Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with Representatives and Staff of the Islamic Consultative Assembly

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

I extend my greetings to all dear brothers and sisters, the esteemed representatives of the Iranian nation in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, as well as the honorable staff of the Assembly who have borne significant burdens over the years and continue to perform important duties.

We have repeatedly spoken and heard about the Assembly. The Assembly is the essence of the nation; it is the manifestation of popular governance; it is the place for determining the direction of the government and the nation; it embodies the people's demands in various policies—both domestic and foreign; it is the hope of the people; it is the trusted entity of the people; it supports the government; it is the key to fundamental tasks for the officials of the system and the country's administrators. These are matters that today, thanks be to God, have materialized in our country, and stating them is not a new thing. I would like to present two small points so that this annual meeting with our dear representative brothers and sisters will, God willing, be beneficial for both sides and earn God's pleasure.

One point is that stating these words—that the Assembly is the center of the people's votes, the manifestation of the people's will, and the true administrator of the country under the shadow of laws—is one stage; acting upon these and realizing them is another stage. What we are proud of in the Islamic Republic is this second stage; otherwise, such statements are made everywhere in the world and at all times. In the times following the Constitutional Revolution, similar statements were made in our own country. They spoke of the Assembly, they spoke of laws, they spoke of elections; however, there were significant gaps between the truth and what actually happened and the reality of the matter. Our people truly did not experience their presence in the administration of the country in the form of legislation from the time of the Constitutional Revolution until before the victory of the Islamic Revolution; perhaps there were one or two two-year terms in the early days of the National Consultative Assembly—such as the second or third term; even that was fraught with disputes and challenges—so to some extent, these meanings were present; however, what existed was mere words; it was on paper; it was in the waves of the air, gradually even that was not there! This is how it is that when deep deviation occurs, people do not even feel obliged to mention the truth in their speech; the danger lies here. It was like this before the victory of the Revolution.

In the following years, even the mention of the people's votes and the claim and pride in these statements became obsolete; everything was superficial and false; it was artificial and fabricated; both during the explicit dictatorship, which was the era of Reza Khan and the late period of Mohammad Reza; and in the intermediate period, which was somewhat concealed and hidden, the people had no vote, there was no Assembly, there were no representatives; it was directive and dictated. When one reads the history of that period—now the period that we have recently witnessed, and also the previous ones—one sees how it was. From a while before elections, they would prepare for elections; the work of circles would begin; insistences, pleas, approaches, and flattery would occur; to get themselves on the government list; they would openly say the government list, the court list; they had no shame! The Islamic Revolution, among the great works it accomplished in this country and in our history, also achieved this great task that our people tasted the flavor of people's governance in the formulation of laws. You are the representatives of the people; these years and periods that have passed in this esteemed and unparalleled Assembly in the world have truly been significant years in our history. The people, with their motivations, their tastes, their will, and their own investigative methods, went and investigated and sent someone to the Assembly to solve the problems of the country. Now, thanks be to God, the composition of our Assembly is like this; although there may be some aberrations. Nowhere are the generalities considered in this way; this is the totality.

This must be preserved; this is a very precious thing; everyone must preserve it; first the esteemed representatives themselves, then the people and the officials.

This independence that, thanks be to God, our legislative power has is a very valuable thing. Independence does not mean fighting with the government and the executive officials; it does not mean opposition and conflict— all branches must cooperate and assist each other—independence means that the interests of the country and the interests of the people should not be sacrificed for anything. The legislative body by its nature is to outline lines for the flow of affairs through the executive branch; this work should be done with precision and with true conscientiousness, which, thanks be to God, has been the case so far. I truly consider it appropriate and my duty to thank each of the esteemed representatives, especially the esteemed presiding board, particularly the honorable Speaker of the Assembly, for the good management of these sessions. Our Assembly, contrary to what one observes in many assemblies around the world, which are centers of disputes, conflicts, and very ugly and unlawful transactions, is not like that. This is a value; preserve it with all your being.

My dear ones! Know that none of us are immune or infallible from the emergence of corruption; even righteous and faithful individuals are at risk, as it is narrated: "And the sincere are in great danger." When the sincere are at risk, our duty is clear! We must always be vigilant about ourselves. Corruption sometimes begins from a small point, then it expands and permeates. At one point, a person feels that they have either gone astray or are on the verge of going astray; then decision-making becomes difficult. God forbid, when a person realizes that corruption has infiltrated, decision-making becomes hard. We must be vigilant; this vigilance is what all religions and the entirety of the Quran and Nahj al-Balagha emphasize; that is, the same piety. The reason you see Amir al-Mu'minin (the Commander of the Faithful) emphasizes piety so much during his rule—perhaps no subject in Nahj al-Balagha has been emphasized as much as piety—is also because of this that piety is a "fortress." Piety means your constant vigilance over yourself. This is a fortress around you. Do not let this fortress be breached; for this position is very important. You may hold these responsibilities in the coming years, or you may not; that is not important; what is important is that at every moment—until the last hour and the last day—that you hold this responsibility, you observe this.

The second point that exists—which was also referred to during the talk—is that in all matters of life, the passage of time must be recognized as a lesson. Everything passes. These apparent positions, these titles, are all transient. Just as you observe, one day is the first day that a person assumes this position of responsibility; one day they also exit from there. Those of you who have passed through youth know well how quickly youth and life pass; this remaining time will also pass just as swiftly. What is important is what you can present at the end of the work, in the reckoning of the soul, between you and God. Therefore, the criterion is to earn God's pleasure; do not consider anything else as a criterion.

If our behavior and feelings are like this and we can convey to ourselves that God's pleasure is above all pleasures and all motivations, most problems will be solved; many disagreements will be resolved; many conflicts and disputes will come to an end; many obstacles that one thinks are difficult to enter will become easy. This Revolution also triumphed in this way; that is, at a certain point in time, thanks to the presence of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and the clergy and religion among the people, the religious spirit gained such dominance and supremacy over this nation and this country that many obstacles before the people were obliterated; no other factor could have accomplished such a great task. Some sit and analyze that the conditions were like this, the social and economic conditions were like that. Of course, some of these are prerequisites; they help, facilitate, bring closer, and push away; however, none of these were the cause. We have felt that situation. Before the Revolution, those who were aware of the political situation and felt the struggle with all their being know that day by day the struggle became harder; day by day the hope for relief diminished; the oppressions increased; the ways to overcome the "struggle movement" became more complicated, modern, and comprehensive; but the issue was that due to the presence of religion and religious faith in society, a sense of duty was felt. When there is religion and a sense of duty arises, all human forces come to serve this feeling. The nature of human gatherings is such that they influence each other; some draw others into the field and lead them, which led to that great movement.

The driving force behind these matters was that man who, between us and God, during the time we have known him closely, had nothing but God's pleasure and fulfilling his duty in mind. Fulfilling one's duty is a very important matter. Of course, various tasks, various forms, and sometimes even different orientations were present in that great man; however, the main criterion for him everywhere was what his religious duty was. This is a lesson for us.

See what your religious duty is; whatever your religious duty was, if you acted upon it, you are rewarded before God Almighty. Of course, to understand the subject and the religious ruling, one must open their eyes and strive—there is no doubt about that—but if you strive to fulfill your religious duty and make a mistake, you still have a reward; is this bad?! Is this a bad deal with God?! "Whoever is for God, God is for him"; whoever works for God, God will place all of His immense power for him, in his direction and in his service. He has said: "And those who strive in Our cause, We will surely guide them to Our paths"; He also guides. When you strive for Him, He does not let you remain in misguidance; He also guides. You saw that the Revolution triumphed, the war triumphed, the profound foundational struggle against global arrogance triumphed. When two poles are engaged in struggle and one of these two poles aims to destroy, revert, or stop the other, the greatest victory for that side is not to be destroyed or reverted. These events occurred in our society; the Revolution grew stronger day by day, advanced day by day, and spread its wings wider day by day; today it is the same. God willing, this evolutionary movement in the Revolution will continue and illuminate the eyes of the world's Muslims; as it has been so far, thanks be to God. This was due to the same path and line that Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) established in this society; he acted upon it, and society moved in that direction. This should be a lesson for us.

In these matters of lines, disputes, and demarcations—whether these are correct or incorrect—we do not concern ourselves with that; what is important is that if all sides of the issue who believe in the foundations of Islam and the values of the Islamic Revolution and the values of Islam, if their criterion is to seek God's pleasure, none of these will harm the Revolution; however, if this criterion and standard are absent; if we do not seek God's pleasure, but rather follow whims, desires, and self-centeredness, naturally dozens and hundreds of problems will arise; dozens and hundreds of openings for the enemy's infiltration will emerge, and God Almighty will not guide us. If we do not set God's pleasure as our goal, we will likely be deprived of divine guidance. Of course, there may be a favor granted to us at times, but we cannot be assured of divine guidance and have peace of mind. This peace of mind will come when we set our goal as God's pleasure; especially you dear brothers and sisters, representatives, because you sit in an important position, you must set this as your standard everywhere. First, interpret these matters of friendships and enmities based on this; do not justify God's pleasure based on them. You have, thanks be to God, accomplished great works in these three years of the life of this Assembly, and you have significant and important works ahead; you have the third development plan, you have the budget law for the coming year; in all of these, consider what God's pleasure is; what signifies the Islamic nature and adherence to the Quran in this system is; you must firmly preserve and maintain that. God Almighty will also assist; as He has, thanks be to God, assisted you so far. We hope, God willing, that the pure prayers of the Awaited Savior will encompass all of us and that the pure spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) will be pleased with all of us, and that we can earn God's pleasure through our actions, intentions, and endeavors, God willing.

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