Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution in Meeting with the System's Officials on the Blessed Eid al-Fitr

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

Eid al-Fitr is blessed for all the Islamic Ummah, for the faithful and dear nation of Iran, and for you, esteemed attendees of this assembly, who are high-ranking officials of various sectors of the Islamic Republic government, as well as for the esteemed ambassadors of Islamic countries and our dear guests present here.

From one perspective, Eid al-Fitr can be considered the festival of the unity of the Islamic Ummah. The reason is that during the month of Ramadan, hearts have been illuminated and softened, and the satanic factors of discord within human beings have weakened. Eid al-Fitr, in fact, is a return to human nature. The human disposition inclines towards the Almighty God, towards monotheism, and towards a singular, exalted center where all human motivations and feelings can converge and coexist.

The Eid al-Fitr prayer is also a manifestation of this unity in every corner of the Islamic world. Therefore, in this supplication that we recite in the qunut (supplication), "the one You have made a festival for the Muslims and a treasure, honor, and dignity for Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)"; for the sacred existence of the Prophet, this Eid is a treasure, a means of honor, a means of dignity, and an increase in the exalted rank of that sacred existence. When do these characteristics come to fruition? When this Eid becomes a day of reconciliation among the hearts of Muslims. This statement holds true both on a national level and on a broader scale for the Islamic Ummah. On a national level, as our great nation has experienced over the years since the revolution until today, unity and agreement of words is the means of its dignity and power.

We are a country whose great and united nation is composed of various ethnicities and religions. The enemies of this nation have always sought to overpower the motivations of ethnicity, religious motivations, sectarian motivations, and in the political phase of the Iranian nation, political and factional motivations over this sense of unity. They have not succeeded until today; our ethnicities stand together, and various religions coexist side by side. They have made great efforts.

Before the revolution triumphed, when the flag of victory was visible to the insightful eyes of people, the agents of tyranny at that time claimed that Iran would be fragmented. In their words, it would become "Iranistan". They expected this.

In the early days of the revolution, a lot of money was spent to separate the Iranian ethnicities and to pit religions against each other. The revolution overcame all of this. Therefore, today when you look at the magnificent presence of this great nation, from all strata, from all ethnicities, from all provinces of this vast land, in all languages, you see people who are shouting a common aspiration.

Two brothers can live side by side, holding hands, while having differing opinions on certain issues. This difference of opinion should not lead to conflict. The revolution taught us this. We learned and practiced this thanks to the blessings of the revolution; thus today our nation is a united nation.

In recent years, the enemies have attempted to create divisions, and now that ethnic differences have not succeeded, religious differences have not succeeded, and differences in language and dialect have not succeeded, they aim to create divisions through political inclinations. Of course, a small number are deceived and make mistakes, but the body of the nation, the awareness of the nation, stands vigilantly against this conspiracy. The axis of unity in this country is the Islamic Republic system, the dear Islam, and the Holy Quran, which everyone believes in. In the sermon of the prayer - this morning - I mentioned that the days of Ramadan, the nights of Ramadan, are a manifestation of the belief and faith of the hearts of the youth of this country and their supplication and closeness to God and the purity of their souls. Who would believe it? But this is a reality in our country.

Our youth - today most of our nation is young; few countries, few nations have this many young people - remember God sincerely, with heartfelt presence, shed tears, converse with God, and bring their hearts before the Almighty God; these are the blessings of our dear Islam. This must be preserved. Eid al-Fitr is a day for us to awaken and if there are motivations of discord, conflict, and division in our hearts, we should weaken them as much as we can, suppress them within ourselves. We have a long way ahead. It is true that the revolution has accelerated our movement - we have made significant progress. We have transformed from a third-rate nation in the world to a dear nation; a nation that other Muslim nations look up to. Internally, we have also made great progress - this is true, but we are still at the beginning of the path.

Islam has immense capacity. The peaks that Islam presents before us are far superior to these. We must traverse these peaks; we must reach these heights. Islam was able to elevate a nation that had no experience of civilization and had no connection with human sciences to the pinnacle of global knowledge, from which all of humanity benefits from their knowledge, their understanding, their writings, and their thoughts. This is the art of Islam. It was we Muslims who threw ourselves down from this peak; we were the ones who made mistakes, submitted to weaknesses and humiliations, which is why the Islamic world is lagging behind today. We can take this path again and move forward. "That is because Allah does not change the favor He has bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves." To the extent that we bring about change within ourselves, we progress; the Almighty God advances us. This movement must continue. This pertains to our internal matters.

At the end of this year, we have elections. Elections can be a manifestation of our unity, our rationality, and our national consciousness. Some think that elections, the whispers of elections, the electoral atmosphere, are a source of discord; no, they can be a source of unity; they can encourage prompt action and progress; with positive competition. Each group should strive to obtain their appropriate share of service to this nation, which they deem worthy of themselves; there is no problem with that. This positive competition invigorates society, enlivens us, and instills the spirit of youth in our society. In these elections, if we act poorly, speak ill of each other, harbor animosities, and act contrary to laws and regulations, it can become a means of downfall, weakness, and decline; it is in our hands; it is a divine test.

Today is Eid al-Fitr; also after a blessed and bountiful thirty-day Ramadan filled with divine blessings and spiritual gifts. Congratulations to you. You have passed a good Ramadan, and today is also a good day of Fitr. Let this be the beginning of a true journey towards human elevation; this pertains to internal matters.

On the level of the Islamic Ummah, it is the same. You see that international greed wants to interfere in all matters of the Islamic world. The U.S. Senate sits and passes resolutions that Iraq must be fragmented. What does that have to do with you? What about the Iraqi nation? It is wrong for the legislative assembly of one country to dictate terms to another country. Fragmenting a significant Islamic country, dividing it, turning it into three countries that can be seized, influenced, and toyed with, is the greatest betrayal to the Islamic world and to the Iraqi nation. Iraqi officials have expressed their opposition, and they are right; the Iraqi nation is opposed, and they are right; the Islamic world is also opposed to this issue. This is a manifestation of the arrogant and haughty interference of global arrogance. Well, how long must this situation continue?

The issue of Palestine is another matter. Now that the Zionists have received a slap and a blow from the young Arab Muslims, they want to revive them again and somehow compensate for the defeat of the Zionists. They hold a peace conference. Is this a peace conference?! Is this what peace means?! To deprive a nation of all its rights, to deprive it of its home, life, land, and homeland for the benefit of a group of excessive occupiers, and then to hit them and pass resolutions that say you have no rights. This is what a peace conference is for. What benefit have the Palestinian people gained from past conferences? Today, a popular government has been elected in Gaza. Well, this government is popular. Is there any doubt about that? Did the people not elect this government? If this is a government that the Palestinian nation has elected, what right do the U.S. and other countries following the U.S. have to interfere in the affairs of that nation and make another decision? It belongs to that nation. The Palestinians have said we oppose it. It is clear that this is a conspiracy against the Palestinians. Some regional governments in past years said we are not more Palestinian than the Palestinians - at the time when some accepted treacherous conferences in the name of the Palestinian people - and the Palestinians accepted. Very well, you may not be more Palestinian than the Palestinians; now the Palestinians say we do not accept this peace conference. They consider it a deception and a trick. Why should some countries agree to such actions that are against the Palestinian nation, against the Islamic world, and against the regional governments themselves, in agreement with the U.S.? Why do these interferences occur? Because we are not united, because our forces are not behind each other, because our hands are not joined. If Muslim countries, with any language, with any population, in any corner of the Islamic world, join hands and speak a unified word, then neither the U.S. nor anyone else would dare to speak or act against the unified voice of the Islamic Ummah.

The Islamic Republic does not say that other governments should come and say what we say. They should sit together regarding the issue of Palestine, without considering the wishes of any greedy and interfering superpower, make a decision, and announce that decision; the reference should be the Palestinian nation itself. Why should people from the other side of the world come and their entire effort be to create security for Israel - the illegitimate offspring of global arrogance and colonialism in this region - even if the nations are harmed and destroyed; whatever happens, happens. This is our weakness.

The prosperity of the idol temple is from our ruin; the population of disbelief is from our disarray.

We nations must stand together; we governments must stand together so that this power can manifest itself. This is the message of the Islamic Republic. We express this message and stand by it. Well, global arrogance also opposes us. You can observe examples of this in the case of nuclear energy and other matters. Thanks be to God, the enmities of global arrogance have not affected this nation and will not.

May God guide our hearts. May God lead us to what is in the interest of the Islamic Ummah and what is needed at this sensitive moment in history, and grant us success and assistance.

O Lord! Bestow Your mercy upon the pure souls of the dear martyrs of the path of Islam, especially the oppressed martyrs of the Islamic Republic and the martyrs of Palestine, Iraq, and other Muslim nations, and unite the pure soul of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) with Your saints, and make the sacred heart of the Awaited Imam (may our souls be sacrificed for him) pleased and satisfied with us.

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