Statements of the Supreme Leader in Tehran Friday Prayers

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds. Thanks be to God for all His blessings. Thanks be to God with all His praises for all His blessings. Thanks be to God for His forbearance after His knowledge and for His forgiveness after His power. Thanks be to God for His patience in His anger while He is capable of what He wills. We praise Him, seek His help, ask for His forgiveness, and rely on Him. We send blessings and peace upon His beloved, His chosen one, the best of His creation, the keeper of His secret, and the conveyor of His messages; the bearer of His mercy and the warner of His wrath; our master, our Prophet, and the beloved of our hearts, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen, and infallible family; the guided and guiding Imams. Especially the remainder of God on earth, and send blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers. I advise you, servants of God, to be pious and not to seek the world, even if it seeks you.

On this great day, I invite and recommend all dear brothers and sisters who are performing the prayer to observe divine piety, abstinence, and chastity; because these days are the days of the master of the pious and the leader of the God-conscious in the world. The great lesson of these days for us is piety. Let us be mindful of ourselves. In our work, in our behavior, in our speech, in our interactions, even in what passes through our minds - our inner thoughts - let us be careful, watch over them, and strive not to deviate from the path of God and the path of truth. This is piety, and one of the goals, perhaps the main goal, of fasting in the month of Ramadan is to create a reserve of piety in us and transform us into pious individuals.

This Friday is one of the very great days that rarely occurs. It is both the twenty-first day of Ramadan - a day with a virtue similar to the Night of Decree - and the day of the martyrdom of the Commander of the Faithful, which is considered one of the bitter memories in the history of Islam. It is also the twelfth of Bahman, which is regarded as the preface to the book of Islamic governance in this country and the revival of Islam on a global scale; meaning the return of the honorable Imam to the homeland and the return to establish truth and justice, and it is also Friday. Several important occasions have come together, and we must appreciate them.

In the first sermon, I would like to first express my devotion to the position of the Master of the Faithful and secondly, on the occasion of the days of Decree, discuss the important spiritual and inner issue of returning to God, reforming our inner selves, and removing the rust of sin from the luminous heart and soul of man; although I addressed the topic of seeking forgiveness in the first Friday of Ramadan. In the second sermon, I will speak a little about the issues of the revolution and point out a fundamental point about the revolution.

Regarding the life of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, imagine an ocean. To encompass all dimensions of this ocean in one glance, or even in a long study, is not possible for a human being. From whichever side you enter, you observe a world of greatness; various seas, deep depths, diverse aquatic creatures, and different forms of life and wonders of the sea! If you leave this part and enter another part of this ocean, the same story and the same event occur. If you enter from the third, fourth, fifth, or tenth part - from wherever you enter - you will again observe wonders. This is a small and inadequate example of the personality of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. From whichever side you look at this personality, you will see wonders hidden within it. This is not an exaggeration. This is the reflection of human inability, which after many years of studying the life of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, has found this feeling within itself that with ordinary tools of understanding; that is, with the mind, intellect, memory, and ordinary perceptions, one cannot access Ali, peace be upon him - this exalted personality. From every side, there are wonders!

Of course, the Commander of the Faithful is a smaller version of the Holy Prophet and a student of that great figure; but this great personality before us - although he sees himself small and insignificant before the Prophet and considers himself a student of that great figure - when we want to look at him with a human perspective, he appears to us as a superhuman personality. We cannot imagine a human being with such greatness. Human tools, that is, perception, intellect, and mind - I do not say the television camera, which is much more insignificant than these words, and the human mind is superior to any material tool - are much smaller to be able to explain the Commander of the Faithful to human beings who have not reached the level of spiritual discovery. Of course, there are those in the world of spiritual presence and vision who may be able to understand some dimensions of that personality; but people like us cannot reach it.

Today, I will mention a point about the life of the Commander of the Faithful, and that is the characteristic I refer to as 'balance in the personality of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him.' There is a strange balance in the personality of that great figure. That is, apparently contradictory and incompatible traits are beautifully arranged alongside each other in the existence of the Commander of the Faithful, creating a beauty of their own! One does not see these traits combined in anyone. Such contradictory traits are abundant in the Commander of the Faithful, as much as God wills. Not one or two, but many. Now let me mention a few of these contradictory traits that have appeared and existed together in the Commander of the Faithful:

For example, mercy and tenderness of heart do not go together with decisiveness and firmness; but in the Commander of the Faithful, compassion, mercy, and tenderness of heart are at the highest level, which is rarely found in ordinary human beings. For example, there are many who help the poor and visit the families of the oppressed; but the one who does this during his rule and power, and secondly, it is not a one-day or two-day job - it is always his work - and thirdly, he does not suffice with material help; he goes to this family, sits with that old man, with this blind person, with those orphaned children, becomes familiar with them, makes them happy, and of course helps them and then leaves, is only the Commander of the Faithful. Among compassionate and kind people, how many like this can you find? The Commander of the Faithful is like this in his compassion and kindness.

When he goes to the house of a widow with orphans, he lights her oven, bakes bread for her, and feeds her with his blessed hand, and to make these sad and grieving children smile, he plays with them, bends down, carries them on his shoulders, walks around, and entertains them in their humble hut until a smile blooms on the lips of the orphaned children! This is the mercy and compassion of the Commander of the Faithful, which one of the great figures of that time said: I saw the Commander of the Faithful put honey in the mouths of orphaned and poor children with his blessed fingers so much that I said in my heart, I wish I were an orphaned child so that Ali would show me such kindness and favor! This is the compassion and tenderness of the Commander of the Faithful.

The same Commander of the Faithful in the case of Nahrawan; where a group of narrow-minded and fanatical people decided to overthrow the government with baseless excuses, when he stands against them, he advises them, and it is of no use; he argues, and it is of no use; he sends intermediaries, and it is of no use; he provides financial assistance and promises cooperation, and it is of no use; in the end, when he lines up, he advises again, and it is of no use; he decides on decisiveness. They are twelve thousand. He gives the flag to one of his companions and says: Whoever comes under this flag by tomorrow is safe; but I will fight the rest. Out of those twelve thousand, eight thousand came under the flag. He said you go; they went. This is while they have a history of war, enmity, and slander. The Commander of the Faithful no longer cares about these. You intended to fight and left it; go about your business. Four thousand others remained. He said: If you are determined, you fight. He saw they intended to fight. He said: Then, out of your four thousand, ten will not remain alive! He started the war. Out of four thousand, nine remained alive; because he had destroyed the rest! This is the same Ali. Because he sees that his opponents are bad and wicked people and act like scorpions, he shows decisiveness.

'Khawarij' is not translated correctly. I see that unfortunately in speech, poetry, lectures, and films, Khawarij is interpreted as dry fanatics. This is wrong. Which dry fanatic?! In the time of the Commander of the Faithful, there were many who worked for themselves. If you want to know Khawarij, I will introduce you to an example in our time. Do you remember the group of hypocrites? They recited Quranic verses, recited sermons from Nahj al-Balagha, claimed religiosity, considered themselves more Muslim and revolutionary than everyone else; then they planted bombs and suddenly killed a family, big and small, child and minor, everyone at the time of breaking the fast in Ramadan! Why? Because the members of that family were supporters of the Imam and the revolution. Suddenly they planted bombs and destroyed an innocent crowd, for example, in a certain city square. They killed an eighty-year-old martyr of the mihrab, a luminous, faithful, struggling old man in the way of God through bombing. They killed four or five martyrs of the mihrab from the faithful, learned, and prominent scholars. The type of work is such works. Khawarij were these. They killed Abdullah ibn Khabbab; they ripped open the belly of his pregnant wife, destroyed the fetus, which was a few months old, and shattered its brain! Why? Because they were supporters of Ali ibn Abi Talib and had to be destroyed and killed! Khawarij were these.

Know Khawarij correctly: those who outwardly adhered to religion, adhered to Quranic verses, memorized the Quran, memorized Nahj al-Balagha (of course, that day it was only the Quran; but in later periods, whatever was expedient and preserved their religious appearance) apparently believed in some religious matters; but they opposed the essence and core of religion and were fanatical about this. They spoke of God; but they were obedient servants of Satan. You saw that the hypocrites once had such claims; then when necessary, to fight against the revolution and the Imam and the Islamic Republic system, they were ready to work with America, Zionists, Saddam, and anyone else and serve them! Khawarij were such creatures. Then the Commander of the Faithful stood firmly against them. This is the same Ali. 'Severe against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves'

See; how these two characteristics in the Commander of the Faithful create beauty! A person with such compassion and tenderness cannot bear and cannot stand to see an orphaned child sad. He says I will not leave here until I make this child smile. Then there, in front of those narrow-minded, narrow-acting people - who sting every innocent person like a scorpion - he stands and destroys four thousand people in one day and in a few short hours. 'Not ten of them will escape' Less than ten of the companions of the Commander of the Faithful were martyred - apparently five or six - but out of their four thousand, less than ten remained; that is, nine! Balance in personality means this.

Another example is the piety and governance of that noble figure. It is a very strange thing. What does piety mean? It means that a person avoids anything doubtful that smells of opposition to religion. On the other hand, what happens to governance? After all, can a person in governance observe piety in this way? We are now involved in work, we see how important the issue is when this characteristic exists in someone. In governance, a person faces issues in a general way. The law he enforces has many implications; but it may be that in the course of this law, in a corner, someone is oppressed. How can a person observe divine piety in the face of all these innumerable details? Therefore, apparently, governance does not go with piety; but the Commander of the Faithful combined the utmost piety with the most powerful governance, and this is a very strange thing.

He had no hesitation with anyone. If in his blessed opinion, a ruler was weak and unsuitable for that job, he would remove him. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was like the son of the Commander of the Faithful and that noble figure loved him like his own son; he also looked at Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, like a father. He was the youngest son of Abu Bakr and a sincere student of the Commander of the Faithful and was raised in the lap of that noble figure. The Commander of the Faithful sent Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr to Egypt; then he wrote a letter saying I feel - now in our expression - my dear! You are not enough for Egypt; I will remove you and appoint Malik al-Ashtar. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr was also upset and displeased. He is human after all. Although his position is high, it still affected him. But the Commander of the Faithful did not pay attention to this and did not care. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, a personality of such greatness who was so helpful to the Commander of the Faithful in the Battle of Jamal and at the time of allegiance, was the son of Abu Bakr and the brother of the Mother of the Believers - Aisha. This personality was so valuable to the Commander of the Faithful; but that noble figure did not care about the displeasure of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr. This is piety; piety that benefits a person and a ruler in governance. The highest level of this piety is in the Commander of the Faithful.

A poet named Najashi composed poems for the Commander of the Faithful and against his enemies. On a day in Ramadan, he was passing through an alley; a bad person said come and spend today with us. He said I want to go to the mosque and, for example, read the Quran and pray. He said on a day in Ramadan, who cares; come and be with us! He forcibly dragged this poet! After all, he was a poet! He went to that person's house and sat beside the table of breaking the fast and drinking wine. He did not want to; but he was afflicted. Then everyone found out that they had drunk wine. The Commander of the Faithful said: They must receive the divine punishment; eighty lashes for drinking wine, ten or twenty additional lashes for doing this on a day in Ramadan! Najashi said: I am a poet and a panegyrist of your government. I have fought against your enemies with the tool of language. Do you want to whip me?! In today's expression, that noble figure said something like this: that is preserved in its place, you are very dear, very good, you have value; but I will not suspend the divine punishment! No matter how many of his relatives came and insisted that if you whip him, our honor will be lost and we will no longer be able to hold our heads high, the noble figure said it cannot be and I cannot not enforce the divine punishment! They laid the man down and whipped him, and he fled at night and left. He said: Now that in your government, they do not know how to treat a poet, an artist, and an intellectual like me, I will go where they recognize me and appreciate my worth! He went to Muawiyah and said Muawiyah appreciates us! Go to hell! When someone is so blind that he cannot see the brilliance of Ali from among his personal feelings, his punishment is to go to Muawiyah. His punishment is to belong to Muawiyah; go. The Commander of the Faithful knew that this person would be lost. A poet was also important. It was more important that day than today. Of course, today artists are important; but that day it was more important. That day there was no television or radio, no mass communication organizations; it was these poets who spoke and spread ideas everywhere.

The piety of the Commander of the Faithful was combined with his powerful governance. See what beauty it creates! We have no other example in the world. We have not seen such a thing in history. In the caliphs before the Commander of the Faithful, there were many decisiveness and extraordinary actions in these matters; but the distance between the Commander of the Faithful and what was observed before and after him until today is a strange distance and is not at all comparable and describable.

Another example is the power and oppression of that noble figure. In the time of that great figure, who is more powerful than the Commander of the Faithful - that strange bravery of Haidari? No one until the end of the life of the Commander of the Faithful claimed to have the courage to stand against the bravery of that noble figure! The same person is the most oppressed person of his time and - as it has been said and is correct - perhaps the most oppressed person in the history of Islam! Power and oppression are two elements that do not go together. Usually, powerful people are not oppressed; but the Commander of the Faithful was oppressed.

Another example is the asceticism and construction of that noble figure. The asceticism and disinterest in the world of the Commander of the Faithful is proverbial. Perhaps the most prominent or one of the most prominent topics of Nahj al-Balagha is the asceticism of Nahj al-Balagha. The same Commander of the Faithful, during the twenty-five years between the death of the Prophet and his reaching governance, from his personal wealth, carried out construction works, created gardens, dug wells, made water flow, and created farms. The strange thing is that he gave all of them in the way of God!

It is not bad to know that the Commander of the Faithful was one of the highest-income people of his time. It has been narrated from that noble figure that: 'And my charity today, if divided among the Bani Hashim, would suffice them.' The income of the Commander of the Faithful was like this. But this high-income person had one of the poorest lives; because he gave everything in the way of God. He went underground and dug the well. He did these things with his own hands. The narrator said: I saw water gushing out of this well like the throat of a camel and flowing. The Commander of the Faithful, muddy from the well, came up and sat by the well and asked for paper. He wrote on the paper that this well is endowed by Ali ibn Abi Talib for certain people! What you observe during the governance of the Commander of the Faithful is a continuation of his personal and private life, which also turns out this way during his governance.

Disinterest in the world does not conflict with building the world - which God Almighty has made a duty for everyone. Build the world, cultivate the earth, create wealth; but do not become attached, do not become enslaved by it, do not become a slave to wealth and money, do not become subjugated by it, so that you can easily spend it in the way of God. That Islamic balance is this. There are many such examples that if I want to mention them, it will take a long time.

The justice of Ali ibn Abi Talib is another example. When we say that justice exists in Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, the initial meaning that everyone understands is that he established social justice in society. This is justice; but higher justice is this balance. 'By justice, the heavens and the earth are established.' The heavens and the earth are based on justice; that is, this balance in creation. The truth is this. Justice and truth, in the end, are one thing and have one meaning and one reality. In the life of the Commander of the Faithful, characteristics are the manifestation of justice and balance. All good things are present and exist in their place, in the highest degree of beauty.

Another characteristic of the Commander of the Faithful is the seeking of forgiveness of that noble figure, about which I will say a few sentences at the end of this sermon. The prayer, repentance, supplication, and seeking of forgiveness of the Commander of the Faithful are very important. A personality who fights and struggles, adorns the battlefields, adorns the fields of politics, governs the largest countries of that time for nearly five years (if you look at the realm of the governance of the Commander of the Faithful today, it might be ten countries or something like that) in such a vast realm with all that work and effort, the Commander of the Faithful is a complete and great politician and actually manages a world; that field of his politics, that field of his war, that field of his social affairs management, that judgment of his among the people and preserving the rights of people in this society. These are very big works, they require a lot of engagement and attention and occupy all of a person's time. In such places, one-dimensional people say, our prayer and worship are just this. We work in the way of God and our work is for God. But the Commander of the Faithful does not say this. He has those works, and he also has worship. In some narrations, it is mentioned - although I have not investigated this issue much to see if the narrations are reliable or not - that the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, sometimes prayed a thousand rak'ahs in a day and night!

These prayers you observe are the usual prayers of the Commander of the Faithful. The prayer, supplication, and repentance of the Commander of the Faithful were from his youth. In those days, the Commander of the Faithful was busy. During the time of the Prophet, he was a revolutionary young man in the field of all affairs like this. He was always busy and had no free time; but even then, when they sat and said among the companions of the Prophet, whose worship is the most? 'Abu Darda' said: Ali. They said how? He brought examples and convinced everyone that Ali worships the most. During his youth, he was in his twenties; after that, it is clear. During the caliphate, it was the same.

There are various stories - like the story of 'Nawf al-Bakali' - about the worship of the Commander of the Faithful. This Alawite book that the greats have compiled contains the prayers narrated from the Commander of the Faithful, one example of which is the Du'a Kumayl that you recite on Friday nights. I once asked our great Imam: Among the prayers that exist, which prayer do you prefer and consider the greatest? He pondered and said: Two prayers; one is Du'a Kumayl, and the other is the Sha'baniyah supplication. It is likely that the Sha'baniyah supplication is also from the Commander of the Faithful; because it is narrated that all the Imams recited the Sha'baniyah supplication. I strongly suspect that it is also from the Commander of the Faithful. Its words and themes are similar to the words and themes of Du'a Kumayl. Du'a Kumayl is also a strange prayer. The prayer begins with seeking forgiveness and beseeches God with ten things. See; this seeking of forgiveness that I mentioned last week, this is it: 'O Allah, I ask You by Your mercy that encompasses all things.' He beseeches God by His mercy, by His power, by His might - by ten attributes of the great attributes of the Lord. After beseeching God by these ten attributes, he says: 'O Allah, forgive me the sins that tear apart protections, O Allah, forgive me the sins that bring down retribution, O Allah, forgive me the sins that hold back supplication.' Five types of sins are mentioned there by the Commander of the Faithful to the Lord: sins that prevent supplication; sins that bring down punishment, and so on. That is, from the beginning of the prayer, it is seeking forgiveness; until the end of the prayer, it is still this seeking of forgiveness. The main theme of Du'a Kumayl is the request for forgiveness and pardon. It is a burning and fiery supplication in seeking forgiveness from the Lord. This is the Commander of the Faithful. Seeking forgiveness is this.

My dear ones! The human being in the highest form and the most complete type of life is the one who can move in the way of God and please God and not be enslaved by desires. The correct and complete human being is this. A material human being who is enslaved by lust, anger, carnal desires, and personal desires and feelings is a small human being; no matter how great he appears and has a position. The president of the largest countries in the world and the holder of the greatest wealth in the world who cannot confront and fight against his carnal desires and is enslaved by his own desires is a small human being. But a poor human being who can overcome his desires and follow the right path - which is the path of human perfection and the path of God - is a great human being.

Seeking forgiveness saves you from that insignificance. Seeking forgiveness saves us from those chains and shackles. Seeking forgiveness removes and cleanses the rust from the light of your heart that God Almighty has given you. The heart, meaning the soul, meaning the spirit, meaning the real identity of a human being. This is a very luminous thing. Every human being is luminous. Even a human being who has no relationship or acquaintance with God has luminosity in his essence and nature; but due to ignorance and sin and indulgence, it has become rusty. Seeking forgiveness removes this rust and gives luminosity.

The month of Ramadan is the time for seeking forgiveness, prayer, and repentance. Two nights of the nights suspected to be the Night of Decree have passed - the nineteenth and the twenty-first nights - but the twenty-third night is ahead; appreciate it. From the beginning of the twenty-third night, from sunset, the peace of God - 'Peace it is until the emergence of dawn' - begins until the call to prayer of the morning starts. These few hours in between are the peace of God and the tent of God's mercy that has been spread over all of creation. That night is a strange night; better than a thousand months, not equal to it; 'better than a thousand months.' How many blessings can a thousand months of human life bring and attract mercy and goodness! This one night is better than a thousand months. This is very important. Appreciate this night and spend it in prayer, attention, reflection, and contemplation on the signs of creation and contemplation on the destiny of human beings and what God Almighty has asked of human beings and the insignificance of this material life and that all these things you see are a prelude to that world, which the moment of death is the gateway to that world.

My dear ones! At the moment of death, we enter another world. We must prepare ourselves for that day. All this world, all these wealths, all these energies that God Almighty has deposited in your existence in this world, all that God has wanted for humanity - just governance, comfortable life, and so on - is so that human beings have the opportunity to prepare themselves for the realm of that world. Prepare yourselves, become familiar with God, supplicate to God, mention Him, and seek forgiveness. Then those human beings who turn to God in this way and purify their hearts and turn away from sin and decide to do good deeds are great beings who can confront the problems of this world. One example is our great Imam; other examples are the believers in our society; these faithful and steadfast young people, these men and women, those who were martyred, those who were injured, those who endured the harsh prisons of captivity, those who endured the separation of loved ones, those who endured the hardships of the battlefield, and today you are holding a funeral for a thousand of them. Each of them is an excellent and outstanding example that every nation should have one of these martyrs, honor him, and take him as a model.

In one sentence, I will also remember the twenty-first day of the fortieth year of Hijra - the day of the martyrdom of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. Imagine what the state of Kufa was like on a day like today! Remember that moment when everyone in Tehran realized that the great Imam had passed away. You saw what a commotion it was, what an earthquake occurred, and how many hearts were torn from their places. Of course, the Imam had been ill for a while; there was a precedent, some expected it, this fear and concern were in minds; but the Commander of the Faithful, until a few hours before that, was waking up the sleepers in the mosque. The sound of that noble figure's call to prayer might have echoed in the atmosphere of Kufa. The heavenly tone of that noble figure was heard by the people until these last days, until yesterday and the night before:

Words like pearls hanging in the ears of the mosque of Kufa still dazzle it

The people had heard these words. They were sitting in their homes. Suddenly they heard a voice rise and a caller with a sad tone cried out: 'By God, the pillars of guidance have been destroyed, Ali the Chosen One has been killed.' The people of Kufa - and then all the Islamic world - heard the news of the martyrdom of the Commander of the Faithful in this way.

Of course, the Commander of the Faithful himself had informed many times, and almost all of his close ones knew it. During the time of the Prophet, during the Battle of the Trench, the Commander of the Faithful - who was a young man in his twenties - fought with Amr ibn Abd Wudd and sent that famous Arab champion - whom the Quraysh and others considered great and were sure that he would finish the work of the Prophet and the Muslims - to hell and returned, and in this battle, the forehead of the noble figure was wounded and blood flowed from the blessed forehead of the Commander of the Faithful. He came to the Prophet. That noble figure looked. The blood on the face of the Commander of the Faithful burned the heart of the Prophet. This young fighter, this self-sacrificing young man, this beloved and dear young man, had gone and done this great work and returned, and now his forehead was bloodied. The Prophet said: Ali, sit down. The Commander of the Faithful sat down. The Prophet asked for a handkerchief. Perhaps that noble figure himself cleaned the blood, and then he instructed two women who were tasked with bandaging wounds to bandage Ali's wound well and arrange it. When he gave these instructions, suddenly as if something came to the Prophet's mind and perhaps his eyes filled with tears. He looked at the Commander of the Faithful and said: Ali, today we bandaged your wound; but where will I be on the day when your beard will be dyed with the blood of your head? 'Where will I be when this is dyed with this?' Therefore, everyone expected such a day; the noble figure himself said it many times.

'Muhammad ibn Shihab al-Zuhri' in a narration says: 'The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, was impatiently waiting for the killer.' That is, as if he was impatiently waiting for this killer and this wretched person to come and do his work! He considered the movement of time slow for this event to occur. He constantly said: 'Where will I be when this is dyed with this?' The noble figure was waiting, and his close ones knew it; but the event was so great that even though it had been foretold, it turned everyone upside down. They brought the noble figure to the house. I saw a narration in 'Bihar' that was narrated: The noble figure sometimes lost consciousness and sometimes regained consciousness. His daughter Umm Kulthum was sitting in front of the noble figure and shedding tears and crying. Once when the noble figure opened his eyes, he said: 'Do not hurt me, O Umm Kulthum' - in our language - that is, my daughter! Do not wound and burn my heart with your tears and cries. 'For if you saw what I see, you would not weep.' If you saw what I see before me, you would not cry. 'Indeed, the angels from the seven heavens, some behind others, and the prophets are saying: Come, O Ali.' According to this narration, he said that the angels of the heavens from the seven heavens have gathered behind each other. In front of me, the great prophets of God have all gathered and all are saying to me: Ali, come to us. 'What is before you is better for you than what you are in.'

O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, do not return these hands that have been extended to Your door in these nights and days and will be extended to You in need on the twenty-third night and the coming days, deprived. O Lord! Grant the needs of the Iranian nation, the needs of these supplicants and seekers of forgiveness and those who remember You, in the most complete way. O Lord! Remove the knots and problems from the affairs of the people. O Lord! Make our country, society, and hearts Alawite. Make us truly followers of the Commander of the Faithful. Make us acquainted with the greatness of the position of the Commander of the Faithful. O Lord! Forgive our sins. O Lord! Forgive and pardon the sins and mistakes that prevent Your mercy from reaching us by Your grace and generosity. O Lord! We beseech You by Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, make the heart of the Guardian of the Age pleased and satisfied with us and include us in the prayer of that noble figure. O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, hasten the reappearance of that noble figure and make us among his soldiers in his presence and absence. O Lord! Do not make our death anything but martyrdom in Your way. O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, make Islam and Muslims victorious and honored in all parts of the world. O Lord! Make the Iranian nation victorious and honored in all arenas and fields. Crush and defeat the enemies of the Iranian nation and occupy them with themselves. O Lord! Make the enemies of Islam and Muslims, in whatever guise and form they are, subject to Your curse and disgrace. O Lord! Bring the hearts of the Islamic Ummah and Muslims of all countries of the world and all parts of the world closer to the unifying point of Islam. O Lord! Cut off the hands that sow discord. O Lord! Include our past and parents in Your mercy and forgiveness. O Lord! Unite the pure soul of our great Imam with the pure souls of the prophets and saints. Unite that noble figure with the Commander of the Faithful. Unite the pure souls of the martyrs with the martyrs of Karbala and the early Islam martyrs.

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

By the time. Indeed, mankind is in loss. Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.'

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds. Blessings and peace be upon our master and Prophet, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen, and infallible family, the guided and guiding Imams. Especially upon Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the truthful, pure Lady, the mistress of the women of the worlds, and Hasan and Husayn, the two grandsons of mercy and the two guiding Imams, and Ali ibn Husayn, the adornment of the worshippers, and Muhammad ibn Ali, and Ja'far ibn Muhammad, and Musa ibn Ja'far, and Ali ibn Musa, and Muhammad ibn Ali, and Ali ibn Muhammad, and Hasan ibn Ali, and the remaining, the standing Mahdi. Your proofs over Your servants and Your trustees in Your lands, and send blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers. I advise you, servants of God, to be pious.

At the beginning of this sermon, I also invite all brothers and sisters performing the prayer to abstinence, piety, piety, and avoidance of sin. The twelfth day, in one sense, is the day of the beginning of the power of Islam. Although on the twelfth of Bahman in the year 57, the tyrannical regime was still apparently in power; but in reality, it was not. In reality, with the arrival of the honorable Imam, this decayed and corrupt regime and the very foundation of the monarchy - which was a reactionary, wrong, inhuman, and unacceptable regime - became void and destroyed and vanished. They made futile efforts to save it and continue it for a few more days, but it was not possible and did not happen.

The powerful arrival of the honorable Imam gave meaning to everything. The Imam arrived; the city of Tehran, and indeed Iran, welcomed that noble figure. That is, in other cities, people were also witnessing this event and were alert to this issue. Some moved and came to Tehran; some did in their own cities what they would have done if they were in Tehran. In reality, 'When you enter it, you will be victorious.' With the arrival of the Imam, the same thing that God Almighty said to the companions of Moses was realized for the companions of our honorable Imam. When he entered, God Almighty recorded the victory and it was over.

It is an important day. Perhaps it can be said that from this very twelfth day, the enemy's conspiracy began. Of course, the history of the revolution is another discussion. The history of the revolution must be written by someone. The history of the revolution is not just the history of the victory of the revolution; it is the history of the beginning of the movement. Truly, our people are not fully aware of the long events of this movement that lasted fifteen, sixteen years from the day it started until the day of victory. From the events after the victory, sometimes a brief word is said by some individuals; but it has not been fully and comprehensively and in detail, especially with artistic, lasting, and penetrating forms, recorded, or it has been recorded very little. I truly expect those who have the ability to do such work, especially in artistic fields. They must record the history of the revolution.

I do not want to tell history now. I am concerned with today; today, after eighteen years, the enemy has not stopped its enmity for a moment! Even now, those main enemies are fiercely hostile. Of course, some give up halfway. The enemy is like this. In every section, people are always a spectrum; after all, some surrender sooner and some show stubbornness.

Our main enemy, the leaders of global arrogance, at their head the American regime, and the most malicious of them, the Zionist elements occupying Palestine, are still engaged in confronting this revolution. From the day this revolution had nothing but the person of the Imam and did not even have the organizational structure of a school like the Refah School of that day, they started fighting against this revolution, and until today, when the revolution has affected the power of a powerful government all over the world - politically, economically, humanly, and intellectually - and internally, today, by the grace of God, our government is one of the most powerful governments that have ruled in this country over the centuries, this struggle continues and they fight.

Apparently, the struggle of arrogance is not to our detriment either; because the more they intensify their struggle, apparently the stronger the movement of our nation and the faster our progress. According to experience, it seems good for the Iranian nation that the devils fight against it. Because thanks be to God, for eighteen years they have been fighting against us and striking; but the Iranian nation is moving forward with power and moving!

My discussion is about this point of the matter: all the prophets who were sent had arrogant people in front of them. Look at the Quran; one of the very interesting and attractive sections of the Quran is the section of the struggle of the prophets with the arrogant. Their time without exception ends with the victory of the prophets - without exception, look - of course, it may be that the prophet is martyred in the middle of the way, or passes away; but the front of the prophet, without exception, has been victorious over the front of the enemies of the prophet. However much you look at history, it is like this. Look at the Quran, 'Indeed, We will support Our messengers.' Victory belongs to the prophets.

One of the discussions is that the arrogant who stood against the prophets, the first thing they did was look at them with contempt and ridicule. God Almighty says to our Prophet: 'And certainly messengers before you were mocked, but those who ridiculed them were surrounded by what they used to ridicule.' - as consolation says - that is, O our dear one, O our Prophet, if you see that they mock you, ridicule you, insult you, or underestimate you, try to weaken the spirit of your followers with these insults, do not be surprised; all the prophets were like this.

Of course, in this verse, it is not about all the prophets. Apparently, in another verse, the expression of all the prophets is also present; but in this verse, it says: the prophets before you were mocked. Many prophets, including the great prophets - Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and Noah - were mocked; it is not surprising; however, all the mockers were surrounded by the very thing they mocked - that is, the religion of God - and it destroyed them and wiped them out. The same incident has happened today. This movement is also the movement of the prophets. The movement that the honorable Imam created in this country is the movement of the prophets.

My dear ones! Our effort is the government of truth and justice; the effort to create justice. Perhaps in Islam, regarding social issues, nothing has been as much attention as justice. You see, regarding the appearance of the Master of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him and may God hasten his reappearance, in most narrations and supplications and visits that mention that noble figure and mention his name, after the issue of his appearance and uprising, 'God will fill the earth with equity and justice' is mentioned. God will fill the earth with equity and justice through him. Of course, God will fill the earth with His religion through the Imam of the Age; but what is said in supplication and visit and narration is not 'God will fill the earth with religion, the religion of truth' - except in some places where there are expressions - the object of 'God will fill' is equity and justice, justice, fairness, and equity. Why? Because humanity suffers more than anything from oppression and tyranny. This government has moved in the path of justice and continues to move in the path of justice; its existence is also based on justice.

The enemies who oppose this government are opposed to justice and truth. Is it not injustice that all the nations of the world are forced to give up their interests for the sake of the interests of the superpowers?! What injustice is greater than this! Is it not injustice that the American propaganda apparatus sometimes ignores hundreds, sometimes tens - often about a hundred and two hundred - American warships in the Persian Gulf, which are stationed thousands of miles away from their location! Then if the Islamic Republic, as a government, has a few warships to defend and protect its borders, they shout that these warships are for threatening neighbors! Is there more injustice in the world than this!

See how much the world is captive to injustice and how much the world is filled with oppression and tyranny! The Islamic government opposes these things and wants to confront these things. That is why the slogan of the Islamic government from the first hour was to confront bullying, tyranny, and arrogance. Of course, it is clear that when a government or a nation speaks against tyranny, who is more upset than anyone else? The one who is the most tyrannical! When they speak against injustice, who is more upset than anyone else? The one who is the most unjust! When they speak against plundering, who is more upset than anyone else? The one who is the most plundering; that is, who? That is the American government! It is the most tyrannical, the most plundering, the most unjust, and the furthest from justice; therefore, it became our main enemy! The formation of this enmity from the beginning was like this.

The Islamic Republic opposed injustice, corruption, interference in the affairs of others, aggression, and oppression of nations; it shouted and cried out. Who is the symbol of all these? The tyrannical American government! I mentioned last week that this country was once entirely at the disposal of the Americans and is now entirely against their ambitions and greed! Naturally, they are upset and dislike this; they exert pressure, plot, and act maliciously; they lie, spread false propaganda, and do childish and foolish things.

They roam around the world and go to every small and remote country that has relations with the Islamic Republic, talk and contact them to cut off their relations; weaken their relations; break this deal. They are constantly engaged in these activities. For several years now, the Americans have been engaged in these activities; especially this government that is currently in power.

Incidentally, it is often ineffective. You see that our relations with the world, thanks be to God, are good. Thanks be to God, our commercial and construction work, our political and economic exchanges are good; but they are propagandizing against the Islamic Republic. Perhaps there is hardly a week when these dozens of radios and televisions that are against the Islamic Republic do not say that the economy of the Islamic Republic is in crisis and collapse and decline.

Of course, yes; it is in crisis for them. The economy of Iran is in a state of prosperity for the people of Iran; but of course, it is in crisis for the aggressors and those who want to use Iran's resources. What crisis exists for the people of Iran? They are busy building their country. A country that during the reign of the monarchy - whether the Pahlavi monarchy or the Qajar monarchy - did not dare to say to other countries of the world 'I am also here, I also build, I also act.' A third or fourth-rate country, completely submissive, whose leaders of this country were proud of their subservience to powers - one day Britain, one day America, one day also the Russians!

Thanks be to God, today, the youth of this country build; its scientist innovates; its industrialist produces and its student studies. Throughout this country, thanks be to God, the flame of movement, knowledge, work, effort, and construction is burning. The country is progressing in this way.

Of course, no country in the world is free from problems. It is not expected that our country has no problems. Fifty-some years of the Pahlavi family's rule destroyed this country. Before that, other corrupt governments destroyed it. It is not expected that all the problems of this country have been solved in the years after the revolution. Of course, by the grace of God and to the chagrin of the enemies, God willing, the problems will also be solved. These things upset the enemy.

From the first day, their ridicule, enmity, propaganda, striking, and plotting - various plots - began. They did everything they could. I have repeatedly said that the arrogant of the world cannot have a favor over the Iranian nation by saying we did not do such and such; we did not strike you in such and such a way; because they did everything they could! Everything they did not do was because, thanks to your unity, the Iranian nation, they could not do it!

My dear ones! The failure of your enemies is due to your unity. Because of the united, cohesive, hand-in-hand nation present in the scene and behind the officials in charge of the great affairs of the country, they could not do anything. The main pressure of the enemy is to separate the army of the revolution from the revolution. They do everything they can to separate the army of the revolution - that is, the nation - from the revolution. They propagandize to discourage the people and separate them from the revolution. They impose economic sanctions to perhaps ruin and create a crisis in the country's economy and discourage the people and separate them from the revolution.

They started the imposed war to perhaps bring the pressure of war on the shoulders of the people and if they can separate one or two people from this country; discourage the people from the revolution and separate them. Everything the enemy has done from the first day until today has been to perhaps separate the people from the revolution and the government; separate the people from the Islamic Republic system. They also sent mercenaries inside; they wrote against the Islamic Republic and against the sanctities and truths of this country to perhaps separate the people from this revolution. Their effort is this: separating the people from the revolution and the government. Now they have been spreading rumors for two or three months. I also mentioned in the previous sermon: they have created psychological warfare; they have filled the world with the idea that yes, America will launch a military attack!

I do not believe it. Of course, it is possible; but we stand against everything. The Iranian nation is standing. The Iranian nation is not afraid of anything. But if we assume that in the ruling group of the United States of America today, there is a brain that can think and discern interest and harm - which I doubt, but if we really assume that there is a thought of expediency and it thinks - it will understand that this action is to the detriment of America and to the benefit of the revolution.

Today, any hostile action by the enemy; anything that shows that our enemies - that is, America and the Zionists in the first degree - want to separate this nation from this revolution and want to strike this revolution, will make the heart of this nation firmer, its fist tighter, its step more steadfast, its interest in the system greater, and its stubborn enmity with America and the Zionists several times greater.

If anyone thinks that this nation can be frightened with threats, they are greatly mistaken. If anyone thinks that the positions of the officials of this country can be changed with threats, they are greatly mistaken. If the position of anyone changes, they are not from this nation and this revolution. The one who belongs to this revolution, is sent and desired by this revolution, and is loved by these people, stands for the interests and desires of these people, for the revolution of these people - for which they shed these pure bloods and carried out these great struggles - stands against the enemies of these people and does not yield an iota to the pressures of the enemies of this nation.

Today, the news of our revolution is the increasing power of this divine system and this revolution, the increasing steadfastness of these people, and the increasing weakness and failure of the enemies. Our new news and the issue of this revolution is this and will remain this. Just as the prophets generally and without exception were victorious over their enemies; this revolution will also undoubtedly be victorious over its enemies.

The Imam was among these people for ten years and left. The Imam is not here; but the victory of these people is the victory of the Imam. When we say that the Imam was victorious, it does not mean that the Imam will remain among these people forever; rather, when this nation and this revolution are victorious, the Imam is victorious. When the enemy of the revolution is defeated, the enemy of the Imam is defeated.

The prophets passed away in the middle of the way. In the forty-year wilderness of the Israelites, after which they reached power and governance, Moses passed away, Aaron passed away; but the movement of Moses was victorious. Individuals, we, the officials, the people who have responsibilities in the revolution, will go. Individuals are not the meaning of the revolution and do not represent the revolution. We will go; what remains is this revolution; what remains is this nation; what is victorious is the Islamic country of Iran and this victory is awaiting you.

O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, we beseech You, brighten and illuminate the eyes and hearts of this nation with this victory as soon as possible. Show the humiliation, disgrace, and defeat of the enemies of this nation to each of these faithful and hopeful hearts. O Lord! Unite the pure souls of the dear martyrs who will be held in a funeral today - these great martyrs who on the day of the funeral and martyrdom of their master and lord, the Commander of the Faithful, have achieved this success and happiness to be held in a funeral by the congregation of worshippers - with the martyrs of Karbala and the early Islam martyrs. O Lord! Unite all the martyrs of this nation with the close ones, the righteous, and the saints. God willing, all of you participate in the funeral of these dear ones. Each of them is a shining star.

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

When the victory of God has come and the conquest, and you see the people entering into the religion of God in multitudes, then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance.'

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings