Message to the Honorable Families of Martyrs on the Seventh Day of the Decade of Fajr

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and prayers upon our Master Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his pure family and all the martyrs and the truthful ones.

God's peace be upon the martyrs, upon the free and great human beings who laid down their lives for the covenant and sacrificed themselves in the path of God, reaching the highest peaks of humanity and tasting the sweetest divine reward: "No soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes."

The nurturing of a generation of righteous, chaste, and noble-minded individuals whose pure foreheads radiated the light of faith and piety, and whose pure hearts were illuminated by the rays of knowledge, and whose conscious struggle in the path of God and mystical whispers in the middle of the night reminded one of the companions of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), has undoubtedly been the greatest secret of the revolution and its great leader, Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). It was these individuals who, at the command of their beloved Imam, formed their steadfast and iron ranks against the most formidable dangers threatening the revolution and, by God's permission, protected the revolution and the Islamic Republic. Some of them drank the sweet nectar of martyrdom in the path of God, and many remain and will continue to defend the divine trust.

One should not think that with the passage of twelve years since the victory and two years since the end of the imposed war, the memory of the dear martyrs of the revolution and the war has faded and will be erased from memories. On the contrary, the image of those sacred faces, in a halo of light and purity, must grow more magnificent in the minds of our nation day by day, and like the mythical faces of great heroes, become more beloved and exalted, and their names and memories will continue to teach everyone, especially the youth and adolescents, lessons of greatness, courage, piety, sincerity, and purity. A significant part of this task is the responsibility of writers and artists.

The survivors of our dear martyrs, especially the mothers, fathers, spouses, and children of the martyrs, hold a divine status and value immediately following the esteemed martyrs, and their sacrifice and patience are of high esteem and worth.

When the dear nation commemorates the martyrs on various occasions, especially during the blessed Decade of Fajr, and chants slogans in their names, the valuable outcome of the jihad and martyrdom of those dear ones should be foremost in everyone's mind, and all should consider themselves obligated to safeguard it and recommend it to one another. Thanks be to God that the blood of the martyrs and the beloved children of this nation bore fruit, and its sweet results have sweetened the palate of our nation in various arenas. Now, everyone must consider themselves responsible for safeguarding the achievements of the revolution—which are, in truth, the achievements of the blood of our martyrs—and spare no effort in this path.

May the divine success and support always be with this nation, and may the sacred presence of the Guardian of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) include everyone in his prayers and attentions. I send greetings to the souls of the dear martyrs and humbly offer congratulations and condolences to their honorable survivors, and I entrust all of you to God.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings

Seyyed Ali Khamenei

69/11/18