Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting Various Segments of the People on the Anniversary of the Birth of Imam Ali (peace be upon him)

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

I congratulate the auspicious birth of the Commander of the Faithful and Imam of the Pious, the shining star of the sky of justice and fairness and humanity, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), to the entire Islamic Ummah and to the dear nation of Iran, especially to you esteemed attendees, who have made the effort to gather here from various points to form this sweet and magnificent session.

Love for the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and devotion to this great man of human history and the history of Islam is not exclusive to the Shiites, nor even to the majority of Muslims; rather, this is something that the free people of the world share with Muslims. You see that personalities who are not even Muslims express their admiration for this brilliant figure and radiant sun, writing books and composing poetry about him. It is a great mistake if the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib, becomes a means of division among Muslims. This great figure is one that all Muslims and all Islamic sects revere and love with all their being and with their hearts and souls. This affection and love stem from the outstanding qualities and characteristics that every fair-minded person is humbled by; the common ground and shared value is this.

Sincere faith, self-sacrificing jihad, melting in divine commands, absolute obedience and servitude to God, indifference to worldly adornments and material concerns, compassion and fairness towards all people, a compassionate gaze towards the oppressed, the weak, and the downtrodden, steadfastness and decisiveness in the face of the enemies of religion, pursuing duty in all circumstances and through every hardship; these are the wise words that humanity yesterday, today, and tomorrow needs. The Nahj al-Balagha of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) is a perpetual lesson for humanity. This apparent personality of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) is what our short-sighted eyes can see and feel and perceive its beauties. The spiritual, sacred, and heavenly dimensions are specific to the saints and the truthful, who can see them; and our eyes do not have the capacity to perceive them like the friends of God and the chosen servants of God can. Today marks the anniversary of the birth of such a personality, and indeed it is a celebration.

The rising of every star in the sky of human history is a celebration for humanity. The birth of each of the great figures of humanity, from the first to the last, those who opened the path of happiness for people and endeavored in this way, is a separate celebration for humanity. This celebration is eternal for Muslims.

Today, after the passage of centuries, how should we approach this celebration, this phenomenon? Merely mentioning the name of Ali is not enough; considering ourselves as belonging to him is not sufficient; we do not recognize the great figures of history and the religious leaders and prophets and saints merely as historical relics; they are lessons; they are models; they are guides and supporters of our lives step by step. What lesson do we take from them? This is what matters. Today, the Islamic Ummah must learn what lesson from the Commander of the Faithful and from the esteemed presence of the greatest Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) and from other great figures of the divine path? What model should we implement in our lives? This is what is important. With this perspective, we must look at the Commander of the Faithful.

What is certain is that they were manifestations of effort in the way of God and His religion. "I bear witness that you strove in the way of God as it deserved and acted according to His Book and followed the traditions of His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)"; we testify that he performed jihad in the way of God in a worthy manner. This is what we read in the visitation of the Commander of the Faithful and the other Imams (peace be upon them). This jihad is always upon our shoulders. Scientific jihad, practical jihad, jihad during war, jihad during peace, jihad against the self, jihad against the external enemy, jihad with wealth, jihad with life, jihad with the tongue; these are lessons. The work you do for the elevation of religion or the elevation of the Islamic Ummah is jihad; the study you undertake for the general advancement of the Islamic nation and the Islamic Ummah is jihad; the effort you make to create empathy and love among the members of the Islamic Ummah and their unity is jihad; when you struggle against the seductive inclinations of Satan within yourselves, it is jihad; when you oppose the enemies of God and religion and the Quran in your heart, tongue, or actions, it is jihad in the way of God; these are the lessons of the Commander of the Faithful and the lessons of the friends of religion - jihad is not limited to the battlefield - and the Islamic Ummah has reached its deplorable state today due to forgetting the struggle in the way of God.

The Islamic Ummah was once at the forefront of knowledge, civilization, ethics, and the expansion of the signs of humanity throughout long periods in history. Today, the Islamic Ummah is afflicted with division, weakness, and backwardness; the infidels and enemies of religion interfere in its politics and affairs of life; they oppress it, and it cannot defend itself. This is the weakness and decline of the Islamic world due to forgetting the struggle in the way of God. We do not say why you have not taken up arms and fought the enemy at all times - war is also one type of jihad - we say why have we become oblivious to recognizing the enemy? Why have we become oblivious to the enemy's plans? Why have we fallen for the enemy's deception?

Today is the thirteenth of Rajab and a day of celebration; however, our hearts do not truly celebrate; because the body of the Islamic Ummah is bloodied. Look at Lebanon and see what is happening; look at Palestine and see what is going on there; look at Iraq; look at Afghanistan; the Islamic Ummah cannot be at ease. These are our weaknesses.

In these days, two bitter phenomena have emerged in the Islamic Ummah, each of which should make a Muslim ponder; the Islamic Ummah must blame itself; and repent. One of these phenomena is the atrocities that are being perpetrated in Lebanon and Palestine one after another. It has been nearly a month since the savage, bloodthirsty wolf of the Zionists has attacked the people of Lebanon; they receive blows from "Hezbollah", the fighters in the way of God; yet they drop bombs on the heads of Muslim children in "Qana" and other areas of Lebanon; they cannot confront the fighters in the way of God; they are defeated; they take their revenge on innocent people, the oppressed, children, the homes of people, and the infrastructure of the country. This is a great calamity. Similar events are occurring in "Gaza" and other Palestinian areas. This is what should awaken all Muslims and bring them to their senses. The world of global arrogance and infidelity is not only silent, but also their actions and words encourage the aggressor and oppressor; America in one way, wicked England in another way, and some other powers, each in their own way; the United Nations is also standing by with complete impotence and ineffectiveness and watching! Meanwhile, they claim to advocate human rights and claim to be civilized and claim to fight terrorism, these hypocritical, two-faced, black-hearted individuals, and they do not even feel ashamed. This is one of those instructive matters.

This issue that has been created for Lebanon and specifically for its Shiites may happen to all nations and countries and Islamic sects; one cannot rely on the powers. The Islamic Ummah must be able to defend itself; it must be able to preserve its existence.

It has been seen many times, and today it is repeatedly seen, that the arrogant powers of the world, when the Muslims are involved, turn a blind eye to any crime committed against Muslims. This issue was seen in Bosnia, it was seen in Kosovo, it was seen in Afghanistan, it was seen in Iraq, and today it is Lebanon's turn. Palestine has been in this situation for years. For them, there is no difference between Shiite and Sunni, Arab and non-Arab; wherever they can exert their power, wherever they see no obstacle in front of them, wherever they do not receive a blow to their face, they advance. The Islamic Ummah and the Islamic nations must understand and comprehend this; they must strengthen themselves. This is one phenomenon of the two phenomena that is truly instructive, and the mind of a Muslim cannot remain oblivious to it and not be preoccupied with it.

The second phenomenon, which is even worse than this, is the division among Islamic governments. You see that for nearly a month, the enemies of Islam have been committing such heinous crimes against a group of Muslims - this is not an ordinary war; it is a war filled to the brim with war crimes, the slaughter of defenseless people, the use of prohibited and illegal weapons - yet the Islamic governments, especially some Arab governments, have their hands resting on their hands, just watching! This mistake is very costly. These governments are considering the United States and the arrogant powers; however, they will not consider them when the time comes. The enemy is also active, and the issue of Shiite and Sunni is one of the important tools for the enemies to incapacitate the Islamic Ummah. Both Sunnis and Shiites should know; everyone, in Iran and in the Islamic world, should know that the division between Shiite and Sunni is one of the tools and clubs of the enemy against the Islamic Ummah. They will use this tool in any way they can. The day that a Palestinian Sunni is under pressure, some people will use this slogan, with this propaganda, saying: these are Sunnis, you are Shiites; they try to prevent them from helping. Today, when a Shiite from Lebanon is under pressure, they tell some people: you are Sunnis, these are Shiites; do not help them. They show no respect to Shiites nor to Sunnis; they are against Islam itself.

The deadly poison of the Islamic world is division. This division separates nations from one another; it separates hearts from one another. Now the enemy, and the same intelligence services of Israel and America, are inciting some people in Iraq to confront the Shiites who are in the majority in Iraq - now today the majority of the government belongs to them - to create insecurity; and they use this insecurity as a means to strengthen their foothold in Iraq and Baghdad. America needs a pretext to remain in Iraq, and this pretext is insecurity. They create this insecure situation in the country so that the Iraqi government cannot provide necessary services, to have a pretext to stay. They create the divisions: they make the Sunni heart resentful towards the Shiite, and the Shiite heart resentful towards the Sunni to such an extent that they cannot come together despite all their commonalities. This is the work of the enemy. Why do we not understand this truth? For many years - since the time of the late Ayatollah Borujerdi (may God have mercy on him) and some of the great scholars of the Sunni community in Egypt - this idea has emerged that let us set aside our differences; let the Sunni remain Sunni; let the Shiite remain Shiite; let us have our own beliefs; but let us join hands together. The Quran, from the mouth of the noble Prophet, says to the Christians of that time: "Come to a word that is equitable between us and you, that we worship none but God and do not associate anything with Him." At that time, the Muslim sects, with one God, one Prophet, one Quran, one Qibla, one worship, all these commonalities and certainties, should not use a few points of disagreement as a means for enmity! Is this not treachery? Is this not the malice of the malicious and the negligence of the negligent? Anyone who commits a fault in this regard will be held accountable before God Almighty; whether they are Shiite or Sunni.

Today, defending Hezbollah in Lebanon is obligatory for the entire Islamic community. We look at the issue with insight and it is clear to us what the global arrogance is doing. We stand firm in the issue of Palestine, just as we do in the issue of Lebanon or in the issue of Iraq or in the issue of Afghanistan. We see that American arrogance, along with some wicked European governments - like England, which is one of the most notorious and infamous governments in this region - and in cooperation with the oppressive and bloodthirsty Zionists, intend to uproot Islam from this region; because they see that Islam stands against their ambitions. With the establishment of the Islamic Republic system and the raising of the flag of Islam in this region, they realized that Islam is alive. Today, Islamic sentiments and the desire for jihad in the way of Islam are alive in all Islamic countries and in this vast and sensitive land - from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The people of North Africa, the people of the Middle East, the people of Asia, the people of East Asia, wherever Muslims are, the desire to revive Islamic identity and Islamic dignity is alive in them; they cannot eliminate this; but they are trying. We must be vigilant; we must be aware. You see a sample of Islamic steadfastness and Islamic jihad today in Lebanon. This is the same ruthless Zionist army that was once known as the invincible army and defeated the armies of three Islamic countries in six days; but today, for a month, with all its might and using American weapons and military aid from America, it is killing itself and continuously receiving blows from a group of faithful fighters of "Hezbollah" who do not fear the blame of the blamer. This shows that if the Islamic Ummah entrusts its heart to God, it can stop the enemies of Islam.

O Lord! Remove the evil of the enemies of Islam from the Islamic Ummah. O Lord! Familiarize us with our duties in confronting the enemies of Islam. O Lord! Grant us the duty of jihad in the way of God - as it deserves - and grant success to all of us. O Lord! Bring the hearts of the Muslims closer together; intertwine their hands. O Lord! Save the oppressed people of Lebanon from the evil of the cruel, merciless, and hard-hearted enemy. O Lord! Protect the fighters of "Hezbollah" under Your support; grant them victory and assistance. O Lord! Increase the dignity of the Islamic world day by day; make us among those who are included in the pure prayers of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him); hasten his appearance.

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