughout history who have hearts beating for truth and justice, on this blessed Eid and this great day, a significant historical turning point for the Islamic world and indeed for all of humanity. The day of Eid al-Ghadir is referred to as the "Eid of Guardianship." This is an accurate designation; it is the day when the concept of Islamic guardianship found a clear and tangible manifestation through the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny).

For those who wish to mention an exemplary model of a person of the Islamic standard, the best example is the one whom the noble Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his progeny) appointed for the great position of guardianship by divine inspiration and the command of the Lord of the worlds. The meaning of guardianship and the great concept that found a specific manifestation on the day of Eid al-Ghadir is one of the fundamental points that is crucial for our Islamic community and thinkers, and it deserves contemplation.

When in a system, a guardian of God—someone like the Prophet Muhammad or Amir al-Mu'minin—is at the head of the system, that society is a society of guardianship; the system is a system of guardianship. Guardianship is both a quality of the position that the noble Prophet and his successors have held by divine decree, and a characteristic of that Islamic society which lives under that governance and benefits from its light. I have mentioned this point many times; today I want to emphasize the same point again because the issues of life, the fateful matters, and the important duties of the Islamic nation depend on these fundamental and foundational points.

That point is that guardianship, which is the title of governance in Islam and the hallmark of the social and political system for Islam, has a precise and subtle meaning, which is the original meaning of guardianship itself, and that is the connection, the bond, the intertwining, and the interweaving. This is the meaning of guardianship. It evokes the concept of unity, of coming together, of being together, of unity in purpose, unity in path, and unity in all political and social affairs for humanity. Guardianship means connection. "And those who believe and have not emigrated, you have no guardianship over them until they emigrate" (Quran 8:72) means this. The bond of the Islamic community is achieved through emigration; it is not enough just to have faith.

The bond of guardianship, which is a political phenomenon, a social phenomenon, and a determining event for life, is achieved through effort, movement, emigration, being together, and working together; thus, in the Islamic system, the "guardian" is not separate from the people. Guardianship, which means connection and being together, also comes to mean love in one context, and in another context, it means support, and all of these are indeed manifestations of interconnectedness, unity, and solidarity; otherwise, the true meaning is the same as unity, oneness, and being together for one another. This is the meaning of guardianship.

If you look at the Islamic community with this perspective, the dimensions of this social unity, political unity, spiritual and moral unity, and practical unity take on remarkable dimensions that give meaning to many Islamic teachings for us. Moving towards the center of existence means moving in the direction of the guardianship of God. All particles of the universe, willingly or unwillingly, are encompassed by divine guardianship, within the circle of the guardianship of God, and aware, free, decision-making individuals with good choices practically choose divine guardianship and move along that path; they acquire divine love and fill themselves with the love of the Lord.

The purity of the Islamic world and the Islamic environment and the spiritual environment stem from this divine guardianship. This divine guardianship does not fundamentally differ from the guardianship of God in the realm of politics and the political environment; the essence of both is one. Therefore, in the Islamic system, governance is characterized by love, faith, unity, and empathy, as well as the togetherness of the people and the government, the togetherness of the components of the government, and the togetherness of the components of the people; these are what distinguish and specify the true manifestation of guardianship in a fragmented, divided, and contentious world, and show that this is the Islamic system.

The dominant aspect of life in the Islamic system and in the system of guardianship must be compassion, empathy, cooperation, and collaboration; thus, when you look at the noble verses of the Quran, you see that this issue of cooperation and empathy occupies a significant portion of the Quranic verses. There are verses that explicitly state this, such as "And hold fast to the rope of God all together" (Quran 3:103) and others. There are also verses that, although they do not explicitly state this meaning, their true implications and direction are the unity of hearts and souls and the alignment of individuals, and you know that Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) is the embodiment of empathy of a political leader, a political ruler, and a guardian and Imam with the masses. No one can be found in the world and in history more exemplary than Amir al-Mu'minin—Ali, the guardian of God—true guardianship is this. From the very beginning in the sacred Islamic Republic, thanks to unity and solidarity, we have done and been able to do every task.

My dear ones! If the unity of the people of Iran under the banner of Islam and with the guidance of that warm breath and aware heart did not exist, know that this revolution would not have stood tall under the burden of difficulties; it could not have straightened its back under all those heavy burdens and reached the shore of salvation safely; it would have been impossible. From what happened in the early days of the revolution due to political factionalism, groups, and the behind-the-scenes agents of those groups, to what occurred during the war, to what was carried out through cultural tools, to what was created by economic and political pressures on this nation, in all these stages, what has enabled this nation to move forward under the weight of numerous problems, with health, with an upright stature, and with heads held high, and to be saved from many difficulties, has been the great unity and solidarity of this great and determined nation.

From the very first day, they tried to prevent this unity from taking shape. They resorted to ethnicities and divisive factors; however, divine will and the spirit of guardianship, the meaning and truth of guardianship in this country and the system of guardianship, overcame all the plots of the enemies. Even at the time when the war had begun, the enemy had stepped into our home, Tehran was under aerial bombardment, and a region in the west and southwest of the country was practically under the feet of the enemies, there were those in Tehran who, under various names, had started whispering divisive tensions and wanted to create discord. In reality, they wanted to undermine the rear of the combatants! The revolution did not allow it, Imam did not allow it, the nation did not allow it, the vigilance of the people did not allow it, the faith of the people did not allow it.

This is the spirit of guardianship; guardianship means this, and thanks be to God, our nation is a united nation and a united people. This unity has had very valuable manifestations; our nation has enjoyed the privilege of the meaning of coexistence, empathy, collaboration, alignment, and agreement and unity, with all the characteristics that it has in the political lexicon of the world and that has made it valuable—in every sense of the word—and thanks be to God, today it still enjoys it. My message to you, to the officials, to all the people, and to the writers is to preserve this unity.

I see today that amidst the propaganda of enemies who are propagating from outside our borders, a line of creating discord and division is being pursued. Of course, some of them have followers inside as well, and it is not the case that they are entirely outside these borders. Yes; there are narrow branches inside that if they dare, they will expand them even more! They misuse this freedom that, thanks be to God, exists in the country; however, the main issue relates to the outside. We see that the line of tension and the line of creating discord and division, from the enemies of the revolution and the enemies of Islam, from the wounded snakes, from those whose revolution took their breath and turned their long-standing desires against this nation, is being pursued!

Now they think they have found an opportunity; every now and then—not just now, it is not the first time; however, now is one of those times—I feel they want to sow discord among the people, among hearts, among minds, among officials and various ranks! They are disappointed with the higher ranks and go after the next ranks. You must be vigilant. The meaning of guardianship, the meaning of belief in the path of the Quran and Islam, the meaning of giving one’s heart and submitting to divine governance, is that hearts must be close together under this governance. "And the believers, men and women, are allies of one another" (Quran 9:71).

Guardianship among the believers is a necessity of divine governance and divine authority; it is a necessity of the governance of the verses of the Quran and the luminous decrees of the Quran. If hearts were separate, if there was enmity, if there was animosity, then this would no longer be divine governance; this would be the governance of tyranny. "The souls of lions and dogs are separate." This governance is non-divine and inhuman, and the system is a non-guardianship system! At that point, one cannot claim a divine system; however, the truth of the matter is that hearts are united, the people are in line with Islam, the people are in line with God and the path of God.

Of course, tastes may differ; preferences may differ. The issue of taste and preference is different from the heart and the overall direction and orientation. In this overall orientation—"And hold fast to the rope of God all together"—the holding fast to the rope of God must be with unity; they must hold fast together. Everyone must feel a duty to strengthen the government and the serving forces of the country. Everyone must support the government; everyone must back it. The responsibility of managing the affairs of the country is not a small matter; it is not a light burden; it is a heavy burden. What do the officials of the country want from us in the face of these heavy burdens they bear? If we truly compare our esteemed officials and heads of the branches of our country with their counterparts in the world, with little expectation, with sincerity, with interest, and with compassion, they have taken on these heavy burdens and are working. Well; what is our duty?

The duty is that all of us—groups and individuals, all and all—must support them. Support has various forms; we should not exaggerate the problems. When has our society not had problems? No society is without problems; especially a country like ours, a revolution like ours, a nation like ours, with these arrogant global enemies who, many of them, truly do not believe in any of the principles of humanity and divinity and do not accept human principles at all.

You see! When they mobilize against a country, neither the oppressed, nor the innocent, nor the children, nor the sick, nothing matters to them!

Thanks be to God, our nation has overcome its enemies. Our nation has not been humiliated by its enemies until today; however, enmity has its effects. With these hostilities, which country is without any problems? We should not exaggerate the problems. We should not magnify the small issues in various areas. Of course, admonition is good; enjoining good is good; advising is good; but with goodwill, with rational methods, without weakening a serving group.

This is everyone’s duty. The same applies to the judiciary; everyone has a duty to help and support it so that it can carry out the great tasks it has. If there is no judiciary, justice will not have a measure or basis. Everyone has a duty to support the officials of the country, the three branches of the country, the government, the judiciary, and the parliament. This is exactly what the enemy does not want. They do not want Muslim nations to become hopeful from the behavior, actions, identity, and survival of the Islamic nation, the nation of Iran, and the Islamic system, and for hope to ignite in their hearts; rather, they want to create problems here. This is the reason for these tensions.

Recognize the enemy wisely. Recognize the enemy in any guise. Recognize the enemy under any kind of words and confront the enemy with the merciful breath. Confront the enemy through the name and remembrance of God, for the name of God and the remembrance of God and reliance on the Lord will defeat those enemies who have satanic intentions.

This country must be built; this country must move forward. This great nation must have its talents blossom; it must shine in the world and ultimately present that great Islamic civilization before the eyes of the world and show it. We are still at the beginning of the path. We are at the beginning of the way. The revolution removed the obstacles, set us on the path, and we have started moving. We are still at the early stages; it is not yet time to focus on minor issues and magnify small faults.

Of course, I know and see that, thanks be to God, the officials and many of those who are in the field of propaganda and expression and explanation are indeed moving and working with an aware conscience and a vigilant heart; they perform their duties with sincerity, with purity, and without any expectation, and they also bear the blame. There are also those in corners who do not want this unity to remain. They must be recognized and paid attention to.

We hope that God the Almighty will make us truly adhere to the meaning of the word, and may the guardianship of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), which is divine guardianship and prophetic guardianship and the source of goodness in this world and the hereafter, God willing, bless us and guide us so that we can follow the path that pleases Him. God willing, may the complete successes of the nation and government of Iran and all the officials of the country soon come about under the blessings of the Guardian of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him).

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