Statements on the Anniversary of the Birth of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her)

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

May God bless this joyous occasion, this great birth, this auspicious day in the history of Islam for you dear brothers and sisters, reciters, praise-singers, and those who remind us of the virtues of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) and for all the people of Iran. We thank and praise God with all our being for granting us these loving hearts and this fervent love as a treasure for our nation, for our happiness, and for our honor.

If it were not for the love of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and the fervent passion for these divine and spiritual elements, the Shia movement, with all its solid teachings, would not have survived throughout time and history amidst all this enmity. These emotions, this fervor of love should not be underestimated. Certainly, logic has a significant impact in establishing the truth, and without the support of logic and wisdom, no truth can be upheld; however, the spread of attraction to the truth, the survival of this enduring truth throughout the history of Islam, was only possible through love, affection, and a heartfelt emotional bond. Thus, you can observe that from the beginning of Islam until today, the intellectual and rational bond has been accompanied by an emotional and heartfelt bond.

If you look at history, you will see that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was in the days of the conquest of Mecca—eight years after his migration—when he was performing ablution, his companions rushed to catch the water that flowed from his blessed face to pour it over their heads and faces as a blessing; this is the same emotional bond. This is different from the humility of the heart and faith in the prophetic teachings; this is something else; this is what astonished a stubborn enemy like Abu Sufyan. He saw this scene and said: "I have seen many powers, governments, and kingdoms, but I have never seen a power that penetrates the hearts of people like the power of Islam does today." This is the emotional and heartfelt connection; this must be preserved.

Fatimah al-Zahra, the great and noble (peace be upon her), is the greatest woman in the history of mankind, the pride of Islam, the pride of this religion, and the pride of this nation. The status of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) is among those ranks that are either unimaginable or difficult for ordinary people—like us—to comprehend; she is infallible. Not in terms of official responsibility, is she a Prophet; nor in terms of official responsibility, is she an Imam and successor to the Prophet; but in rank, she is at the level of a Prophet and Imam. The Imams (peace be upon them) honored the blessed name of Fatimah al-Zahra with greatness and reverence; they narrated the teachings of the Fatimah scripture; these are very significant matters. This is Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her).

What exists in the apparent life of that great lady is, on one hand, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, which even in a sermon like the famous Fadak sermon, which both Shia and Sunni have narrated—at least some passages of it—when you look at the praise and glorification in this sermon, you see that wisdom and knowledge are entirely emanating from the words of that great lady. Today, thanks be to God, it remains for us—at a time when the discussion was not about education, nor was it related to knowledge and understanding; it was, in fact, a political argument—at the highest level that we can comprehend, divine and Islamic teachings are mentioned in this blessed sermon. On the other hand, her life is filled with struggle; like a devoted soldier, she has an active and effective presence in various arenas, from her childhood in Mecca, in the Shi'ab Abi Talib, in assisting and uplifting her noble father, to accompanying Amir al-Mu'minin in the difficult stages of life in Medina, in those wars, in those hardships, amidst threats, in the difficulties of material life and various pressures, and also during the trials of that great lady—after the Prophet's passing—whether in the mosque of Medina or on her sickbed, in all these stages, she is engaged in activity, striving; a wise struggler, a mystic struggler. Also, in terms of feminine duties, the duty of being a wife, the duty of motherhood, raising children, hospitality, and kindness towards her husband, she is a model woman. What is narrated from her in addressing Amir al-Mu'minin, the expressions she uses, the humility and submission she shows, and then raising these children, a child like Imam Hasan, a child like Imam Husayn, a child like Zainab, is the greatest and highest sign of a model woman in feminine duties, feminine upbringing, and feminine love; and all this priceless and unparalleled collection exists in an eighteen-year life. A young girl of eighteen or nineteen years, with all these spiritual, moral, and behavioral virtues, the existence of such an element, such a being in any society, in any history, in any nation is a source of pride; and we do not have anyone like this great lady. Knowing these teachings familiarizes a person with the virtues of that great lady; however, without an emotional bond, without love, without that fire of passion that brings tears to one's eyes—whether when one hears of her tragedy or when one hears of her virtues—one does not reach the conclusion; this is something else; this is the same emotional, spiritual, and soulful bond; this must be preserved.

From the beginning of the history of Shi'ism until today, a fundamental and essential element in Shi'ism and the Shi'a movement is this emotional current; of course, an emotion based on logic, an emotion based on truth, not a hollow emotion. Thus, you see in the Quran that the reward of the Prophethood is love and affection for the kin; "Say, I do not ask you for a reward except for love of my kin." (Quran 42:23) This is a very important point that must be considered. Distorting this love in any way and in any form is a betrayal to the great current of love for the Ahl al-Bayt and following the Ahl al-Bayt. This love must be preserved. Thus, you see that during the time of the Imams (peace be upon them), there were so many narrators, so many knowledgeable students and great jurists in the service of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), Imam Baqir (peace be upon him), and other Imams, who transmitted the teachings, the laws, the ethics; they heard, transmitted, and recorded them; but alongside all this, when one looks closely, one sees the attention to Dabbil Khuzai, the attention to Sayyid Humayri, the attention to Kumayt ibn Zayd Asadi. While figures like Zararah and Muhammad ibn Muslim and great ones of this kind are in the presence of the Imams (peace be upon them), Imam Reza (peace be upon him) cherishes Dabbil; Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) shows affection and attention to Sayyid Humayri; this is because that aspect of emotional and affectionate connection exists in the poetry of poets, in the praise of praise-singers, and in the remembrance of reciters, in the most complete and perfect manner, but in other places, it does not exist; or if it does, it is weak; or we can say, its impact is weak. Poetry, praise, and remembrance have this role in the history of Shi'ism.

Well, today most of the people present in this session are praise-singers and reciters of the Ahl al-Bayt; thus, this is a high rank. My intention is not to affirm you for this profession you have taken or the responsibility you have assumed—which certainly comes with love and passion; well, this is a given—you entered this path with your own will and interest, and God willing, you are included in the divine attentions and the rewards of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them); but my purpose is that we recognize this current correctly and utilize it as it is valued by the Imams (peace be upon them). I want to convey this to you dear brothers who are reciters of the Ahl al-Bayt and are part of the community of praise-singers and reciters of the Ahl al-Bayt. This work is a noble task; it is a valuable task; it plays a role in the survival of Shi'ism, in preserving Shia faith and knowledge, and in following the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them); appreciate this.

Our session has been held for over twenty years on this day. Many discussions have been held about praise-singing and praise-singers; we have also mentioned it—of course, good works, good advancements, and good manifestations are also observed—but I want to say that this existing capacity is a very great capacity. Perhaps I have said this to friends who participated in this annual session many times; sometimes a single verse of poetry that you recite has a greater impact on hearts than an hour of reasoned discussion by a skilled speaker. Well, this is a very great capacity; this capacity must be well utilized. With this possibility, with this great capacity, the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt can be brought to the depths of the hearts of the people across this country and deepened; this is not a small matter. We need this today; we always need it. We need our faith to be strengthened, to find clear foundations, to gain stability and permanence, so that the various waves of enemy propaganda do not shake us; we always need this. Today, the enemies of truth, the enemies of Islam, the enemies of the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) have entered the field with effective tools; today they are more armed than ever; they employ various methods to weaken this society that has rightly risen and has drawn the attention of the Islamic world and weakened the filthy claws of global arrogance—that is, the Islamic Republic, the Islamic Iranian society.

You, the Iranian nation, have accomplished many great things in these thirty years. The enemies of the Iranian nation are formidable foes. All the bullies, all the plunderers, all the big capitalists, all the power gangs, all the mafias of wealth and money are against you. You have thwarted their paths, you have created problems for them. The Iranian nation has moved significantly in these thirty years. This enmity they show, this hatred they harbor towards the Iranian nation is not without reason. If you had not made the path of these thefts difficult and challenging, if you had not created problems for the domination and control of global arrogance, they would not have shown such enmity towards you. These enemies are now seeking to empty the Iranian nation of its motivating content—which is this clear and reasoned faith. They employ various methods; they promote falsehoods, create distractions, establish intellectual distractions, create sensual distractions, create political distractions, and incite sedition; all of these are part of a policy. Well, what should be done in the face of these? This faith, which is the source of the uprising, steadfastness, and stability of the Iranian nation, must be strengthened.

One of the factors that can accomplish this great task is the dissemination of Islamic, spiritual, and revolutionary teachings in a clear manner and spreading the love of the Ahl al-Bayt in the hearts and souls of people; this is a responsibility that we all have today; praise-singers also have a part of this responsibility, which is a significant part. Look at the profession of praise-singing with this perspective. When you stand there to recite, feel that you are a religious propagator, a messenger of religious truths, standing in the most effective manner. If this feeling exists, then the selection of poetry becomes limited, the quality of delivery becomes limited, and the people who want to fulfill this responsibility become limited; there is no other way. This work must be done by you; it is the work of the praise-singers themselves. Today, if someone asks: "What does the profession of praise-singing need?" or "If someone wants to become a praise-singer, what does he need to start today?" you will list a few things; you will say he must have a good voice, a good memory, be able to learn poetry; of course, he must also have spirit. A person with a good memory and a good voice can become a praise-singer. In our view, this is not enough. You should look at the praise-singer as a teacher who wants to teach something to his audience. All of you have this capability. No one should be excluded from this circle. Anyone who has the enthusiasm for this work, Bismillah, that is very good; but he must develop his qualifications within himself.

The poetry you recite should be knowledge-based, should be instructive; whether about current issues—like some of the poetry that some gentlemen recited today, which was related to the current events of society; this is very valuable, enlightening—or even if it does not include that; but suppose you want to introduce Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), introduce her in such a way that a Muslim, a Muslim woman, a young Muslim learns from her life; that in their hearts, they feel humility and submission towards that embodiment of sanctity, purity, wisdom, and struggle. This is human nature. We humans are inclined towards perfection. If we can create perfection within ourselves, we will; if not, the one who possesses perfection naturally attracts human beings. We should explain this perfection in Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), in Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), in the Imams of the Pure (peace be upon them) for the listener, and the listener should absorb this knowledge like pure water that they drink, reaching all parts of their body. This task is beyond many speakers, beyond many artists, beyond many teachers; but it is within your capacity if you carry it out.

I have repeatedly advised, and I will advise again; divide your platform, your gathering into two parts: the first part, knowledge and ethics. Today we need ethics, we need knowledge. Today we need our existing generation, our young generation, to grow up with hope, with enthusiasm, with optimism for the future, with faith in God, with a heartfelt connection to the Ahl al-Bayt. We need our youth today to take pride in belonging to the Islamic Iran; to take pride in the existence of the Imam; to take pride in the Islamic Republic; to take pride in their religion and their sect and in following the Ahl al-Bayt. We need a youth who knows that their destiny and the destiny of their community and the destiny of their great family depend on their work and effort; they should be diligent, hardworking, serious, persistent, not lazy, not indifferent, and not careless. How are these educations carried out? You can play a role. Therefore, one part of the platform should be poetry that injects these meanings. The best way of expression is also indirect expression.

In good poetry—here the role of poets becomes evident—promote the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt. Today, fortunately, we do not lack good poets. Some of the poetry recited today was among the good poems. Today, thanks be to God, we have good poets, skilled speakers in expressing and articulating truths and putting these truths into verse; seek them out. You, who are praise-singers, when you seek poetry, the poet's fountain of poetry will spring forth. When you seek it, he will compose poetry. When his poetry is recited by you, his motivation for composing poetry multiplies; a synergy is created; he helps you, and you help him.

One part of the platform also pertains to the praises and elegies of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). Of course, we have many discussions regarding elegy recitation. We have repeatedly told you dear praise-singers in this session, and we have said in other places that in elegy recitation, one must adhere to the truth of the event. It is true that you want to make your audience cry, but this crying should be achieved through artistry in the quality of expressing the event, not by mentioning an event that has no basis. In the past, we had instances—God willing, it is not like that now—where some would fabricate something on the spot; a point would come to their mind, they would see it is good, the situation is good, they would say it right there and make people cry! This is not correct. Making people cry is not the goal; the goal is to blend this tearful heart—which brings tears to the eyes and moistens the eyes—with pure teachings; of course, with artistry.

We had a famous preacher in Mashhad—may God have mercy on him—fifty years ago; the late Rukn al-Wa'izin. He would go to the pulpit, and people would cry like spring rain at his mourning sessions; while he himself would often say, "I do not mention the name of spears and daggers." He truly did not mention them; I had seen dozens of his sermons. He would artistically depict the incident in such a way that it would transform the gathering; without saying, "They killed," without saying, "They shot," without saying, "They struck with swords" or "daggers"; he would not say these. One can perform good mourning with artistic methods and make people cry.

Of course, I should also tell you; that the praise-singers and the former elegy reciters—whom we now have less opportunity to see, but in some cases, we benefit from the insights of praise-singers—insist that you cry loudly, which is not necessary; well, cry softly. When they want to beat their chests, they insist that "the voice is not that of this crowd"; or when people want to send blessings, they insist that "the blessings are not that of this crowd"! If you want people to send blessings, even if it is in their hearts. Warming up the gathering in these ways is not the essence; do something that captures the hearts of the audience. When the audience's heart is in your hands, the goal is achieved; even if they cry softly, the goal is still achieved; if they pay attention to you, the goal is achieved.

Therefore, the result of our discussion today is that the work of praise-singing is a great task, an important task, a very influential profession; it can be a prominent and significant example of striving in the way of God. When you say we are ready to be present in the field, this is a type of presence for everyone: one day a person is in the field of physical warfare, another time a person is in the field of fighting against enemies who have entered the battle in cultural wars and soft wars; this is another type of struggle; it has its own requirements. In your work as praise-singers, being in the field and striving means delivering an impactful speech and guiding hearts; of course, with artistic methods. Now, when we mention artistic methods, well, you all have good voices, thank God; there are also conventional melodies. Of course, some of the melodies that one hears here and there or reach one's ears are not suitable melodies; even if they attract four people. No, the melody should be heavy, dignified, and appropriate for the content you are presenting; God forbid, it should not lead to sinful melodies and melodies that are sinful. This is also a very fundamental and important point. Not every poem, every composition, every song and melody that is recited is worthy of imitation. There are things that are inherently forbidden; if they enter the realm of praise-singing and expressing the truth and expressing God and the Prophet, then their sanctity will be doubled. Therefore, an artistic and good melody and good poetry and a good voice, and perhaps above all, the pure and sincere heart of the esteemed praise-singer are necessary and important.

We hope that God Almighty, by the blessing of Fatimah al-Ma'sumah (peace be upon her), grants you all success and support and accepts these efforts from you. O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, may the blessings of Fatimah al-Ma'sumah be sustained in our country, our community, and our hearts. O Lord! Do not separate us from this family in this world and the Hereafter. O Lord! Include us in the prayers of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him). O Lord! Raise us in this world and the Hereafter with these great ones. O Lord! Unite our dear martyrs and our great Imam with Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) and the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt.

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