Statements in a Video Conference with Eulogists

On the auspicious anniversary of the birth of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her)

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, especially the remainder of God among the worlds. O God, send blessings upon Fatimah and her father, her husband, and her children, in accordance with what Your knowledge encompasses.

I congratulate you on the birth of the pure and chaste lady (peace be upon her) and the birth of the great Imam, as well as the decade of Fajr, to all of you dear ones present in this session, especially to the dear brothers who have brought us this blessing, from which we have truly benefited; it is regrettable that it was short; I wish we could have benefited from you twice or three times as much. I have noted a few topics that, of course, cannot all be addressed in this short time. A few words about the pure lady (peace be upon her), one about Women’s Day and Mother’s Day, which has been aptly named, and a look at the fortunately growing phenomenon of eulogizing in the country.

The high rank and extraordinary status of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) When we look at Lady Zahra (peace be upon her) with this materialistic and superficial eye - now, those with eyes of truth and reality may see differently, may see other things - we see that this great lady is, on one hand, the exalted daughter of the Prophet; a daughter whom the Prophet kisses her hand, stands up before her, and in every journey, his last visit is to the house of Zahra before he departs, and upon returning from a journey, the first place he visits and greets is the house of Zahra; such a daughter. On the other hand, she is a lady of purity; the rank of purity is an extraordinary rank, an extraordinary status. Furthermore, she is on par with Ali ibn Abi Talib; Ali ibn Abi Talib, with that greatness, whom the eyes of the world have not seen anyone like him after the Prophet; Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) is the wife of such a personality. On the other hand, she is the mother of four shining suns, two of whom are infallible Imams, and she is also the progenitor of the blessed lineage of the greatest Prophet, which today, thanks be to God, after 1400 years, millions of people around the world take pride in this lineage; the progenitor of this lineage is Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her).

The life history of Lady Zahra coincides with the history of the Prophet’s mission The life history of this great lady exactly coincides with the history of the mission; that is, shortly after the Prophet’s mission, this great lady rises, and shortly after the passing of the mission and the Prophet, she departs; that is, her life is completely aligned with the period of the mission. In her childhood, she feels and understands the hardships of the Shi’b of Abi Talib, enters the difficult fields of life from childhood, loses her mother, which is very difficult for a girl at this age, but alongside enduring this hardship, she performs a great act, which is comforting the Prophet. The Prophet, who has lost both Khadijah and Abu Talib, needs a comforter, and this daughter becomes the comforter of her father. This comforting continued until the Medina period and in Uhud and in the trench and in many other places, where at that time the Prophet said: "Fatimah is the mother of her father"; she became a mother for the Prophet. Then, the issue of migration, the unparalleled tests of the Medina period, her marriage to Ali ibn Abi Talib, who has one foot in the house and one foot in the battlefield - enduring these hardships - and then raising these four unparalleled children in the history, and then offering the first sacrifice after the Prophet’s passing, Muhsin, and ultimately her own martyrdom a few months after the Prophet.

The life of Lady Zahra; the embodiment of the highest human concepts regarding women This short eighteen-year life or a little more of this great lady has such a story, which is an important story. That lady embodies the highest human and Islamic concepts regarding women, which must be considered; the lessons of Fatimah al-Zahra are mostly these matters. Some Islamic concepts are specific concepts, such as motherhood, wifehood, house management, child-rearing; in all of these, the peak of perception is Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her). In the realm of child-rearing, in the realm of cooperation with her husband, in the shared realms and in those things that are common between men and women, such as servitude to God - great duties like servitude to God - the status of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) is an extraordinarily astonishing and important status. Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (peace be upon him) says that on Friday night until morning, my mother was awake, worshipping; whenever I heard her voice, I saw she was praying for others; in the morning, I said, "Mother! You prayed for others, but did not pray for yourself"; she replied, "My son! The neighbor first, then the house"; this is a lesson. In the matter of the revelation of the Surah Hal Aty, it is stated that "Indeed, we feed you for the sake of God"; I consider this as a lesson for the Islamic nation, for the Islamic community, for the Islamic Republic that work should be done with sincerity. Hasan al-Basri, who is known among the eight ascetics and has a divergence with the Ahl al-Bayt, says that "There was no one in this nation more devoted than Fatimah, who would stand until her feet were swollen". The meaning of this expression "there was no one more devoted than Fatimah" is not that there were others like her and to the same extent; no, in Arabic expressions, it means that no one in the nation was like her in terms of worship. This is what Hasan al-Basri says; Hasan al-Basri did not witness the era of Fatimah al-Zahra, but the fact that he speaks so decisively indicates that this was among the established and widely known facts that existed at that time. The duty of worship, then the duty of enjoining good and striving in the way of God, that is, presence in that extraordinary field where the fate of the Islamic nation was to be determined, and that extraordinary stormy presence of Fatimah al-Zahra with those remarkable sermons. The comprehensive plan of the identity of women in the logic of Islam is this; a good mother, a good wife, a struggler in the way of God, while also being a housekeeper, a manager of the home, and at the same time a worshipper and servant of the Almighty God. And ultimately, Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) showed that a woman can reach the high rank of purity, which are the characteristics of this great lady.

Beautiful manifestations of following the family model of Amir al-Mu'minin and Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon them) It should be noted that this exemplary and unparalleled family - the man of the house, Ali, the woman of the house, Fatimah al-Zahra, the children of the house, Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn, Zainab, and Umm Kulthum, with the characteristics we know of them - is the family that the Quran tells the Prophet, "Say, I do not ask you for a reward except for love of kinship"; the affection of this family. Affection means solidarity, empathy, companionship, and cooperation; this is the meaning of affection. Cooperation and companionship and empathy with this family, with these slogans, with these movements, see how it elevates the Islamic nation. This sincere service that is their slogan is the very thing we should pursue. I want to say this, some hearts that sometimes become anxious about certain matters, I say do not be anxious; the manifestations of this affection are fortunately evident in the Islamic Republic and in the Islamic Republic system. The Basij movement, the Basij spirit, the selfless services of the nuclear martyrs, the tireless efforts of jihadist groups, the scientific and practical efforts of thousands of young groups across the country in the cultural front, in the social front, in the technical front, these are beautiful manifestations of following the family model of Amir al-Mu'minin and Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), which we also observed in the recent issue of Corona, one of the most beautiful manifestations in the matter of medical and nursing groups.

The Islamic Republic and the respectful view of women, in contrast to the instrumental view of the West towards women Well, regarding the issue of women and mothers; the view and position of the Islamic Republic regarding women is fundamentally different from the prevailing Western view, which tries to spread it to the whole world with a thousand tongues and through extraordinarily widespread platforms; no, the opposite point is the view of the Islamic Republic. The view of the Islamic Republic is one of honoring and respecting women; the opposite of the prevailing Western view of women, which is a commodified and instrumental view, and the dignity of women in the Western logic and method and lifestyle has been shattered. You saw that one of the highest-ranking government and military officials announced a few months ago that she had been subjected to harassment; that is, even women who reach high administrative and social and political ranks are not safe from the harms of the Western logic regarding women and do not remain untouched. The Islamic view is that men and women are equal in terms of human values: "Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, and the believing men and believing women, and the obedient men and obedient women, and the truthful men and truthful women, and the patient men and patient women"; until the end; the Muslim man and the Muslim woman have no difference in terms of divine and human values. They also have shared duties; the duty of enjoining good is shared, the duty of service is shared, the duty of striving in the way of God is shared, each in their own way, is not specific to men or specific to women. Each also has special duties; women have duties, men have special duties that the Almighty God has created their physical and spiritual structure accordingly. Therefore, this is the Islamic view and the view of the Islamic Republic towards women, and we take pride in this view; we are entirely opposed to the Western logic and method and lifestyle regarding women; we believe they are oppressing women.

The growth and advancement of women, thanks to the Islamic Republic The extensive Western propaganda suggests that with the Islamic view, the growth and advancement of women is hindered; this is a clear lie and a completely malicious statement. In our country, at no point in history, neither in the past nor during the era of Westernization, have we had this many educated women; we have not had this many active women in social activities, in cultural activities, in scientific activities; we have not had this many influential women in social destiny; we have not had this many politically aware and politically analytical women; we have not had this many female writers, female translators, female artists, in the true sense of the word; all of these are due to the blessings of the Islamic Republic and the blessing of the Islamic view towards women, which is a view of honor.

I must take this opportunity to express my respect for the mothers and wives of martyrs from two generations: one during the Sacred Defense, and one during the defense of the shrine, where the wives of martyrs and the mothers of martyrs left behind an unforgettable and unparalleled legacy, and truly deserve to be honored. Unfortunately, artistic production activities regarding these dear ones, these great ones, have diminished significantly; this is an extraordinarily prominent capacity and deserves to be worked on more.

The strongest foundations of human upbringing in the warm and blessed center of the family Some say that hijab hinders the growth and advancement of women; no, on the contrary; hijab prevents unnecessary displays that hinder women’s movement. Today, we have thousands of great and prominent women in various scientific, practical, social, political, and technical fields, all living with complete hijab. Well, when we look at women in this way, the role of women in the family becomes prominent; the role of motherhood, the role of wifehood, the role of house management, and similar roles become prominent; this is something that is becoming increasingly faded in the West; the family in the West is heading towards dissolution. The family is a warm and blessed center where the strongest foundations of human upbringing are laid. It is in the family center that the first and most important foundations of the spiritual and intellectual upbringing of humanity are established. The home is the best environment for the comfort of body and soul, the best center for relieving the fatigue of body and spirit, the truest space of intimacy; no intimacy in any environment can be imagined or exists as much as in the family and between mother, child, father, and spouses. In such a blessed center, who is the axis? The mother; who is the essence? The mother; who is the center of the circle? The mother. The mother is the axis of the family; this is what Western propaganda devices and unfortunately some of our own Westernized individuals try to downplay, or misunderstand, or not show. Housekeeping women, even those who do not have external occupations, have provided the greatest services. It is necessary to understand the value and significance of the services of women who have preferred homemaking and house management; although services outside the home have also been and will be the responsibility of women, and there is no problem with that, but this is the most important part of women’s service.

Promoting timely marriage and childbearing; one of the important and essential duties Well, here under the family, I want to say a word about the issue of timely marriage and childbearing. What I am saying, you dear eulogists, who are one of the great and valuable media of our country - which I will elaborate on later - should promote; these matters must be promoted. Timely marriage and childbearing is one of the necessary and obligatory tasks; childbearing and increasing the population is one of those important and essential duties that must be carried out, as both of these - both early and timely marriage, and increasing the population - are among the vital needs of today’s country and the future of the country. Well, these concepts must have a worthy place in your eulogies, dear eulogists. Of course, I had much more detailed discussions in mind and had noted them, but since time is short and it is close to noon, I am hastily passing through these matters.

Eulogizing; a unique and special artistic phenomenon Let us turn to the issue of eulogizing; eulogizing is a unique and special artistic phenomenon that we have no similar anywhere else. Of course, in Western and non-Western countries, they have concerts and similar sessions, but they are fundamentally different from eulogizing. Managing a congregation, managing eulogizing, is an extraordinary thing; fortunately, the best and most abundant examples of it exist in our country; of course, in some other places, there is a little less than here, but fortunately, the excellent example of it is in our country. This comprehensiveness, this media influence, this social and popular prevalence that this special art has, does not exist in any other place in this form.

First of all, eulogizing is a combination of several arts: the art of poetry, the art of melody-making, the art of managing a session and conducting it, conveying the speech to the depths of the listener’s soul with personal tastes and innovations, a pleasant voice; this is one aspect of the work, which is the artistic aspect of eulogizing. The other aspect is the content aspect; it is a combination of thought, emotion, and feelings, informative knowledge, historical information, social awareness, and familiarity with the needs of the audience. You have noticed in these few prominent instances today, where fortunately there were very good eulogies, the attention to global issues, the attention to national issues, intertwined with religious and Islamic concepts, is as easy and accessible for the eulogist as flowing water, which also highlights the prominence of this work in this regard.

The subject of the eulogist’s work is one of the highest subjects; because the subject of the eulogist’s work is the praise of the exemplary figures of existence, namely Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (peace be upon them), and the repetition of their lessons, the repetition of their remembrance; that is, in the work you do, you constantly repeat the remembrance of these great figures, you do not allow them to be forgotten; you direct feelings towards their lessons, their words, their way of life; whether regarding their births or their martyrdoms; therefore, the subject of the eulogist’s work is one of the most prominent subjects.

Another important task is the cultural promotion that you carry out; that is, reviving the memory and name of the Imams (peace be upon them) and the great Prophet (peace be upon him); this itself is a cultural promotion in society and the dissemination of the lofty thoughts of these great figures, which is very good; this means expanding the model of prophetic, alid, and fatimid life; you expand their living model with your work. Therefore, the issue of eulogizing is a very important issue and a prominent and valuable phenomenon, and fortunately, it is also growing; that is, this phenomenon is increasingly expanding in our country day by day.

A few recommendations for dear eulogists: 1) Seriousness in cultural promotion, dissemination, and expansion of the intellectual and cultural foundations of Islam I have a few recommendations for you dear eulogists, which are my last remarks. The first recommendation is that you take this great and heavy duty that we have mentioned seriously; the duty of cultural promotion, the duty of dissemination, the duty of expanding the intellectual and cultural foundations of Islam is very important; this is the foundation of your work; make this the axis of your work. This first recommendation is to spread thought, wisdom, and insight with this prominent artistic tool, with the skills that everyone has, after all, innovations and skills that they apply.

2) Preserving the form of eulogizing and the shape of the congregation The second recommendation is that the form of eulogizing and that shape of eulogizing should be preserved. Eulogizing and managing the congregation should not be confused with some similar works that are done here and there. The form of eulogizing must be preserved; all the artistic tools mentioned that we have discussed - a pleasant voice, good melody-making, good melody composition - should be utilized in these, but absolutely avoid using anything that is outside this form of eulogizing. Do not allow the congregation to turn into other environments; the congregation must remain a congregation. This is the second point, which God willing, you will pay attention to the depth of this matter.

3) Precision in speech and expanding knowledge of religious and historical studies The next recommendation is precision; strive to speak precisely. What must be said, whether it is about the biography, history, religious studies, and the like, whether it is about mentioning the tragedy, must be said precisely; that is, the speech must be precise, firm, and sound. This, of course, applies more to the poets who compose poetry for eulogizing sessions; they must also have very extensive religious and historical studies and correctly understand the biography, history, and religious knowledge.

4) Expanding Islamic etiquette in society and avoiding slander and foul language The last recommendation is to spread Islamic etiquette in society. My dear ones! One of the very important things is to maintain Islamic etiquette in speech, which unfortunately today, with the expansion of the virtual space, this Islamic etiquette is gradually fading. Foul language, slander, and the like must be eliminated in society. Today, some try or are negligent, and this is spreading in society, especially in some media - whether audio media or visual media - and especially in the virtual space. You must act in such a way in your expression, in your method of work, that the spread of this [foul language and slander] does not exist. The school of the Imams (peace be upon them) and the alid and fatimid school is free from these things. You see that Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) delivered two stormy sermons; two sermons that are truly stormy: one in the mosque among a dense crowd of men, and one addressed to the women of Medina, full of very important and protest-related content - protest - and admonition regarding the prominent Islamic concepts that Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) felt the danger of; however, in these two important and great and fervent sermons, there is not a single word of insult or offensive language; [and all the words are] firm and solid words, precise and sound statements. You must act this way; in statements, in speeches, there should be no speaking without knowledge, no backbiting, no slander, and no foul language. Teach these to the people; educate them; both in speech and in action, and see how important these are. Amir al-Mu'minin said, "Indeed, I dislike for you to be foul-mouthed"; when in the army of Amir al-Mu'minin, some spoke foul language towards the soldiers of Muawiyah, the Imam said no, do not speak foul language, do not slander, "Indeed, I dislike for you"; I do not want you to be this way. This is the Fadimian and Alid ethics.

Fortunately, today the propaganda devices of the country are moving towards perfection and elevation; I want to tell you this. Both in deep and intellectual and scientific fields in the religious seminaries, and in other fields, good works are being done in this regard, and fortunately, we have observed this reflection in the eulogizing sections as well; in the past Muharram, which was a corona Muharram, and in the Ramadan which was a corona Ramadan, we saw how well you moved, how innovatively you moved, and the beautiful works that emerged from you.

Increasing the strength and power of the Islamic Republic in confronting enemies We hope that God willing, you will continue to move forward and work and develop the teachings, and day by day, God willing, you will be more successful and supported. Know that the enemies cannot do anything against the Islamic Republic; just as some of our brothers pointed out in their speeches, day by day, thanks be to God, Islam and the Islamic Republic are gaining more strength and power, both spiritually and materially. Of course, there are problems; these problems are ups and downs that will always exist in social life. Some individuals serve, while others lose their capacities; these exist, but the overall summary of all of this, God willing, is a movement forward.

I pray for your success from the Almighty God, I pray for you, and I request the prayer of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him), which is a certain answered prayer, regarding you from that great one, and I hope that you will also pray for us, and may the Almighty God be pleased and satisfied with the pure soul of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and the great martyrs.

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