Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Members of the Assembly of Experts

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

First, I congratulate you on this great birth and hope that the Almighty God grants us all the success to benefit from "the Lamp of Guidance and the Ark of Salvation" as we should, God willing. I also welcome the esteemed gentlemen and the elected experts of the nation and thank you for the session you held and the good points you expressed in this assembly. I especially thank the statements of His Excellency Ayatollah Meshkini (may his blessings be upon him), who truly is a teacher of ethics, and we have been benefiting from his warm words for many years, and today we benefited as well. Likewise, we benefited from the clear and comprehensive report presented by His Excellency Mr. Amini (may his blessings be upon him) regarding the outcomes of this two-day assembly.

What I want to convey today can be summarized in one sentence: our duties today are heavier than in the past. After the significant event of the elections—which was indeed an important event for the country—the various dimensions of it may become clearer. The plans that were devised for the country and the Islamic Republic system, and the false perceptions that the designers and decision-makers of global arrogance had about the state of the country, were all disrupted by this election; these are very important matters, and we must truly see the hand of divine power and will in this event, just as in many other events where we were not the ones who acted; indeed, divine power intervened. The massive gathering of the people, the great popular movement, the enthusiastic elections, and the presence of all factions and all tendencies in the elections were truly divine blessings. Of course, those who participated in this election and heated the scene were also means; however, it was divine will that brought about this situation.

Today, the image of the Islamic Republic in the world is different; they feel that this system is popular; the people stand by this system; they feel that the slogans of the revolution, contrary to what they had propagated, are alive. They thought that the foundations of Imam and the foundations of the revolution had been forgotten and that the new generations that have come to power had turned away from those foundations, and even the officials and figures of this system had reconsidered; however, all of this was overturned, and it became clear that the Islamic system, if it has made scientific progress, if it has advanced in technology, if the emergence of talents over these two decades has astonishingly drawn everyone's attention, if all this construction and renewal of the country has taken place in all areas, all of this has occurred within the framework of Islamic thought, and the guiding hand of the revolution and the name of the Imam and the memory of the Imam have been the leaders of all these movements, and the motivations of faith have brought about these events; everyone felt and understood this; the false perception that existed in people's minds was corrected, and the credibility of the Islamic Republic increased. Today, with this new situation, I feel that heavier duties rest on everyone's shoulders. I will briefly mention four points, as time is limited.

Our primary duty is to maintain unity of word. Elections, with all their merits and the excitement they create in society—which brings about one of the greatest epics over the years—usually have the side effect of creating discontent among groups and individuals in the people; discontent arises among factions; discontent arises among various ideological and political tendencies; discontent arises among different tastes—even with a unified policy; discontent arises among individuals. We must quickly remedy this side effect. This remedy is not the responsibility of one person, to say which organization, which authority, and which institution should do this; it is the responsibility of all. Primarily, the heavier duty falls on those who hold higher positions.

As His Excellency Mr. Meshkini rightly stated, we, due to our more sensitive position, have a heavier duty in all matters—including this one. We should strive to heal the discontent and wounds that have arisen during the elections. There is always a way and a manner to do this. I currently see policies and orientations within the country that are planning exactly the opposite; these are not friends and cannot be friends. They are planning to create more division. The elites of the country—whether government officials, clerical officials, representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, esteemed members of the Assembly of Experts, various other institutions, or political thinkers and influential figures—have the duty to strive more than ever to create unity. Why more than before? Because, after all, these discontents and rifts have arisen and must be healed and mended.

The second heavy duty is to support the executive bodies, especially to support the government; this is also the duty of all. A government has come to power with attractive slogans; these slogans are popular and revolutionary. If these slogans are realized, the country will benefit; all the well-wishers of this system will benefit. If we can truly advance social justice; if we officials can align our behavior with Islam more than before; if we can prevent some divergences that have emerged in some areas from the foundations, this will be a great success for the revolution and the country; it is a benefit that reaches everyone; it is not the case that the benefit goes to one person or one faction or a specific group; no, everyone benefits. Throughout the sixteen or seventeen years that multiple governments have been in power and we have had four presidential elections and two esteemed figures have been responsible during this time, my position has been the same; without any reduction. I believe everyone should support the President and the government and assist them. There is no government and no one that we can say is perfect in every respect; after all, everyone may have weaknesses in some aspects of their work. Previous governments had them, and this government is no exception. We should not emphasize the weaknesses; we should not prioritize the shortcomings over the merits; we should see that in the middle of this field and in the middle of this arena, there is a body called the government, with the President at its head, and the greatest burden rests on them. The very things that you gentlemen mentioned and all of us expect to be done will not be accomplished without the support and attention of the government. Cultural problems, economic problems, political issues, domestic and foreign matters, etc., all pertain to whatever government is in power. Governments and presidents must be strengthened. Here, too, the duty is heavy. It should not be that some, due to excessive expectations, and some, due to certain discontents that may exist, weaken the government from various sides. It is our great duty to strengthen the government; it is a heavy responsibility that needs to be fulfilled.

The third point I will mention briefly is to address fundamental political and ideological discussions. Today, pay attention that the propaganda inclination of our enemies is not only to insult the Islamic system or speak ill or make a political accusation; today, our enemies are fundamentally grappling with the discussions that are the foundation of the Islamic Republic. As they say, they are theorizing anti-Islamic Republic thought. In fact, they are establishing a theoretical basis for the imperialist thought of the world of arrogance, led by America, over the entire world.

What pertains to the faith of the people, what pertains to the legitimacy of Islam and the Quran and divine laws, what pertains to the intertwining and unity of religion and politics, what pertains to the specific foundations of the Islamic Republic—all of these are under challenge, and this challenge is being pursued very seriously. The opponents of the Islamic Republic are not just a bunch of slanderers who sit in radios and televisions and engage in political nonsense; they have employed thinkers; individuals who can bring forth ideas in the fields of thought—whether religious or political—are being utilized, and they are spending money and creating thoughts and injecting them into society. In confronting this, neither anger, nor excommunication, nor weapons, nor force will be of any use. In the face of "iron can only be cut by iron," we must enter the arena with logic. The enemy is using artistic tools; they are using modern propaganda tools and disseminating ideas; the main target is our youth.

They bring thoughts to various press and media outlets; they even bring them to the media connected to the system—unbeknownst to them—and sometimes they also broadcast certain things. They bring individuals under false titles of philosopher, politician, thinker, etc., to the media; these individuals grapple and wrestle with the clear Quranic foundations and question these foundations. It is evident; "and let the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter incline toward it and let them be pleased with it and let them commit what they are committing"; those whose hearts are prepared will accept these; some who are oblivious and simple-minded and lack scientific complexity will accept these. Today, a significant duty rests on the elites.

Mr. Amini mentioned on behalf of Mr. Seyyed Ahmad Khatami (may God protect them) that weak matters are expressed regarding the mourning rituals. I say it is not just about mourning; in expressing divine knowledge, the knowledge of the Ahlul Bayt, the hadith we narrate, the stories we tell, the relationship we attribute to the Imam, the knowledge we wish to adhere to; in all of these, we must observe accuracy. Our scholars place so much emphasis on the credibility of a certain narrator for a minor, insignificant issue in jurisprudence, discussing, accepting, and rejecting whether this narrator is acceptable or not; so that they can finally scrutinize the chain of narration and determine whether this chain is valid; if the chain is valid, then this narration can be trusted; so that if we trust it, a third-degree ruling in the matter of purity or in the matter of other worship rulings can be derived. In that case, we place so much importance; how can we trust every hadith, every narration, every word, and every statement in the realm of knowledge and in the realm of emotional and intellectual attachments? This is unacceptable.

Accuracy in narration, accuracy in expression, and accuracy in the documentation of what we want to provide as intellectual nourishment to the people is essential; this is a fundamental condition; for this, we must think; it is not an easy task; I have said this task is very difficult; it cannot be accomplished with a single meeting and reminder and the establishment of a single institution; it requires serious determination and will from the religious elites and scholars to insist on this issue, to adhere to it, and to pursue it without fear of what may come back to them.

A few years ago, we spoke here about the practice of self-flagellation—an act that is "manifestly wrong"—many elders spoke, showed restraint, accepted, and many people also accepted; then we saw noise rising from some corners that you are opposing Imam Hussein! The meaning of "the Ark of Salvation and the Lamp of Guidance" is that we should perform an act that is undoubtedly religiously problematic and is certainly and manifestly forbidden? We must clarify these matters so that our youth become more interested in Islam. You see the inclination of the youth toward Islam. This inclination is emotional. This inclination is very valuable; however, it is like a wave that may come and go. If we want this wave to continue, we must strengthen the intellectual foundations of the youth. We have so many resources. The same supplication of Abu Hamzeh that His Excellency Mr. Meshkini mentioned, the supplication of Imam Hussein on the Day of Arafah, these are read by our youth; however, they do not understand their meaning. "O God, grant me a heart that draws me closer to You with its longing"; how many such supplications and deep concepts exist in supplications like the Sha'ban supplication and the Sahifa Sajjadiyya that we need to explain and clarify for the youth so that they understand and read with the interest, affection, and longing they have.

The last point is the heavy duty regarding service delivery; this duty primarily pertains to government officials. Serving the people is our main task, and the majority of those who should receive service are the deprived, oppressed, and underprivileged classes of society who are in need of service. We must deliver this service to them and facilitate service delivery. This itself is a significant step toward creating social justice. Today, shortcomings and negligence and extending useful administrative time to one hour or less or slightly more are no longer tolerable; these must be corrected. Of course, striving and effort are necessary. Everyone must, God willing, assist so that the officials can fulfill their duties.

God willing, may the Almighty God grant us all the success to fulfill these heavy duties. In this sensitive period, there are tasks on all of us, and each of us will be questioned about the blessings of God—"Then you will surely be asked on that Day about the blessing"—and we must be accountable for this great blessing. May God, God willing, grant us the ability to bear these heavy burdens and deliver them to the destination.

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