Speech at the Conclusion of the Fourth Grand Assembly of Commanders and Officials of the Offices of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist in the IRGC

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

This is a very magnificent and grand session; both in terms of the presence of a group of outstanding young people and the sincere disciples of the revolution and Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), and in terms of the living reminder of the great values of the revolution - namely jihad and martyrdom - which you dear IRGC members bring with you wherever you are present, along with the difficult ten-year jihad, the bloody scenes, great sacrifices, and the fragrance of martyrdom. God willing, you will succeed, advance day by day in the path of servitude to God, and make the Almighty God more pleased with you; for this is the essence of the matter, and all other affairs are a prelude to this.

There are many things that one feels should be shared with you dear brothers. Unfortunately, I do not have enough time and opportunity; otherwise, if it were up to my will, I would prefer to sit and talk with you dear ones in such a sincere and pure assembly several times a year.

In my opinion, the IRGC is an unparalleled, perhaps unique phenomenon in our known history; that is, an entity whose birth, growth, and development took place on the stage of the revolution, in the arena of the most difficult tests of the revolution. At the beginning of the war, the IRGC was a small thing; a newborn child; however, the proper and continuous nourishment of this entity, born in the cradle of the Islamic Revolution from the flowing materials of the revolution, made it robust, strong, and flourishing, until the day when revolutionary truths performed their first miracles at the hands of these young people on the front: shapeless masses turned into organized units; unrestrained passions and enthusiasms engaged in work within the framework of elite combat rules and laws; the lovers of sacrifice and jihad found the logical and rational path of successful jihad, intended by the Lord, in experiences. Each of these was a stage of your movement forward.

If you imagine that the IRGC of, for example, the year 1981 or 1982 - the year of the Fath al-Mubin operation and Beit al-Moqaddas - was supposed to act like the IRGC of 1980, even if its number was ten times what you had on the fronts of Dezful, Ahvaz, Susangerd, and Khorramshahr, it could not have accomplished these tasks. This is the tradition of God and the divine nature in this world; growing bigger, more knowledgeable, more complex, and benefiting more from tests day by day. This is how a human entity reaches perfection.

See how much the Quran emphasizes knowledge, contemplation, and learning from the past; see how much it values gratitude for blessings. What does gratitude for blessings mean? It means that you first recognize the blessing that God has given, then use it in its rightful place - which God has determined according to His wisdom.

If we do not employ tactics, if we do not use knowledge in war, a large mass will not accomplish anything. The same love, interest, and devotion to the goals of the revolution, just as it manifests as a suicidal act - which in its place is a sacrifice, a charity, and a good deed - also manifests in its place as a mature and effective combat tactic; and the result is that you defeat an enemy equipped with weapons, tactics, and numbers.

The IRGC advanced step by step and flourished. Wherever you have fond memories of successes, it is where God's blessing has been thanked and the wise details of divine instructions have been applied.

Now, what are these details? These are the seemingly small but in reality great points that were in the corners of the Quran, the words of the Imams, and the statements of Imam Khomeini: do not focus on yourself, do not make yourself the center, consider God as the goal, step out of the mold of material life, pursue duty and see what it is and do not concern yourself with anything else, always search at every stage and discover God's satisfaction according to the religious proof and act accordingly. These are the rules of wisdom that have been set for human victory in his eternal struggle in this world; do not think these are things unrelated to human goals. When they say you and I should not make ourselves the center in our efforts, it means that this matter is directly related to our attainment of divine goals. In solitude and in personal reflections, think about this matter a little.

Wherever there is a fond memory of victory, these things are present. Wherever there is a bitter and stinging memory of failure - whatever that failure is; whether it is defeat, or non-victory, or heavy casualties - it is where one or several of these things have faltered. If we search, we will find it.

Sometimes the action of an individual affects a group. Sometimes the mistake of a defender breaks a line. If you go so precisely in the line of matters, the divine interpretation of events from victory and defeat will be obtained. You have passed these stages.

The war is over. The post-war period, with the blessed presence of the leader, the Imam, the teacher, and the guide familiar with the pain of each of the believers in this path, has passed for a while, and then there have been subsequent events that have continued to this day. Where are we now? In the middle of the work.

Let it not be forgotten that we have started a journey from the beginning and are moving towards goals. Always consider it the night of the operation. Always expect help and grace from the divine court, and always fear defeat. Some defeats are noisy and accompanied by clamor; some are not, they come upon a person and a society and a front unnoticed; then a person understands its news and realizes it himself, and these kinds of defeats are dangerous.

You dear brothers, capable, battle-hardened, and responsible young people, be aware that from the beginning of the victory of the revolution and the beginning of the emergence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a movement has begun, and this did not end with the end of the war; it did not end with the passing of the Imam; it does not end with various events; this movement continues; we are still in the middle of the path.

If the Almighty God wills, we will see various scenes and stages. We must witness great things in the future. History is changing. One of the important twists in the movement of history is being traversed in my and your time. The twists of history are traversed over many years. Sometimes the life of one or two generations is a moment in history. We are at one of those major twists and at one of those turning points.

Today, look at the era of the Prophet (peace be upon him); from afar, the twist can be seen. Up close, during the movement, no one realizes what is being done; except the wise. From here, you understand what kind of movement humanity was engaged in during the early Islamic era and what it was doing. Not that we want to compare the luminous era of the Prophet with other periods, but we are doing such a work today; or rather, today the world is undergoing such a transformation as it was then; no one believed it then either.

Do you think the powers that were dominant over the world at that time felt less powerful than the arrogant power of today's America? No, they also felt powerful in the same way. See how they spoke to the prophets. See how contemptuous the encounters of civilizations were with those who spoke against their desires and whims.

Pay attention to the story of the three prophets who were sent to the city of Antioch; "And present to them an example: the people of the city, when the messengers came to it. When We sent to them two but they denied them, so We strengthened them with a third, and they said, 'Indeed, we are messengers to you.'" (Quran 36:13-14). These three prophets told the leaders of a civilization that we have a goal, we have a message, and we have come to talk to you. The issue is not about mountain dwellers and stone carvers; the issue is the civilization of the so-called Roman Empire with its grandeur and with its great historical artifacts. This "Indeed, we are messengers to you," in the concise expression of the Quran, is one word. The prophets said one word that we have been sent to you. It was not that all the people of Antioch were gathered in one place and these three went and gave a speech and said: "Indeed, we are messengers to you"; no, "Indeed, we are messengers to you," was said in the same way that the Imam said to the world over these ten years. The Imam was saying the same thing; "Indeed, we are messengers to you." O heedless humanity! O human being enslaved by a few political and industrial families of the world! O humiliated nations! We have come to save you, we have come to talk to you. The Imam said this for ten years; "Indeed, we are messengers to you." Perhaps those prophets also said this over a period of time.

"They said, 'You are not but human beings like us, and the Most Merciful has not revealed a thing. You are only telling lies.'" (Quran 36:15). From the other side, denial and contempt: No sir, what are you saying? What new thing do you have for humanity? You are like the rest of the people; you have brought your own special Islam and are saying your own special words; the same tone that the leaders of the dark and ominous materialism of the world spoke with the revolution and with the Imam and with the callers of truth and the standard-bearers of truth, and today they speak.

"They said, 'Our Lord knows that we are messengers to you. And our duty is only to convey the clear message.'" (Quran 36:16-17). The renewed attack is from the prophets: No, we take the sacred as witnesses that we speak for your good. We are sent, we have a mission, we have words with you. Refer to your conscience, refer to your religions, refer to your pure-hearted thinkers - if you have any. We want to convey our message to you - "the clear message" - we do not want to turn a brick from this side to that side in every point with our own hands. We want to create motivation in you; exporting thought and revolution and culture; the very thing that the enemy fears more than anything else.

As soon as the clear message is mentioned, the other side's front becomes harsher. Here, it is no longer about contempt; "They said, 'Indeed, we consider you a bad omen. If you do not desist, we will surely stone you, and there will surely touch you from us a painful punishment.'" (Quran 36:18). Here, it is no longer about smiling mockingly in their propaganda and saying they brought new words, but they promote old foundations; no, it is a confrontation. He says you are harmful to humanity; he who has inflicted the greatest blow on human life! He says if you do not desist from this mission and these words, you will be threatened; "there will surely touch you from us a painful punishment." Then here, the prophet, in response to this method, again strikes a double counterattack; "They said, 'Your omen is with yourselves. Is it because you were reminded? Rather, you are a transgressing people.'" (Quran 36:19).

This incident has always been, and it is today as well. Even then, the world and the worldly people behaved with a harsh and cold face and with utmost violence in the face of the prophet's movement; it is not exclusive to today; but in all cases, the front that ultimately retreated was the same arrogant and proud front. This is where history has evolved day by day. This is the divine interpretation of history, this is the evolution of history.

These ignorant and unfortunate Marxists who suffered from their own misunderstandings, they interpreted evolution as "complexity." A developed society means a complex society! The more complex a society is, in terms of social and economic relations and then technology, the more developed it is! This is not the meaning of evolution. Evolution means better understanding of high concepts, more acquiring of high morals, and taking a step towards a correct understanding. In this way, humanity has come forward step by step until it reached the era of the final prophet; and today, the same movement towards progress continues.

Can the world remain in this ignorance? Is it possible for the overwhelming majority of humanity to be subject to malicious desires and accompanied by the sharpest human tools in the service of the bullies of the time? This is the turning point, and we will move forward; of course, it has conditions.

The fundamental point is that this confrontation and opposition on the side of truth requires perseverance, vigilance, resistance, and the same selflessness that the Imam always spoke of. A significant group of people in the revolutionary and rightful society must exist, for whom these worldly adornments have no value. If we have this group, with enduring hardships, progress is certain.

The hardship that a person wants to endure at the cost of advancing humanity to a higher step is valuable; the same goal for which Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) was martyred; there is nothing higher than this. Imam Hussein endured so much suffering. Could Imam Hussein not have sat in his own house?

Brothers! The essence of the matter is that the IRGC must be the same solid foundation. The IRGC must be pleased with spiritual elevation and the foundation of human evolution; it must move in this path and pursue this goal. We do not have another collection like this; not only in the present time, but also in our history; a collection of the best faithful and revolutionary elements who entered the hardest fields and advanced step by step and evolved through difficult tests.

Now the IRGC is in the prime of youth and at the peak of youth, power, and vitality. You must strengthen the foundation of the IRGC as much as you can. You brothers who are commanders and each of you whose responsibility is higher, are more obligated and responsible in this regard.

Of course, strengthening the foundation of the IRGC is through training, equipment, organization, and discipline, and these are the things we always recommend; but above all these, it is through spirituality. Spirituality, supplication to God, connecting hearts with the Almighty God, making God the goal, not being deceived by appearances, not becoming attached to the gold and glitter of the world and worldly adornments, these are what create a faithful collection and a faithful group; then, "How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of God." (Quran 2:249). Even if you are few, with that spiritual aspect, you force the many to flee before you. It was this spirituality that made the Basij so restless and passionate on the battlefields; it drew these young people to the front; and when they came to the front, they could not leave it.

These wills that the Imam recommended to read, I have acted on this recommendation of his a lot. Whatever wills of these children have come to my hand - a photocopy, a booklet - I have mostly read them; they are strange things. We really learn from these wills. Here it becomes clear that learning and divine knowledge depend more on spiritual wisdom - which arises from divine illumination - than on appearances and formal frameworks. That young man's handwriting is barely readable, but each word is a lesson and a guide for me and the likes of me, and I have benefited greatly.

In many cases, they wrote to their parents that we cannot leave here; this is paradise and life is here. For example, in response to his mother writing, my son! Come sooner, or let us know, he says there is no life there at all; life is here. This was the spirituality. When there is spirituality, hearts are attracted to it. When hearts are attracted, forces follow hearts and wills. When this happens, the greatest powers cannot defeat a nation. Brothers! This reality happened in Iran; the greatest powers in the world could not defeat Iran.

It was not just Iraq against us - of course, we said it then, but after last year's Gulf events, everyone admitted - it was the West, it was the East, it was America, it was the NATO alliance, it was the region's reactionaries, it was money, it was weapons, it was equipment, it was tactics, it was satellite news.

In one of these major operations we had in recent years, and the other side showed a very remarkable effort, I told the friends here that I guess now in the main headquarters of Iraq, non-Iraqi military personnel are sitting; which of course I highly suspected were Western; the type of movements showed this. The type of work showed that a new breath was working there; later it became clear that this was the case. The whole world helped them; but what caused that despite the existence of that strange and terrifying force, they could not dominate Islamic Iran - with all the weaknesses you knew and were aware of; budget weakness, equipment weakness, organizational weaknesses, discipline weaknesses, the existence of some differences - and achieve their goal? The world learned from this event.

Today, American commanders who fought say we learned and gained experience from the Iran-Iraq war that we witnessed. What was this due to? Due to that same spirituality. This spirituality must be preserved. In the IRGC, you must preserve this.

Several principles in the IRGC are inviolable:

First, the principle of religiosity and piety. A person without religion and piety is not an IRGC member. We do not say that he is outside the realm of our country's credibility; no, let him go to another organization, or another place; he is not suitable for this collection. This collection requires a religious and pious person. You know that I have never allowed myself to belittle any of the armed forces and organizations - the army, others who were and are now part of the law enforcement forces - I have always praised them; but our expectation from the IRGC is something else. That word is clear, and this word is clear.

The expectation that the revolution has from the IRGC is not from the rest of the organizations; because the responsibility that this collection can fulfill, has not been asked from the rest of the collections. Whoever has more responsibility, his value is higher and his level is higher. This religiosity is what must be prevalent in the IRGC and increase day by day.

Do not think that now is the period of reconstruction and naturally some violations occur! For a faithful collection with this great mission, the period of reconstruction and the period of war and non-war make no difference. One must always be religious, observant of divine laws, and careful and vigilant about one's actions and behavior.

The second principle is militarism. Do not think that we are playing sacred games here; a group of sacred brothers are mingling, singing elegies and beating their chests, and in the battlefield, anything goes; no, the IRGC children, thanks be to God, have learned military ranks and military training better and faster than their peers and have progressed well; and this is an honor for anyone who considers a serious responsibility on his shoulders.

Military training and, in general, militarism, includes everything of a military collection. Let no one think that we should not value training, discipline, equipment, organization, and hierarchy; no, each of these must be valued. I have said these words many times and repeated them and I do not want to repeat them.

What exists today as military knowledge in the world does not belong to a specific nation, a specific government, or a specific faction; this is the reserve of long-standing human civilization and culture over various centuries. There has always been war, wars have constantly emerged, experiences have constantly been created, these experiences have accumulated, and today military knowledge has emerged.

We who are Muslims and revolutionaries, we who are the vanguard of the new global movement, must know this knowledge better than others. Others are reactionaries, others are backward, others are looking to the past; do not look at their appearance and glitter. Others are captives of lust, captives of the smallest human motivations; you are the pioneers, you are the vanguard, you are the innovators, you have the new message for the world, in every field of knowledge that can be and should be - including military knowledge and military techniques and modern methods of military organization - you must have the best.

Specific groups must always be studying, so that in the collection of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, any new method in organization that seems more effective is worked on. I am not in favor of changing the organization of the IRGC every day; but I am not in favor of stagnation in this organization either. We must see how this collection can be present in the field where responsibility is directed at it, lighter, more effective, and more powerful.

In terms of militarism, one should not relent. This issue of ranks that you saw I care so much about is because it helps militarism, and of course, it does help; otherwise, the day the ranks were given, I said here that we do not measure the value of a self-sacrificing warrior in the path of God by rank; his value is measurable by other authenticities; but this ranking is necessary for discipline and cannot be done without this ranking. This is one of the freshest and most modern and lively experiences of today's militarism in the world; it is not an imitation of anyone. This is using past experience. This is permissible and necessary and we must do it.

Of course, in reality, ranks have been given symbolically to a number of brothers; but as I saw the brothers are busy, God willing, in the near future and on a wide scale, this rank must be placed.

This rank is sacred to you. This rank is made and placed based on the years they were on the front and also the characteristics and correct and measurable values. This indicates being a member and part of this living and vibrant body. Honestly, the brothers are working hard so that this work expands as soon as possible - and it must expand and God willing, it will expand soon. Give importance to this work. Do not turn away from things that are necessary for discipline.

Discipline does not conflict with humility and the spirit of brotherhood. I also told you in that message, and I am telling you now that everyone must obey his superior within the framework of rules and disciplinary regulations; but both are brothers; like what exists in religious collections and in seminaries. This one is the teacher, that one is the student, but the limits are clear; they talk brotherly, or they discuss, or they research. Rank does not mean that harshness and quarrelsomeness and contempt and disregard from the superior to the subordinate should occur; that is another matter. That Islamic brotherhood must be preserved in its place.

The third principle for the IRGC brothers is to be in their place; justice. Justice is to place everything in its place. The IRGC must be in its place. Where is the place of the IRGC? The duty of the IRGC is defined; military defense of the revolution. Many may defend the revolution; the seminary also defends; but its defense is another defense. Government officials may also defend in their place, or they must; which is also another type of defense. This is the defense of the revolution and there is no ambiguity in this responsibility. They must be placed there and see what is necessary for this responsibility; what is necessary must be acquired.

The status of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is that in addition to military training and discipline and in a word militarism - as I said before - it must also be aware; it must be clear-sighted, have political intuition, be aware of time and place; otherwise, it will be deceived and make mistakes; and the mistake of an IRGC member is very different from the mistake of a non-IRGC member, and the damage of this is much heavier. The IRGC must be in its place; acquire what it needs; and not acquire what it does not need.

Sometimes we may suppose that a certain educational course is necessary for the IRGC brothers; while it is not; neither in its responsibility, nor in its training, nor in its operations, is it necessary; such a course should be set aside. Of course, I do not have a specific case in mind, but sometimes such things arise; you must be aware.

I tell the dear brothers of the representative offices and especially the ideological and political section that political analysis in a correct and mind-nurturing way is very important; the mind must be nurtured.

The difficult period of any revolution is the period when truth and falsehood are mixed. See, the Commander of the Faithful laments this: "But a handful is taken from this and a handful from that, and they are mixed, and there the devil overpowers his followers." (Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 50). In the time of the Prophet, it was not like this. In the time of the Prophet, the ranks were clear and explicit. On that side were the infidels and polytheists and the people of Mecca; they were people whom each of the emigrants had memories of: he hit me on such and such a date, he imprisoned me, he plundered my property; therefore, there was no doubt. There were the Jews; conspirators whom all the people of Medina - from emigrants and helpers - were familiar with their conspiracies. The Battle of Banu Qurayza took place, the Prophet ordered a large number of people to be beheaded; no one frowned and no one said why; because the scene was clear; there was no dust in the scene. In such a place, war is easy; maintaining faith is also easy. But in the time of the Commander of the Faithful, who stood against Ali (peace be upon him)? Do you think it was a joke? Do you think it was easy that "Abdullah ibn Mas'ud," such a great companion - according to some narrations - did not remain among the steadfast in the guardianship of the Commander of the Faithful and was considered among the deviants? The same "Rabi' ibn Khuthaym" and those who came in the Battle of Siffin and said we are upset with this fighting, allow us to go to the borders and not enter the war, it is narrated that "from the companions of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud"! This is where the matter is difficult.

When the dust becomes thicker, it becomes the time of Imam Hassan; and you see what happened. Again, in the time of the Commander of the Faithful, the dust was somewhat thinner; people like Ammar Yasir - that great exposer of the Commander of the Faithful's apparatus - were there. Wherever an incident occurred, Ammar Yasir and great companions of the Prophet were there who would go and speak, explain, and at least for some, the dust would be removed; but in the time of Imam Hassan, even that was not there. In the time of doubt and in the time of war with non-explicit infidels, war with those who can align slogans with their goals is very, very difficult; one must be vigilant.

Of course, thanks be to God, we are not yet in such a period. The ranks are still clear; many principles and truths are still clear and evident; but do not be sure that it will always be this way. You must be aware. You must have the eye of insight. You must know whether your arm is at God's disposal or not. This requires insight; do not underestimate this.

Once, during the almost five-year period of the government of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and what happened, I had extensive studies. What I was able to gather as a conclusion is that "political analysis" was weak. Of course, in the next degree, there were other factors; but the most important issue was this. Otherwise, many people were still believers; but they fought and were killed as believers under the canopy of the Mother of the Believers against Ali (peace be upon him)! Therefore, the analysis was wrong.

Knowing one's position and being in it, political vigilance, political intuition, and the ability to analyze politically - of course, without entering into political factions - is one of those subtle lines that I mentioned to you in the message; the Imam also repeatedly stated.

Of course, some did not like it: No, why should they not interfere in political matters?! I remember that after a few months from the Imam's statement, an electoral incident was approaching and someone had gone to one of the cities - which I will not say where, because I do not want to get close - and gave a speech. At that time, they brought the tape and I listened. He was saying: No sir, why do you say the IRGC should not interfere in politics? It should; who is better than you?(!)

See, these are pleasant and delightful words that make this revolutionary young fighter full of revolutionary blood excited: yes, who is better than us? The Imam had explicitly said this; but they confused political awareness and political presence in the revolutionary scene - which is good - with interference in political conflicts and political factions and working in favor of one and against another - which is the same bad and very dangerous thing that the Imam appointed a committee and said see who is like this, remove him from the IRGC.

Be aware that political and factional motivations should not be able to exploit a healthy, pure, and efficient collection like the IRGC - which is a reserve for the day the revolution uses it. This reserve must remain sealed, to be used in its place.

The fourth principle is that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with all its great distinctions and merits, is part of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic with its specific responsibility; do not forget this. Of course, in my judgment, the responsibility of the IRGC is truly and justly heavier than the responsibility of the other sections. This responsibility requires a lot of subtlety and precision; because the main responsibility is to support and defend the revolution in the face of anti-revolutionary movements - which is dangerous - and if necessary, it must also go and defend the borders; which now practically has both responsibilities on its shoulders and there will probably be less time when the IRGC can not have this second responsibility. So, the responsibility is heavy; but at the same time as part of the armed forces.

Look at the army brothers and the law enforcement brothers with respect. Look at the other military organizations with brotherhood and affection and kindness; do not look with arrogance; this lowers your status. As soon as we realize that we are better than this brother sitting next to us, as soon as this feeling arises, he is where he is; but we descend from him and go down; "And do not raise me in the eyes of the people a degree except that You lower me in my own eyes the same." (Sahifa Sajjadiya, Prayer of Noble Morals). We read in the prayer of noble morals: O God! Do not grant me a degree of elevation in the eyes of people unless You lower me in my own eyes by the same degree. This is good. If you rise a degree, you must descend a degree in your own eyes. This becomes perfection; being part of the armed forces.

Another principle is to observe inter-organizational values within yourselves; that is, the issue of encouragement and punishment. Brothers! Encouragement and punishment must be taken seriously. You are commanders; treat your subordinates in this way. The Commander of the Faithful, his sincere poet - that is, "Hassan ibn Thabit" - whom the followers of Muawiyah wanted to go to their side and he did not go, was laid down and whipped for a sin he committed. He said: O Commander of the Faithful! You are hitting me, who has served you so much, who has said so much poetry for you, who has defended you so much?! At least the meaning of the movement and look of the Commander of the Faithful was that yes, that is in its place, this is also in its place.

If we did a good deed, God should give us the reward. According to this value, in the world, if there is a counterpart, it should be given to us. If we did a bad deed, we should not say because so-and-so is a good person, this bad deed of his should remain unpunished. These precisions will strengthen the foundation of the IRGC. When such encounters do not occur, the IRGC will consume itself.

We have said so much that the responsibility of the army and the IRGC is twofold. Thousands of man-hours were spent and the brothers sat down and precisely separated the responsibilities of the army and the IRGC; so that both organizations are necessary; at the same time, we see a gentleman in a high responsibility sitting somewhere and saying yes, after all, the IRGC and the army will be merged! What do you think should be done with such a person?

Is it really appropriate for a group of people to work so hard to organize an organization in its place neatly and orderly, and then such individuals destroy those efforts?! This is waste and harm and error; this error must be punished. If we do not deal with such violations, the IRGC will be destroyed. If you do not deal with errors in your subordinate unit, it will shake and fall apart.

The Quran with that wisdom, the Prophet with that forgiveness, the Almighty God says to the Prophet: "If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease and those who spread rumors in Medina do not desist, We will surely incite you against them." (Quran 33:60). That is, those who want to strike from below, want to create an explosion, want to scare people, want to empty people's hearts, want to take hopes from hearts, if they do not stop, "We will surely incite you against them"; We - that is, the Almighty God - will incite you - that is, the Prophet - against them. See how the tone of the Quran becomes harsh and severe.

Of course, unfortunately, some do this at the societal level; constantly emptying hearts: Sir, it's over, Sir, they took it, Sir, the enemy did this, Sir, the values became such!

During the presidency and the presence of the Imam - that too his powerful presence - many times I wrote summaries of the meetings that were held with me. Now when I look, I see many of the words that some people say now that Sir, it became such, it became such, at that time they came and told us that it became such, it became such!

There are people who like to say Sir, they took it, they plundered, they did such, the enemy won, the enemy dominated! The enemy is wrong to win. The enemy's victory is that it uproots the hearts of the believers. The enemy's victory is that the best young people of this country do not see the light of salvation on the prow of this ship.

In the hardest times when we were hit in the war, the Imam with that great heart and with that illuminated divine brow gave hope. In an incident, we suffered a severe blow. They came to the Imam and said that we have been defeated. He said: It was not a defeat; it was a non-victory. Non-victory means we did not win.

You see, an incident can be interpreted in two ways. A thousand of us were killed, five thousand were killed, but this can be interpreted in two ways: the interpretation of defeat, the interpretation of non-victory. The meaning of the Imam's statement was that nothing happened; you wanted to win, but you have not yet. He always gave us hope in this way, moved the society and the country in this way; now some people's whole concern is to act exactly the opposite!

Despite the disappearance of the Eastern Empire, America has apparently become more powerful, I now also with full heart strength and by the grace of the Lord and relying on divine power, from the bottom of my heart, I believe that if America mobilizes all its forces to strike this revolution, it will not be able to do anything. They try, they work hard, they want to do things; but the peak of their pride is their point of weakness. I now feel the weaknesses of these apparent and hollow powers; their contradictions will gradually become clear.

Yes, they will stand against the Islamic front; but the Islamic front is different from that leftist Marxist imperialist front that they were able to create that unity and unity among themselves by scaring their own people from it. It's over; the sound of the collapse of the empire of gold and force is heard from afar.

We must take care of ourselves. We must know that we are strong. We must guide faiths and loves in the service of high goals. Our people are believers. People love Islam. Our people have given up everything for the sake of Islam. It is enough for us to be Muslims and remain faithful to Islamic ideals; these people are on the scene.

The one who feels despair, we must see what mistake and what flaw exists in his vision or in the reality of his existence. What are we afraid of? The same is true within the IRGC. Within the IRGC, some people like to constantly weaken and weaken the hearts of these young people and these IRGC children and these enthusiastic young people. What is the reason for this?

In any case, everyone must be ready. Wherever you are, you must be ready to serve; "And among them is he who awaits." (Quran 33:23). What does "awaits" mean? Does it mean they are waiting to die? No, it means they are waiting to fulfill their duty; where their duty will call them, to be present there. We must be waiting to fulfill our duty. Whatever our divine duty requires, we want to do it. This will make us victorious and lead us to great success.

We hope that the Almighty God will grant you success, and God willing, day by day, make your pure and bright hearts more familiar with His love and faith, and guide all of us on the right path, and grant us the success of fulfilling our duty, and send spirit and fragrance to the holy souls of our dear martyrs and the pure soul of our great Imam - whose place is truly empty in such gatherings - and include our dear disabled and freed ones - those who have undergone difficult tests - in His grace and mercy, and may God not leave us to ourselves, and may He not withhold His grace and guidance and help from us for a moment, and may He include us in the satisfaction of the Guardian of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and the answered prayer of that great one.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings