Statements in Meeting with the Eulogists and Poets of the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace Be Upon Them)

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, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One among the inhabitants of the earth.

Welcome. The beginning of such gatherings is with ourselves, and its conclusion is with God. Today was a very good session; truly, we benefited greatly. The lights and blessings of the blessed existence of Fatimah al-Zahra, the Lady of Women, the Great Sadiqah (peace be upon her), have filled the atmosphere; thanks be to God! The love, devotion, and eagerness of your pure hearts towards the Mother of the Imams will undoubtedly have foundational impacts on all matters we face in our lives; in personal affairs, in public matters, and in the future of this country. I am among you, the eulogists of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), who are truly honored to be the eulogists of these great figures — for “the eulogist of the sun is the eulogist of himself.” I would like to first remind you of your great honor; take pride in this characteristic and strive to ensure that all of you meet the conditions of eulogizing these sacred lights as much as possible, both in yourselves and in your listeners.

Today, I want to say just a few words regarding the issue of eulogy. Eulogy is our heritage, the heritage of the Shi’a. Yes, it is unclear whether Kumayt, Dhibl, and Sayyid Humayri, for example, recited with melody or not, but they composed poetry, recited poetry, and disseminated the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt. You have transformed this into a composite art. Eulogy today is a composite art. “It is art” means it is beauty; art is beauty, after all; it is both beauty and beautification. You have combined several arts together, which collectively form eulogy. A pleasant voice; this is the first. Then, good poetry, in terms of its poetic quality; this is the second. Then, a good melody; this is the third. Of course, each of these has its own characteristics, conditions, and limits, some of which I will mention. Then, good themes, good content; because good poetry is one issue, good content is another issue. It is possible for a poem to be very good, but its content may not be outstanding or may not be correct; that is, there may be a flaw in the content. We have many such poems among our very good poetry that are good in form, but their content is not without flaws. I had noted a poem by Sa’ib to read; it says:

"I will not be despaired of seeing You, like Moses from the Mount, I am nourished by the salt of love."

When it was said to Prophet Moses, “You will never see Me,” well, he let go; this one says I will not despair. It was beautiful, but it was wrong; that is, the Almighty God, the Exalted Divine Essence (Glory be to Him), has playfully said, “You will never see Me!” No, “You will never see Me” is “You will never see Me”; in the words of God, there is no exaggeration. Well, the poem is so beautiful, but the theme is incorrect. So here we have two things: good poetry, good themes, and good content that you must all consider.

Of course, I think this session has been held for about forty years now; today, when I look, compared to previous years, in terms of the type of eulogy and poetry that is recited, the work being done is much more advanced and better; there is no doubt about that, but I want to say that you must pay attention to these matters. Well, this has become a composite art; your work is a composite art, and art is beauty. We have this from our religious texts; our religious texts mean the Quran, Nahj al-Balaghah, Sahifah Sajjadiyyah, and many supplications. Regarding the Quran, it is said, “Its outward appearance is beautiful”; “beautiful” does not mean aesthetically pleasing, but rather astonishingly beautiful. Its outward appearance is beautiful; the Quran is like this, in terms of beauty and art, it has no equal. Almost the best Arabic poetry, the sweetest, most beautiful, and eloquent poetry of the Arabs belongs to the pre-Islamic and transitional periods; these were alive during the revelation of the Quran, but none of them could find even a slight fault or say we can also say something like this. The Quran has repeatedly said, “Bring a verse like it”; not even a single verse could they bring forth. Nahj al-Balaghah is at the pinnacle of eloquence, strength, and beauty; Sahifah Sajjadiyyah is the same; the supplication of Abu Hamzah al-Thumali, the supplication of the Day of Arafah by Imam Hussein, and various supplications are at the pinnacle of beauty; this art of yours is a continuation of that art. The comprehensiveness of this art is that all its parts must be beautiful; mere outward beauty is not enough; the content must also be beautiful, just as it is said, “Its outward appearance is beautiful and its inward meaning is profound”; the inward meaning of the Quran is profound and full of content. Now, we do not expect from ourselves, from you, to give ourselves such audacity, for example, to say we can also do this; no, this is the method of work; that is, the outward is beautiful and the inward is rich in content and firm.

The melody is the same; I especially intended, I mean I kept in mind to tell you dear eulogists this. The melody has meaning; it conveys meaning; that is, if you perform a melody that has no words — for example, some produce melody with their throats or some create melody with instruments — it has no language, but it has meaning; this is how melody works. There is a melody that conveys courage; this melody that he (referring to a specific eulogist) sings, “O army of the Awaited One, be prepared, be prepared,” if they do not even recite this word, this tone is a tone of preparation. There is a melody that brings sadness, makes a person despondent; these differ. There is a melody that leads a person to sin; many of the melodies that were previously arranged in the songs related to musical instruments are of this kind. These well-known musical instruments each have a song that precedes it, which conveys the song to the singer; these songs are often inappropriate. We must be careful that the poetry we recite, the melody we sing, the eulogy we perform — whether in mourning, whether in chest-beating, whether in praise — does not mix with these; this is an important point; I insist that you pay attention to this.

Therefore, the content must be good, the form of the poetry must also be good. The form of the poetry, the appearance of the poetry must be good; this elevates the level of the audience's thought. If you present the best themes in a weak poem, its impact is greatly diminished. Train the audience's mind to become accustomed to refined literature; this helps the intellectual growth of society. A few years ago, in this very session, I referred to some of Sa’ib's ghazals that are not love poems, but rather wisdom-filled, full of wisdom, and the poetry is at the pinnacle of strength and beauty; it is good for one to find and read these. Thanks be to God, now some poets are composing very good poetry in this regard.

In eulogy, in addition to knowledge-building, there is also emotion-evoking; this is also an important point. Eulogy has knowledge-building; that is, with the poetry you recite, you teach lessons. Many things we learn while listening to the eulogists that we have previously said in ordinary language to others, now when the eulogist recites the same theme with a pleasant voice and good melody, we hear and understand something new. It has knowledge-building, of course, in the continuation of the pulpit; eulogy is not a pulpit; it has a different nature, a different reality. It is both this and it is also emotion-evoking. This issue of emotion should not be underestimated. Our characteristic as Shi’a is that in our teachings and knowledge-building, from beginning to end, there is emotion; it is filled with emotion; others have less. The mention of our sorrows is emotional, our praise is emotional, our supplication is emotional, our pilgrimage is emotional; they evoke emotions. Of course, emotion without reasoning is of no benefit. The beauty of the knowledge-building of Shi’a texts is that alongside evoking emotion, they also bestow deep knowledge upon a person; this is a characteristic I have not seen in non-Shi’a; that is, as far as I know, I have not seen it. Of course, each of these different religions and sects — Islamic and non-Islamic — has some things, but that peak belongs to Shi’a. Once, I was looking at the common supplications among non-Shi’a Muslims — which are detailed in one of Zamakhshari's books — I saw that if we, for example, place ten lines from the supplication of Arafah by Imam Hussein or the forty-seventh supplication of Sahifah Sajjadiyyah next to these, their ten lines have more content and more spirit than all of these.

Well, this same emotional state helped the country in sensitive battles; one of them was the Sacred Defense. In the Sacred Defense, it was these eulogists, these poets, these good poets who truly prepared the atmosphere for that great epic. I have repeatedly recited this couplet regarding this issue:

"We warm the lovers with the sword of the tongue, like a candle, we are the whip of the butterfly."

This describes your state: “like a candle, we are the whip of the butterfly.” In the ceremonies of sending the Basijis and others to the front, in the nights of operations, in military morning ceremonies, in the funerals of martyrs, in the memorials of martyrs, in mosques, in husayniyyas, in the battlefield, everywhere, eulogy played its great role, prepared hearts, and made the atmosphere spiritual. The luminosity that was present in our defense area — which has no precedent in any part of the world and in any time in history, except in the early days of Islam — is largely related to these eulogies, and partly to some other factors. In the years following the war until today, eulogy has continued to play a role; in various events, in the 2009 sedition, on the ninth of Dey, in various instances, eulogy has played a role.

The reason I repeat this is for you to know as eulogists where you stand, to know what you are doing and what you can do; that is my intention. Thanks be to God, the number is also large. In the early days when we held this session, it was attended by a hundred or two hundred people; today, thousands of people across the country, mastering various techniques of attracting the audience, are engaged in eulogy. Well, this is a phenomenon in the country; this is not a small matter; this must be utilized. Who should utilize it? The intention is not for the use of government officials or for me or anyone else; the intention is for the use of the country, the use of the system, the use of the revolution. The revolution must benefit; the revolution needs progress; it needs transformation day by day. You can play a role in this regard; that is what I mean. You must spread the struggle against tyranny, the struggle against the oppressor, the struggle against global arrogance, the struggle against corruption in the atmosphere of the country. Our problem in many places is that we give orders, we advise, we reason, we bring logic, it does not have an effect; why? Because the public atmosphere is not suitable for what we desire. I have repeatedly emphasized “cultural building”; cultural building is precisely the work you can do. In one place, the atmosphere of the country must be one of resistance against the enemy, in another place, the atmosphere must be one of assault against the enemy, in another place, the atmosphere must be one of following knowledge and science, one day the atmosphere must be one of reasoning and contemplation; the atmosphere must be created. I spoke to you about “family,” I spoke to you about “childbearing”; the role you can play in this regard is far greater than that of the Ministry of Health and the Health Organization and similar entities. You can create an atmosphere, you can provide insight, you can provide hope. Today, you see that one of the most important techniques of the enemy is to inject despair. Where? In the most important point of the existence of the country, namely the youth, who they try to dishearten with various methods and means. You can act exactly against this, you can provide hope; you can guide in thought and action, but of course, it has conditions.

If you want these successes to be bestowed upon you, the first necessary condition is that you have a concern for the guidance of the people. The concern of the eulogist should be to guide his audience, not for money, fame, or social status, and the like; now I am not saying completely — we are not like that, we are weak people, we cannot completely detach ourselves — but this should be overshadowed; the main concern should be the guidance of the people. When you memorize poetry or write it down to recite, when you accept the invitation to the gathering, when you sit on the pulpit, all your thoughts should be that you want to guide the audience; this is the first condition.

The second condition is knowledge acquisition.

"The essence that has not attained the giver of existence, how can it become a giver of existence?"

If a person does not have solid knowledge foundations within, it is unlikely that he can create knowledge in others. We must strengthen ourselves. You are young, you are patient, you have time; study, read books; both poetry books and prose books; read the books of Martyr Motahhari, read ethics books, read hadith books, read interpretations. We have good interpretations; even if you are not proficient in Arabic, there are very good Persian interpretations available to everyone today.

Another condition is to be up-to-date. Global conditions are changing day by day. Be up-to-date, keep the analysis of events present and available in your mind and thought. My dear ones! Today, we are either facing an important historical turning point or we are moving within an important historical turning point; the latter may be more accurate. The world is changing, and these are fundamental changes; fundamental and large changes cannot be understood in a week, a month, or a year; these occur gradually. You must be aware of what is happening in the world, what is happening in the country.

Now, for example, regarding the recent events; let me say a word about these recent events. In these recent events, the enemy's plan was a comprehensive plan, but the enemy's calculation was a wrong calculation; this is important. The enemy's plan had no flaws, but the enemy's calculation for implementing this plan was a wrong calculation. When we say, “the enemy's plan was comprehensive,” it means that all the controlling factors that a power can use to disrupt and destroy a country were employed, all these factors were lined up. There was an economic factor, which of course, the economic situation of the country is not good, it is problematic, and the people's livelihood issues provided a background for them to use this factor. There was a security factor, infiltration, espionage teams from all sides. The uproar of Iranophobia in the world; for several months, the propaganda of Iranophobia in various forms by the enemy's propaganda apparatus, America, and Zionism, and the entire global arrogance began; this is also a destructive factor. Accompanying some internal elements with them; this also started some time ago, which is an important factor. They prepare someone in the country with various motivations, ethnic motivations, religious motivations, political motivations, personal motivations [such as] why didn’t you respond properly to my greeting, why didn’t you place me in a certain position [to deceive them], and use these to prepare them for cooperation. The factor of widespread propaganda; televisions, satellites, social media, the internet. These are factors that the enemy lined up all of these. As someone who observes and understands these issues, I have internally praised the good engineering of the enemy! They had engineered well; they had prepared everything in its place, in its measure. Why did they not succeed? Because another foundation, that is, their calculation, was wrong. Yes, these actions are all important, effective actions; they have an impact in some countries, but here they could not succeed; because the calculation they made regarding Islamic Iran was not correct. I will mention two or three instances of the enemy's wrong calculations, which I have previously alluded to in my talks.

They thought that the Iranian nation, due to the existing economic problems — which do exist — would cooperate with the enemy's plans for overthrow and separatism; this is a calculation that was wrong. They thought that with insults and various abuses, they could remove the officials of the country from the field, make them passive. When a little bad talk happens, some people become passive. This was a wrong calculation. They thought that with temptations and uproars, they could create differences of opinion among the high-ranking officials of the country; one would say let’s do this, another would say let’s not do this, and create a disagreement among them; this problem that currently exists in America, in the Zionist regime, in some other countries, where these disagreements prevent them from carrying out major tasks; they thought they could create this disagreement. They had calculated, but it was a wrong calculation. They thought they could influence the will of the Islamic Republic with the oil dollars of a certain country’s mercenaries; they made a mistake; the strong will of the Islamic Republic was stronger than all these factors of their power, their determination was firmer; their calculation was wrong. They thought that by encouraging a few self-sold individuals to go seek refuge in this country or that country and slander their own country, this would cause our youth to become disheartened; they made a mistake; they went to seek refuge, they slandered, and no one paid attention to them. These were the enemy's calculations, which were wrong calculations. For forty years, the enemy has been trying against the Islamic Republic with various methods, and because their calculations have been wrong and continue to be wrong, they have failed until now; in this issue, they also failed, and whenever they act in the future, they will fail.

Well, this is about the enemy; but we must also be aware! We must not become arrogant, we must not be negligent, we must not say well, the issues are over, we must not retreat from the field, we must remain in the field. We must know that what keeps the nation steadfast is hope and unity; the unity among the people. Yes, there are various tastes, there are differences of opinion on various issues, but regarding Islam, regarding the system, regarding the revolution, there is a consensus among the people; let us not allow this consensus to be lost. Let us not contribute to differences; ethnic differences, religious differences, inciting the emotions of one group against another group. Anyone who makes a move that undermines the unity of the nation is working for the enemy, is playing into the enemy's plan, is playing on the enemy's field; everyone should pay attention to this! Whether it is a preacher, a eulogist, a cleric, a university professor, a writer, a poet; whoever it may be. Let us not underestimate the enemy; the enemy exists. The day you become so strong that the enemy becomes disheartened, that day you can find a sense of ease and comfort. We must strive to become strong; this emphasis and repetition and insistence of mine that the country must become strong is for this reason. We must dishearten the enemy. Thanks be to God, the nation, with spirituality, with divine assistance, with divine guidance, is in service to the revolution, is behind the revolution, is behind the system, is helping. We have good factors, effective and very useful institutions, and day by day, the manifestations of the revolution are becoming more evident beyond the borders of the country.

One point I wanted to mention and now I remembered, is the issue of mixing eulogy with songs, which has recently become common and is a very good thing. Good songs are being composed. This song “Commander” was a good song. You saw that in other places, this song was translated, re-sung; in some countries — although its news was not reported, but we found out — the same [thing] that the children here sang, they repeated in their country in the same Persian language, while they did not know Persian, but they repeated it. These are factors that can help the power of this country.

Of course, when you enter this field — and thanks be to God, all of you are entering this field — some people will develop affection for you, but some will also become your enemies. Global arrogance will become your enemy, the agents of global arrogance will become your enemies, they will sabotage against you, they will act against you; well, let them; this enmity is something that exists. What shows your essence and can provide the final duty is your steadfastness, your perseverance, your reliance. It was said:

"It is warm behind the backs of the rivals, for my heart is warm to you, O love."

Well, it has become noon; God willing, may God grant you all success. I will certainly pray for you; you also pray for us.

O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, send down Your blessings upon this gathering and upon this nation through the blessed name of Zahra al-Mardiyyah.

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