Statements in Meeting with Hajj Officials

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

We humbly beseech the Almighty God to grant success to each and every one of the officials and organizers of this great movement and this honorable obligation in fulfilling the rights and duties that this great obligation places upon each Muslim, especially the managers.

What is important is that every person, every official, every pilgrim recognizes their responsibility in the face of this great collective movement of the Islamic world and the Islamic Ummah. If this great unified movement of the Islamic Ummah is realized in a sound, complete, and flawless manner, its effects and blessings will benefit all of the Islamic world—indeed, in a sense, all of humanity—every year; "so that they may witness benefits for themselves".

What the esteemed officials in the mission and the Hajj organization have stated and reported, and the preparations they have made, are very necessary and useful matters—which we have heard—all of these headings are important in our view; however, the point is that managers and officials at various levels must pay attention to ensure that what they have planned, what they have deemed necessary, and what they have wished to be carried out is truly implemented in practice. Designing and planning is half the matter; the more important half is that attention is paid to ensure that the decisions made are realized in practice; then the outcomes of what has been done should be considered; if there are deficiencies or flaws in the quality of the design and planning or in the quality of execution, they should be observed carefully and with keen eyes, and efforts should be made to rectify them. These are necessary.

Why do we emphasize this so much? Because Hajj is important. Hajj is at the pinnacle of the concern of the sacred Shari'ah. Today, especially when you observe, you see that Hajj seems more important than ever, more necessary, and more needed. Hajj is important from both perspectives; both for ourselves, within the Islamic Ummah, and also from an international standpoint. The Islamic Ummah has been paralyzed, humiliated, belittled, rendered hopeless, and with new tools, they have sought to weaken spirituality, religiosity, attention, and supplication within it. Hajj repairs all these afflictions, grants dignity to the individuals of the Islamic Ummah, instills a sense of power, and brings hope; this is the true nature of Hajj. The first impact of Hajj is within the Islamic Ummah, in our own hearts. We need Hajj; to strengthen our spirits, to repair ourselves, to feel that we rely on God, that we are great, that we are a large Ummah. On one side, the internal impact is important, and on the other side, the international impact is significant; it weakens the enemy, shatters the enemy's spirit, showcases the greatness of Islam to the enemy, and makes the unity of the Islamic Ummah evident against the enemy. We need this.

Today, a great front has been spread against Islam; why do we not see it? Why do some not see this great front? It is like the Battle of the Confederates. Various anti-Islamic, anti-spirituality, and anti-truth factions have united against Islam; they scrutinize to find weaknesses, to exploit those weaknesses; they seek points of infiltration to strike us. Hajj can prevent these.

One of the issues—this was also mentioned in the statements of these esteemed gentlemen—is the matter of division within the Islamic Ummah. They are working with precision. They highlight the differences. They strengthen deviant tendencies, both among Shia and Sunni. Among Shia, they strengthen the Qarmati tendency under the name of Shi'ism and corrupt it. Among Sunni, they strengthen the Nasibi tendency under the name of Sunnism, but with the essence of Nasibi, and set them against each other. We must be vigilant, we must be aware, we must see, we must understand. These are the fundamental issues that the Islamic world needs today.

The Islamic world needs understanding, empathy, and cooperation. Why do they sow so much discord among Islamic governments? Why are Islamic governments unwilling to agree on a single approach and a common point regarding a universally pressing issue like Palestine? Is the issue of Palestine not significant? A group of people, far from any religion—they are not even Jews; the believing and devout Jews disavow the political Zionism—have risen against the monotheistic religions, against any spirituality; they have seized a piece of Islamic land, the first Qibla of Muslims, the sacred spiritual centers of Islam; they have expelled the rightful owners of this house from their own home and continue to pressure them every day. For over sixty years, the Islamic world has been afflicted by this calamity. Well, for a while, the Palestinians were negligent, they were silent; today, when they have risen, today, when they are seeking help, today, when they are calling upon the Islamic world for assistance; why is the Islamic world silent in the face of them? Did the Prophet not say: "Whoever wakes up and does not concern himself with the affairs of Muslims is not a Muslim"? Is this not concern for the affairs of Muslims? In such a clear issue, so much injustice is being done to Muslims—in Palestine, injustices are being done to Palestinians, both Muslims and Christians—but the Islamic world does not have a unified stance; why? Where does this discord come from? These are the issues of Hajj.

Hajj must be a manifestation of unity, it must be a manifestation of understanding, it must be a manifestation of dialogue, it must be a manifestation of empathy and cooperation, and the coming together of Muslims. Hajj must be advanced in this manner, it must be moved forward in this way. Now, in Hajj, which is the center of unity and agreement, some individuals begin to create discord—whether in Mecca or Medina—some begin to act against Shia; for their pilgrimage, for their actions, for fulfilling their duties and beliefs, they put them under pressure, insult them—unfortunately, reports of this are coming in—while others react by doing contrary actions. Well, this is completely against the interest of Hajj; it is contrary to the philosophy of Hajj.

Hajj must be conducted correctly. Today, compared to thirty years ago, our Hajj movement has changed from earth to sky; however, it is not enough, and we must go further, we must move better than this. The behavior of Iranian pilgrims must reflect all the characteristics that are the duties of Muslims in Hajj and are incumbent upon Muslims. From a spiritual perspective: supplication, intercession, attention, closeness to the Quran, remembrance of God, bringing hearts closer to God, making oneself spiritual and luminous, and returning home with spiritual achievements. From a social and political perspective: cooperation with the Islamic world. Today, one of the important and urgent issues of the Islamic world is the matter of our brothers in Pakistan. Of course, our people have helped, the government has helped—may God accept it and grant goodness—but it is not enough.

Those who go on Hajj—in the first place, the Iranian pilgrim who is a neighbor, close, and witnesses their problems—can eliminate many of these unnecessary and excessive costs, at the expense of alleviating the suffering of a Muslim brother or sister in Pakistan; these have great rewards before God; this is a training, an experience; then the pilgrims and Hajjis from other Islamic countries; convey this message to them as well, encourage and motivate them in this regard.

Take the issue of unity very seriously. Today, in the centers of thought and conspiracy, precise planning is being made to pit the Islamic world against each other; governments one way, nations another. Whenever a whisper arises among Islamic governments, whenever a statement appears that indicates closeness, suddenly we see an external factor, a Zionist factor, an American factor intervenes and prevents closeness. When Islamic governments are good with each other, when they are close, they also engage in sowing discord there. Among the nations, it is the same. Nations do not have motives against each other; therefore, they introduce the motive of religion, the motive of ethnicity, and nationalistic prejudices into the field to pit them against each other. These are matters that if we do not pay attention to, we will suffer blows from the enemy. If we are not vigilant, Islam will be struck. Today, enmity with Islam has become overt in the system of global arrogance. Although they still deny it verbally, it is clear and evident that they are hostile to Islam, that they oppose Islam. This greatly burdens our duty.

We hope that the Almighty God grants success to all of you, to all the esteemed pilgrims, and to all the pilgrims of Islamic countries so that, God willing, each year you take one more step towards a higher and more complete Hajj.

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