Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with various segments of the people on the occasion of the Half of Sha'ban

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

I congratulate this great day to all the waiters, all the lovers, and all the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt, especially to you dear brothers and sisters who are present here.

In truth, the birth of this great figure is a true celebration; therefore, commemorating the memory of this day and this hour will never be forgotten by those who believe in the concept of Mahdism. It is not only the Shia people who await the Mahdi (peace be upon him), but the expectation of the savior and the Mahdi belongs to all Muslims. The difference between Shia and others is that the Shia recognize that savior by name and characteristics; however, other Muslims who also believe in the savior do not recognize him; this is where the difference lies; otherwise, the essence of Mahdism is agreed upon by all Muslims. Other religions also have the expectation of a savior in their beliefs at the end of times; they have understood part of the matter correctly; however, in the main aspect of the issue, which is the knowledge of the person of the savior, they are deficient in understanding. The Shia, with their certain and definitive news, recognize the savior by name, by characteristics, and by date of birth. There are points in the belief in Mahdism that I will briefly mention:

One point is that the sacred existence of Imam al-Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) is the continuation of the movement of prophethood and divine invitations from the beginning of history until today; that is, just as you read in the Du'a al-Nudba, from "So some of them you made dwell in Your Paradise" - which refers to Adam - to "until the matter is concluded" - which reaches the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his family) - and then the issue of the succession and the Ahl al-Bayt of that great figure, until it reaches Imam al-Mahdi, all are a connected and related series in human history. This means that the great movement of prophethood, that divine invitation through the prophets, has not stopped at any point. Humanity has needed the prophet and the divine invitation and the divine callers, and this need remains until today, and as time has passed, humanity has come closer to the teachings of the prophets. Today, human society, with the advancement of thought, civilization, and knowledge, has understood many of the teachings of the prophets - which were not comprehensible to humanity many centuries ago. The issue of justice, the issue of freedom, the issue of human dignity - these words that are prevalent in the world today - are the words of the prophets. At that time, the general public and the public opinion did not understand these concepts. The successive coming of prophets and the dissemination of the prophets' invitation have institutionalized these thoughts in the minds of people, in the nature of people, in the hearts of people, from generation to generation. The divine callers have not ceased today, and the sacred existence of Imam al-Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) is the continuation of the series of divine callers, as you read in the Ziyarat of Al-Yasin: "Peace be upon you, O Caller of God and the Lord of His signs." This means that today you see the same invitation of Abraham, the same invitation of Moses, the same invitation of Jesus, the same invitation of all the prophets and divine reformers, and the invitation of the Seal of the Prophets embodied in the existence of Imam al-Mahdi. This great figure is the heir of all of them and holds the invitation and banner of all of them and calls the world to the same teachings that the prophets have brought throughout time and presented to humanity. This is an important point.

The next point regarding Mahdism is the expectation of relief. The expectation of relief is a very broad and extensive concept. One expectation is the expectation of the ultimate relief; that is, if humanity sees that the tyrants of the world are rampaging and plundering and recklessly violating the rights of human beings, they should not think that the fate of the world is this way; they should not imagine that there is no solution and that they must submit to this situation; no, they should know that this situation is a transient one - "for falsehood has a time" - and what belongs to this world and the nature of this world is the establishment of a just government; and he will come. The expectation of relief and opening, in the ultimate period in which we find ourselves and humanity is suffering from oppression and harassment, is one instance of the expectation of relief, but the expectation of relief has other instances as well. When we are told to await relief, it does not only mean to await the ultimate relief, but it also means that every deadlock can be opened. Relief means this; relief means opening. A Muslim learns from the lesson of expectation that there is no deadlock in human life that cannot be opened and that it is necessary for a person to sit idly and say that nothing can be done; no, when at the end of human life, in the face of all this tyrannical and oppressive movement, the sun of relief will rise, then in the current deadlocks of life, the same expected and anticipated relief is present. This is a lesson of hope for all humanity; this is a lesson of true expectation for all humanity; therefore, the expectation of relief has been considered one of the best deeds; it becomes clear that expectation is an action, not inactivity. One should not be mistaken, thinking that expectation means to sit idly and wait for something to happen. Expectation is an action, a preparation, a strengthening of motivation in the heart and soul, a vitality and dynamism in all areas. This is, in fact, an interpretation of these noble Quranic verses: "And We wish to bestow favor upon those who have been oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors" or "Indeed, the earth belongs to God; He gives it as inheritance to whom He wills of His servants, and the end is for the pious." This means that nations and communities should never despair of relief.

The day the Iranian nation rose, it found hope that it had risen. Today, that hope has been fulfilled, it has taken the great result from that uprising, and today it is also hopeful for the future and moves forward with hope and vitality. This light of hope motivates the youth to action and vitality and prevents them from falling into despair and lethargy, reviving the spirit of dynamism in society. This is the result of the expectation of relief. Therefore, one must await the ultimate relief, and one must also await relief in all stages of individual and social life. Do not let despair dominate your hearts; have the expectation of relief and know that this relief will be realized; provided that your expectation is a true expectation, an action, an effort, a motivation, and a movement.

