Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Organizers of Hajj Ceremony

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

First of all, I welcome the dear brothers and sisters involved in this great divine and popular movement, and I ask the All-Knowing God to accept your efforts and grant you increasing success in holding Hajj better and better.

The opportunity of Hajj is exceptional. All acts of worship are opportunities for the recovery of the human self. Humans, due to negligence of the Almighty God - who is the spirit of existence and the truth of existence - become oblivious to themselves, their hearts, and their truths; "They forgot God, so He made them forget themselves." Today, the great pain of humanity is this. Humans, by neglecting the Almighty God, have also become oblivious to themselves. Human needs, the truth of humanity, and the goals of human creation have completely been forgotten amidst the machinery of material devices. What directs humans to God, and in the shadow of attention to God, to themselves, their truths, their needs, and their hearts, is prayer, worship, and supplication. And Hajj is the greatest of these acts of worship; because in terms of time, place, and the sequence of movements that are placed at the disposal of the pilgrim and the worshipper, it is an exceptional act of worship. Therefore, the city of Mecca and the rituals of Hajj are a means for human security. A person, with humility, attention, supplication, and immersion in divine remembrance, feels secure in that strange and great ceremony; this is the greatest need of humanity. The hell that material powers and material motivations have created around humans. A person can, by seeking refuge in Hajj, create the blessings and peace of paradise for themselves in that place and time. How oblivious are those who diminish the rituals of Hajj and the days of Hajj by engaging in worldly affairs. Hajj must be performed with attention, presence, and etiquette. Besides the rituals of Hajj and the actions that constitute the form of Hajj, there is also an etiquette that is the spirit of Hajj. Some perform this form, but remain oblivious to its spirit and truth. The etiquette of Hajj is humility, remembrance, and attention. The etiquette of Hajj is the feeling of presence before the Lord at all moments. The etiquette of Hajj is seeking refuge in the divine safe haven that has been provided for believers and those who cling to the sacred essence of the Lord. This paradise must be recognized and entered; Hajj must be understood this way. The etiquette of Hajj is peace and tolerance. Being harsh with believers, quarreling with brothers, and engaging in sin and disputes during Hajj is forbidden. The etiquette of Hajj is to delve into the true meaning of Hajj and to benefit from it and take provisions from it for all of life. The etiquette of Hajj is brotherhood and creating love and unity. The opportunity to create unity among Islamic nations and peoples is only provided during Hajj. All these people from the farthest corners of the world have come, all out of love for the Kaaba, out of love for the Prophet's shrine, out of love for divine remembrance, out of love for circumambulation and striving; this opportunity for brotherhood is precious. Today, one of the fundamental goals of global arrogance and America in the Islamic world is to create discord; the best means is to create discord between Shia and Sunni. You see the products of colonialism in the world speaking about Iraq, what words they utter, what propaganda they spread, and how they think they are sowing seeds of discord. For years, the hand of colonialism and the power-seeking hands of greedy Western powers have been doing this. Hajj is a good opportunity for them to incite Shia against Sunni, and Sunni against Shia; to force them to insult each other's sanctities. We must be vigilant; this is not specific to Hajj; vigilance must be maintained throughout the year and in all arenas. The Shia-Sunni conflict is the true desire of America. After centuries, they want to sit opposite each other - like those who are at war with each other - speaking with hearts full of malice towards one another; this one insults that one, and that one insults this one. There is no dimension to it that especially in this very sensitive time, during the rituals of Hajj, they would hire people to create this discord; you must be vigilant; the people must be vigilant; respected clergy of the caravans must be fully aware of this issue; they must know what the enemy wants. It is a great negligence for a person to think they are defending the truth while actually defending the enemy's plan and working for the enemy. Others get paid, become mercenaries, and do this; a number of superficial, fanatical common people may also be incited against you, against your beliefs, and against your sanctities. If they are met with a reciprocal action, they will undoubtedly have achieved their goal; that is exactly what they want; they want to get us entangled with each other to ease their own minds. Among the possible negligence during Hajj is that some, instead of participating in congregational prayers, instead of performing the recommended circumambulation, instead of being present in the fragrant atmosphere of the Sacred Mosque or the Prophet's Mosque - which has so many memories from the glorious era of Islam and the era of revelation and prophecy - go after worthless and empty glitter and the markets and shops, to fill the pockets of indifferent foreign governments regarding the interests of Muslims; to fill the pockets of their workers and capitalists with Iranian money and their national wealth. Instead of participating in congregational prayers, they go shopping and browsing the shops and looking at goods. It is regrettable to hear that when the magnificent crowd in the Sacred Mosque or the Prophet's Mosque is engaged in establishing congregational prayers or rushing to establish congregational prayers, a few Iranian pilgrims - whether male or female - go to the markets; carrying bags under their arms and taking goods that they could sometimes find cheaper and better in their own city. "This is better for you if you only knew"; it is better and more beneficial and more important for a person to engage in prayer, worship, remembrance, attention, and presence in congregations; these are the true achievements of Hajj; these are the souvenirs. The souvenirs are the spirituality that you store within yourselves and bring back; the ethics and dispositions that you bring back with you. We have seen people who, when they return from Hajj, their appearance, behavior, speech, and inner self preach to others and influence them; this is good; this is the true souvenir. I must also mention that bitter events are occurring in our neighboring country - Iraq - events that took place yesterday in Najaf and Karbala - bomb explosions and the killing of dozens and the wounding of many more - these should make a person aware of larger problems and issues. It is evident that the hand of global arrogance is constantly at work around the Islamic world. There are two possibilities: either the Islamic Ummah will respond wisely; in this case, even if this hand becomes ten hands, global arrogance will not be able to do anything. If we respond to these issues carelessly, then our fate and the future of the Islamic Ummah will be severely threatened. These bloody events that lead to the destruction of human lives, even if they were merely a terrorist incident, would be condemned; but they are more than that; they want to occupy the people of Iraq at the threshold of elections, to heat the market of accusations, rumors, and discord so that they can rob them of the exceptional opportunity of elections. I am confident that behind these events, the hands of Israeli and American intelligence agencies are at work; either they directly carried out these actions, or they seduced a few fanatical and oblivious individuals and compelled them to do this; however, the plan belongs to them. The people of Iraq, after years of persistence and despite the imperialistic desires of the arrogant, want to determine and choose for themselves; but the occupiers do not want this; they want the appearance of elections, but not the essence of elections; they do not want anyone to come to power from the people, for the people, and with the trust of the people; they want to place individuals who are mercenaries and obedient to them there. The appearance of the matter should be that it is a popular government, but the essence of the matter should be the agents of America and England - who have Iraq in their hands and manage it - and serve their interests. This should make us very vigilant; it should make the Iraqi nation and the Islamic Ummah very vigilant. These issues exist in various forms all over the Islamic world. The American plan for the Greater Middle East is one of them. In fact, this plan is to consolidate all existing interests in this region and pour them into the insatiable hell of the stomach of American imperialism. They are not satisfied with the influence and control they currently have; they want absolute domination; they seek absolute power over the entire world; including this region, which is rich in natural and human resources and is a very sensitive and important point. Nations must be very vigilant; governments must also be vigilant. The opportunity of Hajj for enlightenment in these areas and for declaring disavowal from global arrogance and America must not be missed. The Islamic world must know what issues it is facing. These should become a means of vitality and movement for the Islamic world. In their propaganda, it is portrayed that it is no longer useful; global arrogance is gaining control and nothing can be done; it is a fist and a banner. The reality is not like that. The reality is that the Islamic Ummah is a living and capable entity; wherever it wants and acts, neither the power of America nor anything above America can devise or do anything against it. We ask the Almighty God to grant us all success and support and to grant the respected clergy of the caravans and the various officials of different levels of Hajj success. The fact that it was pointed out that the axis of propaganda is the Quran is a very great good news. The Quran is the key to the success of Muslims. In all circumstances, the Quran must be the axis of propaganda, movement, and effort; and the best circumstances for this work is Hajj. Reciters and reciters of the Quran, in mosques, in the two holy shrines, in the mission, and in every place where the opportunity arises, should recite and convey the verses to the ears of the people and practically show the Iranian nation's commitment to the Quran to the world, and God willing, this propaganda will continue throughout the year.

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