Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Government Officials

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

A council of friendship has been formed. God willing, hearts will become more familiar with each other and will not have fear and aversion from one another. God willing, our hearts will not fear the truths that are always accessible to us—especially in the very blessed days of the last decade of this month—and will become familiar with them.

In the past years, both in the previous government and in the current government, our custom during Ramadan has been to read a sentence from Nahj al-Balagha (Peak of Eloquence) and briefly explain it; this year is no different, and I have selected a few sentences from various parts of Nahj al-Balagha regarding faith, which I will present. Of course, there are more discussions about faith throughout the noble book of Nahj al-Balagha; however, since the version I always hold is a four-volume edition that has been bound into two volumes and I have been using it for about thirty or forty years, I had to select one of the volumes to bring. Therefore, I have brought the second volume—which is actually the third and fourth volumes and includes the margins of the late Abdeh.

The Imam (may his soul be sanctified) says: "The clear path is the brightest lamp"; faith is a path whose course is completely clear. Faith is the brightest light. The meaning of faith in this phrase by Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) is religious faith; that is, faith in God, the Day of Judgment, and the Prophet, and this very faith to which the religions of people call them. Of course, the absolute importance of faith is evident; because faith is the foundation of human action and movement. As long as a person is not devoted and committed to something, they do not move towards it. Faith differs from knowledge. Sometimes a person is knowledgeable about a truth, but is not committed to it. This means that in faith, merely being knowledgeable and aware of the truth is not sufficient; something beyond this knowledge is required. Of course, faith without knowledge is also impossible—faith does not have meaning with doubt and uncertainty—but knowledge alone is not sufficient for faith; as you see, the Quran speaks about Moses and the events of Pharaoh, saying: "And they denied it while their souls were certain of it, out of injustice and arrogance"; that is, when Moses presented his invitation, the Pharaoh's elite understood that he was telling the truth and that it was a reality; but after Moses showed this extraordinary miracle and after the magicians—who were thought to be doing similar work to Moses—acknowledged that this was not like their work and, despite Pharaoh's threats, prostrated and believed in Moses and accepted death, it became clear to them that Moses was telling the truth; however, at the same time, they denied this truth; "they denied it while their souls were certain of it." They were certain that Moses was telling the truth, but at the same time, they denied it. Why? Because "out of injustice and arrogance"; because their arrogance and carnal desires and the injustice they wanted to commit did not allow them to submit. Faith and commitment are a type of submission; becoming submissive to a truth. Sometimes a person understands a truth, but does not submit their heart to this truth and stands against it. Thus, you see that in opposition to knowledge, there is ignorance and doubt; but in opposition to faith, they do not bring ignorance; in opposition to faith, they bring disbelief; that is, covering up. Sometimes a person accepts a truth, but covers it up and hides it. The opposite of covering up is faith; that is, being devoted, committed, surrendering, accepting the truth with all one's being, and submitting to it. Whatever you consider to be a truth, if you have faith in it, this becomes the foundation of your action. Today, you see that some people passionately defend a certain economic or social principle and invest in it. A clearer example is the existence of Marxist tendencies during our youth, which some of you have also experienced. Some were truly willing to give their lives for those Marxist concepts. They were devoted and had faith. This faith becomes the source of action; that too, an action as difficult as fighting and being in the field, killing and being killed. If there was faith in a principle, that person automatically moves towards the goals of that faith; it is not necessary to constantly remind them. Faith brings action in its wake, which we will discuss in the next sentence.

We said here that the meaning of Amir al-Mu'minin's faith is religious faith; it is not faith in something false or faith in idols and idol worship. It is faith in the One God and faith in prophethood and faith in truths and faith in the Resurrection. He says: "The clear path is the brightest lamp"; that is, the course of this path is very clear. If someone enters this field with their intellect and innate disposition, they see the path as clear, without doubt and ambiguity; "the brightest lamp". Then it continues: "By faith, one is guided to righteous deeds"; it is faith that leads a person to righteous actions. Faith is what draws a person and indicates righteous actions. Then immediately he says: "And by righteous deeds, one is guided to faith"; righteous action also indicates faith. That is, there is a mutual influence and effect. In my opinion, this is a very important point. We must strengthen our faith with righteous action; just as we must recognize righteous action through faith.

