Statements in Meeting with Organizers of the Congress for the Late Ayatollah Haj Sheikh Gholamreza Yazdi (the Khorasani Jurist)

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

One of the very good works that the Yazdi family is doing is honoring the late Haj Sheikh Gholamreza Yazdi. This esteemed individual is among the prominent figures who have been less recognized, and less has been said about him; despite the fact that the late Haj Sheikh Gholamreza is very distinguished. The statements of Mr. Naseri - who is the granddaughter of the late Haj Sheikh Gholamreza - were very good; they were new to me, and I had not heard many of them regarding the late Haj Sheikh Gholamreza. It is his right that these characteristics and memories, which are narrated by those close to him and his family and associates, be recorded even with documentation; that is, mention the source. For example, if you narrate that Mr. Borujerdi said this sentence, then state where he made this remark or where the late Mr. Bahjat expressed this matter; specify these so that they gain credibility. Of course, the statements related to his situation in Najaf and his attention to the students and these extraordinary moral works are things whose content indicates the truth of this matter, and they do not require much documentation; one understands that it is true and that it is just as it is.

I, of course, had the honor of visiting the late Haj Sheikh Gholamreza (may God be pleased with him) once in Mashhad; he would sometimes come to Mashhad and pray in a corner of the new courtyard; there was a portico between the new courtyard and the museum, which is now the Imam Khomeini portico; no one prayed in that portico, it was not a place for prayer; I had sometimes seen the late Haj Sheikh Gholamreza come there in the summers and lead a small congregation of prayer with a few people; for example, ten or fifteen of his followers and admirers who knew him would go there to pray with him. [Only] this much, we did not understand him more than this, we did not visit him. However, we have heard a lot about him; the same things that the late Aqa Najafi Quchani narrates are sufficient; that is, this biography that the late Aqa Najafi Quchani wrote, that they set out from Mashhad and with this 'Yazdi companion' - he refers to him as 'Yazdi companion' - they go to Isfahan and stay there for several years, and then they go to Najaf, and in Najaf, they were together for a while, then a separation occurs between them; that is, he goes to the lessons of the late Amirza Mohammad Baqir Ishtahbani and becomes interested in that great man; the late Aqa Najafi goes to the lessons of Akhound and becomes enamored with Akhound; thus, a disagreement arises between them. In the matter of the Constitutional Revolution, there is also a disagreement between them; the late Ishtahbani was opposed to the Constitutional Revolution; the late Akhound was, of course, a pioneer of the Constitutional Revolution; [therefore] they come into conflict. However, the amount that he mentions regarding the Yazdi companion and the long journey on foot that they set out from Mashhad until they reached Isfahan and then went to Najaf is sufficient to show that the youth of that day undertook such struggles, what hardships they endured, what works they did, and what piety they observed; in their youth, they were so pious; and then, of course, he comes to Shiraz with the late Ishtahbani, until the late Ishtahbani is assassinated and martyred, and then he settles in Yazd and performs the services that Mr. Naseri narrated in Yazd, creating a place for spreading knowledge, piety, asceticism, reliance on God Almighty, and serving the people and such things. The point he mentioned regarding attending to the poor Zoroastrians and Jews of Yazd is very important; it is a very significant matter; a pious and holy cleric like the late Haj Sheikh Gholamreza goes to put bread and flour and food at the door of, for example, a Jew because he is poor; these are very important. Today, such things do not exist in the world; in the materialistic world, these words are neglected; Islam teaches this to its followers; anyone who is more familiar with Islam performs such actions more; they should know this and understand. This person is a Jew and has no belief in God, the Prophet, the Quran, or our religion, but simply because he is poor and in need of help and is a human being - the same 'And if he is similar to you in creation' (Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 53) that Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) says - it causes him to go and perform these services; these are very valuable today, they are lessons; these should be documented, preserved, and God willing, serve as lessons for our rising generation.

Today, our youth are exposed to harmful propaganda; we accept this; it is a reality. From various channels, voices are heard, misleading sounds reach the ears, and this youth in the midst of this field is surrounded by these voices and these deceptive and seductive images; he needs to be shown a standard. This standard can be shown by the Islamic Republic and the Islamic system; now one example is these great figures, and there are other examples as well. Fortunately, it should be noted that when we speak of the potential deviation of the youth generation, we should also speak of the capacity and potential for guidance and growth of the believing youth generation; today, this is the case in our system. You see; this martyr Aziz who was recently martyred - martyr Hojaji - is a young man from among today's youth, he is also a young man at the age of 25; that is, the same internet and the same social channels and the same seductive audio-visual channels have surrounded this youth, just like thousands of other youths, but he emerges like this. God Almighty has today placed martyr Hojaji as a sign before everyone's eyes, but there are many who have this feeling, this motivation, this faith within them. These new revolutionary and Islamic growths should not be underestimated; they are very valuable, and their worth should be recognized. I receive letters through the [public relations] unit, requesting to be present at the battlefronts; where is the battlefront? In Syria, in Aleppo! They keep writing letters, begging; some of them beg themselves, some of their parents beg that 'our youth is very restless, please send them.' These are unbelievable phenomena; that is, if these were narrated to us from another time and we had not seen them ourselves, we would not easily have been willing to believe them; but they are happening in our time. What is the factor that compels this youth to be filled with love for jihad and love for defending values, to detach himself from wife, life, family, children, parents, comfort, job, and everything and send himself thousands of kilometers away beyond the borders of the country to fight the enemy? These should not be overlooked. Now, since the names of cultural dignitaries have been mentioned, the gentlemen and the esteemed Minister of Culture (7) are also present here, [it is necessary] to advise those who are involved in cultural guidance and related matters to pay attention to this point that today our most important duty is to strengthen this spirit in the youth and in the younger generation. If we are advocates of ethics, we must strengthen this revolutionary spirit in them. Ethics can also be secured in youth thanks to the religious and revolutionary spirit; ethics without religion, ethics without piety, ethics without a revolutionary spirit and a desire for jihad in the way of God, neither emerges nor is formed; even if it is formed, it lacks depth. We must today devote our efforts to the religious and revolutionary education of the youth and also strengthen this great current of the revolution that fortunately exists among the youth; we should give them hope, support them, and strengthen this current. It should not be the case that the revolutionary current is weakened, and the opposing current is strengthened; this should not happen; neither in the university environment, nor in the environment of religious propaganda, nor in the cultural environment and similar areas.

In any case, we are very pleased that, thanks be to God, these religious dignitaries of ours, like the late Haj Sheikh Gholamreza Yazdi, are emerging from the corners of historical isolation. Truly, they are isolated in the shadows of history and the corners of history; except for a few, no one knows them; bring them out from this angle and introduce them and show their faces to the people. They are the sun, they are luminous; when they are introduced, their radiance will, God willing, guide a large number of people. However, both the Hamadani brothers who want to honor the late Aqa Najafi and the Yazdi brothers who want to honor the late Haj Sheikh Gholamreza should pay attention to the good taste and to carrying out the work artistically and wisely; sometimes we exert effort, but the work does not turn out to be effective; this should not happen. Think as much as possible, carry out the work wisely, intelligently, thoughtfully, and artistically so that, God willing, it can be effective.

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