Statements in Meeting with Families of Martyrs

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family, especially the remainder of God on earth, may our souls be sacrificed for him.

Welcome, dear fathers, mothers, and spouses of our martyrs, the children of our heroes. Today's session at our Hosseiniyeh, with your presence, truly shines with the light of the martyrs; one feels the light of the martyrs through your presence. We hope that the shadow of the families of martyrs remains over this nation forever. This nation needs to remember the martyrs, to honor their names, and to cherish their memories.

Today, I have prepared a topic in my mind, noted down, regarding the fathers, mothers, and spouses of martyrs. Regarding the dear martyrs, well, everyone has spoken, and until the end and forever, the virtue of the martyrs will never be exhausted. I want to ensure that the memory of the fathers, mothers, and spouses — who are partners and fighters in this great jihad — does not fall into neglect; this is my discussion today. There are several angles from which we can view the fathers, mothers, and spouses. Of course, other family members of the martyrs are also partners in this regard, but the most important are the mother of the martyr, the father of the martyr, and the spouse of the martyr, when the martyr has a spouse. We can look at these from several angles. One perspective is the Quranic valuation; let us see what the Quran, which has numerous verses about martyrs, states about the parents and spouses of martyrs. This is one matter; from this perspective, let us see how the Quran values these survivors of martyrs. One perspective is the overlooked struggle of these dear ones, namely the fathers, mothers, and spouses; let us look at it from this angle. Truly, until today, their struggles have been overlooked, and I will briefly mention a few words about each of them. One perspective is the pain and suffering that these dear ones feel due to the loss of their loved ones; indeed, the suffering itself is a source of elevation in ranks before God the Exalted. The suffering that a father, mother, and spouse endure must be acknowledged; let us look at it from this angle. One perspective is the valuable treasure of memories and recollections that exist in the hearts of the fathers, mothers, and spouses; this is also from this perspective. Now, I have mentioned these four points, but there are many other angles from which we can view the lives of the fathers, mothers, and spouses; I have chosen these few points to present. From each of these perspectives, the greatness of the father of the martyr, the mother of the martyr, and the spouse of the martyr becomes evident like the sun.

Regarding the first perspective, namely the Quranic value; the patience that the father of the martyr, the mother of the martyr, and the spouse of the martyr have shown for the martyrdom of their child — when one reads their biographies, one sees what they endured when they received the news of their loved one's martyrdom and what patience they exhibited, what endurance they demonstrated — this patience is the highest form of patience. God the Exalted states about the patient individuals like these dear ones: "Upon them are blessings from their Lord and mercy;" you sent blessings upon the Prophet and the family of the Prophet, God sends blessings upon you. What could be more significant than the Creator of existence, the Master of this world and the Hereafter, sending blessings upon His servants? This is a very important matter. This belongs to you; this belongs to the father, mother, and spouse, and perhaps the children who understood the martyrdom of their father. Or another verse states: "You will not attain righteousness until you spend from that which you love;" no one reaches the pinnacle of goodness except when they give what they love in the way of God. What does a person love more than their child? That young woman whose husband goes to martyrdom, what can replace the romantic love between husband and wife? They gave this in the way of God; the father and mother offered this beloved child in the way of God; or that young spouse gave her beloved husband in the way of God. Thus, you are the most complete and perfect embodiment of "You will not attain righteousness until you spend from that which you love": the fathers of martyrs, the mothers of martyrs, the spouses of martyrs.

After a hard battle in which the companions fought, suffered losses, and endured many hardships, when they returned from the battle, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) told them that they had returned from the lesser jihad, and now the greater jihad is upon you; they said, O Messenger of God! What could be greater than this jihad we have performed? He said, the greater jihad is the jihad against the self. What does "jihad against the self" mean? It means the struggle against the inner feelings of a person; a person has an emotion, a desire, an inclination within themselves, and when the time for struggle arises, they must fight against it. If we look at it from this perspective, we see that the fathers of martyrs, the mothers of martyrs, and the spouses of martyrs are at the forefront of the greater jihad; why? Because they have overcome their feelings. The young person insists on going to the battlefield, there are obstacles in their way; the mother, with the love she has for her child, removes these obstacles! This exists in the lives of our martyrs; we have seen this. I have visited mothers of martyrs who buried their own children, who prepared them for burial; is this a joke? If we had not seen these or heard from those who did, it would have been unbelievable, but it has happened. Therefore, the conclusion is that in terms of the valuation of the Islamic value system, the families of martyrs, namely the father, mother, and spouse, hold a very high rank, and their virtue surpasses that of other believers. One must approach the father and mother of a martyr, the spouse of a martyr, with this perspective; this is the first point.

The second point; we mentioned the overlooked jihad. When the name "jihad" comes to mind, the first thing that appears before one's eyes is that young warrior who is fighting in the battlefield; yes, indeed, he is a fighter in the way of God, but he is not the only one; there are also fighters outside the battlefield: that woman who turns her home into a place for baking bread for the warriors is also a fighter; that family who dedicates their entire lives to supporting the sustenance and living conditions for the warriors are also fighters, they are present in jihad. A fighter is not only the one who is in the battlefield; he is certainly the complete and primary embodiment, but there are also fighters outside the battlefield. Now, among the fighters outside the battlefield, whose rank and status can compare to that of the father of a martyr or the mother of a martyr or the spouse of a martyr? The one who bakes bread and sends it has great value, and we should not deny that value, but what about the one who sends their beloved child? Sending food and blankets and clothes is one thing, sending the fruit of one's heart and a young man is another! These are fighters. This jihad has been overlooked. When we count the fighters, we do not pay attention to that woman who is the mother of a martyr or that man who is the father of a martyr or that woman who is the spouse of a martyr; these are fighters in the way of God, and "God has preferred the fighters over the homebound" applies to them as well; these are fighters in the way of God. If families did not support, this epic would not have unfolded. This eight-year Sacred Defense, this great epic — which I will later mention how significant this epic is for the history of our country — was initiated by the efforts of fathers, mothers, and spouses; they were the ones who set this epic in motion. If the fathers had shown impatience, expressed dissatisfaction, protested why our child went, why our child was killed, and the mothers did the same, this epic would not have unfolded; the first group that went would not have had a second group following them. This is also from this perspective.

The third perspective is the issue of the suffering of the families of martyrs. When a martyr reaches martyrdom, the moment of martyrdom is the beginning of their comfort, but for the father, mother, and spouse, it is the beginning of their suffering. When the martyr leaves this world, they are a guest of God in the highest realm, and God Himself provides for them; it is their first comfort; but what about the father, what about the mother, what about the spouse? When they hear that their loved one has been martyred, their suffering begins right there, and it does not end; the passage of life makes one forget many things; what one never forgets is the grief of loved ones, in this way and in this form. When one reads the books written about the martyrs, one understands what has happened to the father of the martyr, the mother of the martyr, and the spouse of the martyr; this is something that those who are watching from afar do not understand. This suffering brings elevation in ranks; this suffering is not without account before God the Exalted; the ability to endure this suffering grants greatness to a person.

The fourth perspective; we said that the father, mother, and spouse of the martyr are the treasure troves of the martyr's memories. The martyrs are the heroes of the country; our country's heroes are the martyrs; we have no heroes greater than the martyrs; they are the ones who fought in the most difficult arenas and were able to reach the highest ranks and defeat the enemy; they are the heroes. The memory of heroes is honored by all nations; it is not specific to us; sometimes in a nation, one person is recognized as a hero, and their memories, details, and life become significant for the people. Our martyrs are all heroes; remembering them is important. How have the martyrs behaved? The fathers, mothers, and spouses can tell this; they become role models. What moral qualities did the martyrs possess? What outstanding moral qualities did they have? What was the lifestyle of these martyrs like? When one reads the biographies of the martyrs, it is as if one has entered a garden filled with the most beautiful and fragrant diverse flowers; one sees various and beautiful noble qualities in these books that belong to these martyrs. The transformation that occurred in the lives of some of these martyrs; some of these martyrs, until shortly before their martyrdom, were not on the path of God and jihad, then an event occurs, a transformation takes place in their lives, and they surpass us and reach martyrdom; all of this is a lesson. The sacrifices of the martyrs from their fiery loves for their spouses and children; the martyr has small children — they are young, after all; they have one or two or three children — they are attached to them, they are attached to their spouse, they are fond of their parents, but for the sake of God, for the sake of defending the religion, Islam, and the revolution, they leave them and go. Whether those who were martyred in the Sacred Defense, those who are martyrs of security and were martyred at the borders, or those who went in recent years to defend the holy shrines and defended the holy sites, they all sacrificed their best and sweetest attachments, stepped over their attachments, and went. All of these are role models; the youth need role models, and these are the living role models of our country and our youth; their memory must remain alive. Who can keep their memory alive? The fathers, mothers, those who raised them, and the spouses who lived with them for a time. Their behaviors, their commitments, their religious attachments, their social attachments, their emotional attachments must be explained; all of these are lessons. Everything that exists in your memories of your martyrs is a lesson; these must be spoken of, these must be published, these must be utilized by the younger generation of the country.

My dear ones! What is very important — and this is my last word — is that your children, your martyrs, changed the fate of the country at one of the most sensitive moments in the history of the country; at one of the most sensitive moments. The Islamic Revolution occurred to preserve the country, which was rapidly heading towards the abyss of moral, religious, and political decline, and it succeeded; then the enemy launched a military attack, and it was these youths who stood up and resisted for eight years, saving the country; then, throughout this time until today, in various upheavals, in various instigations, in the diverse attacks of the enemy, the youths stood firm, and some of them were martyred — like the incidents that occurred in the past year or in previous years — they were able to preserve this country. They led the fate of the country towards dignity. Today, our country is dignified; the youths did this, your martyrs did this. People like us cannot claim that we did this or that; no, if it were not for the sacrifices of these youths, nothing would have happened for this country, and it would have headed towards the abyss of collapse; the one who prevented this was the brave, faithful, religious, revolutionary, and self-sacrificing youth who was able to accomplish this important task. These youths were able to guide the country through threats and dangers; they were able to save our country from great dangers, navigate through threats, and turn many threats into opportunities.

Here, I would like to address those who are in the arts, those who are in media, those who are writers, those who hold pens, poets, painters, and artists. These memories must be preserved through the language of art. Of course, good works have occurred in recent years; these books and some films, some artistic works that have been produced are good, valuable, and we must express our gratitude, but they are insufficient compared to what should happen. The number of our martyrs is large; each of them is a world; each of them is the subject of one or several valuable artistic works; films can be made about them, books can be written, paintings can be created, and these must be introduced to our younger generation; this is our duty. If they come and want you, the spouse of a martyr, the father of a martyr, the mother of a martyr, to interview, do not refuse. I hear some say we went to the family of the martyr, and they did not respond; no, introduce the martyr as much as you can; introduce them more, speak more; this is the duty of all of us.

In any case, God the Exalted has honored you; it is our duty to preserve your divine honor, and we must do this. And we hope that God willing, God the Exalted grants success to all officials to fulfill their duties towards the esteemed families of martyrs correctly and to please God with their actions. For a long time, I have been eager to meet with the families of martyrs, but time and resources and such have truly been obstacles; now there are many fathers, mothers, and families of martyrs that we wish to see, but unfortunately, it has not happened; now, we are grateful for the opportunity to visit you today. God willing, may you be successful. May God protect all of you, unite your martyrs with the Prophet, and grant you the intercession of your martyrs, God willing.

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