Statements in Meeting with a Group of Freed Prisoners

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

I extend my warm welcome to you dear brothers; precious gems retrieved from the treasure of faith in the Islamic Republic. Over centuries, a solid, worthless element transforms into a diamond, provided it has the potential. The period of captivity is a condensed version of centuries that has turned talented individuals into brilliant diamonds: the freed prisoners. I am pleased to meet you today and regret that we have had little opportunity to gather with you esteemed freed prisoners in similar sessions. Through your gathering in this spiritual, sincere, and brotherly session, I convey my greetings to all the freed prisoners across the country; nearly forty thousand valuable and tormented freed prisoners who were nurtured during difficult times.

The issue of captivity is noteworthy from various dimensions. One aspect is the valuable memories that friends have shared. Of course, I have read several books related to the memories of the freed prisoners, as well as those concerning our dear and esteemed Seyyed of the freed prisoners, the late Mr. Abutalebi. It can be inferred that what has been said in the statements and writings regarding the period of captivity is a small part of a long story, and we still need to hear this long story.

I must say that, honestly, over the twenty-two years since the return of our dear captives and our illustrious freed prisoners, there has been a lack of effort. We should have several times more books written on this subject than have been produced so far. We should have outstanding artistic films depicting the conditions of our freed prisoners in camps and prisons. You see how much the Westerners and major filmmaking institutions have produced films about the captivity stories from the First or Second World Wars; good films, prominent films; while what exists in those films reflects the material spirit of those captives who were trapped; which is evident in their lives, in their words, in their dealings. As I heard, a Red Cross official told our freed prisoners during captivity that when we go to the war prisoner camps in other countries, we observe disappointment, depression, self-harm, and suicide; why do you not have these? He should have asked this question. The answer is clear: when the heart was not familiar with spirituality, when it was not acquainted with God, the result is just that. When the heart was familiar with God, when it felt a connection, when it felt trust, when it did not see itself alone, when it observed a spiritual paradise within the narrow and torturous cells - as was mentioned in the statements of these dear ones and in the written memories - then there is no place for depression, no place for disappointment, no meaning for suicide. This is one aspect of the matter, which we need to be more informed about, as we are not sufficiently aware of this deep and vast ocean - the lives of the freed prisoners.

Good films must be made, good books must be written, memories must be told. The very memories shared today contain a world of meaning; how wonderful it would be if they were broadcast. My opinion is that these memories shared today should be published exactly as they are in the media, so that people can hear them; these are our treasures, these are our assets; it is these assets that preserved Islam, maintained Shi'ism, brought the Islamic Republic to power and dignity, and made the Iranian nation proud in the world. This is one aspect of the matter.

Another aspect is the issue of lessons and divine tradition. Ultimately, in our short worldly life, these few decades we live in this world, we are constantly faced with challenges. The challenge is not always with global arrogance and America. There are various challenges; however, in the context of the Islamic Revolution, there are internal challenges, challenges with the devil, challenges with the commanding self, and challenges with the dominators, monopolists, and arrogant powers. We need to reflect and contemplate on this divine tradition. Perhaps the day when an Iranian war captive, a young Muslim, lived in that camp under those conditions, there appeared to be no window of hope for him; he might have thought that this situation could last for many more years or that it had no end other than death and being killed. Today, look at the reality, see what has happened; where are they, where are you? This is a lesson; this is a sign of the truthfulness and sincerity of God's promise.

Let us believe in God's promise; let us develop a deep belief in the truth of God's promises; if He says: "And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise," (1) let us understand the meaning of this. Back then, you faced the torturer or the prison chief or the Ba'athist officer under that pressure; today, the Iranian nation faces challenges from America; it is the same issue. "And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise." God's promise is true. Those who do not believe in God's promise, the Almighty considers them rejected, accursed, and distanced from His mercy. God's promise is true. Today, the same issue exists for the Iranian nation. If we act according to the conditions that God has set - just as you acted according to these conditions during captivity - certainly victory will be with the Iranian nation; this is a lesson.

Those who told you that you would remain in this prison forever, or said they would execute you, have themselves fallen into the dustbin of history, they themselves were executed, they themselves were destroyed; you today, thanks be to God, live with dignity and honor in the Islamic Republic; this is a lesson. Once again, we had this lesson in the past. Some of us did not believe it. During the period of oppression, during the time of tyranny, the pressures were great; some said, "It is a fist and a baton," you are resisting for no reason; some others said no, "They have been truthful to what they promised Allah, so among them is he who has fulfilled his vow and among them is he who is still waiting." (2) The Almighty brought about an event that no one in the world believed; not only in Iran did no one believe, but no one in the world believed. No one believed that what the Americans considered an island of stability would be so swept by a storm that would ultimately lead to the isolation of America, the isolation of global arrogance, the isolation of England and their agents and mercenaries. Today, it is the same.

Today, look at the world; signs are also evident. We have repeatedly stated; the world is passing through a passage and reaching a new situation and a new event. Our behavior, our intentions, our actions are decisive in shaping this new situation. In order for our hearts to be assured, in order not to lose our way, the lives of you freed prisoners can serve as a guiding star for us.

I believe and emphasize that the stories of captivity must be told, written, depicted, and artistic works must be done on them. This does not mean supporting a group, defending an incident; it means signing and firmly establishing the document of the victory of the Iranian nation; and this work must be done. I ask our artists and media officials to do this, and you must help. Fortunately, as has been gathered from the statements of friends and I am not unaware, there are many documents available, in addition to the fact that you yourselves are living documents; take advantage of your memories, without addition or omission, without exaggeration or understatement; say what has happened. When this is accompanied by artistic expression, it will resonate in hearts and spirits. This is also one aspect of your captivity and your freedom.

Another aspect is the aspect of divine reward. The day when the freed prisoners first entered the country and a group of them - perhaps several thousand - gathered here in this Hosseiniyeh, and we met them, and our dear and esteemed Seyyed Abutalebi spoke, I was very moved by seeing this scene and these young people and the retrieval of these great values that had returned; I said that know that every moment of your life is preserved in the divine records. I still hold the same belief: these moments are preserved before the Almighty; moments that cannot be described, the depth of which cannot be revealed by any expression, and you spent years experiencing such hours and moments. Not a single one of your struggles, not a moment of your hardships has fallen from the divine records. We forget, you forget, but the noble recorders of God do not forget; those struggles are preserved. However, strive to keep these; this is both advice to ourselves and advice to you dear ones.

The reward of the freed prisoners is one side, and the reward of the families - spouses, children, fathers, mothers, relatives - is another side. Sometimes when we had the opportunity to meet with the family of a martyr or the parents or relatives of a captive, one understands what state this family of the captive is in, what feelings they have; their feelings are harder and more bitter than those of the family of a martyr. A brother of a missing captive said to me: Did you see how families with a young man at the front feel on the night of an operation? He was right; when it was the night of an operation and everyone understood that an operation was happening that night, those families with a young man at the front were anxious. This brother of the missing captive said to me that for us, every night is a night of operation; every night our hearts are anxious about what state he is in, what condition he is in, and what will happen today. These are the hardships that families endured; therefore, their reward is also very high and great.

Well, this chapter of the story has passed in the life of the Iranian nation, and the Iranian nation has benefited. The dignity, power, and prominence of a nation depend on the struggles of its children. This struggle is sometimes on the battlefield, sometimes in the field of captivity; with the heroism that you displayed in the field of captivity; these steadfastnesses, these resistances. Well, some were martyred during that time; martyr Tondgouyan and many other martyrs who did not return from captivity; most returned with honor. We hope that the Almighty preserves your rewards and that those who were influential during this impactful period, who served, guided others, and at the forefront of all, our dear Seyyed Abutalebi, may God elevate their ranks.

Well, today we have a fundamental issue in the Islamic world, and that is the issue of Palestine. Why do we say it is a fundamental issue? Because the story of the erroneous division and flawed engineering of the Middle East - this region of our lives and our countries - arose from the conspiracy of settling the Zionists here. If this conspiracy did not exist, perhaps today the situation in this region would be different. These separations, these wars that have occurred in this region, these interventions by the domineering and bullying powers in this region stemmed from this issue; this has a long and detailed story. Their effort today is to marginalize this issue. The Islamic world must not allow this. For many years, they have tried to make the Palestinian issue forgotten; to some extent, they have succeeded. The Camp David affair and its aftermath - which is one of the dark points in our contemporary history - was meant to make the people of the region forget that there was a country called Palestine. What struck them was the Islamic Revolution, the Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). From the very first day that this revolution triumphed, indeed even before the victory, from the early days of the movement, the Palestinian issue was one of the main issues of this revolution; and one of the factors that drew the attention of the Islamic world to this revolution was this issue; although there were other aspects as well. Today, their effort is to neutralize this. The Islamic world must not allow this.

The Islamic world has been preoccupied with peripheral issues. Someone comes and raises the issue of Shia and Sunni, raises the Shia crescent. Under your noses, the Zionists have been oppressing several million Palestinians for sixty years, and you do not see that; you introduce the Islamic Republic, which has raised this banner and revived this epic in the world, as a danger?! What greater treachery is there than this? The Iranian nation has not allowed and will not allow this. This year, too, with God's grace, the Iranian nation will make such a move on Quds Day that it will be a blow to the mouths of the enemies of Islam and the enemies of Palestine.

The Palestinian issue for the Islamic Republic is not a tactical matter; it is a foundational matter, stemming from Islamic belief. It is our duty to liberate this Islamic country from the grip of the usurping power and its international supporters and hand it over to the people of Palestine; this is a religious duty, a duty of all Muslims; all Islamic nations, all Islamic governments have a duty to carry out this task; this is an Islamic duty. We view the Palestinian issue through this lens, and others must also view it in the same way. This issue should not be placed in political games, in political exchanges, in political and sometimes treacherous dealings; the issue is a religious issue, a matter of belief, and must be pursued.

And I tell you; just as the morning star of hope shone once in the Islamic Revolution, once in the imposed war, once in your lives as freed prisoners, in this matter too, the dawn of hope will surely shine, and Palestine will undoubtedly return to the hands of the people of Palestine, and this false and fabricated entity will be erased from the geographical scene; there is no doubt about this.

The heartbreaking issue of these days is the issue of the earthquake; I must remind and emphasize this matter. All the Iranian nation is certainly grieving and in pain over this issue; because some of our dear compatriots have suffered from this incident. It is a bitter incident; it has occurred during the days of Ramadan. We hope that God, with His help and grace, will assist the officials of the country and our dear people to alleviate the sufferings of the earthquake-stricken people of Azerbaijan and help them in their progress. May God grant them patience and calm their hearts. We hope that the Almighty will bestow His blessings upon our dear nation and that this Ramadan will be a truly blessed month for our nation and the Islamic Republic.

O Lord! Include these afflicted ones in Your mercy and blessings. O Lord! Reward all those who have taken a step in the way of elevating the word of truth. O Lord! Unite our dear Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), who opened this path for us, with Your saints. O Lord! Unite the martyrs of the captivity and the deceased of the captivity and the late Mr. Abutalebi, the learned, patient, wise, and righteous servant of Yours with Your saints; unite his esteemed father with Your saints as well. O Lord! Grant us success in serving those who deserve our sincere service.

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