Meeting with Scholars, Preachers, and Imams on the Eve of Muharram

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

Firstly, I find it necessary to express my condolences to the esteemed assembly of religious scholars and students of the Quranic school for the great loss of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), the promoter of the Quran and the leader of Islam's defenders, which is truly an irreparable loss. Since the passing of our dear Imam, I have not had the opportunity to offer my condolences to the scholars, preachers, and defenders of the borders of Islamic beliefs and knowledge, who are the true mourners. Secondly, I must thank all of you respected gentlemen, scholars, and distinguished clergy, preachers, and imams of congregational prayers for organizing this gathering and giving me the opportunity to discuss issues related to the clergy.

On the eve of Muharram, two issues seem beneficial to address: one, the matters related to Muharram and the mourning of the Master of Martyrs and the topics within this scope; and two, the general issues related to the clergy and our special duties as clerics and religious scholars in this particular period and special circumstances. These are matters that are clear and obvious to you gentlemen; however, there are benefits in repeating the obvious.

Regarding the issue of Muharram and Ashura, I must say that the spirit of our movement, its overall direction, and the foundation of its victory were precisely this attention to Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and the issues related to Ashura. For some, this matter may seem somewhat heavy; however, this is the reality. No thought, even if accompanied by deep faith, could have moved the massive millions of people in such a way that they would not hesitate in the slightest in making sacrifices for what they felt was their duty.

Essentially, as long as faith is not accompanied by deep love and emotional connection, it does not have the necessary effectiveness. It is love that gives faith effectiveness in action and movement, especially at a high level. Without love, we could not have advanced the movement. The highest form of love, that is, love for the Ahl al-Bayt, is at our disposal in Islamic thought. The peak of this love is in the matter of Karbala and Ashura and preserving the precious legacies of the sacrifices of God's men on that day, which have been left as a legacy for the history and culture of Shi'ism.

In those days when Islamic issues were being presented with new perspectives and had good attractions, and for those who did not have much interaction with religion and Islam, it was a blessed subject, and new tendencies in Islamic thought were not a bad thing—rather, they were considered a reserve for the Islamic world, especially the youth—a semi-intellectual tendency had emerged to separate the emotional and sentimental issues, including those related to Ashura and mourning ceremonies and crying, from the issues of faith and Islamic beliefs!

Perhaps many in those days, considering that in the narration of Ashura and the story of the sacrifices of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), things had been introduced and sometimes presented in distorted forms, found this idea appealing and sweet, and this tendency was growing; however, in practice, we clearly saw that until this issue was officially and publicly addressed by our great Imam within the framework of Ashura's events, no serious and real work was done.

In two phases, Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) linked the issue of the movement to the issue of Ashura: one in the first phase of the movement, that is, the days of Muharram in the year 42, when the platform for expressing the issues of the movement became the Hosseiniyehs, mourning assemblies, and the gatherings of chest-beating and the mourning of the religious speakers, and the other, the last phase of the movement, that is, Muharram of the year 57, when Imam (may his soul be sanctified) declared: "The month of Muharram should be honored and people should hold gatherings." He designated this month as the month of the victory of blood over the sword, and once again, the same great public and popular storm arose; that is, the story of the movement, which had a Husayni spirit and direction, was tied to the story of Husayni mourning and the remembrance of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him).

This was in practice. In terms of preaching and reality and truth, the matter is clear. The movement of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) was for the establishment of truth and justice: "I have not come out except to seek reform in the nation of my grandfather. I want to enjoin good and forbid evil..." In the Ziyarat Arba'in, which is one of the best Ziyarats, we read: "And he gave advice and sacrificed his life for You to save Your servants from ignorance and the confusion of misguidance." On the way, he narrates the famous hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): "O people, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: Whoever sees a tyrannical ruler who permits what God has forbidden, breaks God's covenant, opposes the Sunnah of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and acts among God's servants with sin and aggression, and does not oppose him with action or speech, it is incumbent upon God to place him in the same place as that ruler."

All the sayings and actions of that great figure, as well as the sayings about him from the Imams, clarify that the purpose was the establishment of truth and justice, God's religion, and the creation of the rule of Sharia and the overthrow of the foundations of oppression and tyranny. The purpose was to continue the path of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and other prophets, who are addressed as: "O inheritor of Adam, the chosen one of God, O inheritor of Noah, the prophet of God..." and it is clear what the prophets came for: "So that people may uphold justice." The establishment of justice and truth and the creation of an Islamic government and system.

What directed our movement and should direct it today is exactly what Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) rose for. Today, we mourn our martyrs who fall in various fronts and in the path of this system and its preservation with understanding. There is no doubt among our people that the martyr who fell in the imposed war or in confrontation with various enemies, hypocrites, and infidels is a martyr of this system and has been martyred to uphold and strengthen the pillars of this system and revolution; while the situation of today's martyrs is different from the martyrs of Karbala, who rose in complete loneliness and alienation, and no one encouraged them to take this path, but rather all the people and the great figures of Islam discouraged them. Yet, their faith and love were so overflowing that they went and were martyred in loneliness and oppression. The situation of the martyrs of Karbala is different from the martyrs who are told by all the propaganda devices and societal incentives to go, and they go and are martyred. Of course, this martyr is a high-ranking martyr; but he is something else.

We, who today touch this Islamic system and see its blessings up close, understand and must understand the value of the Husayni movement (peace be upon him) and its meaning more than our predecessors. That great figure moved for such a thing. That great figure rose so that corrupt and destructive regimes of humanity and religion and ruinous of righteousness would not exist in society, and an Islamic, divine, and human system based on righteousness would be established in society. Of course, if that system had been realized in the time of that great figure or in the time of the subsequent Imams (peace be upon them), who are infallible and connected to the source of revelation, their situation would naturally have been different from ours. However, the structure and geometry of the matter are the same, and they too were moving for such a system. Now, this is a long discussion that I do not want to enter into here, whether the Imams (peace be upon them) had a serious intention to establish an Islamic system or their work was merely as a model.

What is obtained from the narrations related to the lives of the Imams (peace be upon them) and there are many evidences for it, is that the Imams (peace be upon them) truly wanted to establish an Islamic system. This work, as it is imagined, does not contradict the knowledge and understanding of the Imam. They truly wanted to establish a divine system. If they had established it, the divine decree would have been the same. The divine decree and measurements in the knowledge of the Lord vary with different conditions, which we will not discuss now. In short, there is no doubt that their movement was for this purpose. Today, by the blessing of that movement and preserving the culture and spirit of that movement, we have created this system in our society. If in our society, the love for Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and his remembrance and the narration of the events of Ashura were not common and prevalent, it is not clear that the movement would have succeeded with this time gap and with the quality it did. This was an extraordinarily effective factor in the victory of the movement, and our great Imam made maximum use of this factor for the same goal that Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) rose for.

Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) subtly eliminated the wrong intellectualist notion that was prevalent before the victory of the revolution at a certain time. He linked and tied the progressive revolutionary political orientation with the emotional orientation in the matter of Ashura and revived the mourning and the narration of the tragedy and made it clear that this is not an unnecessary, ornamental, and outdated practice in our society; rather, it is necessary, and the remembrance of Imam Hussein and the narration of the tragedy and the expression of the virtues of that great figure—whether in the form of mourning or in various mourning ceremonies—must be common and prevalent and tear-inducing and emotionally stirring and heart-moving among our people and should become stronger than it is. He repeatedly emphasized this matter and practically engaged himself.

We are on the eve of the Muharram of the revolution and the Muharram of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), one of the products of which is the Islamic Republic system. The Muharram of the revolution is different from the Muharrams before the revolution and during our lifetime and before us. These Muharrams are Muharrams in which the meaning, spirit, and direction are clear and tangible. We see the results of Muharram in our lives. The government and the sovereignty and the elevation of the word of Islam and the creation of hope by the blessing of Islam in the hearts of the oppressed of the world are the effects of Muharram.

In our time, we have Muharram along with its product. How should we behave with this Muharram? The answer is that we clerics, all religious scholars, all preachers, and all mourners must pay attention to the issue of Ashura and the tragedies of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) as a serious and main issue and away from slogans. If we really want to take this issue seriously, what is the way?

The first condition is that we purify the event from harmful embellishments. There are things that, although they are embellishments, are neither harmful nor even false. All those who want to depict an event artistically do not only say the text of the event. When you hear that in certain conditions, a word was uttered by someone, you can also guess the emotions of the speaker. This is an inevitable thing. If in a desert and in front of armies, a person utters a word, depending on what that word is—invitation, plea, threat, etc.—there are naturally states in the spirit and mind of this speaker that are guessable for the intelligent listener and also expressible for the artistic speaker. Saying these things is not a problem.

When we want to describe the states of the Imam and his companions (peace be upon them) on the day and night of Ashura—as much as we have read and found in reliable books—it naturally has characteristics and circumstances. Suppose a word that the Imam (peace be upon him) said to his companions on the night of Ashura, you can describe it with these characteristics: in the darkness of the night or in the sad and mournful darkness of that night and the like. These embellishments are neither harmful nor false; but some embellishments are false, and some narrations are contrary, and even what is written in some books is not appropriate to the dignity and worthy of the concept and meaning of the Husayni movement. These must be recognized and separated.

Therefore, the first issue is that we purify the event and then mix the purified, precise, and reliable event with various artistic expressions—from poetry and prose and the style of mourning, which is itself a special artistic style. This work is not a problem and is important. We must do this work. Those who are skilled and knowledgeable in this field must do this work. If we describe the event of Ashura, for example, "to save Your servants from ignorance and the confusion of misguidance"—which today its meaning and concept are clear to us—but that meaning and concept were contradicted and opposed; this work is not a service to the Husayni cause and the event of Ashura. We must purify the event and then explain its various dimensions to the people.

I do not want to present a matter in those areas to the respected scholars, preachers, speakers, and mourners, and all of us who are people of the pulpit and mourning and the narration of the tragedies and praises of the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him); but in general, I must say that this event—as the support of the movement and revolution—must remain honorable, vibrant, and powerful. If our approach to this event today is like the approach of a mourner fifty years ago—who saw something somewhere and, for example, preferred it based on a mental probability and narrated it and made the believers cry and both they and he reached the reward—it may harm the event.

Today, this event is the support of a movement. If today they ask us where the root of this movement you have created is, we say: its root is the Prophet, the Commander of the Faithful, and Imam Hussein (peace be upon them). Who is Imam Hussein? He is the one who created this event and it is narrated from him in history. So this event is the support of this movement. If we unknowingly and carelessly mix the event with things that are not part of it, we have not served that event and also the revolution that stems from that event.

Perhaps it can be said that this year in the gatherings and assemblies of the month of Muharram, the gentlemen have even more duties than in previous years. This year, we also have the tragedy of our great Imam, whose grief is still fresh. The Islamic propaganda apparatus of the country should not allow the memory of Imam (may his soul be sanctified) to become even slightly outdated; which of course will not become outdated. The Imam, with his personality and greatness and with the characteristics that were in him and which we have not seen or heard in anyone after the Imams (peace be upon them), is the main foundation and root of this blessed tree. This root must always remain strong, alive, and fresh. Let us revive and keep alive the memory of the Imam with the true dimensions of his personality and the expression of his thoughts and parts of his will and the firm and established statements and orientations of him.

This year, considering that we are starting a new period of managing the country, expectations are high. Everyone was asked what they expect the president who will be elected to do for them. Alongside this question, it should also be asked and should be asked what help you want to provide to the new president and government. Expectations are justified; but duties are also alongside expectations.

This system is a people's system. A people's system means the influence not only of the will but also of the actions of the people in establishing and maintaining this system. People must help. Of course, the reins of managing the country are in the hands of the executive official; but if there is no help, support, cooperation, love, patience, and logical consideration of issues from the people, no miraculous hand is capable of doing anything. This is a point that you gentlemen should tell the people in these gatherings.

The words you say to the people in the session, on the pulpit, are different from the words that will be said to the people on the radio; even if you say those words yourself. I have said this point many times that in sitting and looking into each other's eyes and hearing each other's breath and voice and feeling each other's presence and warmth between the listener and the speaker, there is an effect that is not in the message from afar. We clerics should appreciate this. I have repeated this point many times in the gatherings of scholars and preachers and said that this privilege that we speak to people face to face in gatherings and not only do they hear the waves of our voice, but they feel our presence, belongs to us. This is a very valuable thing and has a double effect. In this new period and season, which rightly has many hopes and those hopes and expectations must be fulfilled, people should be reminded and made aware of their fundamental duties.

The next point that should be considered in these gatherings is the issue of the unity of the word among the people. We have almost seen in these two months what miraculous effect the unity of the people and their unity of word has on global politics and the international atmosphere. After ten years, we once again experienced this miracle. When people act and speak and walk a path with one voice and breath and will, the breath of the world is held in its chest and it is stunned and the powerful powers become weak and small and are left behind.

The expectation and ambition of the enemy in the period after the Imam is not a small thing. The matter was very serious. They had been waiting for this hour for years. We—between us and God—had no planning for this hour; but all our enemies—in their own way—had planned and prepared themselves for those hours and those days. "Indeed, they are planning a plan, and I am planning a plan"; but God Almighty, by the blessing of the unity of the word of the people, showed His divine plan and plot. Of course, that unity of the word itself was God's work: "But God brought their hearts together." It was no one's work, it was only His work.

Now that God has given us this blessing, we must preserve it. Firstly, in the gatherings that are held, there should absolutely be no word or hint or movement from the speakers themselves that points to a difference. No excuse justifies us raising something in a gathering that might create a difference between two groups of people. In political and religious issues and in matters related to the government and the clergy and the marja'iyya and leadership and other issues that can create division and discord and argument among the people, no word should be issued from religious speakers that would damage the unity of the word of the people; rather, on the contrary, religious speakers should strive to keep the atmosphere one of love and cooperation between the officials and the people and also recommend unity of the word.

This point should also be reminded in these gatherings and assemblies that although today, thanks be to God, we are politically in a position of strength and the enemy—that is, global arrogance—is in a position of passivity; but this does not mean the end of the enemy's plot and deceit. "And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion." Of course, based on: "Say, indeed, the guidance of God is the [only] guidance," the right wing does not submit to the enemy's desire; but in any case, the nature of the enemy must be recognized. We should not be unaware of the enemy's plot for a moment. This point should be told to the people. Today we are strong and the enemy and global arrogance are in passivity.

Global arrogance has always had explicit and implicit, direct and indirect threats against the revolution and the Islamic Republic system during this time. A nation that has a connection with God and considers itself dependent on God is absolutely unaffected by the enemy's threats. Today, the manifestation of that politically and collectively is the Islamic Republic system and the Muslim nation of Iran. Therefore, we are not at all intimidated by the enemy's threat and we are not afraid of any enemy and we do not fear any power in the world.

Our enemies have practically shown that they are not able to seriously and decisively strike us; because in these ten years, they have done everything they could, and today, thanks be to God, we are stronger and more stable than ever and more hopeful among ourselves. Today, the future is brighter for us than ever. We are not afraid of the enemy and the enemy is not able to strike us; but all of this is conditional on maintaining vigilance and the presence of all people on the scene. It should not be that people feel that now, thanks be to God, everything is finished and everyone goes to their own work. No, the scene should not be left empty. The nation should not forget to support the system and the officials and the executors and managers of the country for a moment. Of course, the officials and managers also have many duties towards this nation, which have their own place and are certain.

Regarding the next chapter, I will only mention a short sentence: A few years ago, on an occasion, I went to see Imam Khomeini (may God's mercy be upon him) to present a proposal. I told him that in my opinion, the victory of this system was not only achieved by the reputation of the clergy of our time; but the capital we spent to achieve this revolution—which was truly a miracle—was the stored and current reputation of the Shi'a clergy from the time of Sheikh Kulayni and Sheikh Tusi to our time. The Imam also accepted this statement on the day I presented it, and it was clear that his noble opinion was the same, and this is a reality.

If we did not have that historical root, the people would not have had that love and trust in us and would not have moved at the indication of the clergy; so that they would come and sacrifice their lives and children in a path. Is it easy? That support and reserve existed and now it has manifested in the Islamic Republic system. This system is an Islamic system and we, who are clerics, are manifestations of Islam.

If today, when religion and the clergy have gained power, we do something that—God forbid—creates even a slight disturbance and blemish in that capital and reserve of centuries, it will be a loss that cannot be compensated by one or two generations. The capital of one generation was not consumed so that if—God forbid—it is lost, another generation comes and renews this capital. The faith of the people in the clergy is due to the long-standing history of the Shi'a clergy and their influence and impact on the minds and faith of the people. We must preserve this faith.

Today, if the clergy steps out of their way and seeks power and shows off and misuses it, and if an action is taken by them that indicates a lack of piety and restraint that people have seen in them and trust them for, each of these is an irreparable blow. In this regard, our situation as clergy today is exceptional; that is, it is different from the period before the revolution. Of course, in the period before the revolution, if an action was taken by a cleric, it was a loss and it spread to all the clergy; but today, since the system is an Islamic system and the clergy are manifestations of Islam, the loss does not only affect a group of clergy—or even the whole clergy—but it affects Islam and will not be easily compensated.

In this regard, our great Imam made many instructive recommendations. The preservation of the clergy's way and the same old and usual relationships with the people and the same actions and movements that implied piety and restraint and faith and strong adherence to religion and avoiding anything that would damage this principle should be emphasized and paid attention to. Of course, this address is not to the present assembly; it belongs to all of us clergy throughout the country and wherever we are.

Today, the abstraction that will be made from our work and the meaning that every movement and stillness of ours will have is a determining thing. If in some corners, clerics are found who do not understand the great privilege that the Islamic system has given to Muslims and believers and clerics and scholars today, and God forbid, there is a word in their statements that makes people suspicious or doubtful about this system—although people do not become shaky and doubtful with the words of the wicked, but in any case, it has an effect in a limited circle—these individuals, without a doubt, their action is a betrayal to Islam and the Quran and Muslims and should be confronted by the clergy community itself. Mosques and Hosseiniyehs and mourning assemblies should be well managed. There should be an order for these centers from the scholars and religious officials themselves.

We hope that God Almighty, by the blessings of the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him), guides us, keeps the movement steadfast, makes the clergy—on whom the system and the system's stability depend—more and more dear in this society, and gives all of us clergy the success to be able to present Islam and religion and Islamic and Quranic and Husayni knowledge in the best way and manner to the public minds of the people.

Once again, I thank all the respected gentlemen for organizing this good gathering. I hope that the upcoming Muharram will be one of the best Muharrams in promoting Islamic and revolutionary principles for all of us and the believers.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings