Statements in Meeting with Various People and Foreign Guests on the Anniversary of Imam Khomeini's Passing

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

Dear guests! Welcome; both those who have come from other countries and those who have traveled from various parts of our dear country or from Tehran itself to gather in this Hussainiya. We hope that the pure and exalted spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) is pleased with each of you and with every member of the Iranian nation and Muslims worldwide.

This ceremony, held annually on the occasion of the passing of our dear Imam, has numerous benefits; but above all, it keeps alive and highlights the memory of the Imam. Why? Because the very remembrance of this great man and this luminous figure brings immense blessings to the Muslims of Iran and other countries. The very presence of the Imam in hearts has these effects.

Consider, one of the most effective tactics of the enemies of Islam was to humiliate Muslim nations. Look at Iran, the Arab countries, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, the Far East, Africa, and Islamic minorities in Europe and America! Everywhere, this policy—humiliation of Muslims—has been implemented. Understand how important this is. Muslims have a characteristic that allows them to influence the movement of the world with their will. Why? Because of the luminous teachings of Islam; rather, because of the spirits and morals that Islam gives to Muslims, such as resisting oppression and not compromising with evil and corruption, such as enjoining good and forbidding evil and jihad in the way of God (jihad fi sabilillah), which has a broad and extensive field and is not limited to physical battlefields, but jihad can also occur within homes, and everywhere one can fight the enemy of God if one has the will and knows what to do.

This is the collection of Islamic teachings. This is jihad and enjoining good and not compromising with evil and corruption and not tolerating oppression: 'Do not oppress and do not be oppressed.' (Quran 2:279) This collection of teachings and knowledge has naturally enabled Muslims, wherever they are in the world—whether as a nation or smaller than a nation, down to an individual—to be able to influence the administration of the world and their environment by the blessing of these teachings. This is the characteristic of Muslims. Colonialists are disturbed by such a characteristic. The oppressors of the world are worried about such a characteristic.

The day Europeans boarded ships and came to conquer the countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and other places, they feared this spirit of Muslims. To make Muslims harmless, two things had to be done: one, to distance them from Islamic teachings, and two, to break their spirit and humiliate them. So, see that all the policies of the enemies of Islam throughout the struggle against Islam—which in the last two centuries has reached its peak—are concentrated on these two things: one, distancing Muslims from Islamic teachings, and two, humiliating Muslims and breaking their spirit. What was the result? The result was that Islamic countries became third-rate countries in the world.

It cannot be said second-rate. Wherever there was an Islamic country, it was either directly under the influence of the enemies of Islam and foreign powers, or an agent of foreign powers was dominant over them; like the accursed Pahlavi dynasty here and some other countries that had similar situations. This was the situation of Muslims.

Our great Imam came and pointed directly at these two points. The reason you see the name of the Imam swept through the Islamic world like a storm is because of these things. With propaganda and with a campaign, one cannot place someone in the hearts of nations like this. The fact that in some parts of the world where people had never even heard the name of Iran, they loved and revered our great Imam, is because of these things. This is the divine tradition and the rule of creation.

The Imam emphasized these two points. The conscience of nations awakened and saw that the path to salvation is this, and the model is the Iranian nation.

The great Imam invited the Iranian nation to return to Islam and said come and act on Islam in the true sense of the word. Not just acting inside mosques and as individual worships; but perform this work as a complete action and take the system of life from Islam. For this reason, he established the Islamic Republic. In the second point, he revived and rebuilt the spirit of this nation. He taught and made the Iranian nation understand that it has power and can. He sent a message to all the Muslim nations of the world that you have real power and can bring the enemy to its knees. Wherever and to whatever extent the prescription of our great Imam was implemented, this result was achieved. In our own country, the Iranian nation moved from a state of weakness and separation to a place where today, in important world affairs, its will plays a role. Our enemies also say this.

Yesterday, the East and the West, and today all the influential powers, have joined hands to destroy and eliminate the rights of the Palestinian nation; but the Islamic Republic has announced its opposition. Everyone everywhere in the world says: 'Because the Islamic Republic opposes, this process does not proceed.' This is the will of the Iranian nation. Yes; it will not proceed. A nation whose former ruler—the humiliated and corrupt Shah—consulted with the American and British embassies in his daily affairs and took direction from them, has reached a point where now neither America nor any other power has the slightest influence over this country and this nation. This is national power for a nation. This work was done by our great Imam, and he revived the Muslim spirit.