Consider the incident that occurred in the Battle of Uhud. Those fifty individuals who were cursed and lamented by all Muslims throughout these fourteen centuries were Muslims; they were companions of the Prophet; many of them participated in the Battle of Badr; they were not bad people; but these very individuals fell into that calamity; that is, due to gathering spoils, they abandoned the pass; they gave the field to the enemy and caused a large amount of pure blood to be shed on the ground; blood like that of Hamza, the Lord of Martyrs, was shed on the ground; the Prophet was wounded, and the Islamic government and the nascent Islamic system were shaken; because of the negligence of these fifty individuals. The Quran speaks about these fifty individuals, saying: "Indeed, those who turned back among you on the day the two armies met, it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned"; that is, the actions they took were the result of mistakes and slips they had made before this. Every slip imposes its own slips on a person; that is, it weakens the foundation of faith, and the weakening of faith has its negative impact on our subsequent actions. When we slip, this slip affects our faith—even if imperceptibly. "It was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned"; a mistake committed by one person negatively affects their faith, without the person even realizing it; just like many times when a person goes from one state to another, but does not notice the change in their state.

May God have mercy on the late Mr. Khatami (may God be pleased with him); the esteemed father of our respected president. In 1979, when I returned from exile, I visited Ardakan to see him. At that time, he was about seventy years old. They said, "I do not feel old. I say I am old, but I do not feel old at all; I see myself as I was at thirty or thirty-five years old." Years later, I asked him if he still felt the same way. He said, "Yes, it is the same." Now we are the same. The image we have of ourselves as white-bearded old men is the image of ourselves from thirty years ago. We do not realize the passage of time and the strange transformation that has occurred, with all the tangible physical effects it has. The transformation of faith is the same; that is, the decrease in faith is also something a person does not feel; because it does not even have tangible physical effects that a person can understand and realize. Therefore, that slip and mistake affected faith. The decrease in faith affects our subsequent actions; for example, when a field of jihad and a test arises, our lack of faith shows itself. When we have been able to take a leap and make a significant move with abundant faith, when we face the same task, we find our hands and feet trembling; just like someone who could jump over a two-meter ditch in their youth; but now when they reach that ditch, they cannot. The negative effect of action on faith and faith on action results in the defeat of the Battle of Uhud; it results in various retreats; it results in the fact that fifty years after the Prophet's migration and forty years after his passing, his grandson—who is the dearest person to the Prophet, that is, Imam Hussein (peace be upon him)—stands against the government of the Prophet's successor and is martyred in that horrific manner. I once said these are the lessons of history; they are beyond mere lessons.

In the thirtieth wisdom of Nahj al-Balagha, it is stated: "He was asked about faith"; they requested the Imam to speak to them about faith. He said: "Faith is based on four pillars"; faith is established on four foundations. The meaning of the four pillars is that if the pillars are strong, faith remains; but if the pillars become weak or collapse, faith collapses in proportion. It does not completely fall, but it collapses in proportion. The Imam (may his soul be sanctified) stated these four pillars: "Patience, certainty, justice, and jihad". The first is steadfastness and perseverance in all areas. If you want to pursue a program, stand by that program until the end. If you want to accomplish a task, complete that task. If a calamity arises, do not lose yourself in the face of that calamity. If a duty is prescribed for you, endure to fulfill that duty and do not become impatient and exhausted. If you face a sin, stand firm and do not submit to sin. Steadfastness has manifestations everywhere. Of course, the meaning of steadfastness is the same everywhere; that is, it is the same human strength and perseverance; however, it manifests differently in different places: patience in obedience, patience in sin, patience in calamity.

The second pillar of faith is based on certainty. As we said, certainty is the same as knowledge. The pillars of certainty should not be shaken; this doubt should not be like a termite that eats away at the pillar of certainty. Certainty should be maintained firmly. If a question naturally arises in a person's mind, they should pursue that question until the doubt is resolved; but they should not let themselves be tempted; they should not undermine certainty in themselves or in others; they should not turn certainties into doubts and make them questionable.

The third pillar of faith is justice. Justice means placing everything in its rightful place. The linguistic meaning of justice also means moderation. The term moderation comes from this word; that is, placing everything in its rightful place, without excess and without deficiency; without leaning to the left and without leaning to the right. This is why it is said that justice means placing everything in its rightful place; because when everything is placed in its rightful place, the balance that exists in the natural order based on justice and truth comes into being. Justice is necessary in human behavior. Justice is necessary for rulers. Justice is necessary in positioning. Justice is necessary in expressing love and hatred. The Quran states: "And let not the hatred of a people cause you to be unjust"; enmity with someone should not lead you to abandon justice and not observe justice; "be just; that is nearer to piety". Therefore, justice is also one of the pillars of faith. If there is justice, faith remains.

The last pillar is jihad. Jihad means struggle. In Persian, war and conflict do not convey the meaning of struggle. You say I am struggling: I am struggling academically, I am struggling socially, I am struggling politically, I am struggling militarily; all of these are struggles and have meaning. Struggle means a vigorous effort against an obstacle or an enemy. If there is no obstacle in front of a person, there is no struggle. On a paved road, if a person presses the gas and travels with a full tank of gasoline, this is not called struggle. Struggle occurs when a person encounters obstacles, which in human fronts become enemies; and in natural fronts, become natural obstacles. If a person engages with these obstacles and tries to remove them, this becomes struggle. Jihad in Arabic means exactly this; it means struggle. Jihad in the Quran and Hadith also means this; it is not always synonymous with armed conflict. Of course, sometimes it corresponds with armed conflict, and sometimes it corresponds with unarmed conflict.

Then Amir al-Mu'minin explains these words—of course, I will not delve into them—both patience, certainty, justice, and jihad. For example, he states that jihad has four branches: enjoining good, forbidding evil, truthfulness, and honesty in positions; exactly the same meaning that we interpret today in positioning; that is, a person should have honesty in political and social positions. Therefore, honesty in positions is itself jihad. "Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with God" means this.

Another branch of jihad is "and hatred of the wicked"; that is, separating oneself from the current of wickedness and disbelief; I specifically say this to you; everyone should pay attention to this. Your account must be separate from this current; it should not be mixed with it. You are familiar with me, and we have been with you for about eight years; with some even longer. I have no belief that one should cut ties with the disbelievers; no, your boundary with the disbelievers should be clear; your boundary with the wicked should be clear; your boundary with those who do not accept the Islamic Republic should be clear. Sometimes it is necessary for a person to interact with someone who does not accept the Islamic Republic; but it is clear that they are them and you are you; do not mix. I have always been dissatisfied with some within this system and our own group; because they have blurred the boundaries. I sometimes told them that when you blur the boundary, the problem is that many, due to the absence of boundaries, go from this side to that side, and from that side to this side; they constantly come and go; that is, the limits are forgotten. If a country does not have clear borders, it does not have collective identity and collective unity. Let the borders be clear; let it be known where you are and where they are. "And whoever hates the wicked and is angry for God's sake, God will be angry for him"; you should become angry for God's sake, and God will become angry for you; "and He will be pleased with you on the Day of Resurrection".

