Speech at the Grand Gathering of the People of Mashhad and Pilgrims of Imam Reza (peace be upon him)

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, Abul-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen, guided, and infallible family, especially the remaining proof of God on earth. God, the Wise, has said in His Book: 'O you who have believed, respond to God and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.' (Quran 8:24)

I am deeply grateful to the Great God for granting me once again the opportunity to visit you, the faithful, devoted, and self-sacrificing men and women of the city of martyrdom, near the radiant shrine of Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him), and to renew in my mind and heart the memory of your sincere struggles and sacrifices, which I have witnessed closely over the years.

The illuminated shrine of Ali ibn Musa al-Reza (peace be upon him) is a source of countless blessings, and for me, it is considered one of the great divine blessings. Even the minor ailment I had was, thanks be to God, cured by seeking healing from this pure and radiant shrine.

Before beginning my remarks, I must express my gratitude and appreciation for two commendable phenomena of the Iranian nation:

First, the massive presence of the people on the occasion of Quds Day on the last Friday of the blessed month of Ramadan. This scene was joyful and hopeful for friends around the world and brought happiness and reassurance to the Palestinian fighters. It was also a blow to the enemies; both those who wish for the issue of Palestine to be completely erased from the minds of nations and for Muslims to forget that such an important issue exists, and those who wish for the Iranian nation to be preoccupied with trivial matters instead of addressing fundamental Islamic and revolutionary issues, to be entangled in personal disputes and issues. This vibrant, alert nation acts decisively at the necessary time, under any circumstances.

The second thanks is for the response our nation gave to the plea of the Iraqi refugees. Across the country, various segments of society, with utmost magnanimity and selflessness, purely out of Islamic brotherhood and to fulfill their religious duty, helped these Iraqi refugees and oppressed individuals as much as they could. May God make you, dear people, more steadfast on His path day by day and guide you more swiftly and successfully toward the lofty goals of the Islamic Revolution. I also earnestly pray to the Almighty God to make this blessed Ramadan enduring for you. This Ramadan, thanks be to God, was a month of attention, prayer, Quran, and public movement across the country. We hope that the effects of these acts of worship, fasting, attentions, and sacrifices of you people will be provisions for this great movement.

The matter I will discuss today is a fundamental Islamic issue mentioned in the noble verses of the Quran, which we, the Iranian nation, must always pay attention to, and that is the movement toward the pure and divine Islamic life; 'O you who have believed, respond to God and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.' (Quran 8:24). God and the Prophet invite you to a life and a source of pure and clean life. A pure life is not just about eating, enjoying, and indulging in desires; that did not require the invitation of God and the Messenger. Every human soul invites itself to an animalistic life. All animals pursue food and the satisfaction of desires and struggle for their stomachs and to live a little longer. A pure life means that this life is in the path of God and for reaching lofty goals. The lofty goal of a human is not just to fill a stomach in any way; this is the least that an animal can choose as its goal. For a human, the highest goal is to reach the truth, to attain closeness to the Almighty, and to embody divine morals. To reach such a goal, humans need both material and spiritual tools. Food is necessary, but it is for the purpose of moving toward the goal.

A comfortable life is necessary and essential for humans, and Islam, with its laws and regulations, guides people toward comfort and ease of life; but this ease of life is not an end in itself. There are many people who have a comfortable life, who do not worry about livelihood, stomach, and comfort, but have not even smelled humanity. Material civilizations invite humans to that life; of course, they lie as well.

In systems and countries where life is spent with advanced tools and material science, the comfort of life does not belong to all people; it is reserved for a certain class of people. Today, in the United States, in the advanced countries of Europe, hunger, poverty, dying from lack of food, lack of shelter and housing, insecurity even for an animalistic life, are abundant. Those who use technology and new knowledge in these countries are a specific class of people. Those who have to sell their honor, dignity, and personality for a meal and endure various insults are a vast mass of people. This is the reality of the matter. The appearances are glittering and glamorous. The television cameras and news agencies present things to the people of the world as advertisements that are glittering and eye-catching.

If Western civilization, with all its scientific advancements, with space exploration, with the immense material wealth it possesses and has stolen and plundered from third world and poor countries, claims to have eradicated poverty in advanced countries, it is lying. Therefore, Western civilization cannot even provide that comfortable material life and prosperity to all humans.

The Islamic system, in addition to having goals higher than material goals — meaning that in the Islamic system, a human is not happy just by filling the stomach; his material life, comfort, and security must be ensured — also insists that the soul and heart of a human must be filled with purity, radiance, brotherhood, sacrifice for other humans, servitude, and devotion to the Almighty God. Islam and other divine religions want this for people.

Therefore, the goal is higher than material things; but the material things that Islam provides are provided for all people. That is, in an Islamic society, all humans must enjoy comfort, ease, security, and a sufficient life for peace of mind; something that does not exist in Western material civilization and will never exist, nor in socialist and communist civilization and system, which you saw what fate it met. The example is the early Islam, and to achieve it, divine and Islamic laws are sufficient.

If we act according to Islamic laws, if the Islamic society pursues Islamic faith along with adherence to divine laws and regulations, what humanity has been seeking throughout history will happen. What does that mean? It means material comfort and prosperity along with spiritual growth and progress. Humans are not animals to be satisfied with grass placed in front of them. Humans want to be pure and radiant. Humans feel spiritual pleasure from purity, radiance, and servitude to God.

When you worship, read a prayer with feeling, perform a prayer with attention, give charity to a deserving person, you see what pleasure you derive and what state of ecstasy you experience. This pleasure cannot be obtained by eating. Those who have tasted the flavor of servitude to God — every believer experiences such states more or less throughout life; some less, some more — in that moment of attention to God, worship of God, supplication, crying for God and before God, they feel a pleasure that they are willing to give the world and all it contains to keep that pleasure for themselves.

Of course, material things take a person out of that state; that state occurs occasionally. Spiritual pleasure means those states. People who are not familiar with God and spiritual goals do not taste this pleasure. There are many people who have spent a lifetime under the unfortunate shadow of material systems, but not for a moment have they experienced that state of attention to God and that spiritual pleasure. They do not understand what we are saying.

Islam wants to elevate humans to such a level, to illuminate hearts to such an extent, to uproot and discard evils from the chests of you and me, so that we feel that state of spiritual pleasure in all moments of our lives, not just in the prayer niche, but even in the work environment, while studying, in the battlefield, during teaching and learning, and during construction. 'Blessed are those who are always in prayer,' means this. In business, with God, while eating and drinking, still remembering God. Such a person is one who spreads light in the environment of life and in the world. If the world can train such people, the root of these wars, injustices, inequalities, impurities, and filth will be eradicated. This is the pure life.

Therefore, the pure life does not mean that people only pray, worship, and do not think about life and material things; no, the pure life means having both the world and the hereafter. The pure life means having both matter and meaning. The pure life means that nation which strives, builds, elevates industry, commerce, and agriculture to the peak, gains scientific and technical power, achieves various advancements in all directions; but in all these states, its heart is also with God and becomes more familiar with God day by day. This is the goal of the Islamic system. This is the goal that the prophets announced, the reformers of the world said, and in the past one hundred and fifty to two hundred years, prominent Islamic figures have announced.

The enemies of Islam have understood what Islam holds in its sleeve and have feared it. If you see them fighting against Islam, it is because they know that if Islam starts building humans and societies with open hands, there will be no color left for the dyes of material civilizations and powers. They fight against the Islamic Republic for the same reason.

The Islamic Republic raised the flag of the Quran and Islam. Our revolution, our Imam, and our nation announced from the beginning and said that we are not the people who separate the world and the hereafter; as the enemies of religion have always said and promoted that the world and the hereafter are separate. No, the world is one with the hereafter and inseparable from it. Such a world is a religious duty. Islam, the revolution, the Imam, and the nation said this from the beginning.

The powers, and at the head of the powers, the two dominant empires of our time — one of which was at the beginning of our revolution and is no longer today; that is, the Eastern Empire, and the other is still standing; until when it too will fall — understood from the beginning that if this thought, this system, and this new civilization come to the scene, they must pack up their things; then there will be no trace left of their bullying, plundering, rampaging, and tyranny — which the world still sees from the head of global arrogance, that is, America; therefore, they fought against Islam and the Islamic Republic. From the first day it was felt that the Islamic Republic does not intend to compromise with the world's bullies, it has been opposed, until today when the enemies have done everything they could to sabotage. Yes, they say they want to improve their relations with the Islamic Republic; but they are not sincere in this statement. They constantly ask the President of America what his opinion is about relations with the Islamic Republic; he also says we are determined to improve our relations with Iran! This statement is insincere. Yes, they are willing to reconcile and cooperate with a nominal Islamic Republic, with an Islamic Republic that disregards Islamic values and goals, with an Islamic Republic that will then be a lie, but with an Islamic Republic that holds Islamic values as its most vital demands and does not disregard them, their hearts are not and will not be sincere.

They have fought against the Islamic Republic for twelve years; but despite these struggles, blows, enmities, and malice, the shining essence of Islam has shown so much effectiveness that firstly they are forced to acknowledge these effectivenesses, and secondly, their fear of the Islamic Republic has increased day by day. If we had not been able to advance toward Islamic goals, there would be no reason for the West and the devils, and at their head the Great Satan, to be so afraid of the Islamic Republic, to fight against it, and to dislike it. You do not deal with an enemy that you see cannot do anything; but you deal with that enemy that you see can do something, that you see is advancing.

The Islamic Republic, by the grace of God, to the blindness of the enemies and despite the whispers of the malicious and the unjust nitpickers, has advanced many stages to this day and will continue to advance with power. This is the divine promise; 'Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer, We will surely cause him to live a good life.' (Quran 16:97): Any society, any individual, any man or woman who does righteous deeds and is a believer, We will give them a pure life. This pure life is felt in our society today.

Of course, if there were no obstacles, it would be much better than this situation; if there were no sabotage, it would be much better than this state; if there were no malicious acts of known and unknown enemies, it would be much better than this state. The unity of the people, the love between the people and the officials, the love for the path of God and the path of Islam and the path of that great and esteemed leader, that departed Imam, that master and spiritual guide, has advanced and moved the people. These efforts are valuable.

From 1981 to 1991, in these ten years that the revolution was able to push back the infiltrators within the revolution, you people pushed back the dependents on the West and the East. In the early years of the revolution — the years 1979 and 1980 — in this very Mashhad and in many other cities and also in Tehran, there were people who spoke in the name of the revolution; but they were dependent on the West, they were dependent on the Eastern bloc, and their hearts were not with the people and Islam. From 1981, that great movement of the Imam and the people purified the revolution from these infiltrating elements who were dominant over affairs, thanks be to God, and advanced it.

In these ten years, you, the nation, have achieved great successes. Who in the world recognized Iran as great? They would find four mercenary writers, pay them large sums of money, to praise Iranian carpets, Persepolis, or some Iranian product in a book or magazine! Iran meant caviar and carpets!

By God, today in the world even your enemies are amazed at your greatness, biting their fingers in astonishment. Our youth defended their revolution and country valiantly for eight years. The Iranian nation astonished the world and became a model for other countries. One of the main reasons why the head of global arrogance and the arrogant apparatuses are enemies with Iran is that they know you have become a model. Today, the Iraqi nation, before them other nations in other countries, are standing against tyranny. This movement will continue.

What is victorious is the flag of Islam and the name of God. America, the powerful, the bullies of the world of politics and economy, if they can do something when they face each other, all their weapons are blunt and ineffective in confronting Islam. They cannot fight against Islam; Islam will prevail over them.

Today, important issues are happening in the world. The issue of Iraq is a very important issue. The Iranian nation has made its position clear. That notorious person says that Iranian officials interfered in Iraq's internal affairs! (4) The interference they say and claim, we did not do; they are lying. We, according to Islamic brotherhood, to the extent that was our duty considering all aspects of the matter — that exposure, that cry, that sympathy — fulfilled our duty. When they fell into the state of displacement, we provided these great aids to our Muslim brothers; this is our duty.

We give advice. Advice is not only for friends; we also advise our bullies and enemies. We have always advised the bullies and told them that the path of bullying is not a successful path; you will hit a wall; now some sooner, some later. This is the scene of the laboratory of history. Look and see, Mr. Saddam Hussein is one of these bullies; he hit a wall and is hitting it more. Is this laboratory not enough? Did he ever let the Iraqi nation breathe at any time? Does the world always remain as the bully and tyrant wishes?

See how the situation is. In the north and south of Iraq, they have risen against tyranny. Of course, they are hitting the people and suppressing their uprising; but they cannot eliminate it. These Islamic movements, if they have two conditions, that is, relying on Islam and being accompanied by sacrifice, are not finished.

Destroying the sacred shrines, the place that is the qibla of the hearts of millions of people, is a bigger mistake you are making. Those who destroyed these shrines, today their graves are garbage dumps. Those who wanted to stop the religion of the people, today they have no place except in the garbage dump of the remnants of historical memories. What happened to Reza Khan? What happened to Mohammad Reza? What happened to the Mutawakkils? You too will meet the same fate. O you who confront the sacred shrines, the houses of the friends of God, the Kaaba of the hearts of the people, we say these things. Are these words wrong? Is this interference?

We tell the Iraqi nation, your brothers and sisters in Iran faced tanks, cannons, and machine guns. You remember that in these very streets of Mashhad, an army truck started and shot at the line of people waiting to buy oil or bread with a machine gun. These are not legends; these are the very events of our own yesterday. I saw with my own eyes, perhaps thousands of you also saw with your own eyes that in this very Khosravi Street and many other places, these brothers and sisters of yours faced tanks. In this very governor's office of Mashhad, a tank entered. People of Mashhad! Wasn't it so? Young men and women! You saw, we were there and saw. The tank entered the governor's office, but the people surrounded the tank like a ring around a gemstone. It got to the point where the person in the tank started to plead! I myself went and saved that officer who was in the tank from among the people. The people wanted to tear him apart; but we did something that he was able to escape and go. The people confronted the tyrant, stood firm, and sacrificed. We tell the people of Iraq that if a person stands firm in the path of God, they will achieve results.

I will say the last thing to you, dear nation. Brothers and sisters! O great nation! — this is not an exaggeration; you are truly a great, esteemed, and unparalleled or rarely paralleled nation — your path to reaching the pure life — that is, where both material life is ensured; the comfort of the body, and spiritual life; the comfort of the soul and the joy of the heart and the purity of meaning — is a clear path; but it requires effort, unity, faith, activity, and action, which, thanks be to God, you have and must increase.

Work, maintain your unity, keep the remembrance of God in your hearts, reach out to each other, clear your hearts with each other, be kind to each other, do not hold grudges against each other, do not let small motives separate you, which, thanks be to God, has not and will not happen; although the enemy wants this. If you move with this spirit, with this faith, with this sincere step, the Islamic Republic will reach the peak of the pure life that God has promised.

Today, when I wanted to come to meet you, dear people, because I had a slight ailment and weakness, friends advised me to speak briefly; I also said that I would speak for twenty minutes, or at most half an hour; but your lively and vibrant faces and your enthusiastic gathering and the spiritual attractions that are in you, dear people, prolonged the speech.

O Lord! For the sake of Islam, place us in the path of Islam in life and death. O Lord! Bring the soul of that great one who acquainted us with this path closer to You day by day. O Lord! Make the soul of that dear one pleased with us. O Lord! Make our hearts more kind to each other. O Lord! Bestow Your grace, mercy, and blessings upon this nation. O Lord! Make this brave nation victorious over its enemies in all arenas. O Lord! Deliver the Iraqi nation from the oppression and tyranny of the Pharaoh. O Lord! Bring all Muslim nations and oppressed nations to the pure life. O Lord! Forgive us by Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, be pleased with us, and place our words and deeds for You and in Your path. O Lord! Make the sacred heart of the Guardian of the Age pleased and satisfied with us. O Lord! Hasten the appearance and relief of that great one and make us among the helpers of that great one.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings