Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the Anniversary of Eid al-Mobath

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

I congratulate the great Islamic nation, the dear people of Iran, and all the honorable attendees of this session on the blessed Eid al-Mobath. Commemorating the Mobath is more than merely honoring a cherished memory; it is about presenting the great lessons of the Prophet's mission that humanity—especially the Muslim community—needs today. Humanity suffers today from the domination of tyrannical powers, from oppression, discrimination, corruption, and the control of the desires of specific groups over people's lives. Today, human life is subject to the whims of those who have not experienced spirituality, and their existence is dominated by desires and whims. Humanity today needs the message of the Mobath more than ever.

The mission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was primarily a call to monotheism. Monotheism is not merely a philosophical and intellectual theory; rather, it is a way of life for human beings; it is about establishing God's sovereignty in one's life and shortening the hands of various powers from human existence. "There is no god but God"—the main message of our Prophet and all prophets—means that in life and in the path of humanity, tyrannical powers and devils should not interfere and should not subject human lives to their whims and desires. If monotheism, in the true sense that Islam interprets and all prophets carried that message, is realized in the lives of the Muslim community and humanity, then humanity will achieve true happiness and worldly and otherworldly salvation, and the world will be prosperous; a world in service of the true development and elevation of humanity. In Islam's view, the world is a precursor and passage to the Hereafter. Islam does not negate the world; it does not consider worldly pleasures as contemptible; it calls upon humans, with all their potentials and instincts, to be active in the arena of life; however, all of this must be in service of the elevation and spiritual joy of humanity so that life in this world becomes sweet. In such a world, there is no oppression, ignorance, or savagery, and this is a difficult task that requires struggle, and the Prophet began this struggle from day one.

What the Prophet called for are the very things that humanity has needed throughout all periods of its historical life. The Prophet called humanity to knowledge. The first verses of the Quran celebrate knowledge: "Read in the name of your Lord who created. Created man from a clot. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous. Who taught by the pen." He initially emphasized education. Knowledge is the means of salvation and prosperity for humanity, which is not confined to a specific time and place and pertains to all periods of human life. The Prophet called upon people to movement and uprising. The Almighty God, in the first verses revealed to the Prophet, said: "Arise and warn"; to rise, to move, to exit from the state of inertia and stagnation, and to consider oneself responsible. "Say, I only admonish you with one thing: that you stand for God"; standing for God in all conditions of human life is effective, and without standing and movement, one cannot achieve any of the lofty goals.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) called humanity to purification, refinement, and self-discipline: "He is the one who sent among the unlettered a messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom." Purification is the first condition. Without purification, knowledge will also become a tool for corruption and degradation and the downfall of humanity; just as we see today in the world, knowledge is a means of humanity's downfall, and it has been used to chain nations, distort realities, and starve people. How many people around the world are deprived of their vital resources due to the domination of colonizers who have attacked them with the tools of knowledge and gained control? Today, the same is true. Today, global arrogance—colonialism in its modern form—uses knowledge and the tools of knowledge to make people miserable; it chains them and leads them to death, annihilation, and destruction. The result of knowledge without purification is this.

Islam calls individuals to brotherhood and unity, to consider all humans as one, to not discriminate among them, to not regard races as a basis for distinction among humans, and to not consider any nation superior or naturally elevated over another. Islam invites to the honor of the pious. The criterion of superiority is piety. Piety means being mindful of one's behavior; watching one's steps; planning one's life in accordance with divine boundaries. These matters are not confined to a specific time, and today's humanity also needs these things. No matter how much human knowledge and civilization advance, these are the things that bring about its happiness. The Islamic nation must pay attention to these matters, desire them, and strive for them. This requires a firm will and determination among the Muslim nations and the officials and leaders of countries—those who hold the reins of affairs in their countries.

In today's supplication—"And you know that the best provision for the traveler towards You is a determined will to choose Your path"—the most virtuous provisions for humanity is to have a determination and will to choose the path of God and to move along that path. Of course, this path is difficult; however, with a firm human determination, it becomes easy. These are the lessons that Islam has taught us. Wherever we have experienced these in our lives, we have found them to be effective; that is, experiences also confirm this.

In the early days of Islam, a small community, far from civilization and knowledge and deprived of all the blessings of life, was able, thanks to these principles and by adhering to these solid foundations, to establish the greatest civilization in the world over several centuries, and the world benefited from their civilization, knowledge, and progress. This is our past experience. Today, in the Islamic Republic, wherever we relied on determination and trusted in God, and wherever we employed our forces and set aside our desires and considered our goals to be great, our steps have been successful.

It is evident that community building and civilization building—which is one of the greatest goals of Islam—cannot occur without enmity. In the early days of Islam, enmity arose with the establishment of the Islamic system and community; today, it is the same. Today, in the Islamic world, Muslim nations find a spirit of pride in Islam and feel dignity because of Islam. Islamic awakening is a reality that has emerged, whether the enemies of the Islamic nation want it or not. Walking this path requires a firm determination from the officials of the countries.

We ourselves are the first audience of this statement and have heavy responsibilities. The Prophet said: "The common people of this nation will not be reformed except through its elites"; the reform of the masses depends on the reform of the elites and the intellectuals of each country and community. They asked the Prophet who the elites are—"O Messenger of God, who are your elites?"—He said: "The elites of my nation are the scholars and the leaders"; the scholars, intellectuals, aware individuals, leaders, and elites of the nation.

If in the Islamic Republic, the officials, elites, and intellectuals—both scholars and their leaders—pay attention to these truths and exercise self-restraint; do not become captives of desires and worldly ambitions; do not let the misleading attractions of the world enchant them; do not allow the intimidation and threats of the enemies to drive them out of the field and create doubt in their will, no power will be able to slightly undermine the great national determination that exists in this country. The enemy exists, and it is a reality. Expecting that there will be no enmity or that the enemy will not act hostilely is incorrect. The enemy exists and acts hostilely and wants to seize every area where it sees material gain; it uses all tools. What discourages the enemy is that the Islamic nation recognizes its worth, importance, power, and values, and understands its greatness—when there is unity among them—and appreciates the power of resistance that God has placed within them.

Today, the Palestinian nation, despite its victimhood, has challenged the treacherous and tyrannical Zionists—who are backed by American power—and has rendered them impotent. Today, Israel feels that it has no correct or logical way to confront the Palestinian fighters. This is due to the steadfastness of that nation; because that nation stands firm.

Once, their enemy was weaker than today, but it managed to dominate the Palestinian nation; because there was no resistance. Today, their enemy is a hundred times stronger than that day, yet it is incapacitated against the Palestinian nation; because this nation stands firm and has risen. The meaning of the steadfastness of the Islamic nation, wherever it may be, is this. Today, the same oppressed Palestinian population that suffers daily from the atrocities and brutality of the Zionist regime has managed to disrupt that oppressive and unjust regime. Today, many Arab countries and neighbors of Palestine, if they are not under attack from Israel, it is due to the resistance that those oppressed people are putting forth. They have a great right over all the Islamic nation and the Arab nations—especially the neighbors of Palestine.

Today, the enemy explicitly states its goals. They openly say they oppose Islamic awakening and want to crush it. They explicitly say they want to change the map of the Middle East. What does changing the map of the Middle East mean? It means that the oppressive Zionists, who are agents of global arrogance, want to dominate the region and that no country, government, power, or nation in this region should be free from the clutches of the Zionists. The Islamic nation must stand against these goals.

They are also vehemently opposed to the Islamic Republic; because in the Islamic Republic, there is awakening, resistance, and unity among the people, and the flag of Islam has been raised in this country. Of course, you and I must be vigilant and not falter; we must be careful that the attractions of the world do not deceive us and that the enemy's psychological warfare does not affect us. We must strengthen our unity day by day and refrain from engaging in secondary matters. Today, the main issue is preserving the identity of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic identity of this country. The eyes of the Islamic world and the Islamic nation are concerned about this. You have managed to present a model to the world; the enemy wants to shatter this model. The goal is not to defeat Iran; rather, it is to defeat the Islamic world.

Today, thanks to God, the Iranian nation stands firm. We have sacrificed hundreds of thousands of martyrs on this path. Thousands of our youth have gone to the field of sacrifice and struggle. Our families—both men and women—have made sacrifices on this path. We have not achieved this easily, and it is evident that this nation will preserve what it has not obtained easily with all its might.

The echo of Imam Khomeini's (may his soul be sanctified) cry is alive among us; his words are in our ears; his path is before us; we know what we must do; we know what decisions we must make; we know how we must act. With reliance on God Almighty and by relying on this great nation, we will, by God's grace, traverse the path of dignity and happiness—which is the path of Islam—with full power, and we know that our friends throughout the Islamic world—who are not few—will have their eyes brightened and their hearts rejoiced.

We hope that God Almighty elevates the ranks of our martyrs and grants us the blessings of the Mobath of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and, God willing, blesses this Eid for you and all Muslims and includes everyone in the prayers of the Awaited Savior, may our souls be sacrificed for him.

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