Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution at the Grand Gathering of Pilgrims and Visitors of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza

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, infallible, and honored progeny, especially the remainder of God on the earth.

I express my gratitude to the Almighty God for granting me the opportunity to once again be in your presence at the beginning of the year, in the vicinity of the holy shrine of His Holiness Abu al-Hasan al-Ridha (peace be upon him), among you dear people — the visitors and those who dwell near this sacred threshold — on this joyous occasion of the blessed birth of the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the birth of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), as well as the celebration of Nowruz, which is a national festival and a symbolic holiday for our nation.

Let us say a word regarding the birth of the noble Prophet, His Holiness Muhammad ibn Abdullah (peace be upon him and his family), which marks the birth of the standard-bearer of monotheism, justice, knowledge, and purity; "He is the one who sent among the unlettered a messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom"; the embodiment of all this is that sacred existence. From the moment of his birth until the time of his prophethood — a span of forty years — the life of our dear Prophet was a test of purity, trustworthiness, chivalry, and honesty. At that time, both friends and foes, from the leaders of tribes to the common people and travelers who visited Mecca or encountered the noble Prophet during his trade journeys, all acknowledged and testified to the fact that this noble and dignified man was the embodiment of purity, trustworthiness, honesty, and chivalry. Throughout these forty years, no dark point was seen in the life of this great man; no lie was heard, and no transgression or encroachment upon the rights of others was observed from him; all people acknowledged this truth. For forty years, the people recognized the noble Prophet by these traits and qualities.

After the age of forty — when the Prophet's invitation began — a flood of enmity, hatred, slander, and calumny against the Prophet emerged from significant segments of those same people; the very people who had testified to the purity, cleanliness, knowledge, and honesty of this great man before his prophethood were the ones who, after his prophethood, labeled him as a sorcerer, madman, and liar, as mentioned in the Quran. Therefore, the enemies of the Prophet did not have an issue with the person of the Prophet; their problem was with the message of the Prophet. All those who formed a united front against the Prophet were hostile to his message of monotheism, his message of justice, and the teachings of his school.

For fourteen hundred years, the issue has remained the same. If today we observe insults directed at the Prophet in the literature of some Western countries and in the rhetoric of political opportunists from various corners of the Western world, the issue is the same as the ignorance of the early era. Today, those who confront the Prophet and insult his name and memory are opposed to his message of monotheism, his message of justice, and the message of freedom that he brought for humanity. All those who have amassed power and wealth through oppression, deception, bullying, humiliation of people, and enslaving humanity are enemies of this message; they oppose the message of monotheism, the message that calls people to the servitude of the One God; whoever becomes a servant of the One God will not become a servant of the lords of wealth and power. Those who have structured their lives based on discrimination among nations and individuals do not appreciate the message of justice of the Prophet and are hostile to it; these hostilities were a sign of weakness and fear then, and they are a sign of weakness and fear today. Those who oppose the Prophet and his Islam harbor animosity and insult him from a position of weakness, not from a position of power; they feared the message of the Prophet's monotheism and justice then, and today — when the hearts of people around the world are thirsty for spirituality and disgusted by the tyranny of the arrogant — they feel threatened by Islam; Islam that holds the banner of justice and equality, Islam that raises the banner of spirituality and servitude in the world and invites the weary humanity from material systems to itself. Today, the arrogant powers of the world and their mercenaries insult the Prophet out of fear; this is a sign of their defeat, not a sign of their strength and power.

It is a mistake to think that in these matters, only someone like Salman Rushdie, a mercenary writer, or a cartoonist — like what has been done in some European countries — is the opponent of Islam; these are the unfortunate foot soldiers of global arrogance. The issue is the policies. The issue is the members of the colonial and arrogant network of the world; that is, the treacherous and bloodthirsty Zionists and the politicians who are under their influence. This is why you see a European Union official explicitly stating that all Western media should collectively insult the Prophet of Islam! This reveals their hand and exposes their disgrace in such matters. It is evident that Islam, by capturing the hearts of people around the world, has severely frightened the arrogant and they see the remedy in opposing the Prophet of Islam. They were defeated then, and today, God willing, they will be defeated again by the Muslims.

I would also like to say a word regarding the auspicious birth of the rightful Imam, Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (peace be upon him). This great Imam had more opportunities during his lifetime than other Imams to convey the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt — that is, the teachings of pure Islam — to the eager and thirsty hearts. It is a mistake to think that all those thousands who learned from Imam Sadiq were Shiites and believers in the Imamate of that great man; no, many were there who did not believe in the Imamate of Imam Sadiq — as the Shiites believe — but they benefited from the knowledge of Imam Sadiq and the Islamic teachings that were at his disposal. In our narrations, there are many narrations whose narrators are from the Sunnis — non-Shiites — but they narrate from His Holiness Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq. The meaning of this is that today, the Islamic world and the Islamic Ummah are in need of the teachings of Imam Sadiq and the Ahl al-Bayt. The Islamic world is in need of knowing the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt and the teachings of Imam Sadiq and other Imams; they must utilize them. Various segments of the Islamic Ummah must synergize through this means so that the level of Islamic knowledge rises. The prerequisite for this is that the veil of enmity and hostility and hatred among the sects of Muslims does not create distance; the Islamic unity that we speak of means this.

The Week of Unity is approaching. In the Week of Unity, the invitation of the Islamic Republic is not for Shiites or Sunnis to abandon their own sect and turn to another sect; the invitation of the Islamic Republic is to highlight the commonalities among Islamic sects and to remove the walls constructed by the enemies of Islam and the animosities and hostilities; let them come and listen and see in the realm of the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt. Today, more than ever, the enemies are strengthening this wall, this barrier, and these tools and instruments of hostility and hatred and are trying to separate Muslim brothers.

America, the Zionists, and the arrogant powers of the world are not interested in Shiites or Sunnis; they are enemies of both; wherever a Muslim stands against their tyranny — in the name of God and with Islamic faith — they oppose him. You see in Lebanon, they are as hostile to the Shiite Hezbollah as they are to the Sunni Hamas and Jihad in Palestine; during the time of the tyrant in Iran, they were as aligned with the corrupt, dependent Pahlavi regime — which was nominally Shiite — as they were with similar regimes in countries that were named Sunni! They oppose Islam that stands against oppression, that stands against arrogance, that stands against the plundering of the natural resources of nations and demands its rights; for them, Shiite and Sunni do not matter; rather, their policy is to prevent the Islamic Ummah from gaining power and being able to speak decisively, and their strategy is to sow discord among Muslim brothers, among Shiites and Sunnis, among their own sects of Shiism and among their own sects of Sunnism. Their work is to create discord; this must be understood by us, our elites, and our people. We take pride in being followers of the school of the Ahl al-Bayt, we are Shiites, we are followers of the Imamate of Amir al-Mu'minin and his immediate caliphate; we take pride in this, but the place to prove this matter is not the streets; the place to prove such matters is among the experts, among specialists, and among elites. Moreover, the discussion in such matters should be a rational and logical discussion; slandering, fault-finding, and cursing, and drawing swords against one another is aiding the enemies of Islam, who are enemies of both Shiites and Sunnis. We have raised this as the banner of Islamic unity in the Islamic Revolution. The Iranian nation desires this, it speaks of this.

And now regarding Nowruz. Nowruz itself is a season of innovation and blossoming. We have stated that this year is the year of innovation and blossoming; the season of spring itself is a season of innovation and a season of blossoming. The world and nature don new garments, and all of nature becomes green and blossoming. We want this year, our year 87, to be entirely a spring of innovation and blossoming for the Iranian nation. Why do we raise the slogan of innovation and blossoming this year?

The Islamic Revolution itself was a great historical innovation that the Iranian nation recorded in its history and the history of humanity. The revolution was an innovation; the Islamic Republic was an innovation. After the onset of colonialism, the world was divided into two parts: one part was the oppressor, and the other part was the oppressed; governments and powers, relying on knowledge, weapons, and deception, were able to subjugate other countries; they became the oppressors, and these nations and countries — willingly or unwillingly — became the oppressed. The world became accustomed to the division between oppressors and the oppressed; traditionally, a group of nations had to be under the command and yoke of exploitation and the arrogance of other governments and nations. The Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic came and shattered this false demarcation and this erroneous system. The Islamic Republic declared its opposition to oppression and, if it could and had the power, would never engage in oppression; it would not subjugate another nation, nor would it subjugate its own people under its unwanted dominance. It opposes oppression; however, it is even more opposed to being oppressed.

Being oppressed means surrendering and encouraging the oppressors. The nation that sits back and allows its resources to be plundered and its fate to be dominated is encouraging the oppressors and digging its own grave. From an ethical standpoint, oppression and exploitation of a country and the tyrannical domination over a country is the humiliation of nations and the deprivation of their identity. When nations are subjected to oppression, they gradually lose their culture, their identity, and their personality, and that national dignity and public spirit is taken from them. Politically, oppression means taking control of a nation's fate. Just as during the era of tyranny, the Americans and the American regime had dominion over our country, and the nation was powerless; they had placed a tyrant in power and, under his command and behind him, had subjected this nation to oppression and intervened in the internal affairs of this nation: they appointed, dismissed, set policies for the government, brought in prime ministers, removed prime ministers, and even intervened in the appointment of ministers and military commanders. Economically, oppression means plundering a country's resources or stalling its resources. These are the results of oppression.

The Islamic Revolution came and drew a line through all of this. For nearly thirty years, the Islamic Republic has stood with this historic stance against the oppressors who consider the entire world to be their own property. The American regime ruled in this region, and the Middle East was the playground of the arrogant and American statesmen; Iran — which is the jewel of the Middle East and the geographical center of this region — was under their influence. The revolution came and overturned all of this; the Islamic Republic stood valiantly in the heart of this battle, and the situation changed.

Today, look at the Middle East; it is a showcase of America's failures and defeats. In these years, they have done everything they could to prevent the growth and empowerment of the Islamic system. If you think they could have struck a blow and did not, that is a mistake; they did everything they could; what they did not do, they could not do. In the face of their imposed war, their treacherous invasion, their economic sanctions, their psychological warfare, their propaganda, and the uproar and commotion they created against the Islamic Republic in the world, the Islamic Republic, with the support of this great and brave nation, stood firm. It stood firm, not only in the sense that it was able to maintain itself and not be destroyed, but in the sense that it increased its power day by day.

Today, the message of the Islamic Revolution is widespread on the surface and deeply rooted. Today, the nations that look at you, the Iranian nation, with admiration and respect are not limited to neighboring nations; the nations that shower love and affection upon the great leaders and officials of the Islamic Republic are not limited to just those around us; the fame of the Islamic Revolution and the steadfastness of the Iranian nation and this nation's adherence to its principles and values has spread to many regions of the world; this is the expansion on the surface. In depth, the Islamic Republic has been able to advance the country scientifically, technologically, socially, and in providing immense and abundant services to the people. The volume of services that governments have provided over these twenty-nine, thirty years cannot be compared to similar periods during the era of tyranny; a tremendous surge has occurred in economic, social, and political movements in Iran. The national dignity of our country and our nation is today renowned; in scientific advancements, this country, which was at the bottom of the world rankings, is now at the forefront in many fields. You see that the Islamic Republic has advanced ahead of or caught up with eight, nine, or ten of the top countries in the world in certain areas; the path that they have taken over many long years, the Iranian nation, with the efforts of its youth and its talents, has been able to traverse in some of these issues. The horizon is bright, and the future in the eyes of the Iranian people is a hopeful one; this is the progress of the Iranian nation.

Well, we want to enter the fourth decade; for the fourth decade of the Islamic Republic, we must look at the aspects of our lives and see where our shortcomings lie; we have many shortcomings. I conveyed in my message today to the Iranian nation; in many areas, we are inheritors of a hundred years of backwardness from the era of tyranny, and in many sectors, we have lagged behind. We have said we want to go and catch up with the forefront of humanity; we must know that as we move forward, the other nations are not standing still. They are also moving forward. We must adjust our pace and the nature of our movement so that we can reach the forefront; otherwise, if we want to proceed at the same speed and pace that nations typically advance, we will still lag behind at these stages.

When we look ahead to the fourth decade — for these ten years that lie before us — there are two major indicators that we must certainly achieve: one is progress, and the other is justice. Unlike some countries and systems in the world, we do not think only of progress; we want progress alongside justice. Many countries have made scientific progress, and when we look at their economic statistics and indicators, we see that, for example, their per capita income is quite high; however, the important issue is how this per capita income is distributed among the people; this is the point that non-divine systems and systems that are replicas of arrogant models do not pay attention to. We cannot ignore this; we want our country to progress in all aspects — scientifically, economically, technologically, politically — so that the people achieve prosperity; but alongside progress, we want the country to be governed justly and equitably; this is important. Neither justice without progress is desirable, nor progress without justice. Justice without progress means equality in backwardness, equality in poverty; we do not want this. We never demand progress without justice; progress must accompany justice. Class distances must be reduced. Those who have the potential for talent must receive equal opportunities; if someone is lazy, their laziness is on their own shoulders. It should not be the case that in some regions of the country, there is no opportunity for scientific or economic effort, while some can use the resources and facilities of the country infinitely; no, that is the art. The demand of the nation from the governments, from the successive Islamic Councils, from the judiciary, and from all officials must be this. The country must progress; progress in all sectors: progress in wealth creation, progress in increasing productivity, progress in national determination and will, progress in national unity and bringing different classes closer together, progress in scientific and technological achievements, progress in ethics and spirituality, progress in reducing class distances, in public welfare, in social discipline, in creating a work ethic among each and every one of us, progress in moral security, progress in awareness and political growth, progress in national self-confidence — which I announced a few months ago; the nation must have confidence in itself and know that it can; this is the exact opposite of what the enemies of this nation have tried to instill in us over the years, to say and prove that you cannot — progress in all these areas is necessary; but all these advancements must be in the shade of justice and alongside the provision of justice.

Some economic theorists and so-called experts may say: "Sir, it is not possible; if you want to achieve economic progress, you must inevitably accept class distances and tolerate them!" This is where we say "innovation." We should not think that Western economic models are the ultimate human achievement; no, this is also a model, it has a period; that period will pass, and a fresh thought and new idea will enter the field; seek that new thought; the indicator must be this. We want the country to become wealthy; we want investment in productive sectors in the country to become widespread. Today, there are many wealthy individuals in our country who possess wealth; they can invest this wealth in beneficial and honorable investments; it benefits both themselves and the people, and it becomes a source of God's pleasure; the investment of the wealthy in activities that lead to the production of wealth in the country and to increased output within the country — with high returns — is an act of worship and a merit. This path is open; they can invest, create wealth; the management of the country must also ensure that all classes benefit and that the weaker classes can take advantage of opportunities to rise from weakness; everyone must gain capability. We have made significant progress in these thirty years. Up to this point, our enemy has been defeated; until this hour and this day, the enemies of the Iranian nation — namely, the satanic network of Zionism and the arrogant American regime — have been defeated by the Iranian nation.

Today, America is despised and isolated among the public opinion of the world; their slogans no longer hold any color or meaning in the eyes of the people, and no one believes them. Who believes that the American regime is a supporter of human rights and democracy? American human rights! Since the incident of the New York towers in September 2001, the American government has interrogated thirty-two million people within America! Thirty-two million people! These are their own statistics. They monitored people's conversations and tortured them in their prisons; they passed an anti-torture law in Congress, but the current President of the United States vetoed this law, meaning torture is not prohibited! Do they understand what human rights mean? America has about two hundred secret detention centers around the world, some of which are in Europe; the Europeans who speak of human rights as a mere phrase and move from every direction, mention human rights to claim that they adhere to human rights! Is this human rights? In front of someone who questions the Holocaust, they mobilize — their courts, their governments, their newspapers — but in the face of insults to the noble Prophet of Islam, not only do they not protest, but they also join in! Is this human rights? Is this respect for humanity? Is this respect for human beings? They say we support democracy, but wherever the people's votes contradict their interests, they deal with the iron fist against democracy and the government elected by the people! One example is the Hamas government in Palestine. Is it not elected by the people? Another example is the absurd and baseless threats they make against the Islamic Republic; the Islamic Republic, with its extensive popular governance, which in the entire region and in many parts of the world has no equivalent to the popular governance prevalent in our country, has conducted about thirty elections in less than thirty years. They speak against the Islamic Republic, they babble nonsense, they threaten, they threaten with sanctions, they threaten with military attacks; did you not carry out a military attack? Did you not impose sanctions? Have you treated the Iranian nation well until now? This nation has everything it possesses due to its steadfastness and courage and has gained its power from within itself and from its essence. They claim human rights, and then defend the treacherous and bloodthirsty Zionist regime — which commits so many atrocities! I wonder why some European governments do not take a lesson from the fate of the American regime; even though they see how despised it is in the world. Some of them go to the usurped land of Palestine to please the Zionist capitalists and speak against Iran in the parliament of the fake Zionist government; to win their favor! Why do they not take a lesson? Today, the Zionist regime is despised; America — which supports it — is despised by nations; and today, human rights call upon all governments and nations to form a united front against the oppressions of America and the Zionists who dominate America and the American government. In this context, the Iranian nation stands more clearly and bravely than all nations.

With this intention and firm resolve that exists in our nation, with this readiness that today, thanks be to God, exists in our government and among our officials and with the newly elected parliament that is in power and the representatives who are in parliament today — who, thanks be to God, all move in the direction of Islamic values — and with the hope of the support of this nation, we can advance this country further, provided that the officials consider innovation, initiative, and creativity — in various methods — as their duty and strive to bring to fruition what has been initiated over these thirty years — what has been accomplished or what has remained unfinished; they must utilize national resources with priority — with utmost precision and care. God willing, the Iranian nation, our youth, and our officials will witness the further blossoming of this country day by day. I hope that by the end of the year 87, with God's grace and the prayers of His Holiness the Awaited Savior, the Iranian nation will have much better days than today, which is the beginning of this year.

O God! Please be pleased with the sacred heart of the Awaited Imam. Grant us success in serving Islam and Muslims and in serving the country and this nation. O God! Elevate the ranks of our dear Imam and our esteemed martyrs. Make the Iranian nation more beloved and honored day by day.

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