Speech at the Allegiance Ceremony of a Large Group of Merchants, Tradesmen, and Farmers

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

I sincerely thank all the dear brothers and sisters who have come from near and far, and I offer my condolences to all of you on the heartbreaking loss of the beloved of the hearts of Muslims and the vibrant spirit of the Islamic community.

All of you know that Muslims have been indebted to Islam throughout history. We thank God for bestowing faith upon us and illuminating our hearts with the light of His knowledge and religion. All Muslims are indebted and responsible to Islam; "Allah has conferred a favor upon you by guiding you to faith." It is based on this responsibility that the Muslims of early Islam, the companions of the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him), the companions of the Immaculate Imams (peace be upon them), and all the believers, the righteous, and the sincere throughout history have made such efforts to preserve Islam and convey the message of the prophets (peace be upon them) to us.

Our struggles also began based on this responsibility and the indebtedness of the believers to God and religion, which led people from various walks of life to make all kinds of efforts and sacrifices. Today is no different. Blessed is the individual and the group who recognize their responsibility towards Islam and God's religion and act upon it. This is the greatest divine blessing for a person, preparing them to reach perfection.

Based on this, I remind you, the two important and decisive groups in society, of the following points:

If we want our country to relatively achieve self-sufficiency and independence from others, we must invest and work hard in the villages. The foundation of self-sufficiency is self-sufficiency in the people's nutrition. When we speak of relative self-sufficiency, it is because a country cannot be completely independent of other countries in the world. Exchange between nations and countries is considered normal and usual. The main point is that a country can stand on its own feet and provide for its basic needs.

This requires the development of villages, the work of farmers, the attention of officials, and the allocation of government and public funds and investments in villages. You, who are members of the Islamic Council and have the attention of the villagers, should convey this point to the rural brothers and sisters that the villagers have played an important role in all stages of self-sufficiency, the war front, public mobilization, and support after the victory of the revolution. This role and presence must be strengthened.

The general policy in the Islamic Republic is to strengthen and develop the villages and for farmers to take seriously the production work, which is crucial for the future of this country and the fate of Islam and Muslims; officials must plan accordingly. We hope, God willing, that all these tasks will be carried out appropriately and that alongside industrial work, the immense potential for agricultural activities in our country will be considered. We, who want to confront the superpowers and the world's oppressors and plunderers, must bring the most fundamental and essential need of the people and the country, namely nutrition, to a reassuring point, and this is only possible by paying attention to the villages.

Officials must pursue this policy, and the villagers themselves must also pay attention to this issue. God willing, God will help them and bless their sincere and faithful work and efforts.

You, the brothers of the tradesmen and merchants, also stood behind our dear Imam from the first days of the movement and were the first to respond to his call and those who moved towards the revolution, and throughout the long years of struggle, you provided maximum support and assistance to the revolution and our great Imam. You, the faithful, devout, and sincere tradesmen, have always been the focus of his attention. In this regard, we have repeatedly heard clear and explicit statements from the Imam (may his soul be sanctified).

Indeed, if in the urban exchange system, where the needs of the people are in the hands of the tradesmen and merchants, true trust and security prevail, people will feel at ease; even if there are shortages in the country.

Shortages are often due to the pressures that the enemy has imposed on our nation from several sides. Therefore, the existence of shortages during the war and even during the reconstruction period is somewhat inevitable. The art of the great Iranian nation was to stand firm against these pressures and demonstrate its strength, forcing the enemy to retreat.

If the trust that Almighty God expects from the tradesmen and merchants—those who are the trusted hands of the people in transactions and whose needs are met through them—is strengthened in the practice of this group, people will feel comfort and peace. Of course, I say with conviction and insight that the number of those among the tradesmen and merchants who have been able to maintain this trust is very large. They are the same faithful people who have always served the revolution over the years, and their contributions to the revolution and its pioneers are clear and evident.

Alongside these individuals, there are also those who disrupt the safe and secure environment of the marketplace for the people. I have repeatedly emphasized this point in meetings with tradesmen, merchants, and Islamic associations of tradesmen and merchants, and I want to repeat it now: You, who are devout, religious, revolutionary, and devoted followers of the Imam (may his soul be sanctified), and for whom Islam is a true belief and you care for it, must strive and not allow the professional environment to be tarnished and ruined by the wrong and profiteering methods of a few.

Some tradesmen do not treat people appropriately and do not observe the necessary trust that is required for a tradesman to be a beloved of God, and they are waiting for an excuse to question the entire system of trade and commerce. In this regard, Islam's view is clear and specific. Islam has endorsed and approved the system of buying, selling, and trading. Those who corrupt this system and engage in wrongdoing, although government agencies must address their wrongdoings, the atmosphere and environment of your work can exert more pressure on them. The faithful young merchants and the zealous and revolutionary individuals must be vigilant to ensure that the reputation of the revolution and Islam is not harmed in the business and market environment.

All of us are responsible and indebted to Islam, the revolution, religion, and the Quran, and we must fulfill this debt. Today, thanks be to God, the Islamic Republic system is introduced globally as a strong, established, and fully settled system, and it has astonished the enemy. This is due to the strong faith of the people and especially the loyalty of all segments of the nation to the Imam and the revolution.

Many systems have a strong appearance but a hollow interior; they depend on apparent power and governmental control, and the people, as the true basis of power, are completely absent and have no presence in those systems. Although those systems may have a stable appearance, they have a hollow interior. Most of the reactionary systems and those dependent on global powers—especially America—are of this type. A system with a strong and reliable interior is one where the true basis of power—the votes, will, and presence of the people—is ensured. If you look at the world's systems, you will see that apart from the Islamic Republic, no other country relies so much on the votes, will, and presence of the people, and this is the means of our system's strength. The duty of each and every official and the people is to preserve the strong presence and firm public will with all their being.

We must be able to fill the void of the blessed and sacred presence of our dear Imam—that great personality and heavy weight—with a stronger bond between ourselves and God, and with sincerity, unity, effort, and greater and stronger presence, and by the grace of the Lord, continue his path.

I repeat with complete conviction that a bright future lies ahead for our nation, which, God willing, will signify greater openness, strength, power, prosperity, and complete justice. All of these are the blessings of the sacred breaths of that great beloved, whose life and death were sources of divine blessings.

We hope that the prayers of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his advent) and his attentions will be upon you. We must strengthen our bond with spiritual, divine, and unseen centers as much as possible, so that with the help of the Lord, we can implement the divine and Islamic goals in society as the Imam desired. May God, God willing, make the soul of that great one happy and satisfied with all of you.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings