Speech in Meeting with Praisers of the Ahl al-Bayt on the Blessed Birth of Fatima Zahra

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

Firstly, I must extend congratulations on this great and blessed day to you, the praisers and nightingales of the garden of Guardianship, and lovers of the pure lineage of those noble ones. I hope that all of you will be encompassed by the favors and attentions of the Lady of the Worlds, Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her). I also extend my congratulations to the entire Iranian nation and all Shia, indeed to all Muslims of the world, on this blessed day for history and the world. Secondly, I must thank you, dear brothers, for associating our celebration with the truth of festivity and joy, and for adorning this hour of our lives with the remembrance of Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her) and the mention of her praises and virtues. We hope that God will accept from you and place you under His special attentions and favors.

Although there is not much time, as is customary in this annual gathering, I wish to present two points to the dear brothers. Of course, it is merely a reminder, and all of you, thanks be to God, are people of knowledge and familiar with many secrets of the love of this family.

The first point is about Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her). For small people like me, it is very difficult to speak about that greatness, even from afar. We pass a thought, an image, and a picture in our minds. Where is this, and where are the realities and truths that are far greater than our minds? Truly, the daughter of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is an unsolved mystery of human thought and knowledge. Place all humans on one side, and the saints on the other. Although the number of saints is small, their weight is heavier than all of humanity. If we consider the criterion of weight and greatness to be knowledge and awareness of the truth of the world and closeness to God—the source of all existences—one of the saints of God is greater, weightier, and more magnificent than all other existences minus the saints.

When you look at the ranks of the saints and the righteous servants of God, there are peaks whose relation to the rest of the great people of the world of meaning is an unimaginable and extraordinarily great relation. The difference is a stark difference. These peaks are the ones you see wherever you look in the history of prophethood; like the great prophets of determination and others of this kind and level. But among these greatnesses and splendors and among these most prominent ones, whose mention is only a tongue-twister for us and people like me, their hearts, souls, and spirits are much smaller, more insignificant, and more humble than to want to comprehend these spiritualities, and they only have a distant image in their minds and express it—which again, this image is also from their own words—there are very rare examples that are beyond description and expression, and one of these is Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her). She can only be compared with the Prophet and with the Commander of the Faithful.

In the descent of existence, where celestial greatnesses join the realities of the world of body and kingdom, and these human forms become carriers of those spiritualities and souls; then, every movement, every gesture, and every word from their tongues becomes a luminous model for us who are behind. It is not enough for us to know at what peak and with what greatness Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her) was in this world and will be in the world of meaning and kingdom. Of course, knowing it is a knowledge for us, and if someone gains clear knowledge—which also comes only in the shadow of action—it is very valuable.

Pure, clear knowledge that speaks of those spiritualities is not accessible to everyone. It is the great saints of God who can perceive and see glimpses of it. The amount we perceive and understand should be a model for our movement and action. Shia should not forget this point. Of course, all Muslims share in it; however, perhaps such knowledge is less present outside of Shia; not that it is nonexistent. Some who are not Shia are very advanced in knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt; but to this extent, it mostly and generally belongs to Shia.

Every word and gesture in the life of this noble one should be a model for us. Do not suffice with distant love and feeling of affection; implement this feeling in life. If there is no love, this practical relationship will not come into existence. In the shadow of that love, this practical connection and attachment can be created; but without this practical connection and attachment, the essence of that love will be questioned. "Say, if you love God, follow me, and God will love you." The continuation of love must be obedience and following.

The second point concerns you. You, the praisers and speakers of the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt, are the best people who can connect the circle of action to the circle of love and create a real chain and link. Unless someone is a person of love, they generally do not enter this realm where you are. Whoever steps into this realm must have some love and aptitude and capability within them. What is the duty of every human being is to increase their assets. Try to increase this asset of love and knowledge. Everyone, at whatever level they are, must elevate themselves; otherwise, it will end. Brothers! These spiritual assets are like material assets that sometimes run out. If you do not add to it, it will end.

Rumi has a good analogy. He says: The water that people use to cleanse themselves and refresh and purify themselves and generally gives existence cleanliness; but this water itself also needs to be purified. The one who purifies that water is the same inherent force in divine creation that elevates it and transforms it into clouds and rain and pure, clean, and pure water and returns it to the ground again. It is the same previous water; but it has been purified. By the blessing of ascent and elevation and transformation and transmutation, there is a cycle of purification and refinement in it. Rumi says: Every person of knowledge, if they do not have this occasional transmutation and ascent, although they themselves become a means of purity and cleanliness and beauty and adornment for others; but they gradually lose these assets themselves.

So, let us try that this inner purification never stops. Whoever we are, it does not matter. I, who say these things, need this inner purification more than you. It is not that we think these words are courtesy; it is reality. It is not based on courtesy; the truth of the matter is this. We all need it, and I need this purification more than you. If this purification does not take place, this water that one day you touched, your hand would become clean; you washed your face, it would become fresh; this same water will turn into something that you will no longer be willing to touch. The water that hands and faces and bodies have been refreshed by, if not purified, after a while, it will become such that a person will no longer desire to touch it and approach it; it needs purification. We must purify ourselves from within.

This is the prelude to the matter. But the main issue is this, you who draw that love from within yourself and use the words of others and the poems of poets and good compositions, and some of you even express your own compositions, know that you have a very, very high role. In these few years that we have been in the service of the brothers like today, we have said these words many times and have stated the background and history of this praise and praise of the Ahl al-Bayt and the family of the Prophet. Many recommendations have also been presented that we do not want to repeat.

What I want to say is that you should consider several topics at every period of time and spread this matter in society through the poems you recite on the occasion of praise or mourning or advice for the people. Your advantage over the prose speaker is that you use two arts—poetry and singing—to convey and impart the message. This is important. Of course, singing in the position of praise is also a special art. Its meaning is not just a good voice. This art must be learned.

Thanks be to God, in today's gathering and in the gatherings of previous years and also on other occasions, I have seen many who show signs of mastery or maturity in their work, from their movements and speaking and starting and ending and hand gestures and looking. This is an art. This art must be learned and perfected and increased.

People want the language of poetry better, but they do not understand it like the language of prose; especially if the poetry is high poetry. You must make them understand this. Making them understand is not by reading with a good voice. Many people read poetry with a good voice; but the listener does not understand what was said! You must make them understand. This understanding is the art of praise. Present the poetry along with the art of reading—which of course is often accompanied by a good voice—for understanding. If it is not accompanied by a good voice, the quality of reading compensates for the good voice. Sometimes it may be perceived better and more settled and sweeter than many with good voices. You should use this to spread the best Islamic knowledge about the Ahl al-Bayt and beyond.

People have a love that should, as a result of your reading and speaking, become deep and rooted and intense and fiery and inflamed. Shiism is the religion of love. The characteristic of love is the characteristic of Shiism. Few schools and sects and religions and ways have dealt with love like Shiism. The reason why such a thought has remained until today—despite all the opposition to it—is that it has roots in the pure love and is the religion of loyalty and disavowal and the religion of loving and hating, and emotion in it is in harmony and tandem with thought. These are very important things. It is a very magical and strange principle.

If there were no love in Shiism, these strange hostilities that have been against Shia should have destroyed it. This same love of you people for Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) is the guarantor of the life and survival of Islam. This is what Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) meant when he said Ashura preserved Islam. Fatimiyyah and the birth and death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Imams (peace be upon them) are the same way. You must use this art to deepen this love among the people, refresh it, and inflame it. It is a very strange and great thing.

Of course, the necessary tool for this work is good and correct poetry. One of the brothers said that if it is wrong, tell us so we do not read it. Our intention is not to say that whatever we doubt or do not accept, we say do not read it; otherwise, if we want to say this is wrong and do not read it, we fear that the brothers will become very limited in reading!

Do not seek to read something that has been proven in the text of history; because you cannot read anything. Even what is in the "Luhuf" of Ibn Tawus is a single report. Pay attention, read something that is reasonable. Of course, it is not that a person makes up whatever is reasonable and reads it! No, rely on principles and realities. Of course, the statement of every hadith, when it is artistic, will be accompanied by embellishments. Those embellishments are not a problem; provided that those embellishments do not become everything. The principle must be taken from the realities that exist; but it should be adorned with the necessary artistic expression and said. Now maybe there is no opportunity to talk about this; but these are words that must eventually be said and heard and repeated.

In our prayers and visitations, there are very good and loving expressions that show truths; these should be the axis. What, for example, Sheikh and Ibn Tawus and Mufid and other greats have said in their books, these should be the axis. Then they should be expressed in a beautiful and worthy artistic presentation. Now in that form of expression, everyone has a taste; that is not a problem. Your role is a very important role. I insist on repeating this point for the dear praisers—whether those who are professional praisers or those who sometimes do this work alongside their other tasks—that this role is very important and significant and sensitive; do not underestimate it.

The community of praisers, when it possesses good language—excellent, strong, powerful, eloquent poetry—and good content—moral, historical, doctrinal poetry, monotheism, prophethood, Guardianship—it has fulfilled its role. In all of these, there is poetry. In the Persian language, there is so much good and wise poetry that if someone wants not to repeat for ten years, they can bring out poetry on all subjects. From the old poets to today's poets and good poems. So good language, good poetry, and wise content, whether belief and morality and mourning and praise and social issues and revolutionary issues and the like, are very important.

The third point is the art of understanding. Not every tune and song suits you. A specific tune and song suit you; that too with the specific style of praise expression. If the work were not important, I would not delay in expressing these details; but the work is very important. If this work is done well—which, thanks be to God, we have seen many brothers over the years who did this work well and do it—it will have an extraordinarily effective and high role in the intellectual and doctrinal and Islamic progress of our society.

We hope that God will grant you success and make this gathering of ours subject to the attention of Fatima Zahra and Siddiqa Kubra (peace be upon her) and grant us the success of clinging to the hem of this noble one and her pure family and keep us alive with the love of these noble ones and let us die with their love and place our death and life in their path. May God make the holy heart of the Guardian of the Age pleased and satisfied with us and include us in the prayer of that noble one. May God make the pure soul of our dear great departed Imam happy with us and grant a great benefit to the pure soul of that noble one from this gathering.

May God have mercy on those who recite the Fatiha