Statements at the Meeting with Officials and Organizers of Hajj on the Seventh of Dhu al-Qi'dah 1436

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

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters, the organizers of Hajj, who bear one of the most beautiful and magnificent responsibilities, which is to prepare for Hajj - this unparalleled and unique Islamic obligation - for our Muslim and faithful people. We also express our gratitude for the efforts of the responsible brothers and sisters - as Mr. Qazi Askar and the esteemed head of the organization have stated - who have made arrangements for improving the pilgrimage experience for the believers. Indeed, it is correct; day by day, we must work to make the tasks better and easier towards the lofty goals of Hajj; we must strive. Each of you brothers and sisters who have a responsibility, play a role, should try to fulfill your role in the best way, with sufficient motivation, with time investment, and with compassion; the sum of these efforts will yield a sweet product, which is the realization of the desired Hajj for the people.

However, what I would like to recommend is that Hajj does not belong solely to us Iranians; Hajj belongs to Islam, belongs to the Islamic Ummah, and is a guarantor of the continuity of Islam. The respect for the months of Hajj - which God the Almighty has honored - even time has respect; places have respect - shows how significant and effective these great operations are; these indicate that this obligation possesses characteristics that no other obligation has; this must be taken into account.

It is interesting that Hajj has two different and complementary aspects: one is individual, and the other is social; both must be observed and considered. The individual aspect of Hajj belongs to each pilgrim; each pilgrim in this period - this period of Hajj and Umrah - must connect themselves with God the Almighty, seek forgiveness, and prepare provisions for themselves. In the noble verses related to Hajj, it states, "And take provisions, for indeed, the best provision is piety"; it is recommended to have piety; each of the esteemed pilgrims who are blessed with this great gift must think about filling their own container, filling their own backpack - and seek forgiveness from your Lord - repent, pray, ask from God the Almighty, and commit themselves before God for their future and their life and their activities; this is the individual work.

In this individual aspect of Hajj, each pilgrim, in fact, with this movement, with this journey, must draw closer to God, must purify their inner self, must take provisions for the rest of their life; the source of blessings and spirituality for the individual is in this journey, in these actions, in these days; pilgrims must recognize their value. There are things that can only be realized in this journey for the individual: observing the Kaaba is worship, circumambulating around the Kaaba is worship, praying in the Sacred Mosque is worship, visiting the grave of the noble Prophet is worship, Arafat is the arena of supplication to God, Mash'ar is the arena of attention to the Lord, Mina is the same; from each of these actions, the pilgrim must utilize for purifying their inner self, for elevating their ranks, for storing provisions for their entire life. This is the individual aspect of Hajj.

The other aspect is the social aspect. Hajj is a manifestation of Islamic unity; different colors, different skins, different nationalities, different identities, different sects, different tastes all stand together and alike. They all circumambulate together, strive together, and stand together in Arafat and Mash'ar; this unity is very important. Islamic empathy is the true manifestation of empathy and common language in Hajj; not only for the Iranian nation, but for all Muslims around the world; for the Islamic Ummah. May God's curse be upon those who tried to distance the truth of the Islamic Ummah, the importance of the Islamic Ummah from minds; to divide Muslims into various factions, for various motives; to elevate nationalities against the greatness of the Islamic Ummah; to separate the nation from one another; while the Islamic Ummah is important; greatness belongs to the Islamic Ummah; God the Almighty sends down His mercy upon the Islamic Ummah; Hajj is a manifestation of the formation of the Islamic Ummah, a sample of the whole. From every deep path; Muslims gather from everywhere and from distant ways, and what a great opportunity it is to talk to each other, to empathize with each other, to hear each other's pains, to express sympathy with one another; where else does this happen except in Hajj? One of the social aspects of Hajj is the issue of unity.

Another social aspect is demonstrating the greatness of the Islamic Ummah. That millions of people gather in a specific ceremony is a demonstration of the Islamic Ummah. From a country of seventy or eighty million, suppose fifty thousand, sixty thousand, seventy thousand have participated; this shows the greatness of the Islamic Ummah.

Another aspect is the exchange of experiences with one another. Many Islamic countries have experiences; suppose the Iranian nation has an experience in confronting the enemy, in identifying the enemy, in not trusting the enemy, in not making mistakes [in identifying] friends from enemies; we have experience. We have not made mistakes in identifying friends from enemies; from the beginning of the revolution until now, we have understood and known that the true enemy, the relentless and obstinate enemy, is global arrogance and Zionism; we have understood this. Sometimes this fundamental and real enemy has expressed its words through the mouths of others; we have not erred in thinking that this enemy is that; no, we have clarified and stated that the enemy is global arrogance.

Look at the slogans of the Iranian nation on the twenty-second of Bahman, on Quds Day, in the great gatherings where their slogans are against global arrogance, against America, against the Zionists and the occupying Zionist regime; their slogans are against these. While sometimes these very people express their words [through a certain country] and carry out their actions through a certain Islamic country, but our nation has not shouted against that Islamic country; why? Because they know that it is not the real enemy, they are deceived, they are instruments; this is enemy recognition, this is our experience. Some groups that were also Islamic groups and managed to find an opportunity in some countries did not have this experience and made mistakes; they allied with the real enemy and acted against those who were considered friends, and they suffered the consequences. God the Almighty had given them a blessing, they did not appreciate this blessing.

One of the experiences of the Iranian nation is creating unity. Well, is there not a lack of differences of opinion in our country? In political issues, in intellectual issues, in ideological issues, there are many differences, but despite these differences, the people have maintained their unity. Some parts of our country have specific ethnicities living in them; those ethnicities also participate in the ceremonies of the twenty-second of Bahman, in the ceremonies of Quds Day, in various ceremonies that are manifestations of the revolution, just as the rest of the people of the country participate. We have Kurdish [speaking] regions, we have Baluch [speaking] regions, we have Arab [speaking] regions, we have Turk [speaking] regions; sometimes the movements of these are more prominent in favor of the revolution and the Islamic Republic system than in other places; we have seen this too. This is the Islamic unity, and the Iranian nation has experienced this.

For thirty-five or thirty-six years, we have had this experience that there must be unity and agreement among the people; and thanks to this unity and agreement, we have achieved great successes; some other countries did not understand this, did not comprehend it, and still do not understand it. Due to a small difference - whether a religious difference, or an ethnic difference, or even a party difference - they fall upon each other and beat each other like enemies; well, God the Almighty takes His blessing from them. Have you not seen those who exchanged the blessing of God for disbelief and brought their people to the house of destruction? Hell, they will enter it, and what a bad resting place it is.

When we do not recognize the blessing of God that He has bestowed, we do not express gratitude, we have disbelieved in this blessing, well, God the Almighty will change His behavior with this nation; He does not have kinship with anyone. This is because God has not changed a blessing that He has bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves; as long as you and I move on the right path, move on the straight road, align ourselves with the divine will - as much as possible; now, completely, we are much smaller than this - God the Almighty will keep His blessing upon us, but when we ruin ourselves, when we create differences, when we conspire against each other, when we become at odds with each other, God the Almighty will take His blessing away; God has no kinship with anyone. This is because God has not changed a blessing that He has bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves; the blessing that He has given you will not be taken away until you ruin the ground; when you ruin the ground, the blessing will be taken away. This is the experience of the Iranian nation that they have been able to preserve the divine blessing for themselves. Well, let these experiences be transmitted.

Islamic countries are facing conspiracies today; do we understand this or not? Today, it is not against Shia, nor against Iran, nor against a specific sect, but against Islam that there are conspiracies. Because the Quran belongs to Islam; that center and focal point that cries out, "God will never give the disbelievers a way over the believers" is not Shia; it is the Quran, it is Islam; therefore, they oppose it. They oppose any center, any voice that awakens the people and nations; they oppose any hand that confronts global arrogance, and that hand is the hand of Islam, that voice is the voice of Islam; hence, they oppose Islam.

The methods of dealing with Islam and enmity towards Islam are also diverse; various types. They sit down and think, find ways to infiltrate, to strike. In the early years of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, we learned that the Zionist regime had designated a group and given them money to sit down and think about Islam and about Shia; well, what is this study for? This study is to see how to neutralize this great factor, this awakening, this Islamic vigilance; how to strike at the awakened Muslim nations who have realized their power, who have understood that they can act. They spent money on this. What I mentioned was just one; there are dozens of centers and hubs - some we know, some we guess - in Europe, in America, in the Zionist regime, in some countries dependent on and under the command of these to see what the ways are. Then you see them creating differences, creating violence, defaming Islam, disintegrating Islamic countries, pitting Muslim nations against each other, and pitting the individuals of a nation against each other as part of their necessary work; one day the means is, suppose, American Blackwater, another day it is Iraqi or Syrian ISIS or similar groups. They search for means to create differences.

These are our experiences; these are actions and things that the Iranian nation has understood and known closely. We emphasize the issue of unity among Islamic sects, between Shia and Sunni, among Islamic nations; this is not just words; we have recognized the pain, we have recognized the cure, we feel for the Islamic Ummah; this is why we pursue it. This has become established for the Iranian nation [but] for many nations, it has not yet become established. Hajj is an opportunity for these to be transmitted, reflected, and spoken about. Of course, there are opponents. Those who want these differences to remain do not want these exchanges, these communications, these friendships, and these transfers of experiences to take place; ultimately, a way must be found.

One of the important tasks in Hajj is the same personal and individual aspects. While we emphasize the social aspects of Hajj, we must not neglect the individual aspects of Hajj: supplication, humility, fear, prayer. It is a great opportunity; nowhere is like the Sacred Mosque; nowhere is like the Prophet's Mosque; this opportunity is at your disposal, at the disposal of the pilgrim. It would be a great misfortune for those who abandon this to go to the market, to this shop, to that shop. Now it has been said that they have restricted market wandering, but the reports I receive indicate that unfortunately, some of our pilgrims are still caught up in this misfortune: going to this shopkeeper, to that merchant - women one way, men another way - buying a worthless item at double the price, taking it on a plane and bringing it back to Tehran or some other city; this is wrong; it is very wrong. Our people must pay attention that this is a wrong act. Shopping can be done everywhere, markets can be visited everywhere, goods can be bought everywhere, money can be wasted like this everywhere - this is wasting money; money can be wasted everywhere - go for that work that cannot be done elsewhere and can only be done there; that is looking at the Kaaba; that is praying in the Sacred Mosque; that is kissing the feet of the Prophet. The noble Prophet walked in this city, spoke here, this atmosphere is filled with the waves of the voice of the noble Prophet of Islam; is it not a shame for a person not to breathe in this atmosphere? Where else in the world can this be found? Pilgrims must appreciate these; otherwise, going to the market and wandering around and similar activities can be done everywhere in the world; this can be done in Tehran, in Isfahan, in Tabriz, in Mashhad! These activities can be done everywhere in the world. Go for that work that cannot be done in these places and is specific to Hajj; these are our recommendations. We hope that God the Almighty, God willing, grants all of you the success of an accepted Hajj. We also ask for your prayers.

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