Statements in Meeting with Hajj Officials

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and virtuous family and his chosen companions, and those who follow them with goodness until the Day of Judgment.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters, esteemed servants of the Hajj pilgrimage and successful and honored pilgrims. Your service in this capacity is a great honor. Preparing the groundwork and facilitating the performance of the magnificent Hajj pilgrimage—whose dimensions truly exceed what we describe—and the very act of serving in the establishment of this duty is considered a great reward, a significant task, and a valuable service. I advise all those who are engaged in various sectors—whether in the mission, the organization, the caravans, or related agencies—and who strive and take on a part of the work, to appreciate this blessing, to be grateful to God, and to strive to perform this task as best as they can. The reports presented by Mr. Qazi Askar and the esteemed head of the Hajj organization were very good; however, let us assume that some of these efforts may be halted or falter in the middle of the process, yet the totality of these reports and the work that has been done is considerable; however, I want to express that all that has been said regarding what is necessary for the establishment of the Abrahamic Hajj, the prophetic Hajj, and the Qur'anic Hajj is still only halfway there, and there is much room for work.

What I want to convey today is that in addition to all the various aspects that exist in Hajj—this great duty—Hajj also possesses the characteristic of being a manifestation of the intertwining of spirituality and politics, spirituality and materiality, and the world and the hereafter. And among them are those who say, "Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire"; those who pray in this manner during Hajj and seek worldly and otherworldly goodness from the Almighty God are desired and accepted by the Qur'an; that is, the world and the hereafter are united in Hajj; Hajj is a manifestation of such a thing. Some have worked for many years, and today they continue to strive to separate spirituality in Islam from the issues of life and the administration of societal affairs; that is, the separation of religion from politics. For many years—one might say for decades, a century, or more—enemies of Islam and those ignorant of Islam have worked on this. When the Islamic Republic was established and the Islamic Revolution occurred, these claims were all invalidated; it became clear that no, Islam can manage the political arena, the arena of life, the administration of the country, and the mobilization of the people with all their capabilities in the best possible manner; it has acted more successfully in this regard than the slogans of communists, liberals, and Westerners. Thus, the efforts that had been made for a long time were rendered void, but they began again; some started to divert the new generations from the intertwining of religion and politics, religion and life, religion and science, the intertwining of the world and the hereafter, the intertwining of spirituality and materiality—which all exist in Islam—by diverting minds from this intertwining; Hajj is a practical field to demonstrate this intertwining.

How? In Hajj, you have supplication, you have prayer, you have intercession, you have weeping, you have circumambulation, you have running between Safa and Marwah, you have prayer, and you have a gathering of people; this is very important. They should think; if the Almighty God’s intention in calling people to Hajj was merely for them to come there and spend a few days in spirituality, there would be no need to specify a certain time; throughout the year, anyone could go whenever they wanted; no, Hajj has a specific and designated time. During this specified time, individuals from all over the Islamic world must come; not for one year, not for two years, but throughout all of history; during a few specified days, those who can and have the means should gather in one place; what does this mean? This means that the very act of gathering together is of concern to the Almighty God; this is what God desires. This is the formation of the Islamic Ummah; this is the perspective on the gathering of Muslims; Hajj is a manifestation of this.

Then, when you arrive there, "Then disperse from where the people disperse"; here, the discussion is about people being equal: "The resident and the nomad are the same"; the people of Mecca and those not from Mecca have no difference; this place belongs to everyone; this land belongs to all Muslims. No one should think that this land belongs to them and that they have the right to behave there as they please; no, all Muslims have equal rights regarding the noble Kaaba, the Sacred Mosque, and this noble place and the sacred space of the two holy shrines. Now, what is stated in the noble verse pertains to Mecca, but Medina is the same; that place also belongs to all Muslims because the Prophet belongs to everyone.

See; this gathering of Muslims and this solidarity among Muslims, this coordination among Muslims, is one of the important objectives of Hajj that must be taken into consideration. In all programs of the esteemed pilgrims and the relevant managers, this meaning must be considered: connection, communication, understanding, agreement. Of course, the ruling government in that region does not want this; they create obstacles in any way possible; today, there are many means. Connections must be established, and the gathering of the Islamic Ummah must take shape. Therefore, those who separate politics from Islam, who negate it, have not understood Islam, have not understood the verses of the Qur'an. The verses of the Qur'an, whether those related to Hajj, those related to jihad, those related to the interactions of people in a society, or those related to the governance of the Islamic ruler in society, all pertain to policies that belong to Islam. The Islamic democracy that we have mentioned is derived from the essence of Islam and the essence of the Qur'an. "And their affair is consultation among themselves"; this is the main point in the matter of Hajj.

One point is that no one should prevent or obstruct the concepts of Hajj; for indeed, "Those who disbelieve and hinder [others] from the path of God and the Sacred Mosque"; those who "hinder from the path of God" and "hinder from the Sacred Mosque"—this hindrance is not only that they do not allow you to go to Mecca; they may allow you to go to Mecca but prevent you from utilizing the concepts of Hajj; this is also hindrance from the path of God, this is also hindrance from the Sacred Mosque. Those who carry out this act, that government, that state which commits this great error, is hindering from the path of God. The concepts of Hajj must be understood, comprehended, and acted upon accordingly.

The essence of the matter is that the Kaaba belongs to everyone. Our belief is that the Iranian nation, after the victory of the revolution, thanks to the guidance of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), understood, discovered, and comprehended a new meaning of Hajj. From the first year after the revolution's victory, when people went to Hajj and Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) sent messages, new concepts of Hajj became clear and evident for the Iranian nation, and they pursued those concepts and moved forward; Hajj accompanied by disavowal, Hajj accompanied by understanding with Muslims, Hajj that is a manifestation of "harsh against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves". Hajj must be a manifestation of "harsh against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves". The opposite of this is to create discord among brothers, to create separation, while they connect their tails to the tail of global arrogance and America; this is the opposite of what Hajj has asked of the people and what the sacred law has legislated for the good of the people. Hajj must be performed with this spirit, with this state.

Now, of course, unfortunately, the Saudi government creates disturbances and prevents the performance of some duties and obligations that rightfully should be carried out; these must always be considered as the demands of the believers and Muslims; they may create obstacles—if that obstacle arises, it will naturally cause problems—but that desire and that demand must never be forgotten. Just as the gentlemen have mentioned, the incident of the Sacred Mosque and Mina in 1394 [2015] is not forgettable; this must definitely be pursued, followed up, and a fact-finding committee with the presence of the main claimant—namely the Islamic Republic—must be formed; we must refer to international forums, and seek help from wherever possible to achieve justice; a great injustice occurred here. The great right of the pilgrims over those who dominate that region is their security; this is their main demand. "Security" is one of the characteristics that the Almighty God has designated for His house and the city of Mecca and the sanctuary: "We made the house a place of gathering for people and a place of security"; all should gather there and be secure, have safety. The security and safety of the people is one of the most fundamental tasks; this safety was not observed. This requires demands; this requires follow-up; do not tire of pursuing this matter; continue to seek it. Esteemed officials—whether in the mission, the Hajj organization, or relevant agencies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the judiciary, and others—must follow up on this matter. As I have been informed, families of some martyrs who were buried there are not even allowed to go there and visit the graves of their loved ones and martyrs! This cannot be; actions must be taken regarding these matters. The blood money of the slain is also an issue.

Dear brothers and sisters! Today, the Islamic world needs a unified voice; any voice that sows discord and division is certainly detested by the sacred law. From every direction, in every form, division is prohibited. Why? Because the enemy has concentrated on the Islamic world. You see what is happening in the Islamic world? On one side, the pressures being exerted on the people of Yemen; a oppressed nation has been under constant attack for several years; of course, they are brave, they are strong, they resist, but they suffer hardships. On the other side, the issue of Palestine and this diabolical and wicked policy that America has devised regarding Palestine, which they have even named the "Deal of the Century". Of course, they should know that this so-called Deal of the Century they have envisioned will never be realized, by God's grace. To the dismay of the American statesmen who are straining themselves to do something regarding Palestine, the issue of Palestine will not be forgotten, and the holy city of Jerusalem will remain the capital of Palestine and the first qibla of Muslims.

This delusional dream they have of taking Jerusalem, claiming that it should be under Jewish control above the city, below the city, and in the depths of the city—east, west, everywhere—is utterly wrong; this will not happen, and certainly, the Palestinian nation will stand against this, and all Muslim nations will stand behind the Palestinian nation, and by God's grace, they will not allow this to happen.

Of course, unfortunately, some Islamic governments, due to their disbelief in the essence of Islam—let alone the issue of Palestine—have become the vanguards of the Americans; not only are they followers, but they are sacrificing themselves for them; due to ignorance, folly, and worldly desires. Some governments—unfortunately, Arab governments—are in such a situation; this too has no effect, this too is of no benefit, they too will fail, and by God's grace, the Islamic nation and the Muslim nation of Palestine will certainly triumph over their enemies and will witness the day when the roots of the fake Zionist regime will be uprooted from the land of Palestine.

God willing, may you have an accepted Hajj, and God willing, may our dear pilgrims go safely and securely and return with full hands, and let us be grateful to God.

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