Television Speech on the Birth of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance)

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 Muhammad and his pure family.

Happy Eid of the Half of Sha'ban to all of you dear brothers and sisters, to the entire nation of Iran, to all Muslims around the world, and to all freedom-seekers across the globe. Unfortunately, I do not have the opportunity to meet you closely and must speak to you from afar, but this is also an experience. Today, I will say a few words about the Blessed Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and a few words about the current issues of our country with our dear nation. First, let us extend our greetings to the Blessed Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him): Peace be upon you, O Blessed One of God on His earth; Peace be upon you, O Covenant of God that He has taken and confirmed; Peace be upon you, O Promise of God that He has guaranteed; Peace be upon you, O Flag raised high, O Knowledge poured down from the heavens, O Help and vast Mercy, a promise that is not false.

Perhaps in the history of mankind, there has rarely been a time when humanity, the human community everywhere in the world, has felt the need for a savior as much as today—both the elites who consciously feel this need and many people who feel it unconsciously. The feeling of needing a savior, the feeling of needing the Mahdi, the feeling of needing a divine hand of power, the feeling of needing an infallible leadership, the feeling of needing purity, of divine guidance; in fewer periods of history has humanity felt such a need for this lofty truth. Today, after humanity has experienced various schools of thought and different ideologies—from communism to Western democracy to the prevalent liberal democracy in the world—with all the claims they make, they do not feel comfort; humanity, with all these astonishing scientific advancements that have completely changed the state of life in the world, does not feel happiness; humanity is afflicted with poverty, with disease, with immorality and sin, with injustice, with inequality, with a very wide class gap; humanity is suffering from the abuse of powers of science; powers misuse science, misuse the discoveries of nature, misuse the capabilities extracted from nature; humanity is facing these issues; these have caused people everywhere in the world to feel tired; to feel the need for a saving hand.

Billions of people in the world are in distress; some may have comfort, but even they do not have peace; humanity is afflicted with worry, with anxiety, and these advancements and various transformations have not been able to bring happiness to humanity. Of course, human reason is a great blessing; experience is a great blessing; these are blessings from God and can solve many of life's problems, but there are some knots that cannot be untied with these. Consider the issue of justice; justice cannot be solved by today's advanced science and technology; its knot cannot be untied. Today, injustice in the world feeds on science; that is, advanced science is at the service of injustice, at the service of warmongering, at the service of seizing the lands of others, at the service of domination over nations; thus, science can no longer untie these knots; they require a spiritual power, a divine power, the powerful hand of the infallible Imam who can accomplish these tasks; therefore, the great mission of the Blessed Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) is to "fill the earth with justice and fairness"; his great mission is justice. In many narrations, in prayers, in pilgrimages, this meaning has been referred to: the establishment of justice; this is something that can only be achieved through the divine power that emerges from the sleeve of the Blessed Imam Mahdi. The justice that is expected to be established by the Imam is not limited to a specific aspect; it encompasses all aspects of life; justice in power, justice in wealth, justice in health, justice in human dignity and social status, justice in spirituality and the possibility of growth, justice in all dimensions of life; these are the things that are expected to be established by the Blessed Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) in the world, and God willing, with God's grace, it will be realized.

All of humanity—whether those who are elite and can discern events, or the masses in various countries who are caught up in life and are oblivious—share this feeling of need, although some are aware of it, while others are not. And of course, in all religions, this promise has been given; in all religions, the promise of a divine relief and a great movement at the end of history has been made—though this is not the end of history; the real world and the real life of humanity begins with the time of the Imam of the Age, but at the end of this current state of life we have today—this has been promised, and all have promised such an outcome.

So this need exists, but for this need to take direction and be beneficial, Islam has asked us to have hope. Hope is beyond mere need; it is beyond the feeling of need. We have been told to wait; waiting means hope, waiting means believing that there is a certain future; it is not just need; waiting is constructive, hence in our narrations, in our teachings, the expectation of relief holds a very important place, which I will explain later. In the honorable letter of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) to Ibn Babawayh—Ali ibn Babawayh—it is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: "The best of the deeds of my nation is waiting for relief"; that is, hope. In a narration from Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him), it is stated: "The best act of worship after knowledge is waiting for relief." Knowledge means monotheism and knowledge of divine truths; the best acts after that are waiting for relief. It is narrated from Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): "Wait for relief and do not despair of God's mercy"; thus, in waiting for relief, there is hope, there is movement, there is action, which has been mentioned regarding the expectation of relief, and it is certain that waiting for relief means waiting for the appearance of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him); this is one instance of waiting for relief. When the Prophet says: "The best of the deeds of my nation is waiting for relief," it refers to all the problems that arise in human life; various problems arise in life, and one should not become hopeless in the face of these problems; one must have hope for relief; one must know that relief will come. The very act of waiting for relief is a type of relief itself, as is narrated from Imam Musa ibn Ja'far: "You do not know that waiting for relief is itself a form of relief"; the very waiting for relief and the anticipation of it is a release for a person that saves them from despair, from the state of helplessness that drives them to strange and bizarre actions. Well, the fact that the Prophet and the Imams said this means that the Muhammadan nation (peace be upon him) should not become hopeless in any event of life and should always have hope for relief.

Well, waiting does not mean sitting idly and staring at the door; waiting means preparing oneself, taking action; it means that one should feel that there is a destiny that can be reached and that to achieve that destiny, one must strive. We who are waiting for relief, waiting for the appearance of the Blessed Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him), must strive in this path; we must strive to create a Mahdavi society; we must cultivate ourselves and, as much as we can, transform our surroundings to bring it closer to a Mahdavi society, which is a society of justice, a society of spirituality, a society of knowledge, a society of brotherhood and fraternity, a society of dignity.

One point regarding waiting for relief is that waiting for relief is different from impatience and setting a specific time for when this event should be completed or when this intensity should end or when the Imam should appear, which leads one to impatience and stamping their feet; waiting for relief is not this. Waiting for relief means preparing oneself; impatience and haste are among the things that are prohibited. In a narration, it is stated: "Indeed, God does not hasten due to the haste of His servants"; if you are hasty, it does not mean that God will also hasten His decisions based on your haste; no, everything has a set time, a specific time, and wisdom, and it is carried out based on that wisdom.

Another point I want to mention is that waiting for relief refers to both the ultimate relief that is the appearance of the Imam and the relief after hardship; that is, relief after difficult and widespread events, like the events that exist in the world today that discourage many and drive many to suicide, but when the expectation of relief exists, one knows that this event will undoubtedly come to an end.

Well, another point here is that this psychological calm resulting from waiting for relief, this inner assurance that a person has, that their soul and heart are not turbulent, can be increased; through prayer, through supplication, through communion with the Lord, as it is said: "Indeed, by the remembrance of God do hearts find rest." These prayers that have been transmitted—now we are in the blessed month of Sha'ban, and then in the month of Ramadan—numerous prayers, various supplications, and speaking with God without intermediaries are very important; or conversing with the Imams (peace be upon them), who are the closest beings in existence to the Almighty God, gives a person assurance and calm. Remembering the Almighty God brings relief to a person, brings joy to a person, and attracts divine mercy, which will undoubtedly have effects and blessings from millions of hands raised in prayer. Last night, millions succeeded in familiarizing their hearts with God, connecting with Him, and raising their hands in prayer and speaking with God; undoubtedly, this will show its good effects both in themselves and in the entire community and will bring many blessings. These are a few sentences I wanted to express regarding the issue of the appearance and relief and the uprising of the Blessed Imam Mahdi; of course, there is much to say on these topics, and I will suffice with this.

However, regarding the current issue in the country, which is the coronavirus; well, this is a public affliction, a test; a test for the world; both for governments and for nations; governments are tested in this incident, and nations are tested in this incident; it is a strange test. Of course, much has been said about the statistics and the very good actions that have been taken and the recommendations made by officials; the media has also done very well in this regard, and I have no comments on this, but I want to mention a few points.

One point is that the Iranian nation has shone brightly in this test; the Iranian nation has excelled in the coronavirus test, in this public illness that should actually be called this modern plague. First, the peak of this national pride belongs to the medical community of the country, which I have repeatedly said and must repeat again the greatness of their work and the value of their sacrifices; whether doctors, nurses, specialists in laboratory sciences, radiology, health house workers, service sectors, research sectors, and management in the Ministry of Health and around it who are active in this area; the peak of this pride belongs to them; they have put their lives and health at the service of the people; this is very significant and magnificent. They endured the pain of being away from their families; even during Nowruz and the Nowruz holidays, many of them did not visit their families; they suffered from insomnia, from the psychological pressures resulting from dealing with critically ill patients, and they endured all of this, and this will remain a pleasant memory of the medical and healthcare system in the minds of this nation; this is a pleasant memory, and during this period, the medical and nursing community of the country has left a good legacy and memory.

Alongside these, volunteers, those who were not part of the medical community but voluntarily entered this field; jihadist clerics, jihadist students, thousands of hardworking Basijis in various sectors of the country, and the masses of people provided valuable services that truly exceed description, which makes one genuinely pleased on one hand and grateful on the other.

Alongside these, the armed forces, who have truly utilized all their constructive capabilities and innovations; even in scientific fields, even in the fields of discoveries and the construction and production of health and medical facilities—from hospitals to recovery centers to the other equipment that was at the disposal of the armed forces—they put their best efforts into this work; their constructive capabilities, their innovative capabilities were put to work in the realm of science and action. Then new capacities were discovered; it became clear that there are many capacities within the armed forces and also outside the armed forces that we did not know about. These young people who come on television to explain the work they have done, the things they have built, we generally did not know these; these are newly discovered capacities.

And the people; truly, the public participation has also created very beautiful scenes and astonishing scenes that exist everywhere; I will specifically mention a few cases. This does not mean that these few cases are exclusive; no, these have been reported to me, and I will mention them: for example, in Sabzevar, the plan "Every Neighborhood a Sacrifice" has started; the residents of the neighborhood gather to sacrifice a sheep and give the meat to the needy of that neighborhood; this is a very necessary and important thing that they are doing to feed the needy. Or in Yazd, a martyr's mother, in collaboration with a group of women she has gathered, has turned her home into a sewing workshop where they produce masks and provide them free of charge to the people. Or in Nahavand, a group of women who baked bread during the Sacred Defense have become active to control the disease and help. In Khuzestan, clerics have formed a headquarters and even disinfect homes. In Shiraz, local trustees are talking to property owners—home and shop owners—to not collect rent or to give discounts or to provide extensions to help the merchants. In Tabriz, the head of the seminary has personally gotten involved and is actively working on the ground. In one city, a Hezbollah candidate who did not win in the elections has not closed his campaign headquarters and has kept it open, organizing activists to serve the jihadist movement against the coronavirus. These are, of course, limited reports that I have at hand for now; however, hundreds of similar cases, even thousands of similar cases exist throughout the country in various forms, and I have referred to some of these in previous talks. It is important to note that these are signs of the depth of Islamic culture and the penetration of Islamic culture in our people, in the hearts of our people. Contrary to the desires and claims of those who, especially in the last couple of decades, unfortunately tried to belittle Iranian culture, to belittle Islamic-Iranian culture, to make people aware of Western culture and Western lifestyles, fortunately, this feeling of Islamic thought and Islamic culture and the chain of Islamic values in the people is very strong and firm.

Conversely, Western culture and civilization have also shown their products; what happened in Western countries, in Europe and America—some of which our television has reported, but some of which is not reported on television and is information that reaches us and we know—has shown its own products. A government seizing masks belonging to another government, gloves belonging to another government, which happened with several governments in Europe and America. Or people emptying stores in a short period, within an hour or two, fighting to buy more to fill their refrigerators and freezers, and emptying the stores, which was shown on the world's televisions, and our television also reported it; or people fighting over a few rolls of toilet paper, or people lining up to buy weapons, showing that people are lining up to buy weapons because they feel threatened during these days when they should have weapons; or prioritizing patients, not treating elderly patients; they say there is no need for us to bother and treat elderly, disabled patients with serious problems; these are incidents that have occurred there. Some have committed suicide out of fear of the coronavirus, out of fear of death; these are behaviors that some Western nations have shown. This, of course, is the logical and natural result of the philosophy dominating Western civilization; that is, the philosophy of individualism, the philosophy of materialism, philosophies that are often atheistic, where if there is any belief in God, that belief is not a correct, deep, knowledge-generating monotheism. This is also an issue.

I should also mention that one of the Western senators recently said that the savage West has come alive; this is their statement. When we say that there is a spirit of savagery in the West that does not contradict its well-groomed appearance and its cologne-scented and tie-wearing demeanor, some are surprised and deny it; now they themselves say that this is the symbol of the revival of the savage West.

Another dimension regarding this incident is the public behavior of our dear nation in adhering to the recommendations, which one truly observes that people act on what the National Headquarters for Combating Coronavirus decisively states. Yes, there may be times when something is stated hesitantly, and people do not reach the conclusion that this must be done, but where something is stated decisively and they feel that this must be done, people accompany the decisions of the officials; one example was the thirteenth of Farvardin this year; one could hardly believe that people would cancel Sizdah Bedar, but they did; people did not go out for Sizdah Bedar. This indicates that people have genuinely accepted a public order in facing this incident, which must continue; this public order must exist, and the decisions of the National Headquarters [for Combating Coronavirus]—which is the primary authority in this regard—must be taken seriously and acted upon.

Another aspect of this issue is that, of course, today the coronavirus is a major problem and a dangerous affliction for humanity that has come upon them, but this problem is relatively small compared to many other problems; we have observed and experienced numerous problems in the world and in our own country that were not less than this incident, but rather more; among them, [is that] exactly 32 years ago, at this very time when the coronavirus entered our region, Saddam's airplanes dropped chemical materials in certain areas, killing thousands of our people and their own people with mustard gas and similar substances; this incident occurred. Of course, all the powers of the world supported Saddam that day, helped him; some of these so-called civilized and advanced countries—at least in claims—provided him with chemical materials, supplied him with chemical weapons, and to this day, no one has held them accountable or answered why they committed this crime. And that criminal, Saddam, acted this way with our people, and with his own people in Halabja, he acted the same way; because he felt that the people of Halabja might cooperate with the Islamic Republic's warriors, he also dropped [chemical materials] there and led the people to death in the streets; these are the realities.

In the great wars of the world, in the two world wars, millions were killed; now in the case of the coronavirus, it is said that, for example, so far a little over a million have been infected worldwide. In the first and second world wars, which occurred about twenty years apart in Europe, several million—now I do not remember exactly, but I know it was more than ten million—were killed; in the Vietnam War, when America attacked there, it was the same; and in various other wars. Recently, many were killed in Iraq due to American actions, many were martyred; and similar incidents have occurred frequently. So when we think about this issue, we should not forget the other significant events that have always existed in the world and know that even now millions of people are suffering under the oppression of the enemy and the enmity of the enemies and the powerful; people in Yemen, people in Palestine, and in many other parts of the world are under pressure. Therefore, our issue with the coronavirus should not distract us from the enemy's plots, from the plots of global arrogance; because the enmity of global arrogance is also against the very system of the Islamic Republic. That someone thinks that if we do not act as enemies, they will not act as enemies is not true; the very system of the Islamic Republic, the very principle of Islamic democracy is unacceptable, incomprehensible, and intolerable to them. This is another point.

We say that the officials in the National Headquarters [for Combating Coronavirus] are seriously engaged in work, and reports are given to us, and we become informed. And for some vulnerable groups, they have thought of plans, which I recommend and emphasize that these programs that the government officials have considered for some vulnerable groups should be implemented as quickly, as much, and as well as possible, God willing; but alongside this, the people also have responsibilities. There are some who, in these conditions and in this situation, truly find it very difficult to manage their normal lives; people who have the means and ability should start extensive activities in this regard. In the honorable Salawat "Shajarat al-Nubuwwah," we read: "And grant me the ability to assist those whom You have constrained in their sustenance with what You have expanded for me from Your grace... and You have kept me under Your shade"; this is one of the necessary actions that must be taken; especially with Ramadan approaching. Ramadan is the month of giving, the month of sacrifice, the month of helping the needy; it would be wonderful if a widespread exercise were to take place in the country for mutual assistance and compassionate help to the needy and the poor, which, if it happens, will leave a pleasant memory of this year in people's minds. To prove our devotion to the Imam of the Age, we must create scenes and manifestations of a Mahdavi society ourselves, which we mentioned; a Mahdavi society is a society of justice and fairness, a society of dignity, a society of knowledge, a society of mutual assistance and brotherhood; these are the things we must realize in our lives, to the extent of our ability; this brings us closer.

The last point I want to make is that in the absence of public sessions during Ramadan—these public sessions, sessions of prayer, sessions of speeches, sessions of supplication, were very valuable, and this year, we are deprived of these sessions—let us not neglect worship and supplication and humility in solitude; we can create this meaning, this attention, this humility and submission in our own rooms, in our own solitude, among our families and children, and of course, there are programs on television that can also be utilized, and we must carry out these actions.

I also offer a recommendation to the officials—both the officials and the young activists in the field of science and technology—that two things should not be forgotten: one is the issue of production leap, which is vital for the country, and we must pursue the issue of production at all costs and create a real leap in production; the other is the issue of laboratory construction and producing the many needs that young people in laboratory sectors will pursue, God willing.

We ask the Almighty God for the prosperity of the Iranian nation; may God bless the pure soul of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), may the pure souls of the dear martyrs be united with the Prophet, and God willing, may He realize the great aspirations of the Iranian nation and bring the relief of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) closer.

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