Statements of His Eminence in Meeting with a Large Group of Guardians on the Anniversary of Imam Hussein's Birth and Pasdar Day

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

I welcome all the esteemed attendees who have gathered here in this lively and sincere session; whether the brothers and sisters who are members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, or the guards of the previous committees of the Islamic Revolution - who are now serving in the police force - and the dear disabled veterans who are the sacrifices of yesterday and today of the Revolution and the Sacred Defense. We hope that the Almighty God bestows His grace and acceptance upon all these sincere struggles and efforts, and that the light of salvation and happiness, which has emerged through your endeavors in this country and has shone throughout the Islamic world, reflects in hearts and souls, becoming brighter and more evident day by day.

I also congratulate you on the arrival of the month of Sha'ban and the blessed celebrations of this month. The month of Sha'ban is one of the valuable opportunities that we have. These three months - Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan - are very precious times, and we must utilize the divine blessings during these three months and, as the military say, complete the foundational burden of our spirituality.

If the spiritual reserve within a person falls below the necessary level, the individual will encounter significant slips and misguidances. Spirituality in a person is what gives them purpose; it gives meaning to their life and directs it. Just as spiritual and ethical ideals guide the life of a community, a country, and a nation; they give meaning to their efforts and struggles and create identity for individuals. When a nation and a country are devoid of ethical and spiritual ideals, they lose their true identity and become like a straw; sometimes swaying this way, sometimes that way, sometimes falling into the hands of this one, sometimes into the hands of that one. This noble month and the two months before and after it are opportunities for us to complete our spiritual reserves.

We experience wear and tear. Our hearts and souls are constantly wearing down in the face of the daily events of life. We must account for these wear and tears and compensate for them with the right means; otherwise, a person will perish. It is possible for a person to be physically strong and robust; however, if they do not think about compensating for these wear and tears, they will be spiritually destroyed. The Quran states: "Indeed, those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah,' and then remain steadfast, the angels descend upon them." "Our Lord is Allah" means acknowledging servitude before God and submitting to Him. This is a very significant matter; however, it is not enough. When we say, "Our Lord is Allah," it is very good for that moment; but if we forget "Our Lord is Allah," our declaration today will not benefit us tomorrow. Therefore, it says: "Then they remain steadfast"; they must persevere and remain on this path. This is what causes "the angels to descend upon them"; otherwise, with just a moment of goodness, God's angels do not descend upon a person, the light of guidance does not extend towards them, and they do not reach the rank of the righteous servants. This must be continued, and one must remain on this path; "Then they remain steadfast." If you want this steadfastness to exist, you must constantly monitor that this foundational burden of spirituality does not fall below the necessary level.

These months are an opportunity for reflection. The friends of God and the Imams of Guidance (peace be upon them) - as narrated - used to be diligent in the Sha'ban supplications. I once asked the great Imam: Which of the prayers do you prefer the most? He mentioned two prayers: one is the Sha'ban supplication, and the other is the Dua of Kumayl. These two prayers have extraordinary themes. These prayers are not just for recitation; they are not merely to create a wave in the atmosphere and to utter these words - that is very superficial and minimal - these meanings must be familiarized with the heart; the heart must be brought into this sanctuary. These lofty meanings and prominent themes with these beautiful words are meant to be replaced in the heart of a person.

"O God, grant me the perfection of detachment to You and illuminate the eyes of our hearts with the light of their gaze towards You"; O Lord! Completely connect and attach me to Yourself; make me dependent on Your dignity and honor; enlighten and make my heart's eye perceptive; so that it can gaze upon You: "Until the eyes of the hearts pierce through the veils of light"; my gaze should be able to break through all veils - even the luminous veils - and pass through them to reach You; to see You and desire You. Some veils are dark. The veils that we are trapped and ensnared in - the veil of name, the veil of bread, the veil of envy, the veil of egotism - are dark and animalistic veils; however, those who purify themselves from these veils still face other veils that are luminous veils. Consider how high and exalted it is for a person to pass through these veils!

If a nation becomes familiar with these concepts and enters its heart into this space and adjusts its movement with this measure, it will progress and see mountains as insignificant before it. Our nation, at a historical moment, experienced such a state, and this revolution came into being. Do not think that this revolution was even predictable; no, it was not predictable at all; it was that immense. The fact that a nation with empty hands could overthrow a decayed and corrupt regime, fully supported by all the oppressive powers of the world, which ruled with the harshest methods of despotism and where no one dared to breathe, and replace it with their belief and ideal - that is, Islam - was not conceivable at all. Even the most optimistic minds could not imagine such a thing; however, our nation accomplished this task. The spiritual and ethical ideals and great aspirations provided such strength to this nation that no pressure, imposition, threat, or bitter incident could halt or stop it along the way. Thus, it continued until the end.

The second example is the period of the imposed war. Most of you may have experienced the imposed war; however, I do not know how many memories of the early days of the war are alive in your minds. A nation was facing an invasion; however, in reality, it had nothing in terms of conventional tools. We would seek tanks; they were either absent, scarce, or defective; we would seek weapons, and it was the same; we would seek aircraft, and it was the same. Those who were at the helm of some effective tasks at that time constantly recited verses of despair; however, this divine spark and moral and spiritual motivation and this quest for God prepared the hearts of the youth - these guards, these popular forces and Basij from all walks of life, these very faithful and pure elements of the army - to such an extent that their souls could compensate for the weaknesses of their bodies. "They wore their hearts over their armor"; this refers to the companions of Karbala: their hearts were placed over their armor! Armor holds the body, but hearts hold the bodies and armor. Faithful and enlightened hearts were prepared, and lofty aspirations were mobilized, and a vast front that had one end in the intelligence agencies and the U.S. Department of Defense, one end in NATO, one end in the former Soviet Union, one end in the treasury of the oil-rich governments of the region, and the darling of all these was the Ba'ath regime, which received assistance from all sides; was defeated and thwarted. Is this a joke? This is the same spirituality. When the ideals and spiritual anchor exist in a country and nation, such miracles occur.

I have always advised the relevant officials in various sectors - whether in the economic sector or in scientific endeavors - and I say now: If these same aspirations, these same spirits, and these same firm and resolute hearts are the axis of effort and work in any field, they will remove the problems from the path. What monumental works have the faithful and revolutionary forces, relying on this faith, accomplished in the fields of construction, complex technologies, and military endeavors, which most of you know what I am referring to. In all areas, this spiritual anchor can create such miracles.

Some naively focus on certain wealthy countries in the world and say they have wealth but lack religion and ethics; we should follow the same path. They think that their wealth is due to their lack of religion and ethics! This is a mistake. Any country that has become wealthy and powerful has done so due to specific factors that create power and wealth. Wherever there is planning, work, and effort, there will be a product; this is a divine tradition. Even those who pursue mere materialism without spirituality, if they have proper management and planning and also strive and struggle, will certainly achieve it: "We extend to these and those from the bounty of your Lord." This is explicit in the Quran; there is no discussion about this. The discussion is that when work and effort are only for materialism, wealth and power are obtained; however, happiness is not achieved. We want to have a society that possesses wealth, power, comprehensive happiness, and justice together. This is the point that nations aspire to; otherwise, in wealthy and powerful countries, injustice, oppression, poverty, deprivation, and bitterness abound; we do not seek that.

A society can embody the ideal image of a living, awake, and intelligent nation in which there is spirituality, justice, dignity, power, wealth, and welfare. If we want this collection to coexist, it is not possible without spirituality and spiritual ideals, ethics, consideration of God, and striving in the path of God. This is what honors the guards.

The guards have struggled for God. Pasdar Day is the day of the birth of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him); that is, the embodiment of pure and sincere struggle for God. If this struggle is responded to by the people, it becomes like the struggle of the Prophet Muhammad, who established the Islamic government and changed history; however, if it does not encounter the support and companionship of faithful hearts, it becomes like the event of Ashura, where Imam Hussein is martyred. His spiritual outpouring guides history. It cannot achieve apparent success in the present, but throughout history, the inevitable success belongs to him; just as all prophecies and all divine guides throughout history have had this. Thus, you see that after thirteen or fourteen centuries, the name of Hussein ibn Ali remains the banner of justice and the virtues of spirituality, and this name has been able to bring this revolution into existence. This revolution - which in this regard resembles the movement of the Prophet Muhammad; that is, it achieved success and hearts, souls, forces, and people accompanied it and did not leave the Imam alone - was able to raise the banner of glory and dignity. It drew inspiration from Hussein ibn Ali and became the embodiment of the revival of Islam.

The path that the Islamic Revolution and the self-sacrificers of this path and you guards have taken over these years has been the right path; it was the same path that awakened the Islamic world; it converted many non-Muslims to Islam; it proved the legitimacy of the Iranian nation and tarnished the reputation of the world's number one superpower. Today, see what is happening in the world against America! You know how much they spend to maintain their reputation and how much they invest to deceive public opinion? The fact that the finger of nations is pointed at them so openly and disgracefully and that they are insulted so much is very significant for them; these are the effects of those resistances, struggles, and reliance on God.

Today, the awakening of the Islamic world and the disgrace of the enemies of Islam have occurred; this path must be continued. This path is one that can lead this nation to its true ideals; that is, to the same ideal collection of dignity, spirituality, power, welfare, and scientific greatness; the very things that are desirable and beloved for a nation. The correct path that the children of this revolution and the children of the Imam have traversed will lead us there; however, the condition is steadfastness. Steadfastness means not losing the way; not being deceived by the appearances of materialism; not becoming a captive of desires; not abandoning the moral and spiritual commandments and ethics of Islam, and not turning to hedonism and pleasure-seeking. These are the foundations of the work. Of course, first and foremost, the top-tier and second-tier officials of the country and senior managers and commanders must be vigilant about these matters; then also the faithful elements who want to preserve the honor of the advancement of the Islamic system and the Islamic ideals before God, the people, and history.

Of course, opposition and obstruction are abundant. The same accusations and insults that have existed since the inception of the movement and culture of guardianship in the country have been repeated in recent years by the same individuals; however, these obstructions should not be able to block the path of the men of God.

Guardianship is a culture; a culture of dignity and honor. Guardianship of the religion and the revolution - which today is embodied in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps - is not merely a military movement; guardianship is a culture; it has ideological, political, sacrifice, and struggle aspects. Of course, it also has a military aspect; it has been and will be the military arm of the revolution. Just as the revolution needed this guardianship yesterday, it needs it today, and it will need it tomorrow; it always needs it.

Some, unknowingly - we hope it is unknowingly - undermine the root of the essence of struggle and martyrdom in the path of God. They do not understand what they are doing; their actions are like sitting on a branch and cutting it off. They do not realize that when a nation is equipped with the great apparatus of struggle and martyrdom in the path of God, it performs miracles and achieves great successes. They want to take this away from this nation. They want to leave the Islamic revolution and system defenseless, accessible to the powers so that they can tear it apart with all their political, military, and economic capabilities. Of course, when the enemies say these things, they do so with a clear, understood, and deliberate intention; however, some also, apparently without knowing what they are doing, repeat the enemies' words.

You must carefully preserve this path, this honor, and this multifaceted identity. The first generation of struggle and martyrdom has passed a good test; the second and third generations of struggle and martyrdom, by the grace of God, with the radiance that today one observes in the young generation, will pass a very good test when the time comes.

May God protect you. God willing, the attentions of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and the pure prayers of that great one will encompass all of you and all the noble children of this system and this revolution, and God willing, with your efforts, strength, and vitality, this country and this nation will be able to traverse difficult paths, remove great obstacles from their way, and reach their divine ideals.

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