Another point regarding Mahdism is that our belief is that Imam al-Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) is aware of and observes our behavior and actions; our deeds are presented to him. These young believers of ours who show such sincerity and vitality in various fields - whether in the field of spirituality, worship, and knowledge, or in the field of work and effort, or in the field of struggle and politics, or in the field of jihad; the day jihad was needed - they make Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) pleased and happy. The fact that people in the Islamic country - now in our Muslim country - strive to oversee the administration of the country, to advance the affairs of the country, to make decisions, to take action, to enter the field; and they do not leave the field for others to come and decide for them; they do not allow the extension of the demands of global arrogance and colonialism to determine their fate, makes Imam al-Mahdi happy; Imam al-Mahdi is observing and sees. Your elections were seen by Imam al-Mahdi; your spiritual retreats were seen by Imam al-Mahdi; your efforts, young people, for the adornment of the Half of Sha'ban, were seen by Imam al-Mahdi; your presence, both men and women, in various fields, has been seen and is being seen by Imam al-Mahdi; the actions of our statesmen in various fields are seen by Imam al-Mahdi, and Imam al-Mahdi is pleased with everything that is a sign of Islam and a sign of firm faith that arises from us. If, God forbid, we act contrary to this, we will make Imam al-Mahdi displeased. See what a great factor this is.

Another point and the last word is that a society that believes in Mahdism gains strength of heart. This strength of heart is very important for nations. Know that the domination of colonialism over Islamic countries came after they emptied the hearts of the nations; they felt weak; they felt incapable, and then they came and dominated them with power. Today, it is the same. We see in the political and diplomatic relations of the world that one of the greatest tricks of global arrogance is to empty the hearts of the officials of various countries - now in Islamic countries - and inject a sense of lack of support into them, so that they feel they have no choice but to submit to, for example, America. This feeling of weakness is a great calamity. Nations do not move because they feel weak. The Palestinian nation sat quietly and calmly for decades because it felt it could not. The day the thought of being able arose in the Palestinian nation, it rose up and with this uprising, it has achieved so much success. It suffers; however, it is moving forward. There is a difference between a nation that does not move, does not even get slapped; but day by day retreats; day by day becomes more miserable and subservient, and is content with the fact that it is not slapped, and that nation that endures the hardships of the path, stumbles, bleeds; but moves towards success, towards the destination of happiness, towards dignity. The Palestinian nation has found hope, now it is moving and advancing, and this movement forward, as long as it exists, will cause the doors of relief to open for them; and the path will be traversed piece by piece until, God willing, they reach their ultimate goal. The feeling of weakness for a nation is a very dangerous and lethal poison.

One of the blessings of belief in Mahdism is that a person feels assured; they feel strength of heart; they feel power. And our nation, thanks be to God, is like this.

We saw our young people in the battlefronts of war who believed in the divine assistance and the attention and grace of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and used that belief and that strength of heart and gained additional capability and moved forward. Of course, the belief in divine assistance, if it means that a person should remain idle, close the doors, and wait for help from the unseen, should know that no help will come from the unseen; "And We have not made it but as a glad tidings for you and to reassure your hearts." Divine assistance in the battlefield, in the field of political challenges, and in the steadfastness of nations comes to a person. If you stand firm, divine assistance is also there.

Today, the world of arrogance is focused on the strengths of nations to eliminate them. Of course, in some places, they succeed, and in some places, they do not succeed. Among the places where, with God's help, they have not succeeded and will not succeed is the Iranian nation. Thanks be to God, in the platform of the United Nations and in front of the eyes of the leaders of the world, our esteemed president expressed the heart of the Iranian nation. The firmness, composure, and strength of expression and positions in that global podium were achieved on behalf of the Iranian nation, in front of the eyes of the whole world. What does this mean? This means that the Iranian nation will not submit to threats and coercion; this means that the Iranian nation, with the pressures of twenty-seven years from the beginning of the revolution until now, has not only not weakened, not only has its will not been shaken, but today it has become stronger than before and stands firm with a resolute will to advance its lofty goals - which are in the national interests - and remains steadfast. Reliance on God Almighty and belief in the compassionate and fatherly gaze of Imam al-Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) towards the nation has this great impact on our lives and our behavior that compels us to remain steadfast against various waves. They cannot defeat the Iranian nation. With God's grace, the officials of the country, the faithful and patient statesmen, must be able to solve one after another the problems of this nation; they must be able to raise the scientific and practical level of this country so high that the enemies' desires for this nation and this country are completely cut off.

We ask God Almighty to include the prayers of Imam al-Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) for all the Iranian nation and all the oppressed nations of the world; and may He make you dear people more and more honored and powerful day by day.

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