"From his words (peace be upon him) regarding faith: there is faith that is firmly established in the hearts, and there is faith that is borrowed between hearts and chests for a known period". There are two types of faith; stable and established faith, and borrowed and temporary faith. Borrowed faith is also faith; it does not mean that the person is a hypocrite; their faith is not firm; therefore, it quickly fades away. Stable and established faith means that it has taken root in the heart, is supported by a deep reasoning and insight, and is backed by righteous action. The other type of faith is one that arises from emotions, not from logic; a person has not placed righteous action behind it; they have merely given slogans of faith and sometimes have given very fervent slogans; but they have not spent the effort to struggle and fight against their own self for it; that is, this faith has not been watered by righteous action; this becomes borrowed faith. The Imam (may his soul be sanctified) says: "And there is faith that is borrowed between hearts and chests for a known period". When is that known time? As long as this faith is borrowed; until this faith fades away from them; the sparrow that they have trapped in their chest flies away and goes; because this faith has not become part of their existence. In what situations does this type of faith fade away? In times of trial and moments of carnal desires. For example, if someone is greedy, when they are faced with a choice between money and preserving faith, faith flies away and disappears. Some are afflicted with carnal temptations and sexual desires; some are afflicted with the worship of status; everyone has their own way. Each of us has a slippery slope; as the Westerners say, we have an Achilles' heel and a weak point; that is where we are vulnerable; may God protect us from that vulnerability. The way is piety. Piety, which I have repeatedly spoken about in this session and other sessions, means being constantly vigilant over oneself. One understands the secrets of some of the 180-degree transformations from the beginning of the revolution until now here. Twenty-five years have passed since the beginning of the revolution; sometimes you see that some have undergone a 180-degree transformation; that is, they have changed from a sincere, honest, fervent believer into a rebellious, opposing enemy who is obstinate and contentious! We have several types of enemies: some enemies are enemies, but they do not constantly want to confront the revolution. Some, however, always want to poke their fingers into the eyes of the revolution and the Islamic system and confront it. When you look, you see that some of these are those who were very fervent and hot-headed; like a flame that rises from dry grass. Of course, sometimes a strong flame can also rise from sturdy wood; but from dry grass, which has nothing, a flame rises, but it quickly extinguishes. Sometimes we have people of this kind; their faith is not established; it is borrowed and prone to fading and without reliance on a solid reasoning. As we mentioned, this fading faith does not announce when it is leaving; it does not call and say, "I am leaving and from this hour I will no longer be a believer and will not pray"; gradually a person does not realize and does not notice how this faith has faded away from them. One must be very vigilant and seek refuge in God.

The fourth and final sentence relates to the Imam's command to Malik al-Ashtar. The letter of the Imam to Malik al-Ashtar is very remarkable. The wisdom contained in this letter is "countless and unquantifiable". He said: "Whatever I say about love, I will be ashamed of it when I come to love". When a person delves into the depths of this letter, they truly feel a sense of humility in the face of the greatness that exists in every phrase and sentence of it. He says: "And the ruin of the land comes from the poverty of its people"; that is, when the people are impoverished, the land becomes ruined. The Imam does not state this as a philosophical point; he states it as a reality. The "land" he refers to here is the same land of Egypt to which Malik al-Ashtar is going. Of course, at that time, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Medina, and every other point in the world that has a ruler cannot be compared to Egypt. They say that the land you are going to, if you can make its people wealthy, it will prosper; but if you keep the people poor or make them poor and cannot, this land will remain ruined. It is the people who must, with their own vitality and the abilities they acquire, make their land prosperous. The creativity of individuals is what makes every part of the land prosperous. Then he says: "And the poverty of the people is due to the negligence of the rulers"; they are the ones who cause the poverty of the people; because what is obtained from wealth and benefits is desired for themselves; this causes the poverty of the people. Of course, sometimes the rulers are like the ancient tyrants; like Reza Khan, who wanted everything and was never satisfied. Some also benefited from him; they took from him. First, it was the king's share, and then gradually those who were on the periphery of the king took their share according to their own capacity. The ancient tyrannies were like this. Of course, a more modern form was in the Pahlavi regime; we have also read about the older form in books from the Qajar period and the time of Naser al-Din Shah and others. There is also a modern method; that is, the method of seemingly democratic governments that have tyrannical cores; today, the reins of these governments are in the hands of economic companies; they are the ones who design the policies. They appear to be powerless, but in reality, they send representatives to the parliament; they bring the president to power. The president has aides, ambassadors, ministers, and various managers at different levels; in fact, this whole assembly is in power. The way tyranny is exercised is not like before, where they would say, "I decree". When Reza Khan wanted to exercise tyranny, he issued a declaration in Tehran and included "I decree" several times. Today, the ruler does not say, "I decree"; they do not lose that democratic decorum at all. They do not decree at all; but the course of action is the same as "I decree". That is, the law that is necessary for this company is certainly approved; the movement that is necessary for the survival of these companies is certainly carried out; even if it involves attacking a country like Iraq. Who benefits from the reconstruction of Iraq and its oil? The governments of America or England are not sovereign states that own everything and say they benefit from it; no, it is the financial and economic apparatus that dominates these countries that benefits from anything new. Of course, they also have rivalries among themselves, they have enmities, they have competitions; but it is that financial apparatus that benefits from the oil of the Middle East, from the dominance over the Middle East, from something called the Greater Middle East; it is the ultimate beneficiary. The government, the president, the foreign minister, the defense minister, and the like—who, of course, in many cases, are also part of that fundamental financial and industrial management group of the country—are at the forefront and are the main line; they support and are the backing; they are the ones who are taking action; the people are also making their own movements. You might say, for example, that in America or England, there are no poor people relative to the population of these countries. This should not be counted; one should look at how much poverty the British government has created in the Indian subcontinent; or how much poverty has been created by the government that colonized Africa or Latin America; or today, how much poverty, hunger, and deprivation has been created in the world by America with its economic influence that spans the globe. These are the criteria. Of course, there is also poverty and poor people and a very large class gap in these countries; it is truly astonishing. Sometimes in our statistics, unfortunately, we see naive, simplistic, and short-sighted things that say, for example, that the economic gap in our country is greater than that of America or some other place; these are words stemming from ignorance and lack of awareness of realities; they are completely unaware of the realities. No, the economic chasm in capitalist countries is terrifying and beyond imagination and greater than anywhere else in the world. Moreover, they should not be compared within those countries; rather, they should be calculated across the globe; because the scope of their influence and power and movement is worldwide. For now, we do not want to delve into global and international issues; we should assess ourselves. If we want the world to prosper, we must control ourselves. You and I, who are the rulers and managers, and the administration of the financial, industrial, and agricultural affairs of the country is in our hands—that is, the active choke points of the country are in our hands—we must control ourselves. It is not just about ourselves; we mean the whole group. You mean you and your deputies and your influential managers. Of course, someone may make a mistake in a corner and at very low levels that cannot be controlled or predicted; that is another discussion; but the group that you are the manager and head of must have these characteristics. "For the oversight of the rulers over the collective"; they want to gather, "and their suspicion about remaining and their little benefit from the lessons". "Their suspicion about remaining" means they are afflicted with suspicion regarding the remainder of their lives, such as what will happen next. One should not have suspicion; one should have good thoughts about God and oneself. He also said: "They benefit little from the lessons"; they do not take much benefit from the lessons.

We hope that what we have said will first have an impact on this humble self. Truly, I am the most in need of it. One of the reasons we choose and say these matters is that perhaps, God willing, it will have an effect on us and our movement towards God and the right path will become more genuine and serious. In the supplication of Kumayl, we read: "And grant me seriousness in Your fear"; in divine fear, a person must be serious; one should not treat it lightly; these matters are not to be taken lightly. If we are to be considered among the wise of the world, we never take the real issues of life lightly; we take them seriously. More serious than the issues of this life are the matters of death, the matter of the grave, the matter of divine questioning, the matter of Barzakh, and the matter of Resurrection; these should not be taken lightly; they are important matters.

We hope, God willing, that God will affect us and you with the wise words of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace and blessings be upon him).

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