Statements of the Supreme Leader in Tehran Friday Prayers Sermons, 21st Ramadan 1414

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds. Thanks be to God for His forbearance after His knowledge, and thanks be to God for His forgiveness after His power, and thanks be to God for His patience in His anger while He is capable of what He wills. Thanks be to God, Creator of creation, Provider of sustenance, Splitter of the dawn, Judge of religion, Lord of the worlds. Thanks be to God who secures the fearful, saves the righteous, elevates the oppressed, and humbles the arrogant powers, destroys kings and replaces them with others. Thanks be to God, the breaker of tyrants, the destroyer of oppressors, the catcher of fugitives, the punisher of the unjust, the responder to the cries of the distressed, the fulfiller of the needs of the seekers, the reliance of the believers. I praise Him and seek His help, and I ask for His forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance, and I send prayers and peace upon His beloved, His chosen one, His confidant, and the best of His creation, the keeper of His secret and the deliverer of His messages, our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, especially the remainder of God on earth. I advise you, servants of God, to be pious.

I invite and recommend all dear brothers and sisters in prayer, and myself, to observe piety, give importance to divine commands, and be meticulous in our actions, words, and deeds, and to take control of this self that leads us to destruction.

Today is the twenty-first day of the month of Ramadan and the day of the Commander of the Faithful, peace and blessings be upon him. Although if we look with fairness at the Islamic world and Islamic history, all days belong to Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him; however, the followers of that noble figure have a different atmosphere today. Today, the memory of the Commander of the Faithful, peace and blessings be upon him, is spread over everything and everywhere.

Today, I have dedicated the first sermon to the will of the Commander of the Faithful, peace and blessings be upon him. He has several wills addressed to Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn, peace be upon them, and his words to others are also among his wills.

The Commander of the Faithful, peace and blessings be upon him, after being struck on the night of the nineteenth, has a brief will that I will translate for you today, God willing. The reason is that everyone tries to express the essence of their thoughts, spirit, views, and character in the last moments of life to the best and most trustworthy people. The Commander of the Faithful, peace and blessings be upon him, is a marvel of creation. He is a first-class Muslim. He is second only to the Noble Prophet. His ranks are more famous in the heavens than on earth. His followers and lovers among the angels of the heavens are more than among humans. This person connected to the divine realm; this knower of all high and elevated divine knowledge; this first-class struggler in the way of God who "struggled in God as he deserved to struggle," fought in all stages of life as was worthy of struggle, this first-class ascetic, first-class politician, first-class ruler, a person with these high qualities, is departing from the world. His time is short, and he knew this shortage of time even before being struck. When he was struck, it became clear.

He spends the last hours of his life and wants to summarize and convey a message to his children, to the people of Kufa, to the bewildered Muslims of that time, and to all of history. That message fits on one page, and its phrases are chosen very precisely. With an ordinary eye, the sentences of this will may sometimes seem inconsistent. At one point, he states a very important matter from our usual perspectives and analyses, then suddenly mentions something that may not seem very important to us. But the view of Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace and blessings be upon him, is a divine view; it is a correct view. Like the view of Almighty God to the creatures of the world. Small and large in the divine standard and in the Alawi view differ from small and large in our view. Therefore, if someone looks with this view, although our hands are short and we analyze from afar, with this analysis, the phrases are consistent. The matters are very precisely arranged. Listen:

"And from his will, peace be upon him, to Hasan and Husayn, peace be upon them, when Ibn Muljam, may God curse him, struck him." He made this will to Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn, peace be upon them. He called them, spoke to them, and uttered these words after being struck. He is wounded, and his blessed body is feverish due to the poison. Weakness and illness prevent ordinary people from speaking; but it does not prevent someone like Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him. In these short hours, between being struck and martyrdom, which is less than forty-eight hours, he must do all the obligatory, necessary, and first-class tasks; and he did. One of them was this will; which begins like this: "I advise you both to be pious." Without introduction, the first word is piety.

In that week when we came here, I briefly mentioned some points about piety. Piety means everything for a person; the world and the hereafter for a nation and the true provision for this long path that humanity is forced to traverse. The first and last in the words of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, is piety. He says: "My sons! Be mindful of yourselves; in the way of God and with the divine standard." "Piety of God" means this. It is not about fearing God; as some interpret piety as "fear of God." "Fear of God" and "fear of God" are other values. But this is piety. Piety means being careful that every action you take is in line with the interest that Almighty God has considered for you. Piety is not something that one can abandon for a moment. If we abandon it, the road is slippery, the valley is deep; we will slip and fall until we can grab onto something, a rock, a tree, or a bush, and pull ourselves up.

"Indeed, those who are pious, when a suggestion from Satan touches them, they remember, and then they see clearly." (Surah Al-A'raf, 7:201); when a pious person feels the touch of Satan, they immediately become aware and attentive. Satan does not stay away from us! So, the first will is piety.

Following piety, there is another point: "And do not seek the world, even if it seeks you." Do not chase after the world, even if the world comes after you. This is the second point. This is also among the necessities of piety. Of course, all good deeds are among the necessities of piety. Among them is not chasing after the world. He does not say "abandon the world." He says: "Do not seek it." Do not pursue the world. In fact, in our Persian expression, it means "do not chase after the world." What does the world mean? Does it mean developing the earth? Does it mean reviving God's wealth? Is this the meaning of the world that they said not to seek? No! The world means what you want for yourself, your enjoyments, and your pleasures. This is what they call the world. Otherwise, developing the earth, if done with the aim of good and the welfare of humanity, is the same as the hereafter. This is the good world. The world that has been condemned and we should not pursue is the world that directs us, our energy, our efforts, and our determination towards itself and keeps us from the path. Our selfishness, our self-worship, wanting wealth for ourselves, and seeking pleasure for ourselves is the condemned and reprehensible world.

Of course, this world has a forbidden type and a permissible type. It is not that wanting for oneself is all forbidden. No! It also has permissible types. But even its permissible type has been said not to pursue. If the world is understood in this way, even its permissible type is not good. The more you can direct the manifestations of material life towards God, the more you have profited and benefited. And this is the meaning of the hereafter. Even trade, if it is to promote the life of the people and not to accumulate wealth for oneself, becomes the same as the hereafter. All other worldly affairs are of this kind. So, the second point is not to chase after the world and not to set out in pursuit of the world.

What the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, has stated in this will, he himself was a complete mirror of it. If you look at his life, it is a summary of these sentences that are in his brief will. "And do not grieve over anything of it that is taken away from you." Another thing is that if from this condemned world, something does not reach you and is withheld from you, do not grieve. That you do not have such wealth, such pleasure, such position, and such comfort, do not grieve. This is the third sentence.

The next sentence: "And speak the truth." Or according to another version "And say the truth." It does not matter. It means "Speak the truth." Say the truth and do not conceal it. If something seems true to you, express it where it should be expressed. Do not keep the truth hidden. When the eloquent conceal the truth and sometimes reveal falsehood, or replace falsehood with truth, if the truth-seers and truth-knowers speak the truth, the truth will not be oppressed; the truth will not become alienated, and the people of falsehood will not covet the destruction of the truth.

The next sentence: "And work for the reward." Work for the reward, meaning the divine and true reward. Do not work in vain, O human! This work of yours, this life of yours, and this breath of yours are your only main capital. Do not waste it in vain! If you are living a life, if you are doing an action, if you are breathing, and if you are consuming energy, do all this for a reward. What is the reward? Is a few tomans of money the reward for a human being?! Is this the reward for the life I am spending?! Is the approval of so-and-so the reward for a human being?! No! "There is no price for your souls except Paradise, so do not sell them for anything else." (Nahj al-Balagha, Wisdom 456) This is a sentence from Imam Sajjad, peace be upon him, who says: "The reward for you and the appropriate price for your life is only Paradise. If you take anything less, you have been deceived. So, work for the reward and the reward of the hereafter."

This is the next phrase! Then Imam Ali, peace be upon him, says: "And be an opponent to the oppressor and a helper to the oppressed." Be an opponent to the oppressor. "Opponent" is different from "enemy." Sometimes someone is an enemy of the oppressor; meaning they dislike the oppressor and are their enemy. This is not enough. "Be their opponent," meaning "be their claimant." Opponent means "an enemy who is a claimant," "an enemy who grabs the oppressor by the collar and does not let go." Humanity after the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, until today, because they did not grab the collars of the oppressors, became miserable and disgraced. If the faithful hands had grabbed the collars of the oppressors and tyrants, oppression in the world would not have advanced so much; rather, it would have been uprooted. The Commander of the Faithful wants this: "Be an opponent to the oppressor." Be an opponent to the oppressor. In the world, wherever there is oppression and an oppressor, you who are here, consider yourself their opponent. We do not say "now set out; and go from this side of the world to that side of the world and grab the oppressor by the collar." We say "definitely show your opposition. Whenever and wherever you get the opportunity, be their opponent and grab their collar." Sometimes a person cannot approach the oppressor and express opposition; therefore, they oppose from afar. See today, because of not acting on this one word of the will of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, what a quagmire has been created in the world and what miseries humanity has! See what oppression the nations, especially the Muslims, are suffering! If this one will of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, had been acted upon, today many of the oppressions and the calamities resulting from oppressions would not exist.

"And be a helper to the oppressed." Wherever there is an oppressed person, help them. It does not say "be their supporter." No! You must help them. As much as you can and in any way you can.

Up to this point, the will of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, is addressed to Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn, peace be upon them. Of course, these words are not exclusive to Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn, peace be upon them. It is addressed to them; but it applies to everyone.

The next sentences of the will, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, states generally: "I advise you both and all my children." I advise you two sons and all my children. "And my family." And all my family and relatives. "And whoever my letter reaches." And to anyone who receives this letter of mine.

With this account, you who are sitting here and I who am reading this will for you, we are all addressed by the words of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. He says: "I advise all of you." To what? Again "to the piety of God." Again "piety." The first and last word of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, is piety. Following that: "And the order of your affairs." The order of your affairs. What does it mean? Does it mean that all the things you do in life should be organized? Is this its meaning? It may also mean this. He did not say "the order of your affairs." Organize your affairs. He said "the order of your affair." The thing that must be organized and subject to order and discipline is "one thing." He did not say "the order of your affairs." He said: "And the order of your affair." One understands that this order of affairs is something common among all. It seems to me that "the order of your affair" refers to the establishment of the Islamic system and government. It means that with the issue of government and system, act in accordance with order and discipline and do not be chaotic.

The Islamic world reached that state due to those chaotic situations and self-centeredness. If on the day when the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, took the reins of the Islamic world and the Islamic nation, everyone had remained loyal to that allegiance, the situation would not have reached the disorder and bitterness. The Prophet had said: "If someone becomes an Imam and the people accept him and he is pleasing to God, no one has the right to oppose him." If this sentence of the Prophet had been acted upon, those wars would not have occurred; neither the Battle of the Camel, nor the Battle of Siffin, nor the Battle of Nahrawan. That individuals, for their own desires and to sway the people (pull from this side; pull from that side) and disrupt the system of government and disturb the public order of the country, is the great misfortune that the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, forbids in this phrase of the will and commands the opposite: "And the order of your affair and the reconciliation of your differences."

The third principle he states in the second part of the will is "reconciliation of differences." It means be good to each other. Let hearts be clear with each other. Have unity of word and do not have division and separation among you. When he states this sentence, he also brings a witness from the words of the Prophet. It is clear that he emphasizes it a lot and fears it. Not that the reconciliation of differences is more important than the order of affairs; because the reconciliation of differences is more vulnerable. Therefore, he quotes this phrase from the Prophet: "For I heard your grandfather, peace and blessings be upon him, say: I heard your grandfather say: 'Reconciliation of differences is better than all prayer and fasting.'" Reconciliation of differences and the clarity among people is better than any prayer and fasting. He does not say "better than all prayers and fasts." He says "better than any prayer and fasting." You want to pursue your prayer and fasting. But there is something whose virtue is greater than both of these. What is that? That is "reconciliation of differences." If you see somewhere, among the Islamic nation, there is a difference and a gap, go and fill that gap. This has more virtue than prayer and fasting.

After stating these few sentences, he expresses short, profound, and heart-wrenching words: "By God, by God, regarding the orphans." Meaning "O my addressees! By God, by God, regarding the orphans." "By God, by God" has no translation in Persian. We do not have an equivalent for it in the Persian language. If we want to translate it, we must say "Your life and God's life, regarding the orphans." Meaning "Do whatever you can for the orphans. Do not forget them!" It is very important. See how much this God-knowing, God-seeking, precise human being sees the fine points! Yes! Taking care of the orphans is not just a personal compassion and ordinary emotion. A child who has lost their father is a person who has lost one of their most fundamental needs, which is the need for a father. You must compensate in some way. Although it cannot be compensated, you must be careful that the young, adolescent, or child who has lost their father is not neglected. "By God, by God, regarding the orphans. Do not let their mouths go hungry." Do not let them suffer from hunger! It should not be that sometimes something reaches them and sometimes it does not! "Do not let them go hungry" means this. Take care of them in terms of their living conditions. "And do not let them be neglected in your presence." Do not let them be neglected and ignored while you are present! If you are not present, you are unaware; but do not let it be that you are present and an orphan, any orphan, is neglected and ignored! Everyone should not just pursue their own work and leave the orphan child alone. The next sentence: "By God, by God, regarding your neighbors." Meaning "By God, by God, regarding your neighbors!" Do not take the issue of neighborhood lightly. It is a very important matter. It is a great social bond that Islam pays attention to and is in accordance with human nature. However, in the twists and turns of civilizations far from human nature, these values have been lost. So-and-so individual lives in a house for several years and does not know who lives next door and how they are living! Who should take care of the needs, necessities, emergencies, and hardships of individuals during calamities and problems?

You must take care of your neighbors. Not only in terms of economic and financial aspects, which are of course important, but in all human aspects. Then see what affection arises in society and how incurable pains find a cure. "For they are the will of your Prophet." This is the will of the Prophet, who: "He continued to advise about them until we thought he would assign them inheritance." The Prophet advised so much about the neighbor that we thought he would assign them inheritance! "By God, by God, regarding the Quran." By God, by God, regarding the Quran. "Do not let others surpass you in acting upon it." Do not let others act upon the concepts of the Quran, who do not believe in it, and surpass you, while you who believe in it, do not act and fall behind! Meaning the very thing that happened! Those who advanced in the world did so with perseverance, with pursuing work, with doing work well, with qualities that Almighty God loves, not with their corruption, with their drinking, or with the oppressions they commit.

I have repeatedly said: If some good and commendable qualities were not present in these Western countries that advanced science in the world, those advancements would not have occurred, and the very oppression they inflict on others would have destroyed them. Good qualities are what cause their survival and advancement. We have abandoned those qualities. They pursue their work. They value time, and they give importance to the product they want to produce. If our worker, our student, our teacher, our cleric, our merchant, our farmer, and other sectors act on good and positive qualities, the country will suddenly become a paradise. We must turn to good qualities and positive characteristics, which is the same as acting upon the Quran. He says: "Do not let others surpass you in acting upon the Quran!" Not that the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, does not want anyone to act upon the Quran. Rather, if the whole world acts upon the Quran, he is happier. He says do not let those who do not believe in the Quran act upon the concepts of the Quran and then dominate you. They advance, and you fall behind. "By God, by God, regarding prayer. For it is the pillar of your religion." Prayer is the foundation of your religion. "By God, by God, regarding the house of your Lord." Regarding the house of God, "Do not leave it empty as long as you live." As long as you are alive, do not let the house of God remain empty. "For if it is abandoned, you will not be given respite." If the house of God is abandoned, you will not be given respite (or you will not find the possibility of living). Various meanings have been made from this phrase.

"By God, by God, regarding jihad with your wealth, your lives, and your tongues in the way of God." Meaning by God, by God, regarding jihad. Do not abandon jihad in the way of God with wealth, life, and tongue. This jihad is the same jihad that the Islamic nation had until it was a model nation in the world, and when it lost it, it became humiliated. Christian writers who have quoted in their gospel from Jesus that "if someone slaps you on this side of the face, bring the other side forward," meaning "we are not at all people of war and are people of absolute peace and kindness," these are their slogans. They still say it. They still have not given up. They started taunting Muslims that "you are people of jihad. You are people of war. You are people of the sword. You are people of bloodshed." They said it so much that they embarrassed the Muslims! Then Muslim writers and scholars said that "we do not have jihad! In fact, our jihad is defense!" Almighty God says: "Fight!" The Muslim scholar says: "Jihad is defense!" God says: "...when you meet those who disbelieve advancing, do not turn your backs to them." (Surah Al-Anfal, 8:15); do not turn your backs to them. Fight them: "Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you." (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:123) The Muslim writer says: "Jihad in the way of God is not jihad. It is not offensive; it is defensive!" All this is a reaction to the propaganda of Christians who, after mentioning "peace and reconciliation" so much and saying "war and sword fighting is bad and do not attack anyone," made the Muslims who were people of jihad and dignity from jihad sit at home. Then those very gentlemen of peace, wherever they could, wreaked havoc on the Muslims! Those who today in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Ibrahimi Mosque in occupied Palestine are bent on massacring Muslims are the same ones who came from America and Europe. These very Europeans and Americans and Westerners who have been dealing with Muslims for a lifetime saying "you are people of jihad. Jihad is bad." Then from the Crusades onwards, Christians in one way, others in another way, fought and killed Muslims as much as they could.

We should not tell the story of these events here. In short, it is a strange story! Someone who reads history and someone who knows history weeps from the description of such events. Both because of the oppressions and because of the duplicity. To talk so much about peace and have so many hidden and open swords and daggers?!

Jihad in its Islamic form, which of course has limits, is not oppression. In jihad, there is no transgression and violation of human rights. In jihad, there is no pretext and killing of this and that. In jihad, there is no annihilation of anyone who is not a Muslim. Jihad is a divine command that is very great. If there is jihad, nations will be proud.

Then he says: "And upon you is to maintain communication and mutual assistance." Maintain communication with each other. Help each other. Be generous. "And beware of turning your backs and cutting ties." Do not turn your backs on each other. Do not cut ties. "Do not abandon enjoining good and forbidding evil." Never abandon enjoining good and forbidding evil, for if you abandon it "the worst among you will rule over you." Where there is no one to invite to good and no one to forbid evil, the wicked come to power and take control of the government. If people do not get used to condemning the bad and the bad deeds, the bad ones come to power and take control of affairs. "Then you will pray." Then you good ones will pray that "O God, save us from the evil of these bad ones!" "But it will not be answered for you." God will not answer your prayer.

This is the will of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, which from beginning to end, selects and states about twenty of the most important topics. Then he also states a major, fundamental, and sensitive issue. What is that major issue? The issue of "revenge." He said: "O sons of Abdul-Muttalib!" O sons of Abdul-Muttalib and O my relatives who consider yourselves the owners of my blood! "Do not let me find you wading in the blood of Muslims." Do not, after me, fall upon this and that; "saying the Commander of the Faithful has been killed." On the pretext that the Commander of the Faithful has been killed, do not drag anyone you have a grudge against into it and want to take revenge on them. "Except do not kill anyone for me except my killer." When I am killed, after me, only execute my killer and that is it! "Look, if I die from this strike, then strike him with a strike for a strike." When I die from this wound, only strike him with one strike and execute him. One strike for one strike. "And do not mutilate the man."

The fear was that they would fall upon that wretched, wicked Ibn Muljam and tear him to pieces. Therefore, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, that God-knowing, God-seeking, precise heart, was also careful about this point that people should not go to his enemy and, out of anger and distress and for revenge, tear him to pieces. He said: "And do not mutilate the man." Do not mutilate him and cut his limbs! "For I heard the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, say: Beware of mutilation even with a rabid dog." I heard from the Messenger of God that he said: even a rabid dog should not be mutilated; let alone a human.

This is the last will of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and we are the addressees of this will and must act upon it.

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, stated this will and I do not know how many hours later he passed away. This source of wisdom and this great human being, whose wise words filled the walls of Kufa and the mosque of Kufa and whose legacies were hung on the ears and held in the hearts, was taken from the people on a night like last night.

There is another sentence in Nahj al-Balagha. Let me read it so that on the day of mourning for the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, if you want, your eyes may shed a tear in memory of that noble figure. This sentence is in Nahj al-Balagha, which seems to be addressed to Imam Hasan, peace be upon him: "My eyes overcame me while I was sitting." On the night of the nineteenth, before dawn, and before I set out for the mosque, my eyes became warm. "The Messenger of God appeared to me." I saw the Prophet in a dream. "I said: O Messenger of God! What I have suffered from your nation of crookedness and stubbornness." I complained to the Prophet about the nation.

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, in front of the Prophet, is like a son in front of a father. He grew up in the embrace of the Prophet, and the Prophet was his father in all periods. Now, even as a sixty-three-year-old man, when he sees the Prophet in a dream, he still has the same childlike feeling in front of the Prophet. Like a child complaining to his father.

Anyway! He said: "I complained about the nation." "I said: O Messenger of God! What I have suffered from your nation of crookedness and stubbornness." "I said: O Messenger of God! What calamities I have suffered from your nation." What enmities they had with me, what stubbornness they showed with me, and what hardships I suffered from them.

In another phrase, it is mentioned that "I said to the Prophet: O Messenger of God! They are tired of me, and I am also tired of them." "He said: Pray against them." "The Prophet said: [O Ali!] Curse them." The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, wants to curse the nation that tormented him so much. See what Ali's curse is: "I said: May God replace them with better than them for me." May God give me better than them in their place. "And replace them with worse than me for them." And give them someone worse than me in my place!

The meaning of the sentences is that "O God; bring the death of Ali." And this prayer was answered.

On a night like last night, the companions surrounded the house of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. There are many narrations about this. I have not seen anywhere that it is written that orphaned children lined up in front of the house of the master with bowls of milk. But it is not unlikely. It is possible; even if it is not written anywhere. When they heard that the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, needed milk, each of them prepared a bowl of milk and brought it for him. It is certain that the surroundings of the house of guardianship were besieged by the lovers of Ali, and everyone was weeping. Suddenly Imam Hasan, peace be upon him, came out of the house and addressed the people: "My father is not in a suitable condition. Disperse." And the people dispersed.

The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, had willed that his pure and clean body be washed and buried at night. Truly, in the family of the Prophet, what a tradition was established! Just as the body of Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her, was washed at night and buried in the middle of the night, the body of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, was also washed at night and buried in the middle of the night.

Those who cursed Ali from the pulpits for years, if they knew where he was buried, it was not unlikely that they would go and dig up the grave and show disrespect to the pure body of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him. In the middle of the night, the body was taken for burial. Who were they? Surely the children of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, and some close companions took the pure body, buried it, and returned. I was thinking to myself that in these events, in this oppressed martyrdom, in this oppressed funeral, in this oppressed burial, in the house of the afflicted Ali, who suffered the most? It seemed to me that Zainab al-Kubra, peace be upon her, suffered the most. Zainab al-Kubra, peace be upon her, had seen the burial of her mother in the middle of the night before and now she was seeing the burial of her father in the middle of the night. Later, she also saw the funeral of Imam Hasan, peace be upon him, in that manner and the arrows that were shot at the body of that noble figure. On the day of Ashura, she also saw that terrifying and dreadful scene, which was the hardest of all. And at that moment she cried out: "O Messenger of God! Peace be upon you from the King of the heavens: this is your Husayn, covered in blood and cut into pieces." There is no power nor strength except with God, the Most High, the Most Great.

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

Say: He is God, the One. God, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent.

O Lord! Keep us alive with Ali and let us die with Ali.

O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, do not separate us from the Quran and the family.

O Lord! Place our wealth, our lives, our minds, our tongues, our actions, all in Your path and in the path of the Quran and in the path of Islam and in the path of Ali.

O Lord! Elevate Islam and Muslims.

O Lord! Save Muslims from the humiliation of the domination of disbelievers.

O Lord! Grant dignity to the Muslims of Bosnia, the Muslims of Palestine, the Muslims of Lebanon, the Muslims of Kashmir, the Muslims of Tajikistan, the Muslims of Afghanistan, the Muslims of India, the Muslims of Azerbaijan, the Muslims of Africa, the Muslims of Europe, the Muslims of America, and all the Muslims of the world with the light of Islam and the Quran and grant them victory over their enemies.

O Lord! Raise the dear, proud, and faithful nation of Iran to the peak of power and dignity with Your grace and favor and remove their problems.

O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, we beseech You to make this month of Ramadan blessed for us.

O Lord! Whatever we said and did in this month, place it for Yourself and in Your path and accept it with Your grace and generosity.

O Lord! Send spirit, mercy, and satisfaction to the pure soul of our great Imam and grant him the best reward. Gather our martyrs with the martyrs of the early Islam.

O Lord! Grant peace and solace to the hearts of the families of martyrs, the families of the disabled, the disabled themselves, the missing, and their families with Your grace and mercy.

O Lord! By the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, we beseech You to make us friends of the Quran.

O Lord! Implement the Quranic rule and the Quranic law completely among us!

O Lord! Remove poverty, destitution, illiteracy, ignorance, and problems from our society. Include the country's officials, the country's servants, and those who work for the people in Your mercy.

O Lord! Include us in the prayer of the Guardian of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him. We do not know whether last night, which was potentially the Night of Power, we were included in the prayer of the Guardian of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him, or not? If that noble figure prays for us and shows a glance, all our problems will be solved. O Lord! We have problems that with our prayers (meaning with the prayers of people like me) it is not clear if they will be solved. Those problems are solved with the prayer of the Imam of the Time. O Lord! By the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, O Owner of hearts, place in the illuminated and pure heart of our master and leader and Imam and owner that he prays for us, the Muslim nation, on the Night of Power! O Lord! Accept his prayer for us.

O God, extinguish in himself and his progeny and his followers and his subjects and his special ones and his general ones and his enemy and all the people of the world, what pleases his eye and satisfies his soul.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings

Second Sermon

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds. And prayers and peace upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, the guided and infallible leaders, especially Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the truthful, the pure, the lady of the women of the worlds, and Hasan and Husayn, the masters of the youth of paradise, and Ali ibn Husayn, and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir, and Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, and Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kazim, and Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad, and Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hadi, and Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari, and the Hujjah, the standing, the guided Mahdi. Your proofs over Your servants, and Your trustees in Your lands. And send prayers upon the leaders of the Muslims, the protectors of the oppressed, and the guides of the believers. I advise you and myself to be pious, and I ask God for forgiveness for me and for you.

The tragedy of the Zionist enemy's attack on the sacred Ibrahimi shrine is so great and painful that it cannot be spoken about and its right cannot be fulfilled with a few sentences. In our view, the usurping government is directly responsible for this tragedy, and the supporters of the usurping government are also responsible in this matter. At the head of the supporters of the usurping government is America, which has always and everywhere defended the Zionists over the years. Wherever the Zionists encountered a problem, America immediately stood up for them. American Jews and big capitalists did whatever they wanted through the power, money, and political influence of America for this cancerous tumor that has arisen in the heart of Islamic nations. In the recent incident, are they not guilty and responsible? Undoubtedly, they are. Just as other allies of Israel and its helpers are also responsible in this matter. The global public media that did not fulfill the right of this issue are also responsible. Human rights organizations, especially the "United Nations Human Rights Committee," are also responsible.

Small and large organizations that exist in the world under various titles and are lying in wait so that if an issue arises in a corner of the world, in a country that does not have a good relationship with America, they immediately blow their trumpets saying "human rights have been violated," why have they remained silent?! The usurping, wicked government and the enemy of humanity, the Zionists, kill hundreds of Palestinians in prostration and fasting. They kill dozens and injure hundreds. Then when the angry and grieving people whose hearts are burning clench their fists in the street, Israeli soldiers target and destroy the children of the people one by one. But the organizations that are supposed to protect human rights have remained silent and say nothing! At most, it is said that such and such an organization has condemned it! "Condemned it" means what?! What good does a word of condemnation do for the Palestinians?! Organizations that claim to protect human rights, if they were truthful, should have all risen up. They should have created an uproar in the world. They should have besieged the Israeli government. They should have given ultimatums to Israel's supporters and threatened them that "you have no right to help this bloodthirsty, wicked, criminal government." But none of these actions were taken. The Arab governments also unfortunately backed down. They did not completely and genuinely cut off negotiations; they did not even declare public mourning! Truly, they were very negligent and at fault!

Of course, the conscience of the Islamic nation was stormy. The maximum negligence and fault in this matter were committed by the Western media. There is no expectation from Israeli radio and the Zionist regime's media. They themselves are the killers. There is no expectation from a killer to condemn himself. But why should the media of the so-called free world be so unjust?! Why should they be so silent and belittle the incident?!

Recently, an Arab individual in America took up arms and attacked a few people and apparently did not cause much damage. See what a commotion the American media have raised over the past few days! All the newspapers and journals and other mass media in the West have spread the news of an attack by an Arab Muslim all over the world; but in contrast to that bitter incident, they have remained silent and if they do express it, it is completely distorted. They attribute such a catastrophe to one person. All this is oppression. Truly, how prejudiced, heartless, and far from the freedom they claim to be must the workers and directors of the media in America and the Western world be to act so badly and indifferently towards this issue!

Of course, our dear nation has always declared its positions. Let no one say "what is the use?!" Declaring these positions imposes the most important pressure on the usurper wherever they may be in the world. If nations in their countries rise up in response to such an incident, march, and clench their fists, they will tighten the space for the criminals. This is the case in all matters. Against America, it is the same. Against the bloodthirsty ones of former Yugoslavia, it is the same. Nations must declare their presence. The declaration of the presence of nations has a great impact on the international atmosphere and global politics.

Next Friday is Quds Day. If, God willing, the Islamic world honors this day in the true sense of the word and uses it to shout at the usurping Zionists, it will greatly defeat the enemy and force them to retreat. You, the nation of Iran, God willing, with your presence, will show what it means to use Quds Day and the opportunity to declare a position on the issue of Palestine. The nation of Iran, thanks be to God, acted well in this regard. The government also acted well. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also acted well. Meaning they did not waste time and said what needed to be said. The oppressed Palestinians understood that there are people around the world who are sensitive to their issue. This sensitivity must be proven. The pressure on Israel must be increased. The Palestinians themselves must seriously take on the responsibility of reviving the issue of Palestine and strive. Although striving is difficult, living under the pressure of the Zionists is more difficult and harder than striving. If they strive, the future will be good for them. But living like this will increase the hardships day by day. Of course, today in the occupied territories and in occupied Palestine, the Muslim nation has awakened. But the struggles inside Palestine must become general, widespread, connected to the outside, and connected to the depths of the Islamic nation, and the Muslim nations and peoples around the world must help them. In this regard, I am more inclined to speak with Muslim brothers who live outside the borders of our country; I will say a few sentences. (Arabic sermon)

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

When the victory of God and the conquest comes, and you see the people entering the religion of God in multitudes. Then exalt with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance.

I feel it necessary to sincerely thank this week of assistance and those involved in the week of assistance to the deprived and all the dear nation. You did a very sweet and beautiful work this week. I hope God accepts from those who took this charity out of their wealth and rewards those involved in the Relief Committee, the responsible brothers in radio and television, and all those who helped in this matter. It is a very good tradition. God willing, the tradition of helping the deprived will grow day by day in our society.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings