Speech in Meeting with Various Segments of the Martyr-Nurturing Nation

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

I extend my warm greetings to all dear brothers and sisters, especially those who have come from distant places and various cities, and to the esteemed families of the martyrs, the dear combatants, the dear disabled veterans, the dear freed captives, and their honorable families. I pray for the success of all you brothers and sisters from Almighty God. Today's gathering, blessed by the presence of the honorable families of martyrs from different parts of the country and other self-sacrificing individuals on the path of God, is a valuable and magnificent assembly.

The point that the entire Iranian nation must never forget, even for a moment, is that the blessing of God upon our nation is a very great blessing. In an era dominated by oppression and corruption, in an era when the powers of global arrogance have subjected the people of the world to various forms of pressure, torture, colonialism, and deception through different arrogant methods, in an era when nations do not dare to breathe in the face of the domination of global arrogance, and the monster of wealth and power has almost spread its domination over the world, in such a difficult, dark, and terrifying time, this nation rose in the name of God, fought with the remembrance of God, took the words of God as the model for their lives, listened to the Quran and divine teachings from one of God's most distinguished servants - our great Imam - applied them, and was able to emerge as an exemplary nation in the world.

Today, you are an exemplary nation. Many nations take inspiration from you, study your methods, and praise your courage. This was a great blessing that God bestowed upon you.

In these difficult years of long struggle after the victory of the revolution, our nation has served humanity. You have opened the eyes of many in the world. These arrogant powers had suppressed the flag of spirituality. There was no news of religion, spirituality, ethics, human duty, or the name of God in the world; you revived these and accepted the hardship of struggle for the dignity of Islam and the greatness of God's name.

Today, although the arrogant powers are galloping in an uncontested and unrivaled field, the situation in the world has reached a point where even the greatest arrogant powers fear the spiritual and religious sentiments of nations! In the face of the unrestrained and unrivaled power of America, today the only thing that stands and resists and frightens America is this spiritual awakening of human beings; especially in Islamic regions. This religious spirit and inclination towards spirituality that has emerged among many nations, you have done this; your struggle has done this.

The Iranian nation has shown its essence. This movement that the Iranian nation started and, thanks be to God, continues with strength, will awaken and alert nations more and more day by day; it will make them more aware of their duty and more aware of the enmity of the superpowers. The future of the Iranian nation, God willing, is a bright future. Any nation that moves with this spirit will have a bright future. This is a divine blessing; gratitude for this blessing is necessary.

What we must not forget and always remember is to see what our duty is in this period of time and what duty we have in the face of divine blessings. Today, the great duty of the Iranian nation is spiritual jihad and the greater jihad.

The Noble Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) after returning from one of their battles, in which they were victorious and the Muslims were happy that they had accomplished a great task, told them that you have returned from the lesser jihad; now is the time for the greater jihad. The Muslims were surprised and said: Jihad with this difficulty, the long journey, the summer heat, the enemy with such greatness, we have returned; is this still the lesser jihad?! So what is the greater jihad, O Messenger of God!? He said: Jihad against the self. This is the greater jihad.

We, the Iranian nation, must strive for self-purification; we must build ourselves, purify and cleanse ourselves, and acquaint our souls with God. This jihad is greater than any apparent jihad, with any enemy and with any greatness. All the divine prophets have come to build human beings, to save them from their own egotism and to free them from the evil of their inner temptations. This courage and this power must arise in us so that we can overcome our inner temptations and fight against our own desires - with that devil that is within us and whose name is 'I'.

Each of us has a devil within ourselves and from our own existence, which is our 'I', our egotism, our selfishness, and our desires and whims. What will save us from this devil? Nothing but religious will, strong faith, and a heart that has become acquainted with purification and divine ethics? This requires a lot of strength and courage. The courage of this struggle is greater than the courage of fighting any external enemy.

Those who succeed in battles with great enemies, who bring others to their knees and destroy powers, their great challenge is in the struggle with their own selves. This pride that overtakes us, this desire and lust that afflicts us, this negligence and forgetfulness of the remembrance of God that envelops us, this devilishness that afflicts us in dealing with our brothers, with our society, and with the events around us, that is the inner devil; this is what we must remedy.

Humanity has suffered the most from this inner desire and egotism. Human humiliation is also due to this, human arrogance is also due to this. Both the arrogant powers and the pharaohs have suffered the blow of this egotism and the command of their own selves, and those who went under the burden of the pharaohs.

Why do human beings not engage in the struggle against the tyrant? Why do some not dare to fight against America? What prevents them? This inner devil; the same one that wants to live two more days, to live more comfortably, to eat and dress more comfortably.

Why in the past were many scholars and prominent individuals of society captive and subject to the will of the arrogant powers, and now in various countries they are? Because they are captive to their own comfort-seeking and desires. Those who become captive to their own comfort-seeking and carnal desires, if they are knowledgeable and wise, their danger and harm are greater, and their slip is more dangerous.

Almighty God in the Holy Quran gives us the example of 'Balaam son of Beor': 'But he clung to the earth and followed his desires' (A'raf: 176); a person who was familiar with divine teachings, but clung to the earth; meaning for living two more days and eating more comfortably, he clung to earthly life, to desires, and to his own carnal desires. The result of this action was baseness.

Both the governments that do not speak their word in the face of the arrogant powers and do not defend their nations, are captive to their own selves, captive to ruling two more days and remaining on the throne of power for two more days, and those masses of people who do not rise against the arrogant powers; they too are captive to that morsel of food that they want to reach them through comfort; nothing else matters to them; this too is the self. So see, the greater jihad is this. If a nation wants to follow the path of dignity and honor, the path of God, the path of a better life, the path of achieving material and spiritual ideals, it must be in control of its own self.

Today, our nation has gone through great experiences; but each of us, the individuals of this nation - and more than anyone else myself, who am the most in need - must reform ourselves; we must fight with our own selves and fight with our inner devil, to be ready for the continuation of this great and honorable path - the path of the prophets. This courage is the highest of all courages.

Do not think that the enemies of Islam have ceased their enmity with Islam; no, they are plotting day by day and if they find a foothold, they will take a step forward at any moment; they must not be given the opportunity. Of course, if they are told that you intend this betrayal and this crime and this domination, they will deny it; but if they find the opportunity, they will come one trench and one stronghold forward. The enemy is like this.

The day America brought its forces into this region, we sensed from their words that they do not intend to come to this region to do something and leave; they want to be the gendarme of this region. We said they want to come and stay in this region. We said they want to have this important, sensitive, and vital region, which the whole world will need in a few years, under their control. The Persian Gulf is vital for the world. They want this region to belong to them and be under their supervision. We said these things that day; but American personalities immediately gave interviews and one or two of them said in speeches and interviews that no, we do not want to stay in Kuwait; we will leave. Today, observe that they are building bases in Kuwait; they are planning to stay. They lied that day, they lie today; their existence and their policy are based on lies.

They lie when they claim they are not against Islam; the dangerous enemy of Islam is them. They lie when they claim to support human rights; the greatest enemy of humanity and human rights is these arrogant powers and today the Great Satan. They lie when they claim they do not intend enmity with the nations of the region; they want to enslave and subjugate the nations of the region. They lie when they repeat that we love Iran and are inclined to relations with Iran; they want to rule over Iran like in the past and recreate the past situation in Iran.

Never! It is over; this nation is no longer that nation. This nation is the awakened nation of Islam. This nation, wherever and in any movement it feels the inclination and will of the arrogant powers, will stand against it and has stood so far; it will stand after this too and, by God's grace and by God's power and strength, it will also be victorious. This is the state of the devils of the world.

There is no mockery more bitter and greater against Islamic values than for Americans to claim they are supporters of human rights! Look at the situation of the Palestinians; look at their conspiracy against the Palestinians. Can they be supporters of human rights?! Blood surges in the hearts of nations. The vigilant and awakened people of nations want to shout, to say something; they want to see the flag of rebellion against the arrogant powers raised and to follow behind it. This flag is in your hands today; hold it firmly.

Our nation, on the path of the revolution, on the path of the Imam, on the path of Islam, on the path of struggle against the bloodthirsty global arrogance and the bullies of the world, must be steadfast, must be vigilant, must be united; there must not be a moment of breach or flaw in the great unity of the Iranian nation. Wherever you are in the country, with vigilance and awareness, consider your first duty to be the defense of Islam and the revolution; stand behind the serving and devoted officials, in the path of building this great country and in confronting arrogance; God will also be kind to you.

I hope that God, God willing, grants success to all of you; may He unite the pure souls of our martyrs with His saints; may He grant healing to our dear disabled veterans; may He grant patience to them and their families; God willing, may He bring good news about our dear captives and missing persons to all of you and bestow His favors upon you, dear nation.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings