Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with Officials and Executives of the System on the Occasion of Eid Mab'ath

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

I also extend my congratulations on this great day to all the Islamic Ummah across the world, to the noble and dear nation of Iran, and to you, the esteemed attendees and hardworking and diligent officials of the country. The spiritual significance of the day of Mab'ath is truly beyond what someone like me can elucidate. However, regarding the impact of the mission on human life throughout different periods of history, there are points that can be discussed.

The mission on the first day emerged in a vacuum, and humanity was truly in need of that great mission. God Almighty, in His infinite wisdom, placed the location of this great awakening and event in a place where the true concepts of the mission could be recognized in the world of that day without being tainted by the prevalent concepts of that time, and remain accurate in history. This is a point that could have been different—imagine if the final mission had occurred in Rome, Greece, or the advanced countries of that day.

At the time of the mission, there were great civilizations in the world. There were nations that had benefited from philosophy, human knowledge, and civil awareness. The final mission could have occurred in those countries and regions. However, God Almighty did not take this mission, which was meant to remain for humanity throughout history—God knows how many thousands of years—to those places. He did not take this mission to a place where, from the inception of this thought and invitation, a foreign element could infiltrate it. In the western region of that day, there were areas with great civilizations. Their encounters with prophets show that they had civilizations. Among them were the people of the city of Antioch, to whom God sent three prophets simultaneously, as narrated in Surah Yasin. Ultimately, the ingratitude of those people is also mentioned. This is no small matter. History has also conveyed things to us about those nations. This prophet was not placed there.

In the Arabian Peninsula, there was no human knowledge. There was polytheism and polytheistic knowledge at a low level. Therefore, in the Quran, you observe that there was a serious struggle against polytheism. Surah Al-Ikhlas, which emphasizes 'He begets not, nor is He begotten,' and in this small four-verse Surah, 'He begets not, nor is He begotten' is placed at the heart, and 'And there is none comparable to Him' is highlighted and radiant; this is to cleanse minds of polytheism and not mix with God's message. Any polytheistic act in Islam is rejected. But beyond that, Islam was born pure; it was transmitted pure to the corners of the world; it spread pure. Therefore, wherever it went, it showed its sharpness and prominence in confronting various civilizations and cultures; until gradually, the callers fell from that purity, and the invitation also fell from that purity. This mission is a perpetual matter for humanity. And this is the characteristic of the mission of the Seal of the Prophets, peace be upon him and his family. That is, whenever the world and human life are devoid of spirituality, the same knowledge that the Holy Quran speaks of can come at any time and fill that void. The quality of Islamic knowledge is such that in all conditions, there is a force within this legal and knowledge set that can fill spiritual voids in all conditions and give humanity the possibility of living in a spiritual space.

Today is also one of those conditions. What is the condition for an invitation to find its place among nations and countries and find an audience? First, it is logical and reasonable. Any speech that separates Islam from the rational logic it possesses harms the growth and spread of Islam. Those who speak about Islamic issues and express opinions should pay attention to this point. Islam is rational. Islam is a religion that a healthy and innate mind understands, comprehends, likes, and accepts. This is the characteristic of Islam. Not in the sense that every ruling of Islam must have a rational proof alongside it. Why is the morning prayer two units? Does it require a rational proof? No. Nor does it mean that whatever a mind understands and comprehends must be found in Islam. This is not the case either. Rather, it means that Islamic knowledge—what is accepted as attributed to Islam and judged by experts and specialists to be related to Islam—is defensible in any rational and scientific environment. Prayer can be explained, understood, and its necessity in Islam can be justified to the most materialistic people in the world. One of the Western thinkers of the nineteenth century, which is the century of Western irreligion—a well-known and famous person whom I do not want to name—says: 'There is a great secret hidden in prayer.' Yes; if there were no great secret in it, a thoughtful person would not praise it in such a materialistic environment. Fair-minded people, people of knowledge, reason, logic, and argument can understand all Islamic knowledge; they can like and accept it. This is the property of Islam.

Thus, being logical and rational is one of the characteristics of Islam. If some try to separate Islam from this characteristic or in propaganda say 'these are anti-science and anti-reason,' or attribute things to Islam that are not from Islam and cannot be confirmed and endorsed by a healthy mind, they certainly harm the spread of Islam and do not help at all. This is one of the internal elements that can spread Islam.

Another characteristic of Islam is that it is spiritual and divine. Contrary to what is attributed to Christianity, where the aspects of the hereafter in Christianity prevail over worldly aspects, Islam is not like that. Islam considers the world as part of the hereafter. Your life, your trade, your studying, your administrative work, your political work, are part of your hereafter. The world is also a piece of the hereafter, or these are the good deeds that bring you closer to God and spiritual ranks in the hereafter. Or, God forbid, you perform this act with a bad intention, with the intention of selfishness and self-worship, which then leads to degradation and decline and falling into the depths.

Islam is like this. Our entire living environment, all our worldly efforts, are part of the hereafter. The world and the hereafter are not separate. Bad is when you perform this material daily effort related to the life of this realm with a bad intention. That condemned world they have spoken of is this. But this realm is not separate from that realm. This world is not separate from that world. This world is the farm of that world. What does farm mean? Can you harvest a crop from a non-farm? This indicates the ultimate unity and harmony and oneness. Despite having a position in all areas of human life in Islam, Islam is a spiritual religion. In the Islamic environment, hearts must be directed towards God. Intentions must be for God. This is a characteristic of Islam and a means of spreading Islam.

What is felt as a shortage in the world today, and the people of the world themselves feel it, is the lack of spirituality and spiritual void—especially in the Western world. They are stuck in materialism and have distanced themselves from spirituality and are immersed in desires. The nature of desires is that at first, it is a desire; but in continuation and in the end, it is hell! When desires dominate the life of an individual or a nation, it turns into hell. This is the nature of human desires. It is impossible to find someone who enjoys desires for a long time. Such a person has not been created by God. If you look, see, and investigate, you will reach this conclusion. This is a definite and clear matter. Continued existence in desires is hell for humans. And this is the hell that today has gripped some of the affluent people of the West. Those who are not affluent are immersed in a hell of poverty, misery, and corruption. Of course, there are exceptions. From every class, there must be exceptions. Certainly, there are good people there. But the generality is this.

Today's world needs this mission. In Islamic Iran, it is not that we are a government like other governments. For a few days, it is the family of so-and-so, and for a few days, it is the family of such-and-such, and now Muslims and believers govern this country. Our issue is not like this. Our issue is the issue of a message. It is the issue of a mission. We offer a new word to the people of the world. This is the issue. This new word, although its first effect should be seen in our own lives and country, offers a new path to the world. This should not be forgotten by the officials of the Islamic Republic. This system is a system that has come to show humanity the divine mission. It has not come to learn something from misguided societies, governments, and systems. We may be very bad; very incomplete; very small to carry this message; but this message is the message of human salvation. It cannot be bargained over. We do not have the right to reduce this message because it suits our taste. No! This message is a message for humanity. And humanity needs it. We are friends of humanity. We are not enemies of humanity. We are friends of science, progress, prosperity, and comfort for all the nations of the world. We know what they suffer from: they need spirituality, and spirituality is here. Of course, spirituality is not imposed either. If it is imposed, it will no longer have that effect. We offer it.

There are two points here that should be noted. One point is for me and you; that is, individuals who have a responsibility in this system should pay attention. That point is that we, not only as a manager and a ruler but as presenters of a new idea in the world, must recognize ourselves and act in this way; we must behave in this way; we must align our behavior with Islam; and maintain the purity and independence of this idea and thought.

Another point is with the people of the world. The mass media of global arrogance tries to portray the Islamic Republic as aggressive, invasive, and intent on eradicating all the systems of the world. But this is not the case. Anyone in the world can live as they wish. We only offer what humanity needs. The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: 'A physician who travels with his medicine, having perfected his bandages and heated his instruments.' In our backpack is the medicine for the ailments of today's humanity. Whoever does not want it, does not take it from this backpack. We have no quarrel with anyone. If humanity suffers from an identity crisis, from a spiritual crisis, from disrespect towards human traditions; if a father does not show mercy to his son, a son does not respect his father, they do not uphold past traditions, they do not value non-personal values, this is a crisis. Today, Western nations are afflicted with this crisis; and its remedy is in Islam. If today the wealth of the wealthy in the world increases day by day, and individuals, companies, and corporations acquire mythical billion-dollar wealth, and in contrast, people sleep in cardboard boxes on the asphalt streets next to that wealth; these are the problems of the West. If despite thousands of recommendations about marriage and family advertisements and the like, the foundation of the family in Western countries becomes weaker day by day; if girls and boys are unhappy; if those who are partners in this crime are unhappy; if the foundation of the family is shaky and children are unhappy; if a psychological crisis has engulfed everyone, what is this for? Why is there so much suicide? In the past few months, or perhaps about a year, several hundred people in the United States—a country that imagines itself at the peak of science and wealth; and thinks these are values—have been killed by other people. Now they search with helicopters in the deserts to pretend to show love and compassion and mercy towards a lost cat or dog! Are they blind?! Do they not see what is happening in the cities and states of America?! A person enters a train compartment and with a machine gun, kills several people. He comes out of this compartment and again in the next compartment, kills several more people. And so on... If humanity suffers from these incurable pains, we say: its remedy is here; its remedy is Islam. This is the renewal of the mission in today's world. And today you are the vanguard. The Iranian nation is the vanguard. It must act and must do so with confidence and self-reliance; because the world needs us.

Now they propagate that 'Iran has issues with everyone; Iran has problems with everyone!' No sir! Iran only has issues with the security apparatuses of the arrogant governments of the world, which are the ugliest parts of those countries, with those who create this media propaganda. Do you think who organizes the propaganda of these foreign radios? For example, who organizes the propaganda of this English BBC? The British security organization! They sit and plan and create something... We are a country and a nation that has a message. We are a population with power, history, and honors. Honors in the past and honors in today. A personality like Imam has been among us, whom we do not know of such a personality in the world today or in times close to us—as far as we know. We have young people with that greatness; who have shown themselves. We have mothers, fathers, families, scholars. We do not need anything or anyone. Of course, we are not afraid of anyone; of no one! What do we want to do that we go to such-and-such a country; conquer such-and-such a place; destroy such-and-such a place; disrupt such-and-such a place; explode such-and-such a place. This is the work of the anti-human devices of those governments that have such problems. These are not our actions.

Our message is the message of Islam. One of the things I mentioned as factors in the spread of Islam is gentleness. 'Gentleness was never in anything except that it adorned it.' Gentleness means smoothness. Gentleness does not mean weakness. Gentleness does not mean a soft, penetrable trench. Gentleness means not being harsh, not being rough, not being abrasive. This is the meaning of gentleness. When you touch a very hard element, like steel, your hand does not feel discomfort; it does not feel harshness and roughness. Gentleness—softness in this sense. Correct texture. This is the meaning of gentleness. Sometimes you may touch something that scratches and wounds the hand; while its material is not like steel. It is from a piece of wood. Wood may be carved unevenly. Some speak weakly, with little content, in a way that scratches everyone. It is also possible to express a substantial thought, a correct thought, and a strong thought in a way that, with all its firmness, has no harshness. Islam is this. The Quran is this.

The lesson of the mission for us should be this, my dear brothers and sisters! The lesson of the Quran should be that we are the messengers of a new word, and we ourselves must respect that new word. As far as possible for humans, we should be the first practitioners. Secondly, what we have is needed by people who have been deprived of the real goods of life. We should not mix these things we have with the false souvenirs of those thinkers who have created that hellish world for their people with those words.

Thirdly, we should not feel weak in the face of the grandiose words of others. The logic is here. The correct word is here. If at any time you find something unclear, you should know that you do not have the correct one. You should go to its experts to give you the correct one; its logical, firm, strong one. And this is the same torch that the Holy Prophet lit. That day it illuminated a world; that day it laid the foundations of civilizations—not one civilization—and today it can do so again. That day the world also had new things: it had knowledge; it had progress; it had Antioch; it had Rome; it had Greece; it had Iran; it had Ecbatana; it had Persepolis. That day the world was not so empty. But when this torch was lit; when this sun shone, all the candles lost their light and this prevailed over all. 'That He may make it prevail over all religion' came to naturally dominate spirituality. When the sun rises, if you place a thousand candles in the middle of the sunlight, they have no light at all. The mission is such an appearance and dominance. This is the same candle. This is the same lamp. This is the same torch. This is the same sun. We must appreciate it. We must revive the mission in ourselves and in our lives.

We must also seek help from God Almighty, and God will help.

O Lord! Include us in the prayers of the Guardian of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him. Include us in Your guidance and mercy. Illuminate our hearts, bodies, actions, tongues, and thoughts. Keep us and our progeny alive with Islam and let us die with Islam. Unite our great Imam with Your saints and bless this Eid for all believers and believing women throughout the world!

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