Statements of the Supreme Leader in Friday Prayer Sermons (19 Ramadan 1416)

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. Thanks be to God as much as anything that praises God, as He loves to be praised, as He deserves, and as befits His noble face and majestic glory. I praise Him, seek His help, seek His forgiveness, rely on Him, and send blessings and peace upon His beloved, His chosen one, the best of His creation, the keeper of His secret, and the conveyor of His messages; the bearer of His mercy and the warner of His wrath. Our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen, and infallible family, especially the remaining proof of God on earth. And send blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers. I advise you, servants of God, to be pious.

Today is the nineteenth day of the blessed month of Ramadan and a day of the Ten-Day Dawn. Such a day is rare for the Iranian nation and even for the Islamic world.

In the first sermon, I wish to speak about the great martyr of Islamic history, who is the martyr of these days, to illuminate our grand and magnificent gathering with the blessed memory of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. In the second sermon, I will speak about the important and unforgettable issues of the Iranian nation, which is the revolution. This year, my share of attending Friday prayers in Ramadan was limited. I had promised myself to attend several Fridays in this blessed month, but unfortunately, it did not happen. Today, I wish to speak in memory of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and in memory of his illustrious and great son, our late Imam, to whom the Ten-Day Dawn belongs and is filled with his glorious memory.

Regarding the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, for nearly fourteen hundred years, speakers, writers, thinkers, poets, elegists, and eulogists of the Ahl al-Bayt, both Muslims and non-Muslims, Shiites and non-Shiites, have spoken, and they will continue to speak until eternity. Despite all this, the scope of speech about this great figure is so vast that from whichever side we enter, we encounter untold stories. I thought about how I could summarize the personality of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, today. I do not mean that celestial and unattainable essence of this divine human, which people like me have no access to; I mean that part of his face, identity, and personality that humans can see, think about, and take as a model. I realized that it is not a matter of one sermon or one hour. This personality has very great dimensions; 'He is the sea from whichever side you approach.' It is impossible to summarize those dimensions and tell the audience that the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, is this. Yes, we can enter from different dimensions and, according to our understanding, ambition, and insight, present some points about this great figure. I thought perhaps one could find a hundred attributes and characteristics in the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, as the expression 'hundred' has appeared in some narrations of the greats; whether spiritual characteristics, such as his knowledge, piety, asceticism, forbearance, and patience, which are his moral qualities, or his behavioral characteristics, in the position of a father, a husband, a citizen, a soldier, a commander, a ruler, or his characteristics in dealing with people, in the position of a humble person, a just person, a manager of people's affairs, and a judge. Perhaps one could enumerate a hundred such attributes for the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and if someone could express these hundred attributes with a comprehensive, eloquent, and articulate statement, they would be able to present a relatively complete picture of that noble figure. However, the scope of these attributes is so open, vast, and extensive that for each attribute or characteristic, at least one book should be written. Suppose, for example, about the faith of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. Of course, the characteristic I want to talk about today is not faith. The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, was a faithful person; that is, a thought, a faith, and a belief were firmly rooted in the depths of his being. Well, this is one word. With whom should we compare this faith to understand the greatness of the faith of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him? He himself says: 'If the veil were removed, my certainty would not increase'; that is, if the veil of the unseen were lifted and I saw the unseen - that is, the sacred essence of God, the angels, paradise, hell, and all that religions have stated about the unseen and the kingdom of this world - with my physical eyes, my certainty would not increase from what it is. This certainty and faith are like the certainty of someone who has seen everything with their physical eyes. An Arab poet says:

I bear witness by God that Muhammad told us, and his word is not hidden, If the faith of all creation, those who dwell on earth and those who inhabit the sky, Were placed in one scale of a balance to be weighed against the faith of Ali, it would not equal the faith of Ali.

Or suppose the 'precedence of Islam' of his, who believed in God from his youth, accepted this path, and pursued it with all his being until the last moment, is a subject that cannot be expressed in one word.

The dimensions of his personality are very great and vast. We have seen, known, or read about many great figures in books. Great figures who, when one imagines them correctly, truly feel insignificant in front of them. It is as if a person raises their head towards the sky and sees the moon, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, or Mars. How high are these stars! How great they are! How luminous they are! But our nearsighted and weak eyes cannot understand the difference between a star like Jupiter or Venus and a star that has been seen through technical tools and powerful telescopes and is said to be millions of light-years away or a galaxy away from us. Both are stars, both are seen by our eyes in the sky at night; but this is where and that is where! We are so far from greatness that we cannot correctly distinguish the difference between the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and the greats and elders that humanity has known in history, in Islam, in books, in the world of science, and in every scene and field. The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, is a strange being. Today, you and I are considered followers of Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, and we must follow him. If we do not know anything about the dimensions of his personality, there will be a problem in our identity. Sometimes someone makes no claim, but we do claim; we want to be Alawites, and our society should be an Alawite society. We Shiites, in the first degree, and non-Shiite Muslims, in the second degree, face such an issue. Of course, all Muslims accept the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him; however, the Shiite sees and knows that great figure with a different quality and greatness.

Today, I thought I would briefly talk about the courage of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and if time permits, I will mention another of his characteristics. Courage is a very great and constructive attribute. The effect of courage on the battlefield is that a person does not fear danger; they enter the field of danger, use their strength, and the result is that they defeat the enemy.

People of the world have such an understanding of courage. But besides the battlefield, there are other fields for the manifestation of courage, where the effect of courage is more important than on the battlefield. The field of life, the field of the encounter between truth and falsehood, the field of knowledge, the field of explaining truths, and the field of stances that arise throughout life are among them. Courage in such fields shows its effect. A courageous person, when they see and recognize the truth, follows it, fears nothing, is not hindered by social conventions, is not hindered by selfishness, and is not hindered by the greatness of the enemy or opponent's front. But a non-courageous person is not like this. The discussion is that sometimes the foundation of truth collapses due to the lack of courage of people - especially if they have a position and rank in society. In other words, sometimes a truth becomes false due to a person's lack of courage in expressing their opinion, and falsehood takes on the guise of truth. Here, if there is moral courage, social courage, and courage in the field of life - which is higher than courage on the battlefield - such issues do not arise.

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, who was the greatest of the courageous, never turned his back on any enemy on the battlefield. This is not a small value. You see the courage of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, in the stories of the early Islamic wars - in the Battle of the Trench, where everyone trembled, and Ali advanced; in the conquest of Khaybar, in Uhud, in Badr, and in Hunayn. In some of these battles, he was twenty-four years old, in some battles, he was twenty-five years old, and in some battles, he was no more than thirty years old. A young man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with his courage on the battlefield, made Islam victorious and created those greatnesses. This was related to the courage of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, on the battlefield. But I say: O great Ali! O beloved of God! Your courage in the field of life was far greater than your courage on the battlefield. From when? From adolescence. Look at the story of his precedence in accepting Islam! Ali accepted the invitation when everyone turned their backs on it, and no one dared to embrace Islam. This is an example of courage. Of course, when you consider an incident - like this one - it may be an example for various characteristics from different dimensions, which we are currently looking at from the perspective of its courageous nature. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was conveying a message in a society where all the factors of that society were considered against that message. The ignorance and arrogance of the people, the aristocracy of the dominant nobles over the people, and their material and class interests stood against that message. What chance did such a message have in such a society? The Holy Prophet presented such a message and first went to his close relatives because God had told him: 'And warn your closest kindred.' But the arrogant uncles, with their heads full of arrogance and pride, indifferent to the truths, who would resort to noise and mockery in response to any reasonable word, even though the Holy Prophet was a part of their flesh and they also had the zeal and tribalism of kinship - all the people of that era had such fanaticism and would sometimes fight for ten years for a relative - covered their eyes and turned away from him.

Yes, when that relative raised the torch of Islam, they were indifferent, insulted, belittled, and mocked. But Ali, who was no more than a teenager, stood up and said, 'Cousin! I believe.' Of course, he had already believed; but in the family gathering, he made his faith public. The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, was that believer who, throughout the thirteen years of the mission, except for those first few days, never hid his faith. Other Muslims had hidden faith for several years; but everyone knew that Ali had believed from the beginning.

Imagine this correctly in your mind: neighbors insult, the greats of society insult and make things difficult, the poet mocks, the orator mocks, the wealthy mocks, the vile and despicable insults; but a young person stands firm and steadfast like a mountain among the raging waves of opposition and says: 'I have recognized God and this path' and insists on it. This is courage. In all stages of the life of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, this courage was evident. In Mecca, this courage was there. In Medina, this courage was there. In allegiance to the Prophet, this courage was there.

The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, took allegiance from the people on several occasions. One of these allegiances, which was perhaps the hardest of all, was the 'Allegiance of the Tree' or the Allegiance of Satisfaction during the incident of Hudaybiyyah. When things became difficult, the Holy Prophet gathered those thousand and a few hundred people around him and said: 'I take allegiance from you on death. You must not flee. You must fight until you are victorious or martyred!' I think the Holy Prophet took such an allegiance from the Muslims only this once. Anyway, among that crowd, there were all kinds of people. Weak believers and - as they narrate - hypocrites were in this allegiance. The first person who stood up and said: 'O Messenger of God! I pledge allegiance' was this young man. A young man in his early twenties extended his hand and said: 'I pledge allegiance to you on death.' Then, other Muslims were encouraged and pledged allegiance to the Prophet one after another. Those who did not want to also had to pledge allegiance. 'Indeed, God was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts.' The courage of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, was like this. During the time of the Prophet, whenever there was a place for the manifestation of human essence, that great figure would come forward and take the lead in all difficult tasks. It is narrated that a man went to Abdullah ibn Umar and said: 'I hate Ali.' Perhaps knowing that that family did not have much affinity with Ali, he wanted to ingratiate himself. Abdullah ibn Umar said: 'May God hate you. Do you hate a man whose precedence is better than the world and all that is in it?' This is that great Commander of the Faithful. This is that shining Ali of history; a sun that has shone for centuries and has become more radiant day by day. This great figure was present wherever the human essence of his existence was needed, even if no one else was there. He would say: 'Do not feel lonely on the path of guidance because of the fewness of its followers'; if you are in the minority and everyone or the majority of the people of the world are against you and do not accept your path, do not be afraid and do not turn back. When you have recognized the right path, pursue it with all your being. This was the logic of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him; a courageous logic that he applied in his life. In his government, which lasted less than five years, this was still the logic of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. Whatever you look at, it is courage. From the second day of allegiance to the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, this great figure said about the properties that had been given to this and that before him: 'By God, if I find it, even if it has been used as a dowry for women or purchased with it, I will return it.' Then he began to act, and those enmities arose. Courage beyond this! He stood courageously against the most stubborn individuals. He stood courageously against those who had a name and reputation in the Islamic society. He stood courageously against the accumulated wealth in Syria, which could have lined up tens of thousands of fighting soldiers against him. When he recognized the path of God, he did not consider anyone. This is courage. He did not consider his relatives either. Saying these words is easy; but acting on them is very difficult and great. At one time, we used to present these as models of Ali's life, peace be upon him, and I must admit that we did not fully grasp the depth of these matters. But today, when the sensitive duty of managing the Islamic society is in the hands of people like me, and we are familiar with these matters, we understand how great Ali, peace be upon him, was. My dear ones; believing brothers and sisters who are praying! Although I say these matters more for myself and for those who have a hand in the affairs and, like us, bear part of the responsibility of managing the Islamic society, it is related to everyone and not just a specific group or community. The Commander of the Faithful, who was able to make millions of people recognize Islam and the truth through the blessing of his personality, lived like this. The Commander of the Faithful, who was cursed on the pulpits for nearly a hundred years and was spoken against throughout the Islamic world; that unique figure against whom thousands of fabricated hadiths were made and his words were distorted and offered to the market of ideas, was such that he was able to, after all these long years, bring himself out from under the burden of illusions and superstitions and stand tall in front of history. A gem like Ali remains. Thorns, rubbish, and mud do not contaminate him or diminish his essence. If a piece of diamond is thrown into the mud, it remains a diamond and will eventually show itself. Such an essence must be found. Every Muslim individual must see this great torch at the top of the peak of life and move towards it.

No one has claimed that we can move like Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him. We should not tell others: 'Why don't you act like Ali?' It is narrated from Imam Sajjad, Zain al-Abidin, peace be upon him, who was himself infallible, that when they spoke about his worship and mentioned the worship of the Commander of the Faithful, he wept and said: 'Where are we, and where is the Commander of the Faithful! Can we be like Ali?' Until now, none of the greats of the world has been able to. They have neither claimed nor imagined nor has such a mistake entered their minds that they will be able to move or work like the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. The important thing is that the direction is the direction of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. In the letter he wrote to Uthman ibn Hunaif, which is in Nahj al-Balagha, after describing his way of life as 'Behold, your Imam has contented himself with two worn-out garments from his world,' he added: 'Behold, you cannot do this'; do not imagine that you can behave like me.

He is a deity; an unattainable existence, but he is a model. Let us try to move towards this model. No one can have the courage of Ali, peace be upon him. The closest people to the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, was Abdullah ibn Abbas, his cousin, student, friend, confidant, and true lover and devotee. When a mistake occurred from that great figure - he took some of the public treasury funds, thinking it was his share, and went to Mecca - the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, wrote such a letter to him that when read, it makes one's hair stand on end. The expression of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, in the letter, addressing Abdullah ibn Abbas, is: 'You have betrayed!' Then he says: 'If you do not do what I have told you, and God enables me to reach you, I will excuse myself to God concerning you.' That is, I will try not to be ashamed and embarrassed before God because of you. 'And I will strike you with my sword, which I have not struck anyone with except that they entered the fire.' This sentence is even higher: 'By God, if Hasan and Husayn did what you did, they would have no excuse with me.' 'And I will not take any decision in their favor until I take the right from them and remove the falsehood from their injustice.' The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, even though he knows Hasan and Husayn are infallible, says if such a thing - which will not happen - happens, I will not show mercy. This is courage.

Of course, this method of dealing has various titles. From one perspective, it is justice, and from another perspective, it is consideration of the law and respect for it; but from another perspective, it is courage and the power of self-control. Today, I, you, and all the people of Iran need this courage, and whoever is an official of this government and has access to something from the public treasury of Muslims and people trust them more, needs this courage more. The world today is not composed of ignoramuses like Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl. Today, the infidels, opponents, and first-class cunning people of the world are those who have the most important political and propaganda issues in their hands. These are the ones who turn the world's policies, run nations, change governments, occupy regions of the world, create wars, end wars, dismantle systems, and create systems - these first-class deceitful, cunning, and sly powers of the world are all focused on the Islamic Republic today, and their policy regarding the Islamic Republic is to belittle, ridicule, and criticize this system and the Iranian nation and say you are wrong not to act according to the accepted norms of the world. You are wrong not to submit to the global and international policies of America and the superpowers. You are wrong in the case of Palestine; you are wrong in the case of Bosnia and other Muslim issues, and so on.

Today, this is the policy. Not today, from the beginning of the revolution, it was like this to criticize the Iranian nation. They criticize the officials of Iran and anyone who is more seriously opposed to them. They ridicule any action that harms them more. They ridicule the behavior with women; they ridicule the university; they ridicule worship; they ridicule congregational prayer; they ridicule not consuming alcoholic beverages and implementing divine limits.

My dear ones! Sometimes these very mockeries and insults make great people helpless and miserable, so much so that they are forced to conform to the crowd. Then the superpowers put their hands on their hearts and secretly laugh heartily that they have advanced their work and removed an obstacle from their path! They ridicule a revolutionary movement in the world so much that it openly and explicitly retracts its revolutionary ideals, aspirations, and slogans, or criticizes and even ridicules them. In the global political scene, it was seen that someone stood in front of their former enemies and mocked their present self to conform to the crowd, and they laughed! Of course, when they see such a thing, they are pleased and say: Bravo! How civilized and understanding you are! But in reality, they have removed an obstacle from their path. This is how they remove obstacles.

This is where the Shiite who believes in Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, must learn from the courage of that noble figure. 'Do not feel lonely on the path of guidance because of the fewness of its followers'; do not be afraid. Do not feel lonely from the turning away and rejection of the enemy. Do not let the ridicule of the enemy about what you have - which is a precious gem - weaken your belief. You have grasped a precious gem and accomplished a great task. You have discovered an inexhaustible treasure within your country, reached Islam, reached independence and freedom, and managed to free yourself from the yoke of powers. At one time, this country, this university, this Tehran, these military barracks, these armed forces, these government offices, these ministries, these intelligence agencies, all and all, were the fiefdom of America. Today, if this nation sees someone supporting America in the farthest corners of the country, in the remote villages of this country, they will shoot their shadow with an arrow. At one time, there was no nation in this country, no opinions, no parliament, no elections. Everything was ceremonial, superficial, false, and artificial. The Pahlavi era was truly a strange era for this nation. It was as if a huge factory was built inside a hall! When you look, you see it is a factory and factory equipment. When you get closer, you see everything is made of nylon and plastic, a toy. Like a huge building with statues, columns, and high ceilings, one might think it is a great palace; but when you get closer, you see it is made of snow!

The university, the intellectual movement, the magazine and newspaper, the parliament and government, all were superficial. Only the religious movement, which was a general and popular movement, was real, and even that was viewed with hatred and animosity. Of course, a paler and much smaller movement, in the form of patriotism and nationalism, also existed here and there. They had created such a situation for this nation. You came and laid the foundation for everything. Today, in this country, science is growing, industry is growing, the university is growing, the personality of individuals is growing, ideas are growing, freedom - in the true sense of the word - is growing, education is growing. The movement of this nation is gradually reaching a point where it finds its place in the world. Yesterday, no one in the world paid attention to the Iranian nation. Those who came here took the right of savagery from this nation itself! Today, you are a nation and have an important vote. In any important issue in the world that the Iranian nation is seriously opposed to, that issue does not progress. Today, this nation, this system, and this government, and this great country, thanks be to God, have such a situation in the world. The appearance of the Iranian nation gradually attracts attention. You have achieved this. Now let the enemy belittle and say whatever they want.

The courage of Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, and his steadfastness against the falsehood they wanted to impose on him is today's great lesson from the explanation we gave about that noble figure. I recommend all of you dear ones to consider and pursue divine piety with utmost care and precision, as explained, and move forward. God will help. During these seventeen years, the shadow of the name of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, was over this nation, and this nation benefited and used the lights of that noble figure. To the enemy's dismay, we will use it more and move forward until, God willing, our society truly becomes an Alawite society. We will talk more about this in the second sermon.

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

By time. Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. And blessings and peace upon our master and prophet and the beloved of our hearts, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen, and infallible family, especially the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and his beloved Fatimah al-Zahra, the mistress of the women of the worlds, and the two grandsons of mercy and the two guiding Imams, Hasan and Husayn, and Ali ibn Husayn Zain al-Abidin, and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir, and Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, and Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kazim, and Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad, and Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi, and Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari, and the proof, the guide, the Mahdi. Your proofs over Your servants and Your trustees in Your lands, and send blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers.

Today, both the topic of the revolution is raised - because these are the days of the anniversary of the revolution - and I must, God willing, make a brief statement on this matter; and the important issue of the upcoming elections is also in front of us, about which a few words must be said, and the march on the twenty-second of Bahman, which is the manifestation of the people's presence in the scenes of cities and streets, and after that, the Quds Day march is raised, about all of which I must speak.

I want to start the matter in this way: the great Islamic Revolution of Iran was truly an exceptional revolution. We have read about other revolutions in history and have observed them in our own time. I wish you, our dear people, would become more familiar with historical books and writings, and study what I want to tell you in a few words in books and details, which nothing can replace. Indeed, this revolution was different from other revolutions. This difference is seen both in how it came about and in the motivation for the people's movement. From the second aspect, we can compare it, for example, with the October Revolution in Russia, from which the seventy or eighty-year communist saga emerged, to see how that revolution and popular uprising came about and with what slogans. How much disaster was created in the course of that revolution; how it was here. The difference is truly from earth to sky. Of course, this comparison is with revolutions that are popular; because that revolution was also popular. Before that, there was the French Revolution, which is called a revolution; but in reality, it was considered a military coup, and its distance from a revolution is so great that it cannot be compared at all. Our revolution, in terms of its greatness, purity, avoidance of the misguidances and disasters seen in popular uprisings everywhere, and in terms of its continuity and also the capabilities and power and work it has done, is a strange revolution.

During my previous responsibility - the presidency - I traveled to a country that is both large and populous and where a revolution had also taken place. The day I went to that country - which I do not want to name - nineteen years had passed since their revolution. While moving from the airport to the place they had prepared for us, the president of that country was sitting next to me in the car, and we were talking about some matters. I saw that some streets were closed, and workers were working. I said: 'It seems you are busy with some work?' He said: 'Yes; we had not had the opportunity to repair the asphalt of the capital's streets, which were damaged in the revolution, until this year. This year, we have had the opportunity to repair the asphalt of the streets after nineteen years!' See; this is the efficiency of revolutions. The revolutions we have seen all their efforts were spent on maintaining themselves. Neither a proper election, nor any construction in the country, nor any new foundation. Those revolutions that were very advanced announced five-year and several-year programs; but it was superficial and almost had nothing in reality. Most of these revolutions, one after another, due to their shortcomings, weaknesses, and other defects, failed; whether communists or non-communists who were leftists anyway. Yes; nineteen years had passed since their revolution, and they had just thought of spending money to repair the streets of the capital!

See how much distance there is with the revolution you created and the miraculous capability and efficiency your revolution has. During the same period, I also went to another country that was previously a Portuguese colony. There, apparently, eight or nine years had passed since their revolution. The president of that country was also considered one of the well-known figures in that region, who has now passed away. While passing through the streets, it seemed to me that the shops were empty. Then, the members of our delegation who had toured the streets came and said there was no merchandise in the shops at all! A few items, that too in small quantities and rationed, were available. With eight or nine years having passed since the revolution, the people were still living in extreme hardship. Of course, they were under economic blockade; enemies were attacking them, and like other revolutions, the field was tight for them. One night, when they hosted us, I saw that gentleman - whose people were living in hunger and whose capital's shops were empty of goods - was behaving with that nation and country and revolution like the rulers before him; the same rulers against whom they had revolted. His behavior was reminiscent of the behavior of the same Portuguese commander who had ruled there; the same behavior, the same arrogance, and the same haughty attitude! It was surprising to us. At that time, I was the president. I was a cleric, and our life was a clerical life. Above us was the great Imam, whose life was a manifestation of purity and simplicity, and he lived like that. The nation also truly loved the Imam with that love and affection and was willing to even give their lives for him. The point is that other revolutions have been like this. Our revolution was truly exceptional; both in terms of slogans and goals, in terms of methods, in terms of the quality of coming to power and destroying the previous corrupt regime, and in terms of the continuity of the path and the strength and power of construction it has shown. This revolution is truly extraordinary in various aspects; but there is one very great characteristic in it that I want to talk about for a few words.

I compared this characteristic in my mind with the establishment of the Islamic Republic system. That is, if we accept that this revolution has done two important things; one is the establishment of the Islamic system, which this great event in history, from the beginning of Islam until now, in such a world and in such a region, has no precedent. The second great work of your people's great revolution - whose greatness is comparable to the first work and to the same extent and even, according to some, higher than that - is reviving the Islamic identity in the world. That is, the individuals of the Muslim Ummah everywhere in the world, as a result of this revolution, felt existence, personality, and power and saw themselves as coming out of the state of a condemned collection or individual or nation. Some of them appeared on the political scene and took control of governments, or tried to take control. In a country like Algeria, this sense of Islamic identity reached the point where Muslims were able to win the elections. This work was so dangerous for global arrogance that they carried out a military coup against the election winners; they arrested them, imprisoned them, and began to suppress and scatter the people. Of course, they will not be able to extinguish this flame and fire; but for now, they have relieved themselves for a while. In a country like Turkey, this Islamic identity and presence reached the point where just a few weeks ago, a party known to the people as Muslim surpassed all other parties. Of course, here too, global arrogance and enemies - America and America's assistants - with an action similar to what happened in Algeria - but in a different form - set out to prevent that party from forming a government.

In Afghanistan, this Islamic presence forced the Soviet Union, with its greatness and multi-million army - which was the first army in the world in terms of size and equipment - to withdraw. Of course, later, our Afghan brothers were ungrateful for this divine blessing; 'Have you not seen those who exchanged the blessing of God for disbelief?' Our Afghan brothers should listen! Lest this verse applies to them: 'Have you not seen those who exchanged the blessing of God for disbelief and led their people to the abode of destruction?' Our Afghan brothers should be careful! So far, they have been ungrateful; they turned to internal war and started conflict and killing. They brought a calamity upon their cities that the Russians and communists had not brought. They must correct their actions and return to the path of truth and reason. They should not forget that it was Islam that enabled them to defeat the Soviet Union.

In many other countries of the world, thanks to this sense of identity and Islamic awakening that this revolution brought about, today Islamic groups are present, strong, and have a future for themselves. If they are allowed, they may even form a government. These groups threaten the opponents and enemies of Islam; they consider America an enemy, they consider the enemies of Islam an enemy. This issue angers global arrogance more than anything else. Of course, when the Americans, or their partners, or the Zionist network of journalists and news agencies in the world, want to write or speak against the revolution and the Iranian nation, they line up accusations and say: you are against human rights, you do not respect women's rights, you want to make nuclear weapons, and so on. But these are superficial; they are excuses. The essence of the matter is not this. The essence of the matter is the very issue I mentioned. They say why have you caused Muslims everywhere in the world to feel identity, awaken, become demanding, and come out of the state of a submissive and compliant lamb under the knife?!

The Islamic Revolution has brought about such a great transformation in the personality, spirit, and existence of Muslims all over the world, and it should have brought it about, and we also know that they are extremely angry about this issue. Global arrogance has only two ways to deal with this phenomenon. If they can take one of these two ways, they will save themselves from the danger of Islamic awakening. In any case, a revolution has taken place, and a powerful government with a great leader like the late Imam has shown itself to the world. If they could stop it, it would be a remedy; but they could not, and this event happened. Now that it has happened and the matter has passed, what should they do? They have only two ways. If they can take one of these two ways and achieve one of these two goals, the danger will be removed from global arrogance, otherwise, the danger remains. Their efforts are to take one of these two ways. One is to dissolve and eliminate the Islamic Republic; this strong structure. If they can do such a thing, it will become an experience for the Muslims of the world, and they will say: 'Well, what is the use! We strive, we give martyrs, we create all these problems for ourselves, and in the end, after five years, ten years, fifteen years, we become like Iran. The Islamic Republic was eliminated, it ended.' This becomes an experience. The danger is removed from the enemy, in their imagination. This is their analysis. Of course, we also have something to say about this. If this impossible and unrealizable dream; that is, eliminating the Islamic Republic - God forbid - is ever realized, the problem of global arrogance will remain unsolved; although they think their problem will be solved. For this reason, they try to see if they can dissolve and eliminate this system with economic blockade, war, and threats. Several times they have decided to do dangerous things; but they saw it was not possible. In any case, they are stuck; they are wondering what to do with the Islamic Republic!

The second way, which they think is easier than the first way; but has the same effect, is to make the Islamic Republic remain, but to come to terms with global arrogance - the enemy of yesterday - and abandon its opposing slogans. If this is also done, the danger is removed from global arrogance. Why? Because the compromise and coming to terms of the Islamic Republic with global arrogance will deal a blow and damage to the spirit of Muslims - who have gained spirit everywhere in the world - and they will say: 'It is of no use! Nations strive, they work hard, and then the leaders become like the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran. See what they did! In the end, they compromised!' Again, the danger is removed from global arrogance. All the actions that America and Zionism and their mercenaries and agents and their propaganda and military and security networks and the rest of their affiliates are doing today are aimed at one of these two ways. They say either we strike so that the Islamic Republic is eliminated, or we pressure so that the officials of the Islamic Republic come and say we reconcile with you! Well; after all, they also have dreams! After all, their leaders are young, and dreams are not a fault for young people! Let them dream that either they will cause the Islamic Republic to fail and dissolve, or they will force the Islamic Republic to apologize to America and say we did wrong these past years; we spoke ill of you, we said death to America, you forgive us! They have their own dreams; but the essential point here is whether this unrealistic dream is achievable or not? I say: Iranian nation! O those who have created the greatest epic of contemporary history! Know that these dreams of America are impossible in one case and completely possible in another. In what case is it impossible? In the case that the people and the various classes, as they have been present in the scene for these seventeen years, considered the revolution their own and the officials as their own and were sensitive to the issues of the country and the revolution, from now on also remain present in the scene, consider the revolution their own - which it is - consider the officials as their own - which they are - are not indifferent to the issues of the revolution, and feel ownership of their country and revolution. If this is the case - which, thanks be to God, it has been until today - not America, but if there are ten superpowers like America in the world, they will not be able to harm this revolution. Until today, the enemy has not been able to do anything wrong, for this very reason. People were present in the war, in the elections, in the marches, and in the referendums. Every task that this government and system and officials had was done by referring to the people. Wherever financial help was needed, people created a pile of financial help like a mountain. When money was needed for the war, women donated their earrings. When blood was needed for the war, all kinds of people rolled up their sleeves and said: 'This is my blood.' When young people were needed, young people left their studies and schools and businesses and agriculture and parents and everything and went to the front. Fathers and mothers also gave their young ones and went; they did not look back. This was the result.

Do not think that America is weak in terms of material power; no! It is strong and has everything; but the things it has do not work against what this revolution has. Those capabilities threaten a regime that has come to power through a coup or has no connection with its people. The Islamic system has something that bombs and foreign attacks and the like do not work against; rather, they strengthen it, and that is 'the people.' The Islamic system has the people. As long as the people are with the Islamic system; as long as the people, if they see a commotion, open the windows to see what is happening and if their presence is needed, they go; as long as young people feel zeal for the issues of the revolution; as long as politics is part of people's lives; the university is political, the market is political, the community of clerics is political, and everyone and everyone is involved in political issues, gives opinions, and analyzes, nothing will come from America and non-America and atomic bombs and equipment and technology and money and dollars. This is the first part of the issue.

Therefore, the enemy cannot do anything. But if this Islamic system loses the people; if the people become indifferent and discouraged, their faith weakens, they think about their personal lives; everyone says we have served the revolution for several years, it is enough, let's go to our work; the merchant for his trade, the shopkeeper for his business, the farmer for his farming, the student and the cleric for their studies, and the other for his preaching, value more, the issues of the country and the revolution, of course, are vulnerable. We have not fallen from the sky! We do not inherently have any superiority over other nations; the nations of history and our predecessors. The superiority of this nation was due to choosing the path of God and faith; because of its presence, which 'Whoever is for God, God is for him'; whoever serves the divine goals, God helps him. 'And God will surely help those who help Him'; whoever helps God, God also helps him. Until now, it was like this. If we do not help God, the matter becomes the opposite and different, and the enemy will prevail.

Dear nation! Be careful and vigilant, do not lose the path of God. Our country's pride has been that it has been able to establish legal institutions in a short time and form the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Four terms of this assembly, thanks be to God, have been busy with good and complete authority, legislating and performing their duties. Now, the elections for the fifth term are ahead, and people must participate. It is a duty and a religious obligation. People have played a direct or indirect role in the presidential elections, the formation of the government, the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Experts, and all the institutions needed for this country, and have performed their duty, and this country and this system have never been without law, without a president, without an assembly, and have not been left idle. Only in one case, the enemies were pleased that if the great Imam of these people passed away, what would happen. Surely things would be stalled. But, again, thanks to the efforts of the people and the officials and those who had a duty and also the general public, thanks be to God, their wish was not fulfilled, and what needed to be done was done in the best way. Therefore, the pride of the nation is in this.

My dear ones! Elections are ahead. I tell you all to participate in the elections. All of you should specify a candidate for the parliamentary elections on the day of voting and write their names on the ballots and put them in the ballot boxes. Everyone should do this. Look for righteous people.

The Islamic Consultative Assembly is important. The Islamic Consultative Assembly is, in a sense, the most sensitive and influential legal institution in the country. If a representative who is indifferent to the revolution and the country and does not believe in the constitution enters the assembly, who does not care about the interests of this country; who does not understand the enmities of global arrogance, who wants to flatter global arrogance and have his name written in bold in the newspapers and magazines affiliated with the Zionists and say so-and-so opposed the policies of the Islamic Republic; such a representative will ruin the assembly, ruin the nation, and ruin the country; so he is not suitable. If a representative comes to power who has indebted himself to others before entering the assembly and is forced to repay their debt in the assembly; who has taken bread on credit and wants to repay his debt when he goes to the assembly; he is not suitable. If a representative goes to the assembly who does not have the necessary understanding of the country's issues; who lacks the necessary intelligence, awareness, education, and knowledge, he is not suitable. Representation is an important task. I ask brothers and sisters who - between themselves and God - see that this task is not within their capability, not to come forward. Of course, this statement of ours should not cause some to be tempted and withdraw out of caution; no. Those who feel they can, it is a religious duty to come forward. Everything in this divine system must be solved through nearness to God and the intention of nearness. Even when you vote, when you choose, it should be for God. Even when you are elected, the issue is still acting according to divine duty. I, too, when I speak here, must speak as a divine duty. Those who introduce electoral candidates to the people must also do so for the sake of God and the interests of this country. Of course, thanks be to God, various groups in this country have all expressed interest in this election and invited participation. I thank all those who are making a correct and principled effort in this matter. Of course, people also know whom to trust and from whom to listen. Everyone knows individuals and their introduction gives them confidence; that is, they feel there is no religious problem, they act according to the introductions. They may not know all the candidates, some also introduce them. The important thing is to observe the criteria.

I invited all the people to social and economic discipline in this year's Nowruz. Now is the time to observe it. Everyone should observe discipline. Everyone should be careful to move correctly. Do not do illegal work; do not do unethical work; do not misuse; do not spend and waste from the public treasury; do not speak ill of each other; do not insult each other. This nation is an enlightened and religious nation; a nation that believes in the ideals of the revolution and loves the revolution. The revolution can save this country. Know this! If revolutionary values are forgotten, no power will be able to solve the problems of this country and build it. Revolutionary values and slogans are the tools of movement and guarantee the presence of all the people. These can save the country. This country needs these revolutionary slogans for a long time until its bones become strong; until it becomes invulnerable and built, and the enemy gives up hope. People will vote for and follow the introduction of those they are confident are religious, committed, and loyal to the ideals of the revolution. These are the criteria. If someone introduces such individuals, they will accept it. Therefore, firstly, elections are important, and everyone must participate in them. Secondly, it is a task that can be done without the slightest problem, as it has been done well so far - in previous terms as well.

My dear ones, pay attention! Regarding the march on the twenty-second of Bahman, which I mentioned at the beginning of this sermon, your presence in the streets is the tangible and visible manifestation of the nation's presence and support for the ideals of the revolution. Something that no analysis can deny and negate is this street presence of yours, which has been repeated every year and each time has sat like an arrow in the eyes of the ill-wishers and has hurt them. The importance of this presence is very high. I hope, God willing, with the effort of the Muslim Ummah, once again the enemies of the Muslim nation and the Islamic Republic will feel frustrated, as they have and will.

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

Say, He is God, the One. God, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent.