Statements on the 34th Anniversary of the Passing of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen, and infallible progeny, especially the remainder of God on earth.

May God's peace be upon the pure soul of our esteemed Imam. The esteemed Imam was the banner bearer of divine missions in the age of armed ignorance of recent centuries.

For over thirty years, this glorious and blessed gathering has been held; the main topic of discussion in this gathering throughout these years has primarily been the esteemed Imam. The conversation that has occupied most of the time in this gathering is about our beloved and esteemed Imam. In my opinion, the new generations of this country need to become more familiar with the esteemed Imam; we older generations need this as well. All of us need to become more acquainted with the dimensions of this multifaceted and magnificent personality; this will assist us in our progress and in continuing our path.

Today, I will present a few points about the esteemed Imam; I will also mention something about ourselves and the lessons we must learn and the work we must do.

Regarding the esteemed Imam, the first point is that he is one of the foremost figures in our history; not just one of the foremost figures of our time. The foremost figures are those who possess greatness in every field, in every aspect of human knowledge and practice. Among the greats and distinguished individuals, some stand head and shoulders above others, and we call these individuals the foremost. In every era, there are foremost figures, but some are not specific to their own time; rather, they are the foremost of history.

Foremost figures cannot be erased from the memory of history; this is an important point for us to consider. Foremost figures cannot be erased, nor can they be distorted. It is not that the propaganda of opponents cannot misrepresent the faces of the foremost figures; indeed, the media, which is becoming increasingly modern and equipped, can portray night as day and day as night, and they can fabricate lies about prominent and illuminated figures, but this is merely the foam on the water; this is "So the foam goes away as scum". The sun does not remain hidden behind the clouds. Ibn Sina and Sheikh Tusi, after a thousand years since their time, can still introduce themselves with a loud voice today; their personalities cannot be erased, cannot be removed from the memory of history, and cannot be distorted. The dimensions of the personality of our esteemed Imam are broader and more diverse than those of Ibn Sina and Sheikh Tusi. The characteristics that contribute to the formation of the personality of the esteemed Imam are far greater than those present in the personalities of such prominent figures. The Imam is a comprehensive foremost figure; he is foremost in religious sciences — the Imam is foremost in jurisprudence, philosophy, and theoretical mysticism — he is also foremost in faith and piety and in righteous behavior, he is foremost in the strength of character and willpower, and he is unique in his revolutionary political activism and in creating transformation in the human system. These characteristics have not been gathered together in any of the foremost figures in our history, but in the esteemed Imam, these characteristics coexist. The result is that no one can erase this esteemed Imam from the memory of history, neither today nor in the centuries to come, nor can they distort his personality; for a short time, there may be fabrications and distortions of his character, but ultimately, the brilliant face of the Imam will introduce itself loudly to all; this sun cannot be kept behind the clouds; this is the first point.

The next point is that our esteemed Imam accomplished three great and historic actions, three major transformations: one at the level of the country of Iran, one at the level of the Islamic Ummah, and one at the level of the world; these three transformations have no precedent, and perhaps one cannot predict that similar events will occur in the future; these are specific to the esteemed Imam.

The transformation at the level of the country was that he brought about the Islamic Revolution in this country; the revolution was carried out by the people, but it was the Imam who brought it about. This revolution shattered a royal political structure and replaced it with popular governance; this revolution removed a subservient and humiliating regime in the face of powers and replaced it with an independent regime based on national dignity; this revolution ousted an anti-Islamic government and established an Islamic government in its place; this revolution transformed despotism into freedom, and the increasing identity crisis of this nation into national identity and self-confidence; this revolution equipped a nation that was looking to foreigners with the spirit of "We can". These are the miracles of this great revolution and the significant transformation that the esteemed Imam brought about at the level of the country. This "We can" that I mentioned is the key to solving all problems. We have had problems, we have them, and we will have them, but what can resolve these problems and has resolved past problems and will remedy our future problems is this spirit and force of "We can" that the Imam's revolution instilled in this country.

As for what occurred at the level of the Islamic Ummah — the transformation at the level of the Ummah — it was that the Imam initiated the Islamic Awakening movement. The period of passivity and inactivity in the Islamic world moved towards weakness and annihilation with the Imam's movement. Today, the Islamic Ummah is more active, dynamic, prepared, and vibrant compared to the period before the victory of the Islamic Revolution and the time before the Imam, although there is still a noticeable need for more work in this area. The issue of Palestine, after it was thought by the Zionists and their supporters to be a finished matter and that there would be no further mention of Palestine, became the foremost issue of the Islamic world with the Imam's movement and transformation at the level of the Islamic Ummah. Today, the issue of Palestine is considered the foremost issue of the Islamic world. Today, Palestine is at the center of attention of Muslim nations. The echo of the voices of Palestinian leaders from the top of the Zionist regime's embassy in Tehran at the beginning of the revolution shook and trembled the world; everyone understood that a new era had begun regarding Palestine; it breathed life into the lifeless body of the Palestinian nation, and today you see that the Palestinian nation asserts its presence with strength and power and conveys its message to the world. On Quds Day, not only in Iran or Tehran, but even in the capitals of non-Muslim countries, people support and defend the Palestinians; this is also a transformation at the level of the Ummah.

The third transformation is the transformation at the global level. The Imam revived the atmosphere of spirituality and spiritual attention in the world, even in non-Muslim countries. Spirituality had been crushed under the heel of materialistic and anti-spiritual policies. The people's reaction to the onslaught of Zionist and arrogant powers to promote materialism was a passive reaction. Spirituality had been forgotten. The movement of the esteemed Imam revived the color of spirituality in the world once again. Of course, this last point has faced a strong reaction from the same centers of power, and they are now more motivated than ever to attack spirituality worldwide in every way they can, using their specific methods, some of which are so disgraceful that one feels ashamed to mention them. This is the second point regarding the Imam. So the first point was that the Imam cannot be erased from the memory of history; the Imam is alive. The cry of the Imam, the resonant words of the Imam are indelible, and the second point is that the Imam, with his important and eminent personality, brought about these three great transformations.

The next point is an important one; that point is that we ask ourselves, what hard or soft factor supported the Imam in these great works? What was the factor that could assist the Imam and propel him forward in this field, preventing him from feeling fatigued and enabling him to accomplish these great tasks and remove these great mountains of obstacles? The Imam had no hard supporting factor; he had neither money, nor propaganda tools, nor radio, nor news agencies, nor did any of the world's policies support or assist him. The Imam's hard supporting factor was a piece of paper on which to write a statement, a tape to record his voice and convey it to this and that; he had no hard supporting factor; everything was in the support of the Imam's soft factor; what was the Imam's soft factor? This is important.

This soft factor can be expressed in various ways. Today, I have chosen two titles, two expressions for this supportive factor of the Imam, and I want to present them; these two factors are "faith" and "hope". What propelled the Imam on this path, enabling him to create these monumental transformations at the level of the country, the Ummah, and the world for the duration of history, was his faith and his hope; faith and hope.

Martyr Motahhari (may God be pleased with him) had a meeting with the Imam in Paris — Martyr Motahhari himself was a mountain of faith; he expressed astonishment and wonder at the faith of the Imam — he said after returning that he observed four types of faith in the Imam: one was faith in the goal; the goal, meaning Islam; the Imam's goal was Islam; one was faith in the path; the path that he had taken; the Imam's path was the path of struggle; one was faith in the people, in the believers; meaning the same thing that God Almighty says about the Prophet: "He believes in God and believes in the believers"; and fourth, above all, faith in the Lord, faith in God, trust in God. I will elaborate on this fourth faith — faith in God.

When we discuss faith in God in concrete matters, in the matter of fighting against global arrogance, it has a special meaning. Faith in God in this context means faith in divine promises. God Almighty has made promises in the Quran that are unbreakable. He has promised, "If you help God, He will help you and make your feet firm"; He has promised that "Indeed, God will help those who help Him"; He has promised that "Indeed, God defends those who believe"; He has promised that "And what benefits people will remain on the earth"; if you support God, He will give you steadfastness and will help you; what is beneficial for people is lasting, and the foam on the water is transient, and the unjust and false is that foam on the water, and the truth, meaning the reality of Islam, is that which will remain; these are divine promises; "Indeed, God does not break His promise"; God will not break His promises. Faith in God, faith in the Lord, which Martyr Motahhari quotes from the Imam, means this; it means having faith in divine promises, believing in them; this is where the Imam's firm steps in this path are propelled.

Faith in Islam is one of those four types of faith that has been quoted from the Imam. The Imam (may God be pleased with him) has introduced this Islam in his numerous statements. This Islam is neither the Islam of capitalism nor the Islam of the eclectic pseudo-intellectuals who are ignorant and uninformed.

The Imam does not accept these weak so-called intellectual opinions — opinions that do not accept Islamic jurisprudence, do not accept Islamic law, yet claim to be Islamic! The Imam firmly rejects these — nor does he accept the Islam of those who are rigid and incapable of understanding or accepting a new interpretation of Islamic texts; the Imam does not accept either of these. The Imam considers the Islam of the Book and the Sunnah with sound reasoning and a correct understanding of Islam; this is the Islam of the esteemed Imam. The Islam of those rigid individuals who mention the name of Islam, may even murmur the lessons of Islam, but do not accept the Islam that is mostly related to social life, governance, and politics, and promote irresponsibility in political and social matters, is not accepted by the Imam. This is also Islam.

Faith in the people. "He believes in God and believes in the believers" as mentioned in the noble verse of the Quran may be interpreted differently by some; the correct meaning of "He believes in the believers" is the same as "He believes in the believers". "Faith" in the usages of the Holy Quran has been made transitive; for example, "And Lot believed in him". "He believes in the believers" means trust in the people, belief in the people. Throughout these years, individuals repeatedly expressed concern to the Imam that the people might not endure and would not be able to traverse this difficult and heavy path with the Imam's steps; the Imam would say no, I know the people better than you do; and he was right; he knew that if the people recognized that this path is the path of God, they would endure all the difficulties along this path. The families of martyrs confirmed this understanding of the Imam; the devoted youth over these many years affirmed this perception of the Imam; the massive gatherings of the Iranian nation in honoring religion and religious issues and revolutionary discussions confirmed this understanding of the Imam. The Imam had faith in the people; both in the actions of the people and in their motivations, as well as in the people's votes. The Islamic Republic, this popular governance in the Islamic Republic, the word "Republic" stems from this very trust of the esteemed Imam in the people. Some, with their erroneous interpretations, understood this movement of the Imam differently, expressed it differently; they portrayed it as if the Imam said the word Republic out of politeness! The Imam was not someone who would get caught up in politeness. The Imam was not someone who would say something to please this or that person; it was his belief; hence he raised the issue of popular governance. The Imam explicitly stated in his later years that he did not vote for that first president. They said he voted, but the Imam clarified that he did not vote for such and such a person; however, he endorsed that president whom the Imam himself did not accept and did not vote for; why? Because the people had voted; he valued the people's vote; this was the foundational thought of the Imam. Well, this faith of the Imam with its various dimensions in the brief words we have presented.

And as for the Imam's "hope". Hope was a permanent element in the heart of the Imam. Hope was the engine of the movement of the esteemed Imam. This hope is clearly seen in the behavior of the Imam, in the words of the Imam. In the 1920s, in that famous writing, he speaks of the struggle for God; the verse "That you may rise for God, two by two and singly" he wrote. That writing, which is in the Imam's own handwriting and is preserved today in the library of the late Vaziri in Yazd, is from the 1920s. In the 1940s, he practically carried out this struggle himself and entered the field of struggle. In the 1960s, which was a decade of tremendous military, security, and political storms, he did not flinch. From the 1920s to the 1940s to the 1960s, this unending thread of hope, this bubbling source of hope in the heart of the Imam, had these effects. The esteemed Imam himself, in a statement recorded and published in his writings, says that throughout the years of struggle until after the victory, he never experienced despair and believed that when a nation desires something, that thing will surely come to pass. This hope of the Imam also stemmed from his faith. When you have a clear faith in the true origin and in God Almighty, this flame of hope will be lit in your heart and will not be extinguished. Hope and faith influence each other. Faith is hope-generating. The realization of hopes increases faith; these two influence each other.

Of course, when we speak of hope, we should not confuse hope with deceptive imaginations and fantasies. Hope means that state which is accompanied by movement; it does not align with laziness and stagnation. Someone who hopes to reach a destination walks. That someone sits and simultaneously hopes to reach a destination is impossible; this is deception, which in narrations and prayers is referred to as "being deceived by God" and is condemned; that is, a person wishes to reach a goal without movement, without effort; no, effort is necessary; the Imam had this hope and worked hard.

Well, up to this point, we have discussed the esteemed Imam and presented these three essential points regarding him. Now we are here to learn from the Imam. What advice does the Imam give us today? Dear brothers, dear sisters, the great nation of Iran, the spirited and hardworking youth across the country! We must heed the advice of the Imam. The Imam is great, he is a foremost figure, he is alive, he speaks to us, he communicates with us. We also have a long path ahead; we have great tasks ahead; thus, we need the Imam's advice. What does the Imam advise us? Certainly, the greatest advice of the Imam is to continue his path, to safeguard his legacy; this is the greatest advice of our esteemed Imam. We must pursue the same three transformations that the Imam created at the national level, at the level of the Ummah, and at the global level; we must follow them, preserve them. Pursuing this goal today certainly has requirements that differ from the requirements of the Imam's time; we know this. Undoubtedly, in the era of artificial intelligence, quantum, and the internet, one cannot work with the same methods as forty years ago, during the time of those fake telephones and tape recorders, with those tools today. Today, to advance this goal, the tools must be chosen in accordance with the times; there is no doubt about this. Tools change, but what does not change are the frontlines. The frontlines have not changed, they will not change. The goals do not change; the frontlines do not change; the enemy's front, the front of global arrogance, the front of oppression, the front of Zionism and the arrogant and aggressive powers of the world, today is lined up against the Iranian nation just as it was yesterday; of course, the difference today in this front is that the Iranian nation has become stronger, and they have become weaker; but the front remains the same. What can emerge like a dangerous valley in front of our movement is that we forget this enmity, we forget this front. Whenever we forget, we suffer a blow. These transformations that the Imam created and that the Iranian nation needs today require that these be pursued, and the life, power, dignity, and reform of the Iranian nation depend on pursuing these transformations of the Imam; these transformations have fierce enemies, they have bitter and vengeful enemies. Everywhere in the world, those who are thinking of aggression against nations and other countries are attempting to attack any country they can; they establish bases, steal its oil, massacre its people; wherever they can, they commit every crime they can; this exists. Well, if the Iranian nation wants to move in the face of this movement, what does it need? I say it needs the same soft factors that the Imam had within himself and advised the people; that is, faith and hope.

This should especially be noted by our youth that the enmity of global arrogance against the Iranian nation will not disappear with tactical retreats. Some make mistakes, thinking that if we retreat in a certain issue, this will reduce the enmity of America or the global arrogance or the Zionists against us; no, this is a mistake. In many instances, our retreats have led them to advance and become more aggressive. In some of the governments of these past decades, there were those who believed that in certain matters we should concede to the other side, to the opposing front, and retreat a bit. In one of these governments, the very countries to which we had retreated summoned our president to a court in absentia; they issued an indictment against the president of Iran. In one of those governments, which unfortunately seemed to have aided the Americans, Iran was labeled as the "Axis of Evil". They are not satisfied with these retreats. What they want is to return Iran to the pre-revolution era; a dependent Iran, an identity-less Iran, an Iran that looks to the hands of this and that; this is what they want. They are not satisfied with these retreats; let us not make a mistake.

What I say to the Iranian nation, to you dear youth is this: I say that anyone who loves Iran, anyone who loves the national interests of the country, anyone who suffers from economic and livelihood problems and wants to improve it, anyone who seeks a dignified place for Iran in the emerging global order, anyone who loves these things must strive to promote faith and hope among the nation; this is a duty; this is the duty of all of us; this is all my message to the elites, to the revolutionary cores, to political groups, to all committed individuals. We must all strive to keep faith and hope alive in this country.

My recommendation is to strengthen faith and hope, and the target of the enemy is precisely this faith and hope. The extensive efforts of the enemies — which I will mention in a few sentences — are focused on eliminating faith and hope among the people; to weaken the faith of the people, to extinguish the flame of hope in the hearts of the people, especially the youth. We recommend that faith and hope must be strengthened. The enemy is trying to eliminate faith and hope. Preserving national independence is through faith and hope. Preserving national dignity and national interests is through faith and hope; all of these have enemies. Preserving our national interests has obstinate enemies, stubborn enemies; they do everything they can against the Iranian nation and have done so until today. Over these past decades, the spiteful and stubborn apparatus of arrogance and their security and political devices, along with their financial support, have done everything they could against the Iranian nation; in a few instances, they made some progress, but in most cases, by God's grace, they were defeated and subdued by the Iranian nation.

Everyone should pay attention! The last effort of the enemy — of course, the last effort so far; they will have actions in the future — was the disturbances of last autumn. Pay attention! The design of these disturbances last autumn was carried out in the think tanks of Western countries; the design was done there. They conducted a comprehensive design; the design in the think tanks of the West, with financial, media, and military support from Western security agencies. They supported it; they provided financial support, military support, and extensive media support. They executed it through a number of treacherous elements who had turned their backs on their homeland; they executed it through elements who betrayed their country; they went abroad and became mercenaries and agents of the enemies' policies against Iran; not only against Islam and the Islamic Republic, but against Iran. A number of them were also their foot soldiers inside. This foot soldier was a combination of a few malicious individuals, a larger number of ignorant and emotional individuals, and some thugs; these were also the foot soldiers of these disturbances. From the think tanks of the enemies in Western countries to the thugs in the streets of Tehran and some other cities; this was the entirety of this movement. They had thought of everything; the radios and televisions of foreign countries indiscriminately taught people how to make hand bombs; they placed the slogan of disintegration of Iran in their mouths; they promoted armed movements in the streets with smuggled weapons; their thugs tortured and killed a student, a cleric, or a Basij member in the streets, right before the eyes of the people. Pay attention so that the greatness of the Iranian nation and the greatness of the motivation and faith that exists in the Iranian nation become clearer. Inside, the thugs acted in this way, the malicious individuals shouted in this way, and abroad, some high-ranking politicians took commemorative photos with these enemies. They thought the work was done. Their design was such that they thought the Islamic Republic was finished; they thought they could take the Iranian nation into servitude. The fools made a mistake again; they still did not understand the nation. Of course, the Iranian nation ignored them, did not heed their calls. The committed youth in the streets, in the universities were able to accomplish great things. The student Basij, the Basij of various groups in the cities of the country, the committed and religious people fulfilled their duties, thwarted the enemy. The enemy's plan was nullified, but this served as a warning to everyone not to be heedless of the enemy's schemes; do not be heedless of the enemy's schemes!

The enemy's effort is to discourage the Iranian youth. Well, there are problems in the country; they constantly bring these problems to the attention of the Iranian youth. There are livelihood problems, inflation problems; these problems exist; the enemy tries to use these problems — which are all solvable and, God willing, will be resolved by God's grace and power — as a tool to extinguish the light of hope in the hearts of the youth; while these are merely temporary ailments. Problems should not weaken hope. If we observe problems, our motivation should be strengthened to find ways to resolve these problems and to assist those who are standing in the field against these problems and are striving to resolve them. Of course, we have problems, but in contrast, we have phenomena that are all hope-generating. I tell our dear youth that the enemy does not want us to see these hope-generating phenomena. The hope-generating phenomena are far more numerous than the problems: the advancements of the country in the fields of science, technology, the establishment of industrial and agricultural infrastructures, the creation of very important transportation structures, the country's progress in training human resources, in bringing developmental activities to remote and deprived areas of the country — these are all being carried out now — in international politics, in national dignity and honor, in the military and defensive power of the country; these are all hope-inspiring realities; the enemy wants us to forget these realities, to overlook them, so that our youth do not become aware of them. These realities herald a bright future.

When you speak about hope, some like to undermine your hope by mentioning these problems; if you speak of hope, they say you are unaware of the realities. How can someone be unaware of the realities? The reality they mention is the same economic realities, the same livelihood problems; everyone is aware of these, everyone suffers from them; there is no doubt about that. Some, in order to extinguish hope in hearts, point out that there are social layers who do not care about religion, faith, and the revolution; well, yes, but this is not specific to today; in the 1960s, when the fronts were filled with believing youth, there were some in the big cities, in Tehran, who walked around indifferent and unconcerned, not only did they not feel responsible, but they also mocked the authorities! You look at the biographies of the martyrs and warriors; when they came to the big cities — especially the big cities — they felt a sense of longing because of this phenomenon. The 1960s, the first decade of the revolution, had such events; this is not surprising. Today, of course, there are those who are not committed to the revolution, to Islam, and even to Iranian commitment; yes, but the Iranian nation is not made up of these. In the time of the Messenger of God, there were some who were eager for martyrdom, eager for jihad, and if they could not go to the front, they would cry, while there were some in Medina who "had become accustomed to hypocrisy"; the Quran speaks of them, saying "they had become accustomed to hypocrisy", or in another place it says: "If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and the rumor-mongers in Medina do not cease..."; in the very Medina of the Prophet, there were those whom the Quran refers to as "the rumor-mongers"; the fear-mongers, the doubt-mongers, the suspicion-mongers; in the time of the Prophet! Even in the time of the Prophet, there was no internet, no social networks, no television. Today, with all these devices, you see how the Iranian youth show such greatness!

Today, across the country, we have thousands of resistance cells in mosques and in religious gatherings; from these resistance cells, youth rise as defenders of the shrine, youth rise as defenders of security, youth rise as student Basij members. The hope-inspiring point is that in this comprehensive effort of the enemy, you see that in such conditions where the enemy has drawn their sword, the revolutionary student in a certain university hears a vulgar insult and does not withdraw from the field; the Basij cleric is martyred under torture, refusing to utter what the enemy wants him to say. The devoted fighters, defenders of the shrine, diligent activists in the jihad of explanation, groups engaged in charitable assistance, jihadist camps — these are all the youth of this country. Despite the internet, despite social networks, despite all these pitfalls, our youth are moving forward on this path. Sometimes you see a luminous and radiant personality rising from a village; from a village near Shahriar, a devoted and radiant youth like Mostafa Sadrzadeh emerges. We have many of these Mostafa Sadrzadehs all over the country, thousands of them; these are all hope-inspiring. We all have a duty; the elites have a duty; the revolutionary cores have a duty; university activists, seminary activists, social figures, especially those whose words reach the people, those whom the people listen to — these have a duty; the duty is to strengthen faith, to strengthen hope, to dispel doubts, to neutralize the enemy's methods of creating doubts and despair.

And I tell you that one of these methods is to instill distrust in the youth towards the authorities of the country, towards the movement of the country, towards the political movement of the country, towards the economic movement of the country, and to create distrust among individuals; this is one of the enemy's methods; counter this. One of the enemy's methods is also to instill distrust in elections, which I will, God willing, discuss later if I am alive and have the opportunity. Here, I will just say that this election is a very important election, and the enemy has already turned its artillery towards this election, busy bombarding the electoral atmosphere, even though we are still at least nine months away from that election. God willing, the Iranian nation, the dear youth, should increase this awareness, this alertness, this motivation, this faith and hope day by day and thwart the enemy.

O Lord! Bestow Your mercy, blessings, guidance, and complete victory upon this nation through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. O Lord! Unite the pure soul of the esteemed Imam with the Prophet. O Lord! Count us among the soldiers of Imam al-Mahdi. O Lord! Be pleased with us and with the sacred heart of that great one; may the prayer of Imam al-Mahdi encompass us, especially our youth. O Lord! Through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, resolve the problems of the country through the determination and will of the officials.

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