Statements of the Supreme Leader at the Ceremony of the Fifth Anniversary of Imam Khomeini's Passing (may his soul be sanctified)

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon our Master and Prophet Muhammad and his pure, chosen, and infallible family, especially the remaining proof of God on earth.

God, the Wise, has said in His Book: "In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and whoever comes to Him as a believer having done righteous deeds, for them are the highest ranks, gardens of perpetual residence beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein eternally. That is the reward of those who purify themselves."

I extend my condolences on the fifth anniversary of the passing of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) to all truth-seeking Muslims of the world, especially to the dear and great nation of Iran. I also sincerely offer my condolences to all those who, over these five years, have chosen the path of the Imam as the clear line of their lives and have taken pride in it, and to the sincere followers and true disciples of that great man, who are not few among our nation and other nations. I also find it necessary to express my heartfelt condolences to the respected and honored family of the late Imam and the group of devoted individuals who, in the last years of that great man's blessed life, took on the very great and heavy responsibility of serving that noble person and fulfilled it in the best manner; especially to his dear and noble son, Mr. Haj Seyyed Ahmad.

Today, in this grand and enthusiastic gathering, I will present a few points in memory of this great man, as fundamental axes for pursuit, study, and reflection. I begin with the person of the Imam. Although speakers have spoken, writers have written, and poets have composed about the Imam, today I have in my mind the content of two blessed verses from Surah Taha, which were recited, and I have compared them with the personality of the great Imam. In our dear Imam, there were three shining characteristics that are also mentioned in these two noble verses. In the first verse, it says: "And whoever comes to Him as a believer having done righteous deeds." Faith is the first characteristic, and righteous deeds are the second characteristic. At the end of the second verse, a third characteristic is mentioned in the phrase: "That is the reward of those who purify themselves," which is the characteristic of purification and self-discipline. The Holy Quran promises the highest ranks to those who possess these characteristics: "For them are the highest ranks."

These three characteristics were prominent in the great Imam. The faith of that great man was exemplary and exceptional. His righteous deeds were such that no one has performed them since the early days of Islam until today, namely the establishment of the Islamic system, which I will briefly address today. His purification was such that at the height of fame, power, and popularity, he chose the peak of servitude for himself, and with each passing day, his supplication and appeal to the Great God increased.

These three characteristics existed in the great Imam. Therefore, it is right to say: he is among those who "For them are the highest ranks." This high status that you observe today for the great Imam throughout the world is due to these three characteristics. Wherever there is fairness, the Imam is great there. Wherever there is a quest for justice, the Imam is the most beautiful face there. Where there is disrespect to our great Imam Khomeini, there is no justice, no fairness, no truth-seeking; rather, there is worldliness and corruption. These three characteristics relate to the great Imam, who is also the central theme of our speech today.

As we said, righteous deeds are one of these three characteristics. The righteous deed of the Imam was the foundation of the Islamic government and system. It is good for esteemed brothers and sisters to pay attention so that the importance and greatness of the righteous deed of the Imam are correctly understood in their minds. Our great Imam established the Islamic system; an Islamic system that has an Islamic government and political structure based on it, and behind it, there is an Islamic program. All three points are worthy of attention and reflection.

The Islamic system that the Imam established and created in this country is such that the lifestyle of this nation acquires an Islamic form and meaning, and the orientation is Islamic. This Islamic system has a main substance called "faith in God and the unseen" and also has a form and appearance called "Islamic law." Such a system, with the essence of faith and the form and appearance of Islamic regulations and law, is a unique and exceptional system unknown to materialistic humanity but known to Muslims familiar with Islam and the Quran. Except for the early days of Islam, it has not existed throughout history, and today it exists only in Islamic Iran.

Of course, no one hoped that in this era, the Islamic system could be implemented. No one imagined that with all this enmity and opposition, anyone would dare to move in this direction or have the power to do so. But the Imam, with the power of faith, will, and determination, and with the help of relying on the souls of millions of eager and passionate hearts, accomplished this seemingly impossible task. The prominent and specific part of this system is the political apparatus, namely the government apparatus, and the first part of any system is this political part that takes shape. From here, systems, schools, and goals can be correctly recognized.

Our great Imam established a government that is unparalleled in today's world, and indeed throughout history, except for exceptional cases from the early days of Islam until now. This government has a goal, which is to reach the ideal Islamic society, which I will discuss in the "program" section. The characteristics of this government are that in the system the Imam created, the components of the political apparatus are competent. They are righteous people. They are believers; they are pious and have integrity and chastity. Compare this with the governments and states that today claim to lead humanity and see how much distance there is!

In the Islamic system that the Imam created, the political apparatus is a pure apparatus composed of people who are competent; they are not worldly and do not want anything for themselves. For them, the goal is Islam and divine laws, and above all, the goal is the pleasure of God. The perfect example is this great man himself. The officials of the system, by the grace of God, have shown in these turbulent years after the victory of the revolution until today that they all bear a mark of that luminous face; some even more than can be described.

The fact that you see in today's world, for a president, or a head of the judiciary, or a head of the legislature, or military commanders and field commanders, personal needs and desires are not the motivation for movement, is a rare and sometimes unparalleled case. In addition, another characteristic of this political apparatus is its independence. The officials of this apparatus are not under anyone's control; they do not fear any power and disregard the commands of the world's powerful, who are armed and equipped with tools of wealth and force. This is also a rare case in the world.

In the Islamic Republic system, the nature of the matter is the same, and all, by the grace of God, are like this. Again, the highest example is this great man himself, and others also have a trace of this truth in themselves. So, this is also the system of the political apparatus from the Islamic system that the Imam created.

The third point is the program. The program of the Islamic system is also exceptional among the programs that the world's reformers, states, and bringers of new messages propose. In this program, the reconstruction of the world and the hereafter are together. The Islamic system wants to build the world of the people; but it does not want to stop there. The world and the hereafter in the Islamic system and in the program of this system are together. People must live life with dignity and comfort; but this comfort and ease and everything that provides this ease for people, all and all are a prelude to the pleasure of God. They are the means, and the goal is to gain the pleasure of the Lord. This is an exceptional matter in today's world scene, and indeed throughout history, except in the governments of the prophets and their successors and trustees. All claim they want to reform the world of the people, and most of them cannot. But the Islamic system wants to reform both religion and the world and can do so. Islam has shown this power.

If fair eyes look at the current state of the country, they will confirm this. Today, this nation and this state and this country, which had eight years of war imposed and dominated upon it; its factories were destroyed; its roads were ruined; it was economically besieged; its resources were taken away; no state helped it, and from within, through political and propaganda activities, various pressures were exerted on it, is pursuing reconstruction programs and especially infrastructure work in such a way that observers also praise it. Those who come and see, praise both the program and the executors of the program. If it were not for the enemy's pressure; if it were not for the treacherous and incited hands of the enemy; if it were not for the enemy's propaganda, economic, and political presence behind our borders, our situation would be much better than this, and many of the economic problems that exist in the country today would not exist.

The Islamic program is a program for managing and building the world and the hereafter. Other programs do not concern themselves with the religion of the nation and the hereafter of people. The Islamic program educates and purifies. Today, in our country, a general movement, especially among the youth, towards learning the Quran, understanding religion, and practicing Islamic laws and regulations is observed. This is not for the worldly people. The worldly people claim they will fix the world's nations, and they cannot. But Islam considers both the world and the hereafter and, by the grace of God, can do so. The nation, too, as a result of Islam, is exceptional in its faith, patience, and awareness among the nations of the world. When you put this collection together, it becomes the righteous deed of this great man and this righteous servant of the Lord.

The concentration of political power in the world and the global power pyramid requires that nations and states all be captive and followers of the central power, which today is the power of America and its satellites and companions. Many systems have failed and fallen in this path. But the Islamic Republic, thanks to this steadfastness, says a decisive word in the case of Palestine that others do not even dare to hear. That decisive word, on which the Iranian nation and state are unanimous, is that "Palestine is a country belonging to the Palestinian nation, and the Zionist state is an usurping state, and the origin of that state and system is absolutely illegitimate." Many do not even dare to hear this statement from its speakers! With this account, the negotiations about Palestine are nothing but empty talk and have no value or credibility because they are contrary to the truth and accepted principles.

The same independent and truth-seeking view applies to all the world's issues, belonging to the nation and state of the Islamic Republic. In the case of the Muslims of the Balkans, we believe that the pressure on the Muslims of the Balkans is because they do not want a Muslim nation and state to form in Europe. It is fear of Islam. With this account, the dominant powers of today's world deliberately did not support the Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They knew what they were doing. Deliberately, they supported and helped the Serbs. Deliberately, they prevented military tools and equipment from reaching the Muslims.

This is the view of our government and nation, which means the condemnation of the dominant powers of today's world in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkan issues. In the case of the newly independent Muslims of Central Asia, the Muslims of Kashmir, the Muslims of Azerbaijan, the Muslims in every part of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, the view of our government and nation is that it is the right of all of them to want to live in an Islamic way; to implement the laws of Islamic law in their lives, and no one has the right to stop them. Western powers, under the pretext that turning to the laws of Islamic law is fundamentalism, even prevent the holding of free elections in some of these countries. We believe that this interference and usurpation in the affairs of Muslim nations is unjust and wrongful. Muslims have the right to live in an Islamic way and should be given this opportunity. The government and nation of Iran condemn the Zionist aggression in the case of Lebanon, consider the struggle against the Zionists necessary, and regard the agreements as void. These are the independent positions of the Islamic system and government, and these are what cause the international power pyramid to accuse the Islamic Republic. The accusations they make against us and indeed what is presented as an accusation stem from this. This second point is often a distortion of reality and, in many cases, points to a strength in the Islamic Republic system. For example, they accuse the Islamic Republic of "fundamentalism," and by fundamentalism, they mean fanaticism and rigidity. This is actually the same non-submissiveness of the Iranian nation and state. Just because they do not submit to the unfair demands of global powers, it is said: "They are rigid." No; this position is the truth-seeking position of a Muslim nation and does not mean rigidity. If fundamentalism means respect for accepted principles, it is a good category, and everyone is proud of it. But if it means rigidity and fanaticism, it is a lie and an accusation against the government and nation of Iran.

Another issue is that they accuse the Islamic Republic of not respecting human rights. What they mean is the implementation of Islamic limits because we implement Islamic limits. The Quran says: "And these are the limits of God, and whoever transgresses the limits of God;" whoever transgresses the limits of God is threatened by the Lord.

The limits are the limits of God. We prioritize the text of the Quran and its content over the products of the limited minds of Western jurists who have created and invented knowledge for themselves and consider it more advanced than the knowledge of divine religions. The limits of God are prioritized. The way to reform society is to implement the limits of God. We may have shortcomings in this regard; but our movement is certainly towards the complete implementation of the limits of the Lord. The limits are Quranic limits. This is also the second point.

The last point is that our path, as this great man has outlined for us, is the path of steadfastness and pursuing the goals of the Islamic system. According to the lessons of our great Imam and according to his will, this is the path of this nation. My dear brothers and sisters throughout the country should pay attention that the path to the happiness of the Iranian nation is adherence to Islamic and divine laws. The path to the happiness of the Iranian nation is reliance on itself and its abilities and talents. The path to the happiness of this nation is to cut off hope from the dominant global powers and also not to fear them. Do not fear them in the slightest and do not hope for them in the slightest.

My dear ones! The greatest gift that the Islamic Revolution has given to this nation is that it has removed the evil of corrupt and dependent governments that had dominated this country and nation and these divine blessings for years and years from this nation and this country. Today, by the grace of God, the administrators of the country are from these people themselves. Today, with the effort and vigilance of this nation, the best form of popular government and the involvement of people's opinions in this country is present. Of course, the enemy denies this in its propaganda, and it should. What can be expected from the enemy?! Here, people, with their own beliefs, which are Islamic criteria, choose a person to manage the country's executive affairs and people to legislate and guide the executors; that too with complete freedom and reliance on faith. This is the exceptional point. If in today's well-known countries of the world that claim democracy, party disputes and party prejudices and various political struggles are the motivation for voting, in Islamic Iran and in this proud and dignified country, the motivation for voting is only faith and the recognition of divine and Islamic values. This has value. This is important. And this is present today.

I do not know of any country in the world where the emotional bond and heartfelt relationship between the nation and the officials are like in Iran. The nation loves the officials; the officials also love the nation with all their being and consider themselves its servants. This is the nation and its feelings. The enemy's propaganda can say whatever it wants. In the last years of the blessed life of the Imam, the enemy propagated that the Imam's path was supposedly abandoned by the people! But the farewell that the people gave to the body of this great man was more magnificent than the welcome they gave him upon his victorious entry into Tehran. This is the bond and connection between the nation and the state. This is the Imam, this is the system, this is the political apparatus, this is the program, and this is the nation. All are exceptional and all are unique in the world from various aspects.

What I want to say in the last sentence of my remarks is that both the Iranian nation and the country's officials must preserve these characteristics with all their being and power. The state and the nation must preserve the path of God and the path of Islam. The country's officials must not forget the people for a moment. During the great movement of the reconstruction program, the deprived classes must be precisely considered. The Islamic Consultative Assembly should pass laws; the government should implement them, and the judiciary should oversee their implementation with all its being. The nation should also pursue this path—the path of Islam, the path of the Quran, the path of God's religion, and the path that the great Imam has placed before us—with power and courage.

I once again offer my condolences to all the dear members of our nation and to you, esteemed attendees and dear guests, on this sorrowful anniversary and reminder of a bitter memory.

Today is also the day of "Mubahala." The coincidence of the anniversary with the day of Mubahala requires us to ask God more for the exalted status of this great man. Since it is a day of supplication and prayer, we should increase our attention, appeal, and adherence to divine favors as much as possible. I especially offer my condolences to the dear guests who have come to Tehran from abroad or from other cities. I hope that we all derive the greatest spiritual benefit from this occasion and ceremony.

I will make a few prayers, and God willing, with attention, we will ask these from God:

O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, peace be upon them, reform the state of the Islamic nation.

O Lord! Fulfill the wish of our great Imam regarding the world of Islam, make our steps firm on this path! Bring the Iranian nation to its lofty goals and defeat and subdue the enemies of this nation!

O Lord! Make the hearts of these people more and more kind to each other as they have been until today.

O Lord! Make the hearts of the people and the country's officials more and more kind to each other.

O Lord! Do not cut our hands from the Quran, do not cut our hands from the skirt of the family of the great Prophet, peace and blessings be upon them.

O Lord! Make the sacred heart of the remaining proof of God and the great guardian of God, may our souls be sacrificed for him, pleased with us.

O Lord! Make us among the soldiers and followers and companions of that great man, in his presence and absence.

O Lord! Elevate the holy spirit of the Imam and make him share in every good deed that comes from any member of the Iranian nation. Make us your sincere and righteous servants. Make what we said and heard and did for yourself and in your path and accept it from us with your grace.

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