Statements in Meeting with Families of Martyrs and Veterans of North Khorasan Province

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 among the people of the earth.

Our gathering today is a very luminous and meaningful one. In addition to the fact that the dear families of martyrs, fathers, mothers, spouses, children, and other relatives of martyrs, wherever they gather, spread the freshness of the revolution and the vitality of jihad and steadfastness in the atmosphere — which pertains to all gatherings we have with the dear families of martyrs — today, this session has been very profound up to this moment. The statements made and the poems recited contained deep and valuable points. I listened attentively; what the dear ones expressed, upon critical reflection, I found to be very valuable, and my own mind and heart are also engaged with some of these matters.

First, let me say a word about the dear martyrs of this province. I have had close acquaintance with some of these martyrs; I have also recognized many through their biographies and narratives of their lives. In this regard, your province is one of the distinguished provinces. This province is far from the war and conflict zone; however, from the very first days of the victory of the revolution, the youth of this region entered the arena of jihad in the way of God. After the period of martyrdom, the series of struggles in the way of God, which culminated in martyrdom in the way of God, did not cease. The recent dear martyr of this region, Martyr Rajabali Mohammadzadeh, received the reward for the struggles during the Sacred Defense and the steadfastness in those difficult arenas in the following years from God the Almighty, and God the Almighty completed his record; he is a martyr of service and a martyr of unity. These are the values of a region inhabited by faithful people; these are the values of a province and a city.

We must pay our respects to the families of the veterans of this province, the families of the martyrs, and the dear disabled veterans who, by enduring the hardships of disability over many years, did not lose their determination, their steadfastness, or their firm faith, and they stood firm and continue to stand firm. I find it necessary, in addition to expressing my devotion and sincerity to the fathers, mothers, spouses, and children of the dear martyrs, to express my devotion to the families of the dear disabled veterans and their spouses who bear their burdens. These efforts are among the highest values in the divine ledger of values. They keep a society, a community, and a nation alive at a high level and prepare it for self-building.

One point regarding our dear martyrs is this: Brothers! Dear ones! My deep heartfelt belief is that today we are all sitting at the table of the martyrs. The survival of this revolution is due to the blood of the martyrs; and this is one of the points that those dear ones who spoke here and recited poetry emphasized. Yes, it is true; it is martyrdom that signs the permanence and stability of values. The greatest reward given to a martyr in this world is the permanence and firmness of that truth for which the martyr sacrificed his life. God the Almighty preserves that truth by the blessing of the martyr's blood. The logical and rational mechanism of this is also clear; when a society sacrifices its life, its existence, and its comfort for a value, a truth, it proves its legitimacy in the world; and it is legitimacy that remains, it is truth that remains; this is the divine tradition.

Our dear martyrs and our veterans are those who renounced all their personal desires. This is easy to say. It is not just renouncing money and wealth; it is renouncing emotions. The martyr renounces the love of his mother, the shadow of his father, the smile of his child, and the love of his spouse, and moves towards fulfilling his duty. These disabled veterans are also martyrs. The veterans in any gathering of veterans have, in fact, stepped into the realm of martyrdom. God the Almighty chose some to go, and some remained for further tests; however, the rank of martyr and the rank of martyrdom exists for the veterans.

I would like to add another point to what our dear ones expressed here. They said: "Those who went to the front lines during the sacred jihad and defense, and took their lives in their hands, are divided into three categories: some regret their past, some remain indifferent, and some remain steadfast. Those who remain steadfast should be tormented by grief." I do not accept this last statement. Those who remain steadfast will witness the fruition of this sapling and the flourishing of this tree. It is not the case that the great movement, this magnificent and lofty edifice, will be shaken by the turning away of some. With the return of a number from this great caravan, this caravan will never stray from its path; "Whoever among you turns back from his religion, God will bring forth a people He loves and who love Him"; (1) this is what God the Almighty stated in the Quran to the Muslims of the early Islam, to those who fought alongside the Prophet and sacrificed their lives; the Quran indeed expresses this truth for them.

Hearts must be preserved. Some hearts tremble, slip, and cannot maintain themselves on that high edge and continue the movement; thus, they fall. The Quran refers to these as: "Whoever among you turns back from his religion." Apostasy, in general, does not mean turning back from religion everywhere; it does not mean turning away from religion; it means returning from the path they were on in the past. Yes, there have been some in our revolution, as there were in early Islam; those who did not continue on the path alongside the Prophet; but did the path stop? Will the path remain stopped? Does the caravan stand still? The caravan moves: "God will bring forth a people He loves and who love Him"; new shoots will emerge. One of these new shoots is you young people. You who did not see the war, you who did not see the Imam, you who were not in the arenas of war; but today, the entirety of our Islamic and revolutionary country is filled with the spirit of steadfastness, stability, pride, and a sense of dignity.

One day, the battalions of your region — North Khorasan — were breaking through at the front; today, you are also breaking through. Today, your steadfastness in confronting the greed and expansionism and aggression of the arrogant powers of the world is a breakthrough. Today, the Iranian nation is breaking through. The revolutions that have succeeded in the region, in the Islamic Awakening — and of course, we respect all these revolutions and appreciate them — compare these with the Islamic Republic and the Islamic system and the Islamic revolution; see where this steadfastness, this power, this self-confidence in the Iranian nation can be found elsewhere? These are breakthroughs.

The powerful of the world and the world’s arrogant have accustomed themselves to speaking on behalf of all the people of the world, for the sake of their petty interests, for the benefit of their capitalists; they have become accustomed to interfering in all matters of countries, for the sake of their greedy and arrogant demands. Nations sometimes let out a groan, sometimes shout; but in the face of the powerful's roar, who can stand firm? Which nation can demonstrate with logic, reasoning, and firmness that it stands against the arrogance's greed? Except for the Iranian nation? Others, whatever they do, rank lower than the Iranian nation. God willing, they may surpass us — we have no objection — it would be better if the Muslim nations and other nations advance and surpass us; but the reality is not that; today, the Iranian nation is ahead, the Iranian nation is a breakthrough.

Our youth who were not there then, but are here today; this is good news, this is a glad tidings. Thinkers and contemplators should focus on this astonishing phenomenon that in the Islamic Republic, despite all the deviations seen from various corners, today this motivation, this steadfastness, this awareness, this firm determination among our youth is at least as strong as, if not stronger than, during the Sacred Defense.

How can it be that the new shoots in a nation outnumber the fallouts? Yes, there are fallouts; there are those who turn back from the path, there are those who feel tired, there are those who doubt their past, there are those who are led astray by the smiles of enemies and the deceit of tricksters; but in contrast, there are brave, aware men and women familiar with the truths of the times and well-versed in many political issues — which were not raised and did not exist back then — present in our society; these are the new shoots. Today, our situation is like this. Some look at certain appearances and make incorrect judgments; they think that the youth have turned away from religion. No; the youth are interested in this path, they are interested in that which their faith is firmly rooted in their hearts; and this pertains to the majority of the youth in this country; and this is due to the blessing of the blood of the martyrs; and this is due to the sacrifice of your dear ones and your youth.

You raised your youth, you worked hard, you educated them, and handed them over to society like a bouquet of flowers; they went and became martyrs in the way of God. The entire Iranian nation should be grateful to you. Everyone should honor the memory of the martyrs. The children of martyrs should be proud of their fathers. The children of martyrs should pass on the path and legacy of their fathers to future generations. The Iranian nation takes pride in its martyrs. We take pride in our devotion and sincerity to the families of the martyrs and believe that the martyrs moved to the front lines; immediately behind them are their fathers, mothers, and spouses; they stood firm, they sacrificed. Today, thanks to this sacrifice, the great revolutionary movement of our nation is ongoing and, God willing, will become stronger and more stable day by day.

We beseech God the Almighty to bestow His mercy, blessings, and grace upon the dear martyrs, their families, the dear disabled veterans, their families, and the freed ones and all the veterans.

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