In terms of construction, it is the same. He said: You can build everything and develop your country with your own hands. And you can be independent of foreigners and pursue the ranks of science and knowledge like others and make your universities independent! Today you see the Iranian nation advancing step by step in all these areas. The nation has experienced these.

This was inside Iran. In every part of the world where the healing prescription of the Imam was implemented to any extent, the nations benefited to that extent. You see how the nature of the Palestinian issue or the painful issue of Lebanon or other various issues has changed today compared to the past! Today, the Palestinian nation has awakened, and the true Palestinian elements within the occupied territories show themselves as a thorn in the eyes of the occupiers. They are waiting for four people to speak on their behalf outside the borders of Palestine. The Palestinian nation itself speaks and acts and moves; that too in the name of Islam. Wherever this prescription—meaning the prescription of self-reliance and self-confidence and return to Islam—was implemented to any extent, to that extent, it made the work of superpowers difficult and accelerated the movement of nations.

The prescription of our great Imam made Muslims dear in every part of the world. Today, Muslims around the world feel dignity wherever they are. There was a time when Muslims felt ashamed of their Islam; but today, Muslims feel pride and dignity in their Islam. These are the general movements of our great Imam.

My point is that whether the Iranian nation or other nations, the more they keep the name and memory of the Imam alive and prominent, the more they will benefit from the Imam's path. The enemies of Islam and Muslims want the name of the Imam to fade and disappear or become faint. They want to pretend that this event that happened is over. They want it to have no effect on the future of the world. You see that in implementing these decisions, they use methods and ways; such as poisonous propaganda and distortions and slanders. These things exist everywhere in the sphere of influence of the arrogant powers. The opposite of them is the movement that Muslims must undertake. They must keep the memory of the Imam alive and elevate his name. They must explain the clear path he outlined for minds and say what the Imam was pursuing. They must make it understood that the teachings of Islam and the spirit of Islamic dignity are the two clear points that the Imam was pursuing.

In our country, it is the same. If our nation wants to follow this path of dignity, it must keep the memory and name of the Imam more alive day by day. If the nation wants to build Iran with its own strong arms and creativity, making it the envy of nations and countries, it must pay more attention to the Imam's instructions day by day. Some heedless hearts may think or propagate that the Imam's path and line provide spirituality and the hereafter for people; but their world will not be developed! This is a mistake. God's path for humans develops both the world and the hereafter; it makes life sweet and easy and reduces and removes the pressure of the enemy's imposition from them. God's path is like this, and the Imam's path is also this path of God.

The Iranian nation, due to the interference of foreigners and corrupt governments and the tyrannical rule of the Pahlavi and Qajar dynasties—these two disgraceful dynasties that ruled this country for years and opened the door for foreigners on this land—lagged behind in the caravan of science and knowledge. The Iranian nation can only bring life to true development and growth if it can stand on its own feet and implement and apply divine teachings in life and completely cut off the enemy's hands and feet from this country. This is the same path and recommendations of the Imam.

The Iranian nation can find dignity, welfare, and worldly success and spiritual and otherworldly perfection on the same path that the great Imam and its great leader laid before this nation. God Almighty gave him ten years of time and opportunity to explain this path to the people. In the words of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), there is no hidden or doubtful point. This is the path of the Iranian nation.

My dear nation and my brothers and sisters throughout this country, take advantage of this anniversary ceremony and seize this opportunity to review and remember the teachings of the Imam in your minds. Everyone, wherever they are—whether the country's officials and managers of executive sectors, or the people's representatives, or judicial officials, or the masses of the nation—should make these their instructions. If this is done, then the sacred heart of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him), God willing, will be pleased with this nation, and divine blessings will be bestowed upon you, as God Almighty has said in the Quran: 'And if the people of the towns had believed and feared God, We would indeed have opened up to them blessings from the heavens and the earth.' (Quran 7:96) God, by the blessing of this path, by the blessing of piety, and by the blessing of the movement that the great Imam began in this country, will open the doors of blessings to these people.

We hope that God Almighty grants all of you success, pleases the sacred heart of the Imam of the Age with you, acquaints Muslims all over the world more than before with this path, makes the managers and officials of Islamic countries aware of their critical responsibility, and, God willing, removes the evil and deceit of the enemies from the entire Islamic world and ensures Islamic unity, which is the support for all of these.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings