Statements at the Commemoration Ceremony for Martyr Reisi and Martyrs of Service

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 and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One on earth.

This session is dedicated to commemorating the memory and name of our dear martyr, our martyred president, the late Mr. Reisi, and other martyrs of service who were martyred alongside him in this bitter incident; Martyr Al-Hashim, Martyr Amir-Abdollahian, the martyrs of the flight group, the esteemed governor of Azerbaijan, and the commander of protection. This group has, in today’s terms, left the Iranian nation in mourning.

Bitter and sweet events occur in human life, one after another. What is important is that we reflect on these events and learn lessons from history, from our past, and from these very events. I will share some thoughts about Martyr Reisi, but the aim is not merely praise; indeed, what we express is praise for that dear martyr, but the purpose of these statements is not limited to this; the aim is to learn. All of us, our future generations, our youth, and the officials who will govern this country and work for this nation must listen, know, and see how this way of life impacts the spirit of the people, the future of the country, and the state of the nation; these are lessons.

The first point I want to make about Martyr Reisi is that he was an embodiment of this noble verse: "That is the abode of the Hereafter, which We assign to those who do not seek superiority on the earth nor corruption." This is an important criterion for the management of the country: they do not seek superiority on the earth. In Surah Al-Qasas, in the same surah where this verse is found — this verse is at the end of the surah — it states at the beginning: "Indeed, Pharaoh was arrogant on the earth;" the opposite of this is that he is one who seeks superiority: "Is not the kingdom of Egypt mine, and these rivers that flow beneath me?" (Surah Al-Zukhruf, verse 51). To see oneself as superior, to burden the people, to look down upon the people, is a characteristic of Pharaoh's governance.

The opposite is the characteristic of divine governance: they do not seek superiority on the earth, which was fully embodied by Martyr Reisi; his political and social standing was very high — you could see in his travels and the meetings he had with the people how much affection they expressed towards him — but he did not see himself as superior to others; he considered himself alongside the people, in some respects even lesser than the people; with this perspective, he governed the country and managed the state and advanced the affairs. He did not seek anything for himself from this political and social opportunity; all his abilities, all his strength, were in the service of the people, for the people, for serving God's servants, for the elevation and enhancement of national dignity and honor; it was for service, and in the path of service, he joined the meeting with God; this is a very important characteristic of this dear martyr that we must learn from. Thanks be to God, in the Islamic Republic, there are many who possess such characteristics, but we must teach these, we must make them a part of public culture.

Martyr Reisi had a humble and remembering heart, a clear and honest tongue, and tireless and constant action; these are three characteristics: heart, tongue, and action. To discern the personality of a human being and their identity, these three elements are the main components: their heart, their tongue, their action.

The heart of Martyr Reisi; on one hand, he was devoted to remembrance, humility, prayer, and intercession; we had seen this clearly. Even before his presidency, even before his time as head of the judiciary, we knew he was humble, devoted, and his heart was familiar with God; on the other hand, this meaning was in his heart. On the other hand, his heart was filled with kindness towards the people; he was not resentful of the people, he was not suspicious of them, he did not complain about the expectations of the people. Many times he encountered people who came to complain, spoke to him, and sometimes might have spoken harshly, but he was kind to the people and was not upset by these encounters, these looks, these movements.

On the other hand, he was concerned about fulfilling his Islamic duties. He was concerned both with God and with the people, and he was worried about whether he had fulfilled his duty, whether it was done adequately or not; this was his constant concern. In the meetings we had with him, one could see that he had a concern for work, a concern for fulfilling his duty, and he felt the weight of responsibility. He became the head of the judiciary only out of a religious obligation; I know this very well from close experience. He entered the presidential race only out of a religious obligation. Many say they feel this obligation, but we know that he entered out of a religious obligation; he felt a duty and entered; both there and here. His heart had this inclination, this movement. This pertains to his heart.

His tongue; he spoke to the people clearly and honestly; he did not speak to the people with ambiguity or misleading signs; he was clear, straightforward, and honest. He was advised to tell the people that if we can do this work, we will; wherever we cannot, tell the people we cannot. He acted accordingly; clear and honest.

This clarity and honesty were even evident in diplomatic negotiations and influenced the parties involved. In diplomatic negotiations, where words can twist and intentions can be concealed, he spoke with clarity and honesty and influenced the other side. They trusted him, knowing that what he said was true. During his presidency, in the first interview he had, a reporter asked him if he would negotiate with America. He clearly and without any ambiguity said: No; and he did not. He did not allow the enemy to claim that he could bring Iran to the negotiating table through threats, bribery, or deceit; he did not allow it. The insistence of the parties on direct negotiations is largely due to this; he did not allow it. Of course, there were also indirect negotiations during his time, just as there are now; of course, without results; we do not think it will yield results now either; we do not know what will happen.

Speaking of negotiations, I want to give a reminder to the other side. The American side that engages in these indirect negotiations should try not to speak nonsense. To say that we do not allow Iran to enrich uranium is a gross error. No one is waiting for permission from this or that; the Islamic Republic has its own policy, its own method, and pursues its own policy. I will, of course, explain to the Iranian nation on another occasion why they insist on uranium enrichment and why the Western and American parties and others insist that there should be no enrichment in Iran; I will, God willing, elaborate on this matter on another occasion so that the nation knows what the intention of the other side is.

His tongue was like this: honest, sound, familiar, clear; this is very valuable. If we want to appreciate the value of such speech — which was the basis and approach of Martyr Reisi to speak with clarity and honesty — we must compare it with the words and statements of some Western leaders who have long deafened the world with their claims of peace and human rights, who constantly talk about peace, constantly talk about human rights, and then remain silent in the face of the massacre of thousands of innocent children — not to mention others — [they are silent!] Thousands of children in Gaza were martyred in a short period — perhaps more than twenty thousand children — those who talk so much about human rights not only did not prevent this but also aided the oppressor! Compare their claims of peace, their claims of human rights, their deceitful language with the honesty and clarity that exists in a president like Martyr Reisi; this is where its significance becomes clear. Well, that tongue, and that heart.

Third, action. The martyr was constantly working; constantly! He had no day or night, he did not know fatigue. I repeatedly told him to take care, as his health might not withstand it; at times, a person might fall ill and be unable to work, but he said he never got tired of work. Constant work, constant work; quality work, service-oriented work. There are two types of service. One is direct service to the people. Suppose a city needs to connect water pipes and provide water, or a road is needed, or employment is required, and so on; creating jobs, reviving thousands of dormant workshops that had been inactive, tasks that should have been completed in three or four years but had remained for ten or fifteen years, [Martyr Reisi] addressed these and accomplished many of these tasks in various cities; the people of those cities witnessed these services up close and felt them. This was one type of service to the people.

Another type of service is to the national dignity, national honor, and the credibility of the Iranian nation; the credibility of the Iranian nation! That the economic growth of Iran, according to the assessments of international financial institutions, went from nearly zero to five percent, this is a national honor, this is national dignity, this indicates the progress of the country; this happened, and similar events occurred repeatedly. That a person can establish their membership in various global economic forums and enter there is an international honor for the Iranian nation. That the president holds the Quran aloft at the United Nations General Assembly or holds up a picture of Martyr Soleimani is a source of dignity for a nation and honors the nation; this is the second type of service. This dear martyr performed both types of service throughout these years.

What I want to derive from these statements is this: what is important is that one observes the same spirit and radiance in the behavior of Martyr Reisi and many of his young colleagues that was seen in the colleagues of Martyr Rajai, such as Kalantari, Abbaspour, Ghandi, Nili, and others; the same radiance, the same spirit, the same motivation, the same sense of responsibility; [even] after forty years! This is very valuable; this is the power of the revolution. This indicates that this revolution is a powerful revolution; this is the "great victory" of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). Imam introduced the great victory by nurturing and producing selfless and capable men through the revolution; this has happened.

The year the revolution triumphed, in 1979, Martyr Reisi was an eighteen-year-old youth; Martyr Al-Hashim was a sixteen-year-old teenager. Martyr Amir-Abdollahian was a fourteen-year-old boy; Martyr Malek Rahmati had not yet been born; these are the products of the revolution. Martyr Reisi from Mashhad, Al-Hashim from Tabriz, Rahmati from Maragheh, Amir-Abdollahian from Damghan, Mousavi from Fereydunshahr in Isfahan, Mostafavi from Gonbad Kavous, Daryanush from Najafabad, Ghadimi from Abhar; these youths rose from various corners of this country, grew up. The revolution was able to nurture hundreds of thousands like these youths and has produced outstanding international and national personalities for the Iranian nation; this is the work of the revolution, this is the power of the revolution. The distinction of the revolution is that it can place Martyr Ayatollah Ashrafi, that eighty or ninety-year-old elder, and Martyr Arman Ali-Vardi, this eighteen or nineteen-year-old youth, in the same line and mobilize them and set them on a path. Many of these youths were martyred in the same path that Martyr Ashrafi and Martyr Sadoughi were martyred, the elders of the early revolution were martyred. This revolution, which has such power to mobilize these forces over many years, cannot be defeated.

Let us appreciate the revolution, appreciate this construction, appreciate this great movement of the Iranian nation, appreciate this progress, seek help from the Almighty God, and continue this path; God willing, the Iranian nation will establish a lasting lesson for humanity and, by God's grace, will offer this service to the entire world, to all of humanity.

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