Speech in Meeting with Foreign Guests on the First Anniversary of Imam Khomeini's (may his soul be sanctified) Passing

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

I extend a warm welcome to all brothers and sisters who have come from near and far corners of the great Islamic homeland to express solidarity with the Iranian nation on the anniversary of the greatest calamity that befell it. I sincerely thank them, especially the esteemed families of the martyrs and the scientific personalities. I hope that Almighty God grants us all the success to, God willing, follow the path of prosperity for the Islamic Ummah, which our great Imam opened and traversed with strength and decisiveness, and in his life and death, bestowed divine guidance and assistance upon the followers of that path.

What stands out in the conduct of our great Imam is not just one or two aspects. Truly, this noble and outstanding human being placed dimensions of his life in the realm of education and instruction for the Islamic Ummah; however, there are two or three fundamental points in the life of that great figure that should never remain hidden from us believers in the contemporary mission of Islam.

The first issue is that the great Imam performed all his actions for God, and perhaps the conquest of the hearts of the Islamic Ummah across the world—with their diverse tastes, sects, educations, and influences—who, without any distinction, submitted and showed allegiance to his greatness, path, and message, stemmed from his sincerity. He spoke for God, acted for God, withdrew for God, supported for God, and was willing to endure the disapproval of the masses for God, to remain alone and continue his movement.

His sincerity was the fundamental point of his life. The path of that great figure can only be traversed with sincerity. The masses, thanks be to God, possess this sincerity and have demonstrated it. The leaders, pioneers, scholars, intellectuals, and thinkers, wherever they employ this sincerity and act with sincerity, speak and work for God, success is certain. Success means the impact of words on hearts. That is, words that are sincere and for God leave their impact on receptive hearts, and God grants this impact to them. That great figure was like this.

For this reason, the enemies feared even a hint or a word from him, while friends were encouraged. In difficult events, the words of the Imam could warm disheartened hearts—not only within the confines of Iran but throughout the Islamic horizons—and guarantee movement. We must not underestimate this characteristic in any way; especially those of us who consider ourselves to have a significant responsibility and duty.

Another point is that he had a broad view of the Islamic world, and following this broad perspective, his firm belief in the necessity of Muslim unity was evident. This is the fundamental point. The issue is not how many people or how much political and social power the various Islamic sects, political and ideological groups, and others have or do not have; the issue is that if we are seeking a solution for the problems of the Islamic world, or more accurately, if we are striving for the dignity, greatness, and honor of Islam and the Quran, this is not compatible with discord and conflict among Muslims. Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) pursued this goal even before the victory of the revolution and recommended it. After the victory of the revolution, he pursued it even more.

Although colonialism had long set division as one of its goals, after the victory of the revolution and after this center of Islamic unity was established, the efforts of America and its allies to create division among Muslims intensified, leading to fratricide among Muslims. Today, throughout the Islamic horizons, mercenary pens fed by oil dollars and the money of America's allied reactionaries aim to sow discord among Muslims. They knew that since the Islamic revolution has an attraction and the center of this revolution will attract Muslims from all over the world, there is a danger for America and global arrogance that their investments in creating division among Muslims will be wasted, so they increased their efforts.

Today, money is spent worldwide to build mosques of discord. Money is spent to create organizations and establish bases aimed at striking Islamic unity and creating conflict and division among Islamic sects. There are individuals like Satan who, just as he said to the Lord of the worlds, 'I will surely mislead them all,' have dedicated themselves to creating discord. Unfortunately, in all or most Islamic countries, there are those who, relying on American policies, do the same.

We believe that Islam has made the unity of Muslims and the union of forces believing in God and monotheism one of its obligations. We believe that one of the greatest objectives of the pilgrimage to the House of God is to bring Muslims closer together. Why are they so afraid of Muslims becoming acquainted with each other? The issue is that Islamic unity and the unity of vision and speech among Muslims are dangerous for global arrogance, especially the treacherous America and its tools in the system of domination in the world. This is a truth that our great Imam repeatedly expressed.

A group of Muslim brothers from different parts of the world are gathered here. Remember these two points from Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified): first, sincerity, which is the essence and spirit of everything, and second, the great goal of Islamic unity. Of course, our great Imam has sown this seed, and whether America wants it or not, the sapling of Islam and the Islamic revolution is growing. Reactionaries and those dependent on America, whether they want it or not, this movement is continuing and persisting. No blow will be dealt to this movement from the enemies unless, God forbid, the believers themselves, through misconduct and failure to adhere to their duties, harm themselves; otherwise, the path is clear and traversable, and the goal is very clear, and the enemy will not be able to cut off this path.

May God, God willing, assist and support all those who tread this path, and may He unite the dear martyrs of this path with His saints, and may He unite the sacred soul of our great Imam with the pure souls of the prophets and the guided Imams (peace be upon them), and God willing, may He make the sacred heart of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) pleased and satisfied with us, and may He make the sacred soul of our great Imam pleased with us.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings