Meeting with Freed Prisoners, Officials of the Foundation of the Oppressed and Disabled, and the Ministry of Education

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

The presence of our dear and honorable freed prisoners in this large gathering, alongside the esteemed families of our noble martyrs, the disabled, the missing, and various officials of the country, clearly demonstrates to all of us and all segments of our nation that patience, resistance, sacrifice, and devotion in the path of God—of which our noble martyrs are foremost, followed by the prisoners, the disabled, and the families of these dear ones, as well as the families whose loved ones are missing—bear sweet fruits. One of these fruits is that we see these dear ones, these Josephs of the Iranian nation, who were away from us for many years, now among other segments of society with a sense of victory and pride and with satisfaction from God's grace.

All of us—both officials and the general public—must remember that the only support for a great, fighting, and monotheistic nation is the remembrance of God, reliance on God, and trust in God. This is what advanced us, made us victorious, and brought us here. If another nation were in our place and had all our conditions—with all these enemies, with that siege, with the imposition of an eight-year war, with various internal and external difficulties, with propaganda, cultural, financial, monetary, and military attacks, and with a history of several decades, if not centuries, of imposed corruption—without faith and without God, certainly that nation would not have endured and would not have reached this point, and would have collapsed halfway and could not have raised the flag of victory as we have today, proudly raised it on the roof of the world.

The reason why the enemies of God—America and global arrogance, and at times both East and West together, and reactionaries and others—united and attacked us was because their calculations lacked the element of reliance and faith in God and did not account for it in our lives. In this regard, we must say that they understood correctly from one perspective. Truly, if our nation did not have faith in God and connection to the divine and unseen source, what they wanted would have happened; that is, the revolution would have failed, the nation would have retreated, the flag bearers of the struggle would have been suppressed, ashamed, and humiliated, and all fighters around the world would have retreated. If God were not among us, the situation would have been different. This is where global arrogance made a mistake and continues to make mistakes. A nation that relies on and believes in God and truly has trust in God in its heart is invincible, and nothing can force it to retreat.

Let us step away from slogans and enthusiasm about what has passed for a moment and see what our duty is. Our individual duty is to maintain this connection and bond with God and never sever it. Our connection with God is to align our actions, hearts, morals, and behavior with divine approval and satisfaction, to avoid selfishness, lies, slander, deceit, and allowing desires and whims to rule our lives, to strengthen the remembrance and mention of God, true connection to Him, and struggle against the self and true worship in our personal and individual actions day by day. This is the duty of each of us.

Our collective duty as a society, a system, a government, and a state is to make divine laws—the law based on God's religion—the standard and criterion for public action in society; just as our Islamic Consultative Assembly and Guardian Council, thanks be to God, have had this responsibility and have always observed it.

The government is on the path of God's religion. All government officials are under the shadow of religion and divine instructions. These brothers in educational affairs present here should make education based on religion and its criteria their program and should not allow the slightest negligence or slackness in this path. Brothers working in the country's banking system should pursue and fulfill their duties based on Islamic and religious thought. Officials and agents of various government departments should interact with the people with Islamic ethics.

Islamic banking—presenting and transacting money in society in an Islamic manner—is a very important issue. If we can bring this truth into existence in society in its comprehensive sense, it will be a great conquest in the world. Conquest is not just the conquest of fortresses and strongholds. If the agents of the banking system can implement and execute this issue in its comprehensive and complete sense, it is the greatest economic stronghold in the world today. The characteristic of Islamic banking and its requirements are transactions based on non-usury, regulating monetary exchanges based on Islamic laws and correct Islamic transactions, in which there is no oppression, exploitation, hoarding, discrimination, class differences, and the like.

Scholars who are engaged in research, some of whom are present in this assembly for a reason, should pursue scientific research in the true sense of the word to reach undiscovered truths. Research means digging, exploring, striving to reach something that has not been accessed before. This researcher investigates natural, scientific, philosophical issues, issues related to the external and real world, or issues related to humans, history, and so on. What does this researcher investigate against? What does he take and investigate? The answer is that the researcher investigates to reach the truth. His reward is this. Money, wealth, and even encouragement are not the reward for the researcher; they are small compared to his research. Of course, these should be offered, money should be spent, work should be done, facilities should be provided for research to be conducted; but none of these are the reward for research. The reward for research is reaching the truth. These are Islamic rulings. These are, in terms of collectivity, another expression of the society's connection with God.

Brothers! If you do these things, the Islamic Republic will remain a model and example, and the plots of enemies and devils to bring down the Islamic Republic from this rank will not succeed. The Islamic Revolution was and is a presentation of a new model for the life of human societies and countries, and it is still new. If we act well, this model will perhaps remain the only model for human societies for centuries. The enemy, global arrogance, oil-thirsty companies, and exploitative capitalists of the world fear this. If there is something called Islam that does not harm their cattle, sheep, and interests, they have no opposition to it. No one opposes Islam that does not negate satanic powers, oppression, and discrimination. They oppose the Islam of 'There is no god but God,' they oppose the Islam that supports humans, they oppose the Islam that fights against oppression, tyranny, and bullying, they oppose the Islam that, when it gains power, cuts off the hands of capitalists, bullies, advisors, freeloaders, and vultures who sat at the royal feast in this country. When their interests are threatened and cut off in the Islamic Republic, the East and West join hands and support the aggressor against Iran.

Today, they have deployed troops to the Persian Gulf because Iraq has invaded Kuwait. Of course, aggression is a very bad act. They were wrong to invade. They will also be forced to express regret for this aggression and withdraw; there is no doubt about it. But do those who entered the region under the pretext of confronting aggression and disrupting the geographical map of the region tell the truth and stand against aggression, or do they beat their chests for their own interests?! You who are America, you who are the great capitalists of the world and strive for your own interests, what necessity has made these nations of the region endure the torment and torture of your presence in this region? The presence of America is ominous and unfortunate for the countries of the Persian Gulf region and wherever they are present. They do not bring security anywhere; they are not people who confront aggression; they themselves are aggressors. Is the invasion of Kuwait different from the invasion of Grenada and Panama and other places? If they are against aggression, why did the permanent members of the Security Council not take such a stance against them?! How is it that when America commits aggression, it is good; when someone else does it, it is bad?! Aggression is bad no matter who commits it.

We are against aggression. On the day when Iraqi aggressors were inside our land, we said for many years that they are aggressors and the aggressor must be punished. We said if the aggressor is not punished today, aggression will remain in the sensitive region of the Persian Gulf. On that day, because they had all joined hands against Islam, no one listened to us; today they are caught in its evil. Today, I also say that their main enmity is with Islam. All of them are ready and willing, if their interests require it, to join hands against Islam again. What matters to them is the awakening, awareness, and steadfastness of nations, which Islam provides.

Those who have suddenly become anti-American overnight, running around and claiming to be against America, are also a source of ridicule for the wise of the world. They spent a lifetime at America's table, eating and grazing, and with America's money and guns, they managed to govern for a few days, and now suddenly, in two days, they have become anti-American and sit and stand and claim to be against America! No, only someone who opposes aggression and bullying with firm and clear positions can claim to be against America and global arrogance. No bully can say I am against America. Yes, all bullies are against each other. When desert wolves are hungry, they are all against each other. This is not an honor. The Soviet Union and America stood against each other like two hungry wolves for many years, attacking each other and trampling on poor nations. Was it an honor for the Soviet Union to be against America, or for America to be against the Soviet Union? The honor is for the nation, system, and apparatus that stands against America or any other power for the sake of truth, honesty, saving humanity, and fighting against oppression and oppressors, and that is the Islamic Republic and the righteous servants of God and Muslims, and no one else. Our nation, the Islamic Republic system, and our dear hardworking faithful statesmen maintain these positions.

We thank God that today the government, the president, the officials, the representatives of the parliament, the agents of the judiciary, and our armed forces are pure, healthy, and righteous people. They are followers and disciples of the Imam. That Imam whose resolute face gave hope to every human being in captivity; even now, although his body has not been among us for a long time, his spirit and memory are inspiring, and still in the corners of Islamic countries, awakened and aware consciences are excited by the memory of the Imam, poets compose poems, nations chant slogans, intellectuals write and speak, and they move behind the Imam of this nation.

When I look at the scene of the release of our dear and noble prisoners, I see that they have returned as strong as steel and mountains, and the nation that welcomes them shows the same spirit that it has shown in the most sensitive moments over the past ten, twelve years. Dear young people and warriors! When you went to the front, this nation sent you off with the same enthusiasm and slogans. Now that you have returned, they welcome you with the same enthusiasm and slogans. This nation is an extraordinary and unparalleled nation. In awareness, courage, and steadfastness, it is also unparalleled. The positions of this nation are firm positions.

We thank God that the officials of this nation are also from the same nation and think, speak, act, and live like them. We have no worries and fear no one. Whom should we fear? 'So do not fear them, but fear Me.' The Almighty God says: Do not fear any power. Our nation has not feared any power, and it will not fear again, and no power can do anything against this revolution and this country.

I return to the first point. If you want to be the same nation that 'You are the best nation produced for mankind,' maintain your connection with God. Fill these hearts with the remembrance of God and polish them with the love of God and illuminate them with divine remembrance. This is the alchemy and the philosopher's stone before which everything is small.

We hope that the Almighty God will always keep our dear nation joyful and proud. God willing, may God return the rest of our dear freed prisoners to the embrace of the nation and homeland as soon as possible. We hope that, God willing, God will bring good news to the families of our dear missing ones. We hope that God will unite the pure souls of our precious martyrs—whose blood we owe everything to—with their saints. May God, God willing, please the sacred heart of the Imam of the Age with us and make the pure soul of our dear Imam happy with us.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings