Statements at the Meeting with Hajj Officials on the Eve of the Departure of Pilgrims to the Sacred Land

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 chosen family, especially the Awaited One among the inhabitants of the earth.

We are profoundly grateful to the Almighty God for the grace and favor He has bestowed upon us, as this year, like previous years, the dear nation of Iran will send a group to perform the Hajj pilgrimage and participate in this great gathering of the Islamic Ummah.

You, the officials of the Hajj, or as you aptly put it, the servants of the guests of the Most Merciful, must recognize the significance of the work you are doing; it is a very important task. Hajj is an exceptional obligation. In Hajj, a collection of Islamic values is gathered that is not found in any other obligation or duty praised by Islam. In fact, Hajj is a small representation of the superior Islamic society and a sample of what we envision in Islamic civilization; this is what the Islamic civilization must offer to humanity. In the new Islamic civilization, spirituality alongside materialism, moral and spiritual ascension, and humility and reverence alongside material progress coexist; Hajj is a manifestation of such a civilization.

As you can clearly observe, in Hajj, there is both a display of servitude and humility—from the beginning to the end of the Hajj rituals, there is humility, servitude, and supplication—and at the same time, alongside this entirely spiritual aspect, there is a social element present, which is unity, brotherhood, and solidarity; the poor and the rich, various ethnicities, different nations, and diverse races come together with a single motivation, with a single goal, to perform one act; where else do we find such a thing? Neither among Islamic obligations nor in what we know of various religions do we find anything like this. At the same time, Hajj carries the element of movement; it is worship, but in this worship, one observes movement, circumambulation, running, and coming and going; it is also a display of gathering. These remarkable gatherings of people together in Arafat or in Muzdalifah or during the days of Mina are also one of the manifestations of the social life of Islam; all of these elements exist in Hajj. Hajj is a display of ethics: "There is no lewdness, nor sin, nor disputation in Hajj"; it is a place of brotherhood, a place of ethics, a place of forgiveness, not a place for fighting or disputing. You see that all these remarkable, constructive, and instructive elements are gathered in Hajj; this is what the obligation of Hajj entails.

One of the major mistakes we have always heard, and still sometimes hear from some careless tongues regarding Islamic truths, is the statement: "Do not politicize Hajj"; what does it mean to not politicize? What we need in Hajj regarding political matters is precisely the teachings of Islam; creating unity is a political matter, it is an Islamic matter, it is an act of worship; "And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of God, and do not be divided." If we defend and support the Palestinian nation or the oppressed of the Islamic world, such as the oppressed in Yemen and others during Hajj, this is indeed a political act, but it is a political act that is in line with Islamic teachings; defending the oppressed is an obligation, it is a duty; this obligation takes place. Or the disavowal of polytheists; if we emphasize and insist on the issue of disavowal and carry it out—which should be done in the best possible manner every year, God willing—this is because it is an Islamic obligation; "Indeed, God is disavowed from the polytheists and His Messenger"; believers are also "disavowed" from polytheists; "Indeed, we disavow you and what you worship besides God; we have disbelieved in you, and enmity and hatred have appeared between us and you forever until you believe in God alone"; all of these are part of the religion. Yes, it is political; in the act of Hajj, there is political work, but this political work is precisely the same as the religious duty, it is exactly the same as the act of worship; see that these are among the important points. Yes, that they come and prevent these kinds of political movements is also a political act, but it is a non-religious, anti-religious policy; to say that you cannot tell America that it is above your eyebrow is also a political move, but it is a satanic political move, a non-Islamic political move. However, when you express disavowal from every polytheist, from every anti-Islamic entity, this is also a political move, but it is a policy that is in line with religion; this is the religious policy. These are points that we must understand regarding Hajj.

One of the very important aspects of Hajj is the issue of affection and brotherhood. In the narrations from the Imams of Guidance (peace be upon them), it has been emphasized and encouraged that in the Sacred Mosque or the Prophet's Mosque, you should pray with those who are not Shiite, participate in their prayers, and follow them; these are our narrations; this is affection, this is creating affection among Muslim brothers. I have heard that some insist on holding congregational prayers at the caravan sites and hotels, which is not a correct policy, nor a proper method; they should go among the people, participate with other Muslims in the Sacred Mosque, in the orderly rows of prayer in the Prophet's Mosque. The formation of the Islamic Ummah in the large gatherings of Muslims is one of the things that exists in Hajj.

One of the important things that Iranian pilgrims must pay attention to is that the Iranian pilgrim must honor the Iranian nationality and identity and the Islamic Republic of Iran; "Be a source of pride for us." The behavior of the Iranian pilgrim—both in their interactions with friends, in their natural conduct of life, with dignity, with composure, with wise and rational behavior; and in their interactions with other sects and nations—should demonstrate the outstanding moral characteristics of the Iranian nation; this is truly an important matter. Again, in our narrations from the Imams (peace be upon them), there has been a strong emphasis on Shiites to conduct their behavior, speech, interactions, and manners with other Muslims in a way that brings honor and dignity.

Those who are responsible for the affairs of these Hajj areas, Mecca and Medina, and similar places—the Saudi government—have heavy responsibilities; among their duties is to ensure the security of the pilgrims and to uphold the dignity and respect of the pilgrims. The dignity of the pilgrim is important; they are the guests of the Almighty God; their respect must be preserved. Any behavior that harms their dignity and amounts to an insult to the pilgrim must be eliminated. Of course, the environment should not be made overly secure; they should ensure the security of the pilgrims, but the environment should not be a security environment; it should be a calm environment, a good living environment. During the time that the pilgrims are in Mecca and Medina and other areas and centers—now a month less or more—their behavior should be appropriate.

And place great importance on prayer, supplication, and humility; truly, the opportunity to be present in the Sacred Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque is a precious opportunity that is not easily available to an ordinary person; now, for you, for those esteemed Iranian pilgrims, it has been granted, they have been able to achieve this grace and have reached this place. The supplication in the two mosques, the prayer in the two mosques, the circumambulation in the Sacred Mosque, supplication, attention—these should not be neglected. To get caught up in the markets and go from here to there and shopping and such is contrary to the dignity of a believer who appreciates the Abrahamic Hajj.

The essence of the matter is that Hajj is an exceptional and distinguished obligation, and the verses and narrations regarding Hajj all indicate that this obligation must provide various individual and social lessons to those who have succeeded in performing this obligation. If we want to truly obey and fulfill this great obligation, we must pay attention to and observe these points.

And disavowal from polytheists is one of the important and necessary actions, just as congregational prayers in the two holy mosques—of which we have spoken—and also supplication are necessary. The good supplication of Nudbah, the good supplication of Kumayl that Iranian pilgrims usually perform is a very good act; efforts should be made to ensure it is carried out, God willing; because this is a collective supplication in the best places and attention to the Almighty God. Ask the Almighty God to remove the problems and difficulties of the Islamic Ummah, the difficulties of Islamic communities, and to lessen the evil of the enemies from the Islamic world.

Today, the same Islamic teachings, the same Islamic truths, are under severe hostility from the enemies of Islam. The real enmity is from the arrogant powers, from America, which you see is violently attacking the Islamic space, the Islamic environment, and the Muslim people in various cultural, economic, political, security, and other fields, with these Islamic truths; if Muslims set aside these Islamic truths and adopt their colors and live in their manner, these hostilities will be lifted. They are hostile to these truths because these Islamic truths are against their oppressive nature. When you pray with humility and reverence, saying: "You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help," in front of God, you show humility and reverence, and it means that you do not submit to other than God, to material powers; and this is the source of their enmity and the source of victory, progress, and salvation for the Islamic Ummah. Adherence to the principles of Islam, adherence to the Sharia of Islam, is what will save the Islamic nation.

What is palpable in our own society is that wherever and in whatever place we have shown our adherence to Islamic principles and limits more, the Almighty God has granted us more assistance and we have been able to overcome difficulties; where we have been negligent, we have suffered the consequences of our negligence. And what I feel and observe for the future of this country and even the future of the Islamic Ummah is that the wild, predatory, and oppressive enemies of the Islamic world and the Iranian nation and the Islamic Ummah will ultimately be forced to bow before Islam; and what will come in the future, with God's grace, is the dignity of Islam and Muslims and the progress of Islamic communities. This is a certain future, but it requires effort; no goal and no product will be achieved without effort, without struggle, without sacrifice, without cooperation.

We hope that, God willing, the Almighty God grants all of us, all the people of Iran, and all Muslims around the world the success to enter this path with all our being and to attain divine blessings.