Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Officials, Judges, and Staff of the Judiciary

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

We welcome all esteemed attendees, especially the distinguished scholars and practitioners of the judiciary, and we express our gratitude to all those who have worked to strengthen the judiciary and to provide justice and rights to this institution. We especially commend the respected head of this sensitive branch, who, by God's grace, is a comprehensive scientific, intellectual, and practical personality - a jurist, a thinker, and an active individual - which is a great divine blessing for us. We also honor the memory of the esteemed martyrs of the Seventh of Tir, particularly the martyr of the oppressed, the late Mr. Beheshti (may God be pleased with him), who was a strong and steadfast figure and personally a flag bearer in the course of the revolution. His personality, the prominent qualities he possessed, and the lasting services he rendered to the Islamic system and the country will never be forgotten.

Let me say a word about the significant event of the Seventh of Tir, and that is that perhaps among all the various dimensions of this incident, this aspect may be the most interesting: this incident demonstrated that even such devastating blows cannot undermine the foundation of the Islamic Republic, which relies on the faith and presence of the people. This incident was not a small event. Such an incident occurring anywhere in the world would be sufficient to bring down a regime. All these influential, important, thoughtful, and revolutionary individuals were eliminated in an instant by the hands of criminal terrorists, and the system endured it and used it as a means to strengthen itself even more! This was astonishing; it was due to the blessing of the people's presence and faith and the internal strength of the Islamic system, and by God's grace, it will always be this way.

I will mention two or three points regarding the judiciary. One is that the importance of this branch lies in pursuing its work with confidence and adherence to regulations and standards, with power and decisiveness. The Almighty God will grant success to a group that, with faith in its work and path and by employing correct and logical methods, pursues its goals; this will never be neglected. All your successes in these years - which Mr. Shahroudi referred to many of them - stem from this meaning. If we ignore political and malicious motives, even in normal circumstances, the judiciary has individuals who may be dissatisfied with it; this is the nature of judgment. If various malicious motives intervene, then this meaning is intensified. In such circumstances that may arise for the judiciary, the great lesson is to continue on the path toward lofty goals with self-confidence and reliance on the Almighty God, correcting daily tasks and addressing issues, and to know that its welfare in this world and the hereafter lies in this. This will please God and will also direct the hearts and minds of the people toward the legitimacy of the judiciary. "And sufficient is God as a Reckoner"; the true accountant and judge regarding human actions and behaviors is God, and that is sufficient.

Consider that the Almighty God placed His beloved, the honored and revered Prophet, in a difficult test, in which the most threatened aspect was the reputation and credibility of the Prophet himself; the issue mentioned in Surah Al-Ahzab: "And when you said to the one whom Allah had favored and he had favored, 'Keep your wife and fear Allah,' and you hide within yourself what Allah is to disclose." In this incident, public thoughts and emotions could have been stirred against the Prophet; the position was one of accusation; "And you fear the people, while Allah has more right that you should fear Him." God tells His Prophet that you are considering the words of this and that, while you should be considering God's words. And the Prophet considered God's words and passed this great and very difficult test. Here, this shocking verse is mentioned: "Indeed, those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him and do not fear anyone except Allah." This is the necessity of conveying divine messages. Some may place individuals in opposition due to mistakes, misunderstandings, or hostile and malicious propaganda; the only way to confront this is to base one's calculations on God's reckoning. Thus, at the end of this verse, it states: "And sufficient is God as a Reckoner"; God is the one who will judge whether you and I have moved correctly on this path. If God judges this way, then the characteristic of being with God is that God Himself will take care of correcting people's views: "Whoever rectifies what is between him and God, God will rectify what is between him and the people." The Almighty God Himself takes care of this part of the matter, just as He did in the case of the Prophet and clarified the truth.

Our dear martyr, the late Beheshti, also faced his greatest test. The extent to which the enemy's propaganda targeted this distinguished and luminous figure during that period is unparalleled in the history of the revolution. They accused him of being monopolistic, arrogant, power-hungry, and seeking dictatorship; however, he pursued his path with strength and vigor. Of course, he sacrificed his life; but in reality, through his steadfastness on this path, he elevated his soul and identity to the highest heavens. All of this serves as a lesson for us. Our first recommendation to the very important and effective judiciary is to choose the right goal; to select the path according to standards; to step into that path with strength and confidence, relying on God, and not to be concerned about the fact that some individuals engage in agitation, malice, and injustice. The Almighty God will rectify these matters; this is the most fundamental task that the judiciary - which, thanks be to God, has achieved many successes - must consider and pursue in order to reach the pinnacle of Islamic judgment. Of course, I would also like to add this point: clarifying the truth and informing public opinion is also important; this should not be forgotten. The people should not be left in ambiguity. In the case of the honored Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), the Almighty God informed through this very verse; that is, He showed the truth of the matter and made it clear that this dangerous action, which created public suspicion against the Prophet, was to break a wrong tradition in society. "There is no blame upon the Prophet in what Allah has decreed for him"; the Almighty God made it obligatory for him to carry out this task in order to eliminate the wrong tradition of considering an adopted child as a biological child - which created numerous problems in the social system of that day. For this task, the Prophet was brought forth as a sacrifice of truth in the middle of the field; however, He defended His Prophet; He also informed. Therefore, let us take action, but also clarify the truth for the people. Without clarifying the truth, public opinion will remain in darkness and a foggy atmosphere, and the enemy will exploit it.

The second point is that the Islamic system and any system needs a judiciary that is both powerful and trusted; these two pillars are necessary together. Being trusted does not mean that one should diminish the power of the branch that guarantees the enforcement of laws for the sake of public prestige. The foundation of the judiciary is to uphold the law. Today, thanks be to God, all officials in our country speak of adherence to the law. This is a very positive matter; upholding the law, observing the law. How is the preservation and observance of the law guaranteed? There is one way to guarantee it, and that is the power of the judiciary. Those who target the power of the judiciary should know that they are aiding lawlessness, chaos, and the abrogation and violation of the rights of the weak; because the judiciary is the powerful arm and hand of the system, to seize the neck of the transgressor and violator of the law and to put him in his place so that the people can live under the protection of the law. Therefore, the power of the judiciary is a principle, but at the same time, this power must be such that it earns the trust of the people, and this is achieved through the reforms that have been designed in the judiciary and must be pursued with full strength. The tasks that have been mentioned are very important. In addition to these, the expansion of justice throughout the judiciary's institutions down to the lower levels across the country is essential. Every court in any location that serves a collective of people - even a small group - must operate in a way that earns the encouragement and trust of the people; that is, everyone must be assured that this judicial core established here will judge according to the law and justice. Naturally, most people - who are generally good - will be pleased and encouraged; a minority, who are the transgressors, the self-willed, and the violators of others' rights, will become worried. This worry is a great blessing. They should know that this strong hand is effective even in that part of the country. The condition for the people's trust in the judiciary is this. I repeatedly tell friends and brothers that we should not overlook judicial misconduct even in a corner of the country; because the body connected to the people consists of these dispersed sections throughout the country; the people are in contact with them and are close. Judgments about them will generalize to judgments about the entire judiciary. Sometimes you see that a judge or a judicial employee in a certain area, God forbid, acts in a way that turns public opinion against the entire judiciary, and all the efforts and services that are so valuable are completely destroyed. Therefore, both the power of the judiciary is a principle, and its being trusted is also essential. We must act in such a way that the hearts of the people are warmed.

Another point that I find important, and thanks be to God, good work has been done; I was informed and now it has been stated that a comprehensive plan for a completely Islamic and just judiciary, aligned with the existing technical and scientific advancements in the world - the comprehensive plan for the judiciary that has been prepared - should be heavily invested in. Judicial work is purely a specialized task. Those who enter the field of designing for the judiciary must possess knowledge, experience, and intelligence; they must know both law and Islamic jurisprudence, be familiar with the judiciary, have an accurate assessment of the current situation, know its strengths and weaknesses, recognize the needs of society accurately, and be informed by various experts in the fields of religious studies and universities regarding the issues of the judiciary, especially its major issues. Based on these, this plan should be formulated as a comprehensive collection. This is the most important task in the judiciary. If, by God's grace, this work is done well and with complete solidity, the judiciary will know what it must do for many years to come; which parts to establish, which parts to repair, which parts to reform, and which parts to remove. The best specialists in these areas should be at the forefront of this work and provide their opinions on this matter.

The issue of judicial security, where people feel secure in their interactions and encounters with the judiciary, is also very important. This requires a very precise, sensitive, and inquisitive perspective within the judiciary. Thanks be to God, we have in the judiciary, honest, noble, knowledgeable judges who are proficient in their work and conscientious. Praise be to God, the body of the judiciary is very good; however, in every collection, one must always have the fear that weak-minded, weak-spirited, and weak-acting individuals are present. This possibility should not be overlooked; the eyes of the responsible officials of the judiciary should constantly search within the judiciary like a camera that illuminates an area; then true judicial security will be established. If judicial security is established, political security, social security, economic security, moral security, and cultural security will also be established. You see today that the enemies have targeted our social and civil security; this is something that is clearly visible to everyone. Enemies who oppose the foundation of the Islamic Republic have found the best way to express their opposition today by endangering the security of the country. In addition to the moral and cultural security that the enemy has been intensely working on for several years - which we have repeatedly warned officials about the cultural invasion of the enemy - and in addition to the political security that the enemy seeks to create disruptions in the grand political movement of the system, today they aim to destroy the social and civil security of the people.

We are among the countries that, by God's grace, have had the highest social and civil security. For years, the people have lived in peace and solidarity. They want to destroy this; they want to create a situation where an individual in society has no security or guarantee over their property, children, youth, education, and the continuation of their path toward the ideals that each person has; this is exactly the same plan that was devised at the beginning of the revolution to undermine security. Back then, the main target was the security of society. Back then, they also claimed there was no freedom, and under the false pretext of demanding freedom, they wanted to prevent the security that was gradually being established from being established; however, the system overcame this enemy movement. Today, under the false and deceptive pretext of demanding civil liberties, they want to destroy civil and social security, but they will not succeed again. The enemy is still very weak and feeble in the face of the will of the Iranian nation and the faith and steadfastness of these people. The enemy has experienced this many times and will experience it again. Ultimately, they will cause problems for some people. The institution that can play a role in these matters, among others, is the judiciary. Of course, the executive and political institutions of the country also have important and active roles, and thanks be to God, today everyone is aware of their responsibilities in these areas. The judiciary also has a very important role, and this, God willing, will be ensured with regard to the judicial security of the people and by observing the rules of judgment in Islam and preserving the rights of the people at all stages of judgment.

We hope that the Almighty God assists you and guides us all to that which pleases Him and is in the straight path, and that the sacred heart of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him) is pleased and satisfied with all of you, and God willing, we can witness the ever-increasing progress of your work in these very sensitive and important areas.

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