Statements in Meeting with Representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly

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

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters! We hope, God willing, that this new term of the Assembly will be a blessing and a source of goodness for the country and for each of you in your aspirations that every faithful person, in the presence of the Divine, is attached to.

We are in the blessed month of Rajab. The first thing that should be considered during these days and later in the blessed month of Sha'ban, ultimately in the third step and higher in the blessed month of Ramadan, is the reform of ourselves and the removal of heedlessness and darkness from our hearts; this is the essence. All the events and struggles in human life, in the prophethood of the prophets, in the social, political, and military struggles that the divine prophets had with the enemies of God—sufferings, hardships, joys, victories, defeats, all of these—are a prelude to the fact that a person can be joyful and content when crossing this border that one must inevitably cross—namely, the border between material life and eternal life; all of this is for this purpose. If it has been said to have good morals, if it has been said to act according to these regulations, if it has been said to struggle, if it has been said to worship, all of this is so that we can take this raw material that has been entrusted to us and bring it to the desired quality and optimal product and exit through this gate; it is so that we can take this blank page that has been entrusted to us to inscribe with our actions, to bring forth a beautiful and desirable design and carry it with us. Everything is there; destiny is there; these are the preliminaries. In this camp where we are currently training, in order for this training to be useful to us, we must strive to make the most of the opportunities in this camp; we must not let any bounty slip away, nor let any capital be wasted without yielding anything in return.

What has been said: "Indeed, mankind is in loss," loss means this; it means the wasting of capital, the loss of capital. All of us are losing capital at every moment. What is capital? It is our lifetime. Moment by moment, you and I are losing this capital. Today, we have lost another part of our capital compared to yesterday. In this several-decade lifespan, for example, moment by moment, this candle is burning; this capital is being destroyed. Well, what do we gain in return? This is important. "Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised one another to truth and advised one another to patience." If there was faith, if there were righteous deeds—which part of righteous deeds, which is more important, is advising to truth and advising to patience—then this capital has gone, but something better will take its place. It is like when you take your money, you go to the market; when you come out of the market, this money is lost and is no longer in your pocket; what is important is what you brought back with you; do not return empty-handed from this market. The month of Rajab is a good opportunity; it is the month of supplication, the month of intercession, the month of attention, the month of seeking forgiveness. We must always seek forgiveness. No one should think that I am free from seeking forgiveness. The Prophet of God says: "Indeed, my heart becomes clouded, and I seek forgiveness from God seventy times a day." Undoubtedly, the Prophet also sought forgiveness at least seventy times a day. Seeking forgiveness is for everyone; especially for us who are immersed and polluted in these material movements, in this material world. Seeking forgiveness purifies and removes part of this pollution. It is the month of seeking forgiveness; God willing, let us consider the opportunity precious. We congratulate you on the arrival of this month. God willing, may this blessed month be for us and you, and when we enter the month of Sha'ban, may we have accomplished part of our work with divine success.

It is necessary to express our gratitude to the esteemed representatives for their expressions of affection and support that you showed after our humble remarks in the Friday prayer. Unity in announcing fundamental positions in the country is good; especially when one sees enemies in front, with ears sharpened, eyes fixed, looking for any weakness, deficiency, or doubt in the opposite side to immediately take advantage of that and attack. Especially in such times, a united voice is very necessary, very important.

I would like to mention a few points regarding the Assembly; of course, you generally know these. These are reminders. Sometimes, there is an effect in hearing that is not in knowing. A person knows things; but it is still good to hear them again. Thanks be to God, this Assembly is good in terms of expertise, knowledge, and the level of thought and science; in this regard, we are happy and proud of ourselves.

One reminder is that the Assembly is the thinking power of the country. Thought manifests itself in the form of law, and then it spreads and flows throughout the existence of the country. Something that must always be kept in mind is to see what the relationship of this thinking power is with the fundamental values of the revolution—because this is a branch that has sprouted from the immense, towering, and solid body of the revolution—and secondly, what its relationship is with society, with the problems of the country, and with the needs of the people. One look at the origin, one look at the end; one look at the starting point, one look at the goal; this must be clear. If this is established, then the laws will be both authentic and correct and effective. If the first is not there, the law is like a branch cut from a tree; it will lose its authenticity and will no longer be an authentic law. If the second is not there, the law is authentic, has legitimacy, but lacks acceptability. If it does not conform to the immediate and up-to-date needs of society and also the long-term needs of society, then it will no longer have acceptability according to whatever amount it lacks in that direction. This is one point that must be kept in mind.

Now, for example, you said that attention is given to the policies under Article 44 of the Constitution. See, this itself is an indicator. If we accept the policies of Article 44, suppose we pass a law that does not align with these policies, how is this rejected in your view? The same issue in the broader context relates to the fundamental values of the revolution, the foundational principles of the revolution. The foundational principles of the revolution must be reviewed; do not forget this. To say that we do not have doubts in the opinions of the Imam—suppose now they do not express the term "doubt," but they say things that imply the same doubt—this is not correct. The will of the Imam, the summary of the statements of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) is the foundational principles of our revolution, the principles of our revolution. The Imam was a great man, knowledgeable. Always keep these in mind. The law, positioning, and movement should be based on this. One person may understand it one way, another person may understand it another way—this is not a problem—but the goal must be this, the axis must be this.

Another point is that the law has a binding and governing aspect and a guardianship aspect. You are exercising guardianship over society with the law, you are exercising authority over society; therefore, the law is binding. These aspects are preserved and correct. That is, your counterpart in society, which includes all people—yourself included—falls under the authority of the law; the law exercises guardianship over them; this is the clear aspect of the law. There is another aspect, and that is the cultural and educational impact of the law on society. Any law that you pass, even if it apparently has no connection to educational and cultural issues—suppose an economic law—has a direct or indirect cultural, moral, and educational effect on the people. Behaviors and morals have reciprocal effects; both morality affects behavior, and behavior affects morality. You see: "Then the end of those who did evil was evil." The bad deeds we do affect our hearts, affect our morals, sometimes affect our perceptions and understandings; the attachments we develop affect our mentalities. Actions and behaviors on one side, and morality and education on the other side; these have reciprocal effects.

The law is the same. Whatever law you pass, whether it relates to road transport, customs, economy, foreign policy, whatever it is, it also has educational and moral effects; attention must be paid to this aspect of the law. If we pass a law that strengthens the spirit of law-abidingness in the people, this is good; if, on the contrary, we pass a law that creates a spirit of law-breaking and disregard for the law in the people—even if indirectly—this is undesirable. If we pass a law that strengthens the spirit of contentment in the people, this is good; if, on the contrary, it strengthens the spirit of extravagance in the people, this is bad. If it strengthens the spirit of religiosity in the people, this is good; if it strengthens the spirit of carelessness in the people, this is bad. Pay attention to this aspect: the reciprocal impact of rights and ethics; the connections between legal issues and ethical issues. These are very important matters.

Of course, this is the theoretical aspect of the issue, meaning the application of the theoretical aspect of the matter; alongside this, the practical and external aspect of the matter must also be considered by you. That is, if you want to pay attention to Islamic ethics in your laws, it is good to also have practical ethical and educational sessions. A person becomes empty. In the midst of work, a person becomes void. One must rise above this heat of executive work, become heavenly, divine, elevated, lightened, and then return. I once gave an example of this water that comes from the sky, pure and clean, then becomes polluted in these pools and seas and lakes; after becoming polluted, it evaporates, rises up; it becomes pure again, and returns. Let us rise up, become pure, and return. You and I need this very much.

We had a friend from the time we were in Qom, to whom I was very attached spiritually; from his sessions—intimate gatherings of two or three people where we would sit together and have theological discussions—I benefited greatly; from his spirituality, from his morals, from his knowledgeable words and behaviors. We had not seen him for years; because he had gone to Najaf and we were busy here. After I became president, he came to Iran. One time, I accidentally saw him and said, my friend! I need you more now than I did back then. Now I am the president; back then I was just an ordinary seminary student. We agreed that he would come to see me every week or two; and so it was until he passed away; may God have mercy on him. We need this. The more responsibility we have, the more we need it. "Those who are richer are more in need" of these ethical sessions, of these spiritual sessions.

One of the good things that was established in the Assembly from the beginning was the recitation of the Quran at the beginning of official Assembly sessions. Recently, during the presidency of Mr. Haddad Adel, another good tradition was added to it, which was reading the translation of the Quran—whether this is still ongoing or not—I do not know—which is very good. This Quran should not just take on a formal aspect; we should listen, benefit from the words of the Quran. Let us give our hearts to the Quran. Every word of these words of the Quran can create a revolution in our hearts; of course, for someone who is familiar with the Quran. Based on experience, a person who is not familiar with the Quran does not gain much from it. "Which of you has been increased in faith by this?" The verse that came, the hypocrites said, what happened? Has your faith increased? They understood nothing from the Quran. If there is familiarity with the Quran and giving one’s heart to the Quran, then one sees that from every word of the Quran, one enjoys a pure and clean drop; a light shines in the heart of a person. Attention must be paid to this Quran and this recitation; especially since now for those who need translation, it is accompanied by translation. There should be ethical and knowledgeable sessions; people should come and advise us; even the things we know should be told to us. As I mentioned, in hearing, there is sometimes an effect that is not in knowing. We know many things, but we forget; when it is said, our hearts awaken.

Another point is that the Assembly is a place for dialogue. The level of discussions is generally high; because the level of thought and knowledge of friends, thanks be to God, is high. Opinions are expressed, consultations are made, it is a place for consultation. What I want to emphasize and convey to all of you brothers and sisters is that you should raise the spirit of tolerance for opposing views in the Assembly. Something is contrary to your opinion; well, let them say it; the sky will not fall to the ground. Listen, and then refute it with reasoning. If you do not have time to refute and respond, do not vote according to it, do not act upon it. If you have a friend or acquaintance whose mind you want to enlighten, very well, gently tell them. Do not let the expressions and opinions remain incomplete and unfulfilled. Unfortunately, in our assemblies from the beginning, there has been this state where some people, in the middle of a conversation, raise their voices aggressively and speak. I remember during my presidency, I once went to the Assembly for a certain issue, I had a lengthy and detailed speech in the Assembly. One of the representatives, who was also a friend of ours, but had a different angle—politically, he had a different angle; you know that at that time, some interactions were sharp—started loudly speaking from the back of the Assembly; as the gentlemen say, creating a disturbance. I said, well, dear brother! I am saying my words; you may not accept them; that is not a problem. He would quiet down, but after a moment, he would raise his voice again. I later saw him and said, why are you doing this? Well, listen to the words; then you can stand there—this is the Assembly, it belongs to you—speak your own words. I came to speak, I am the president, I will go out; the Assembly is at your disposal; say whatever you want. He said no, the point is that when you speak, it affects some hearts; I want to prevent that effect! Well, this is a method; but in my opinion, it is not the method of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the assembly of the elite of the Islamic society.

In our theological discussions, we had always been accustomed to this. The custom of theological discussions is to interrupt each other. That is, one person begins to argue; in the middle of their speech, they say no, it is not like that; he says no, it is not like that. Discussions often do not reach a conclusion. Have you heard of theological discussions where books are thrown at each other? This stems from this. Gradually, in the seminaries, this habit has been established that in discussions, one should listen; the opinions that seem wrong, contrary to reality, weak, and flimsy should all be listened to; then say, very well, now you listen; this is the answer to your argument, this is the flaw in your argument. Some of our friends, I have seen, still maintain that state; they express their opinions, people listen until they finish; then when a person starts to speak, they start responding again! This is not the nature of an assembly like the Islamic Consultative Assembly.

Therefore, both in the sense that one should raise the spirit of tolerance in the Assembly, and that efforts should be made to ensure that opinions are not expressed out of stubbornness, attention should be paid. Of course, saying it is easy, but acting on it is hard. I truly acknowledge that acting on it is hard. Sometimes a person expresses an opinion out of stubbornness, out of hostility towards a certain individual or a certain group; this is not correct. That is, speaking based on stubbornness and personal and factional power struggles should not be the case. Listen to everyone’s words, even if the person speaking is not part of your faction, your group, your front, or whatever you want to call it; if you see that it is a correct argument, then "let them follow the best of it." Observe the Quranic wisdom: "They listen to the speech and follow the best of it." One must listen; then whatever is better, one should accept; even if that better comes from someone whom one does not like or does not accept. This is a very good state. If this happens, it is very good; contrary to the state where as soon as one sees that this person who has stood up is from the opposing faction, is from the negative group in my view, they immediately decide to reject them. This, in my opinion, is a very important issue. It should be acted upon scientifically, rationally, and thoughtfully; discussions and consultations should be healthy and ethical, not out of stubbornness, and there should be tolerance for opposing views.

Another point is that you have these three years ahead of you, and with this new government, you are supposed to collectively manage the country; you in one direction, the government in another direction; you are the legislators, the government is the executor; you must work together. Establish a foundation of cooperation, moderation, and a spirit of collaboration. Of course, we also have reminders regarding this issue of cooperation with the government, and we will express them—in meetings with the esteemed elements of the government and with the government as a whole—this is preserved; but what we want to convey to you is that you should establish a foundation for cooperation with the government. The government is the one in the field. I was also in the Assembly, like you, I was a representative, and I was also in the government; I have experienced both situations. Well, yes, the representative expects that I work hard, I sit down to legislate, this law must be implemented; this is a correct expectation, a rightful expectation; but the government also has a rightful expectation; the government says I am in this rocky terrain, in this difficult path, in this exhausting uphill, carrying all this burden; sometimes I get stuck, help me; do not be strict. The government is the element in the middle of the field; in this procession of mourning, the banners are carried—apparently here they call it a banner or sign; we in Mashhad call it a "jareedeh," meaning these large signs—which sometimes have ten or twelve branches and are very heavy. The strong men of Mashhad were responsible for carrying these banners; it was very difficult. I remember these banners were brought to the market. There was a place in the market that was a bit wider; there they had to circle around and display it and do certain things. This one person who was carrying the banner was being assisted by ten or twelve people: one was wiping his sweat, one was giving him water, one was saying God bless you, one was sometimes massaging his shoulder.

Executive work is hard. I remember individuals would go to the Imam and say, O Imam, there is a problem here, a merchant has done such and such. Well, every part of the country has many disorders and always has; it was the same back then, and there were many. They would go to complain to the Imam. I had seen or heard from some that the Imam would listen to the complaints and then say, O, the work is hard. This is the reality. Work in planning and on paper and in various charts and diagrams has one meaning, but work in the field has another meaning. What is very easy to draw on paper is very hard in practice.

These war maps would be brought into my office, and friends involved in military matters would gather; the commanders of the war would explain that this is the operation plan, we will go from here to there. I would see some of our friends looking at it and saying, wow, this seems very easy. This short line, for example, the length of half a matchstick, is the movement. Well, this half matchstick, meaning, for example, suppose ten kilometers where several thousand people will engage here and many will be killed and wounded. On the map, half a matchstick is the path and seems to require no effort; but in practice, it is hard. The point is, it is difficult; one must be lenient with the government.

Do not let the work reach friction. The people really do not like friction anymore. Some periods of the Assembly were periods of friction. The feedback from these tensions in the Assembly was very negative. The people do not like this at all. Whenever the people turned on the Assembly radio, there was a quarrel; there was a sharp and biting remark in it. The people do not like this. The people want us, who are sitting here in the management of the country, to be kind to each other, to work together, to be sincere with each other. Not that we overlook each other's sins and mistakes; absolutely—not that is not desirable, that is against values—but the nature of interactions, the nature of kindness, the nature of brotherhood and faith must be present.

Another issue—now that our discussion is becoming lengthy—is the culture of lawfulness in the country. We truly need the law to be considered a standard, an axis, a decisive factor in all matters of the country. If we are law-abiding, this will truly make the lives of the people smoother; just like the green and red lights at intersections. See how much trouble ignoring this issue creates. Well, you arrive at the intersection with your car. Suppose for one minute, two minutes, the light was green and they were going; by the time you arrived, it turned red. It is hard; now you have to wait here for a while. Your entry into this prohibited area, for the sake of your own comfort and peace of mind, causes dozens of people and cars on both sides of the road to be disrupted; the police officer standing in the middle, who should regulate the work, also faces problems. Well, if the law is respected, this many problems will not arise. See, this is a clear example that we face daily, and therefore, it is often respected. Everywhere, the law is the same. If the law is respected, work becomes smooth; if lawlessness comes into the field—where everyone has a justification for their lawlessness; one says, this law violated my rights, this law was such, this law was that; but these justifications are not acceptable—work becomes disrupted.

If lawlessness becomes prevalent, work will become entangled; traffic will become heavy, traffic jams will arise, people's work will be disrupted, and the interests of the people will be trampled. Everyone must respect the law. And I tell you; this case, like other cases, is something that the culture of it must overflow from the elites to the body of society. If you, who are among the elites, do not respect the law, do not expect the body of society to respect the law. We claim elitism—political elitism, scientific elitism—but in the same case, we disregard the law in our own work.

In these current issues, I have been and will continue to be adamant about the implementation of the law; that is, we will not step one step beyond the law; the law of our country, the law of the Islamic Republic. Certainly, neither the system nor these people will submit to oppression at any cost. The opposite of lawfulness and submission to the law is dictatorship. This, too, friends must know and be aware of—if they do not know—that there is a tendency towards dictatorship in the spirit of all of us; this must be suppressed. Just as we mentioned, we must constantly keep this drunken elephant within us in check with the hammer of law, religion, and devotion. If we do not remedy ourselves, the remedy will be difficult. If there is no submission to the law, the spirit of dictatorship will gradually emerge. In societies, dictatorship arises in this way.

The last point, which I have repeatedly mentioned, is that esteemed representatives should look at the whole country in their legislation. Of course, they must certainly consider the interests of their own region—there is no doubt about that—but that interest must be integrated into the overall perspective of the whole country; otherwise, if a representative from the east works for the east, even against the west; a representative from the west works for the west, even against the east, that cannot be. Being a representative of the east or the north or the south means that you know the needs of that region and you incorporate them into the law, not that you write the law only for that region; the law is for everyone. This is a general perspective on the country in terms of legislation.

One more issue is extravagance and such; extravagance in expenses, extravagance in travels; these are also things that sometimes some esteemed representatives write to me or tell me. You yourselves must pay attention to this point, do not let it happen that the Islamic Consultative Assembly loses its state of piety and asceticism; this matter must be given great attention.

We hope, God willing, that the Almighty God grants you and us success in what pleases Him; and that this period of responsibility does not become a burden for us, God willing, but rather a source of happiness for us and a means of drawing closer to the Almighty God, and may we be accepted in the presence of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him); God willing, may we be included in the prayers of that great one, and may the pure spirit of our great Imam and the martyrs be pleased with us.

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