Statements in Meeting with the Chairman and Members of the Assembly of Experts

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family, and God's curse be upon all their enemies.

I extend my welcome to the esteemed gentlemen, dear brothers; and I thank Mr. Jannati and Mr. Shahroudi for their reports and for the efforts that the members and the esteemed board and the heads of the commissions and the members of the commissions have made throughout the year; especially regarding the matter of the "Think Tank" and the endeavor you have undertaken; after, God willing, the work of this think tank begins and progresses, gradually, its benefits will become clear, as will the problems and difficulties and the great work that must be done in this think tank. We seek mercy and forgiveness for the late Mr. Shah-Abadi and honor his memory. He was among the children of the late Grand Ayatollah Mr. Shah-Abadi who had a close, affectionate, and kind relationship with Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), who had a fatherly and close view towards a few of them, including him, and he himself was indeed a prominent figure in terms of spirit, demeanor, and loyalty to the revolution; may God elevate his ranks.

This meeting is blessed by the name of the noble Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), as it is held during the days associated with her and her birth; we take this as a good omen; moreover, we are on the threshold of the month of Rajab, which is indeed the entrance to one of the blessed periods of the year; the month of Rajab is the month of worship, the month of seeking intercession, the month of supplication, the month of closeness to God, the month of seeking help from the Lord to remove obstacles.

Esteemed gentlemen, dear brothers! This assembly, while being politically very sensitive - because the selection of leadership is entrusted to this assembly; at times, the dismissal of leadership is also entrusted to this assembly; it holds an extraordinary political position - is a scholarly assembly; that is, the scholars of religion are gathered in this assembly. This assembly is a living manifestation of the intertwining of religion and politics; religious scholars, in their capacity as religious scholars, also engage in a significant political task, as mentioned, and as stated in the Constitution, that if, God willing, this think tank and its activities come into existence and are pursued and grow, then the development of the activities and blessings of this assembly will increase even more.

Today, the topic I wish to discuss pertains to this scholarly aspect and this religious aspect; I would like to present some remarks regarding this section and within the framework of this section.

The introduction to the discussion is that there is no doubt that the Islamic Republic is engaged in a comprehensive struggle; we all accept that the Islamic Republic is in a hard and comprehensive struggle; not only in the political sphere, but also in the cultural, economic, social, and security spheres, we are in a state of struggle. Of course, military warfare and military struggle have been present at a certain time, which has now ceased, but harder than that are the security wars, the economic wars, and the cultural wars that we are currently engaged in; no one can deny this. Yes, there are those who object to the fact that we are in this situation - that we are at war - and they ask why we should be at war with the world? There are those who object to this meaning. Their perception is that the Islamic Republic has started this war; thus, they say why are we in this situation? In our view, this is negligence; the Islamic Republic did not start a war of this magnitude with the world, but rather the very existence of the Islamic Republic, that is, the ideals and goals and slogans that are presented in the Islamic Republic - which can be summarized in the governance of religion, summarized in a religious society - creates enemies, generates adversaries, and instigates wars. This is the well-known war of truth and falsehood that has existed throughout history; this is nothing new; wherever the call of monotheism has risen and justice has been raised, enemies have emerged there; this is not something of today; وَ كَذّْلِكَ جَعَلنا لِكُـلِّ نَبِیٍّ عَدُوًّا شَیّْطینَ الاِنسِ وَ الجِنِّ یوحی بَعضُهُم اِلیّْ بَعضٍ زُخرُفَ القَولِ غُرورًا‘ وَلَو شاءَ رَبُّکَ ما فَعَلوهُ« فَذَرهُم وَ ما یَفتَرون * وَ لِتَصغیًّ اِلَیهِ اَفئِدَةُ الَّذینَ لایُؤمِنونَ بِالأخِرَةِ وَ لِیَرضَوهُ وَ لِیَقتَرِفوا ما هُم مُقتَرِفونَ؛‌(۳) the components of the false front cooperate with one another, meaning they both cooperate and gain supporters; there are those who listen to their words and follow them; this is how it is. In the Islamic Republic, our slogan is one of monotheism, of the Guardianship of God and the Guardianship of the Friends of God, social justice, and the respect for humanity; these are the slogans we have and pursue, and they have enemies. We oppose oppression; کونا لِلظّالِمِ خَصماً وَ لِلمَظلومِ‌ عَونا؛(۶) we have this doctrine; we are the adversaries of the oppressor and the supporters of the oppressed. This position, naturally, creates enemies, generates enmity, and instigates conflict; this is the reality.

Well, the important point is that in this struggle, victory is certainly with the front of truth. Not today, but yesterday, today, and tomorrow, wherever such a struggle arises, victory will be with the front of truth, provided that several conditions are met; [if] the people of truth and those who support the truth intend, strive, remain patient, stand firm, and fight, they will undoubtedly be victorious; wherever this has happened - throughout the history - it has been this way. The same applies to the prophets; yes, we have instances in the prophets where they were killed, destroyed, mocked, and subjected to similar actions, but in the Quran and in the narrations, there are instances where the prophets succeeded and prevailed; this is because the conditions varied. Where the supporters of truth showed weakness, negligence occurred, it turned out that way; where steadfastness, resilience, struggle, insight, and similar qualities were exhibited, they succeeded; this has been the case throughout history. Today is no different; today, when this movement, this uprising was initiated by the Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), the people followed, came into the field; the old, the young, men, women, various classes, and different places entered the field; they were not afraid of being killed, they stood firm, and they were victorious. The same applies to the war; in every other place where we made this effort, victory was certainly achieved. Today is the same; today, if we act correctly according to the conditions, victory is certain.

And in the Holy Quran, there are many verses that remind us of this certainty of victory and teach us and inform us; among them is the verse "اِن تَنصُرُوا اللهَ یَنصُرکُم"(۷), the verse "لَیَنصُرَنَّ‌ اللهُ مَن یَنصُرُه"(۸), the verse "وَ العاقِبَةُ لِلمُتَّقین"(۹) which is repeated in several places, all of these indicate this. One of the most hopeful verses that I want to discuss a bit today is the verse of divine companionship; "اِنَّ اللهَ مَعَنا"(۱۰), God is with us. It is very important for a person to feel that God is with him, that God is beside him, that God is behind him, that God is watching over him; this is a very important matter! Because God is the center of power and the center of dignity. When God is with a front, that front is undoubtedly and certainly victorious. Now, for example, consider that in the most difficult situations, the Almighty God has highlighted this companionship to His saints; for instance, when Prophet Moses says: وَلَهُم عَلَیَّ ذَنبٌ فَاَخافُ اَن یَقتُلون, at the beginning of the matter, God says: قالَ کَلّا فَاذهَبا بِئایتِناِ اِنّا مَعَکُم مُستَمِعون; (۱۱) I am with you, who are you afraid of? This was in Surah Ash-Shu'ara; or in another verse where Moses and Aaron say: اِنَّنا نَخافُ اَن یَفرُطَ عَلَیناِ اَو اَن یَطغی, that Pharaoh might do this, God says: قالَ لا تَخافا اِنَّنی مَعَکُماِّ اَسمَعُ وَاَری; (۱۲) see how good this is! I am with you, I see, I hear, I am attentive, I am watching over you. Or in the blessed Surah Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), it says: فَلا تَهِنوا وَ تَدعوِّا اِلَی السَّلمِ وَ اَنتُمُ الاَعلَونَ وَ اللهُ مَعَکُم وَلَن یَتِرَکُم اَعمالَکُم; (۱۳) this divine companionship of the Almighty with the believers, with the prophets, with the companions and followers of the prophets, is something that God has repeatedly highlighted in the Quran. The result of this has been that the prophets relied on this divine promise in this noble verse: «فَلَمّا تَرًّءَا الجَمعانِ قالَ اَصحّْبُ موسیًّ اِنّا لَمُدرَکونَ * قالَ کَلّا اِنَّ مَعِیَ رَبّی سَیَهدین»; (۱۴) as soon as they saw the army of Pharaoh appearing from afar and it was about to reach them - the sea in front of them, the army of Pharaoh behind them - their hearts trembled, [they said] "اِنّا لَمُدرَکون"; we are doomed. Here, Prophet Moses, relying on that divine promise, says: کَلّا; it is not so; اِنَّ مَعِیَ رَبّی سَیَهدین. Or the Prophet Muhammad in the Cave of Thawr; اِلّا تَنصُروهُ فَقَد نَصَرَهُ اللهُ اِذ اَخرَجَهُ الَّذینَ کَفَروا ثانِیَ اثنَینِ اِذ هُما فِی الغارِ اِذ یَقولُ لِصاحِبِه! لا تَحزَن اِنَّ اللهَ مَعَنا; (۱۵) relying on this divine promise, the Prophet Muhammad says "اِنَّ اللهَ مَعَنا"; do not be upset, do not be sad. Thus, both the Almighty God has given this promise definitively, and the saints of God [like] Prophet Moses and the Prophet Muhammad have believed in this promise and accepted it and acted accordingly. And this is a truth and one of the certain traditions of history; this is one of those traditions that «لَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللهِ تَبدیلا»; (۱۶) this will always be the case.

Well, now we want to secure this companionship for ourselves; what is the way? This is important. This companionship exists, but it has conditions; it is not for everyone. In the Quran, several conditions are set for this companionship. At the end of Surah An-Nahl, it says: اِنَّ اللهَ مَعَ الَّذینَ اتَّقَوا وَالَّذینَ هُم مُحسِنون; (۱۷) piety. "اِنَّ ‌اللهَ مَعَ الصّبِرین‌" (۱۸) and "وَ اللهُ‌ مَعَ‌ الصّبِرین" (۱۹) and "اَنَّ اللهَ مَعَ المُتَّقین" (۲۰) and "اَنَّ اللهَ مَعَ المُؤمِنین‌" (۲۱) and "وَ اِنَّ اللهَ لَمَعَ المُحسِنین" (۲۲) are repeated in several places in the Quran. We must understand our duty from here; I want to present this. Both the Islamic government - that is, the government officials, the executive branch, the judiciary, the legislative branch - and the scholars have the duty to cultivate the faith of this nation; to cultivate piety in this nation; to cultivate patience, to cultivate kindness among the people and among the believers; we must educate the people in this way. Most importantly, the governmental institutions are those that can carry out this task through planning. We have a vast institution called education, a vast institution called higher education, a vast institution called broadcasting, apart from the specialized institutions of our collection. These that I mentioned, all have them in the world; there are also institutions that are specific to us, like the Friday and congregational prayers, like the pulpits; these pulpits and contacts with the people are very important. So one task is educational and training programs in schools, universities, mosques, prayer congregations, and in preaching pulpits; especially, as we mentioned, in places that have a wider reach, like broadcasting; one of the main duties of broadcasting is this. Or those whose speeches have a large audience, like myself, like the President, like others who the people listen to their words - prominent religious, scientific, and political figures whose words the people hear, they must focus their important goals on this education; because if these educations are carried out, then "وَالَّذینَ هُم مُحسِنونَ" will come into existence, " الَّذینَ اتَّقَوا" will come into existence, and so on, and consequently, " اِنَّ اللهَ مَعَنا" will come into existence; that is, divine companionship will certainly be achieved; there will be no place for fear and sadness. Well, today we are faced with a vast political, financial, economic, military, and security front; almost all the propaganda apparatuses of the world are speaking against us and working; the financial institutions affiliated with the Zionists and the United States and the arrogant powers are working against us; they are all working. Of course, thanks be to God, we are standing firm; this steadfastness is also due to the piety and faith that, thanks be to God, exists in a large segment of our people, namely these young people and their sacrifices and these "Hujji" (۲۳) and similar individuals; do not underestimate these; they are very important; they are the ones who have upheld the foundations of this system and have largely secured divine companionship for us.

If we want this to be complete, we must expand this circle; we must work on these issues; one task is propaganda and planning for propaganda. You gentlemen, almost all of you are in positions of attention in your cities; either you are Friday prayer leaders or religious speakers or teachers, professors - some in universities, some in seminaries - and in various places, you have the field and the opportunity to speak, to work, to educate; you are not bystanders, you have the field; this will be a matter of questioning by the Lord; that is, this is an opportunity that the Almighty God will question us about how we utilized this opportunity; وَاستَعمِلنی بِما تَسئَلُنی غَداً عَنه; (۲۴) this is one of those matters. Therefore, one task is this.

Another task, which is also of great importance, if not more important than this propaganda - which in our opinion is even more important - is our own actions; not actions that must necessarily be in front of the people; no, our correct actions will have their impact; abandoning sin, abandoning materialism, abandoning elitism, hard work, diligent work. When we are with God, the Almighty God will influence our words, our actions. And when the people look at us and see no contradiction between our words and actions, their faith strengthens and they come to this path, they move in this direction. In my opinion, one of the reasons for the miraculous success of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) was that he was an actor, he was devout, he had a true belief in the Day of Judgment - in the true sense of the word - and he stood firm in this faith and belief in action and was indeed pure; this had an impact; [of course] some may know this purity, some may not, but it has an impact. Therefore, our important duty, both [as] administrative and governmental officials and those responsible in various sectors of the system, and also as religious scholars, is to guide the people towards piety and kindness and patience and purity and similar qualities through speech and action. Then, if this happens and we consider the Almighty God to be with us, the result will be that in confronting the powers, we will move courageously. Of course, we must confront the powers - this itself is also one of the aspects of piety - both courageously, wisely, and skillfully, we must defeat the enemy in the political arena; this is one of our main and certain tasks.

Thanks be to God, today there is a good generation. When I say this, it is not a slogan; I say this with knowledge. A new generation, a new growth has emerged in the country; it is not specific to one particular place, nor is it specific to one particular intellectual and practical section; in cultural, propaganda, artistic, scientific, and philosophical fields, a vast collection of young people has emerged who are truly believers in God and believers in this path; even though they have not seen the Imam; they have not experienced the war - which was very formative and influential - this itself indicates the high degree of faith of these individuals, that even though they have not seen them, they still insist, with this firmness, with this enthusiasm, to follow this path. This generation is a good generation, a hopeful generation. And now the enemy has cast a covetous eye on our old age. They sit and calculate; they say these people are old; the leader is like this and the others are like that, and they consider all of us [to be old]; they do not know that beneath this old appearance, there is a youthful movement, thanks be to God, in this country that is moving, striving, working, and God willing, all the great and important tasks will be achieved through their youthful efforts and their understanding and intelligence.

As time goes by, my belief grows that, God willing, the future of this country will be much better than today, and the revolution will advance further. Of course, we have problems; yes, we know the problems that you gentlemen mention in your speeches [that the reports of your statements have been given to me; I agree with most of what you have stated and I am aware of what you mentioned from various cities and provinces with which you are connected; we know the people's problems, the livelihood problems, and the complaints that people have] - but in our view, all of these are solvable and can be resolved. God willing, in the coming days, we will have discussions with the people and perhaps speak more on this matter. We do not have any unsolvable problems in the country.

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