Full Text of the Supreme Leader's Statements at the Grand Gathering of Mourning Participants in the Holy Courtyard of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)

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, our prophet, and the beloved of our hearts, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, the infallible guides, especially the Awaited One of God among the inhabitants of the earth. God, the Wise, says in His Book: "And if those who disbelieve had fought you, they would have turned their backs, and they would not find a protector or a helper. This is the law of God that has passed before, and you will not find any change in the law of God."

These days, the great events that are significant for the Muslim nation, especially for the Shia people, are the painful and tragic incidents — namely, the passing of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him and his family), the martyrdom of the greatest grandson, Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him), and the martyrdom of Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) — coinciding with the bitter memory of another tragic event, the passing of our great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified).

Today, in order to consider the greatness of the personality of our great Imam from one of its various dimensions, I will present a discussion. This is that in the verse I recited — which is one of the verses of Surah Al-Fath (The Victory) — the Holy Quran expresses a truth for the believing Muslims of that time. This truth, according to apparent causes, is beyond imagination; however, in divine imagery, it is an established truth. The matter is that a group of Muslims, in the sixth year of Hijra, without weapons and necessary equipment and without military formation, faced the disbelievers who were armed and equipped. It was determined that the Muslims would not take up arms. This was in the incident of Hudaybiyyah. This incident has been referred to as both "the Battle of Hudaybiyyah" and "the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah." Although no battle occurred, the movement that took place had greater effects than a great war; its blessings and the quality of the confrontation were exceptional. In this incident, the disbelievers of Quraysh, with their equipment, weapons, and necessary foresight, approached the Muslims who had not brought weapons with them and had only set out with the intention of performing Umrah and visiting the House of God. The result did not lead to war, and many blessings were derived from this peaceful confrontation. God Almighty tells the Muslims that if your dealings with the disbelievers and polytheists had led to war and swords, you would have defeated them. This is God's law; this is the unchanging law of the Lord in the realm of creation; "And if those who disbelieve had fought you, they would have turned their backs, and they would not find a protector or a helper. This is the law of God that has passed before, and you will not find any change in the law of God."

Here, an important principle emerges, which has been repeatedly experienced both in the early days of Islam and in the Islamic Revolution, as well as in various other events; paying attention to it is significant for nations like ours; however, it often remains overlooked. The role of our great Imam — Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) — was to prove this truth. What is this truth? This truth is that the influential forces in social and political transformations are those that pertain to human beings; they relate to human forces, human will, and human faith. According to this principle, the arrangement of powers and influential forces in social transformations is different from what the powerful and arrogant powers of the world have always wanted to show. The powerful and arrogant powers of the world have wanted to convey and prove that the results and great transformations are related to money, force, sword, absolute domination, and their propaganda; the affairs of the world are in their hands; the powers of human transformations are in the grasp of their might; however, this divine principle proves the opposite; the transformations of the world, the great human and humanitarian issues, the great revolutions, the significant advancements, and the immense movements are none of them in the hands of the powerful and the tyrants of the world; they are not in the hands of their weapons, money, and propaganda — although they may pretend otherwise — but are in the hands of other factors. All these factors return to the will of human beings, the faith of human beings, the sacrifices of human beings, the movements of human beings, and the gathering of human beings that can govern the fate of humanity; they can bring about great events. This has been repeatedly stated in the Quran; historical events have elucidated and proven it; however, many nations are oblivious to this truth, and because they are oblivious, they lag behind; they become subjugated by the arrogant powers of the world; they do not make proper use of the power that is at their disposal, of the potential and capacity that belongs to them; and the powerful of the world take advantage of this oblivion and command and advance their animalistic, carnal, and personal objectives.

Here, let us take a look at what has happened in the world and what is happening today; for the Iranian nation needs to recover this truth. The Iranian nation, with the great mission it bears and the great work it has before it today, must pay more attention to this divine truth.

Look, my dear brothers and sisters! The twentieth century — that is, the century that just ended a few months ago — is the century of great social and political transformations. Nations, each according to their situation, conditions, talents, and awareness, achieved great transformations sooner or later. Of course, let me say here that the Iranian nation was among the first nations that achieved a great political and social transformation in this century; that is, in 1905 or 1906, which corresponds to 1324 or 1325 in the lunar calendar, the Iranian nation approached a great political and social transformation earlier than most nations of the world, which is the transformation that occurred during the Constitutional Revolution. The Iranian nation demonstrated its awareness, advancement, struggle, and suitable conditions with this action. The religious scholars and the well-wishers of society were the leaders of that movement. A negligence on the part of the politicians dependent on England at that time allowed the Western and foreign powers to exploit this movement of the Muslim nation; they poured the justice-seeking of the Iranian nation into a pre-made mold according to their own theories and diverted the movement of the Iranian nation; after a few years, they brought the Pahlavi dynasty to power. In fact, they set back the movement of the Iranian nation and the transformation of the country by nearly sixty years. This was what the English did to the Iranian nation. In fact, the enmity that occurred during this sixty or seventy-year period with the Iranian nation is one of the unforgettable and very significant enmities; otherwise, before India, Russia, Algeria, and before other great revolutions of the twentieth century, we entered the field of social transformation; we came to transform our country and the organization of our government and society. Our nation made great sacrifices in Tehran, Tabriz, Khorasan, Fars, and many other parts of this country; however, the foreigners did not allow it; the factor was those politicians dependent on the West. Those who had a warm and friendly relationship with the Westerners and the British government at that time diverted the movement of the Iranian nation; then they brought Reza Khan to power; thus, the transformation of the Iranian nation was set back sixty years!

Other nations also entered this field in this century in their own ways. In India, this social transformation occurred in one way; in Russia, it occurred in another way; in Algeria, it occurred in yet another way; in dozens of countries in Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world, this social transformation took place in a specific manner. All these transformations share one point in common, which is that in all these transformations, human and human forces overcame the arrogant forces; however, this victory was clear and decisive in one place and left a lasting impact; but in other places, it was fleeting and disappeared due to negligence. This is a clear truth that wherever nations rely on their influential human forces, they can overcome the pressures and forces that are brought forth by the usurping, tyrannical, oppressive, and plundering powers.

The problem today for nations is that when they face the enmity of the powerful, they feel powerless. Today, if you look at the geographical scene of the world in political divisions and political interactions, see those who consider everything in the world to belong to them and regard nations as nothing and seize human and material resources — that is, the arrogant powers — what do they rely on? The most important thing they rely on is that they make nations believe that their power is an invincible power. If today you approach the intellectuals of underdeveloped countries — including Islamic countries — or the politicians, or the general populace, and ask them why they do not take action to reclaim their national rights, the answer they give is that they cannot and do not have the power; the powers have taken everything from us, and we cannot assert ourselves against the oppressive powers! This is the logic of those who are in a position of weakness among the nations of the world today.

The Quranic truth states the opposite. The Quranic truth says that if human beings rely on their inner strength — that is, on their faith, will, unity of word, and sacrifices — no power can stand against them. During the tyrannical regime, we, the Iranian nation, also made the same mistake. Back then, if we were asked that this tyrannical regime has taken the oil of this country, has taken the resources of this country, has imposed America upon us, has taken religion from the people, has taken ethics, has taken the national and Islamic culture, has destroyed the history of this nation, why do you not stand up and resist against it, the answer that the intellectuals and politicians would give was that there is nothing we can do, and we cannot take action! The movement of the Imam, the great lesson of the Imam, the great service of the Imam to this nation and to other nations was to prove the opposite. He told the people that you can and you have the power; the power is in your hands and belongs to you; you just need to exercise this power; you must will it; you must decide; the influential and effective individuals must enter the field, and the people must be ready for sacrifice. In that case, everything will be accomplished, and all successes will be achieved. He himself was the first to enter the field. With his entry into the field, the influential individuals came; the scholars came; the intellectuals came; the seminarians came; the students came; various classes of people gradually joined this great movement, and as a result, the political, military, and propaganda power that stood against this immense popular force could not withstand. The power of faith, the power of will, the power of wise leadership, and the power of perseverance and steadfastness not only overcame the power of the tyrannical regime but also triumphed over the power of America that was behind it.

My dear brothers and sisters! The matter did not end with the victory of the revolution. After the revolution was victorious, in various experiences, in different fields, in various political, military, and economic attacks against this nation, the same great and unforgettable lesson of the Quran — which our dear and great Imam embodied and repeated for us — came into play for the Iranian nation. Today, look; in Lebanon, this same lesson has been repeated once again. The day the Zionist regime entered southern Lebanon and occupied this region, it did not come with the intention of leaving one day. They even cautiously reached Beirut; however, they did not want to hold those parts. The definitive decision of the Zionist regime was to retain southern Lebanon and incorporate it into its usurped territory. Just as they once occupied a small part of Palestine, they gradually annexed other parts to it and occupied all of Palestine; then they occupied parts of Jordan and parts of Lebanon as well; thus, their intention was not to leave; they had a definitive decision to stay. What was in front of them? In front of them was a destitute popular force without any equipment in Lebanon; that is, the force of Hezbollah, the resistance of the Muslims, the force of the masses who endured the daily bombings of the Zionist regime. It took years, but the result was the victory of the human force that relied on faith and will. Once again, the image that the arrogant powers wanted to instill in minds regarding the arrangement of influential factors was invalidated, and it became clear that no, it is not the case that whoever has weapons and military power, whoever has international and global propaganda, will necessarily succeed. If two or three years ago, it had been said to the masses and to the Zionists and their supporters that these faithful young men of Hezbollah in Lebanon would defeat you Zionists, would drive you out of here, and would forcibly reclaim their land from you, no one would have believed it; but what was deemed unbelievable happened! A rapid war did not occur; however, a long struggle and resistance took place over several years. The power of will and the power of faith triumphed over that which dazzled the eyes with its glitter.

I say to the dear Iranian nation! To our brave, young, faithful, and experienced nation! I address other nations and say that this incident, this event, this great Quranic experience has occurred repeatedly and may happen again. Where? In Palestine itself. Today, political analysts consider this matter very unlikely. If someone says that this force of faith and popular will can overcome the usurping and tyrannical Zionist government, some may consider this very unlikely; some may even deem it impossible; but no, it is not impossible; this can happen. This is a repetition of the experience that occurred repeatedly in the early days of Islam; it occurred in the victory of the Islamic Revolution; it occurred in the imposed war; it occurred in the political, economic, and social stability of the Islamic Republic system over the past twenty-one years; it has recently occurred in Lebanon as well. This is the repetition of the same experience. There is only one factor; and that is that the Palestinian nation must rely on its inherent strength and not become weary. The faith, will, motivation, and hope of the Palestinian people must not be taken from them. Just as after twenty-two years, southern Lebanon returned, after several years, parts of the occupied Palestine and ultimately all of the occupied Palestine may return to the Palestinian people. Today, some see this as very unlikely; yesterday, some considered the liberation of southern Lebanon to be unlikely and impossible; but it happened!

If thirty years ago in this country, someone had said that the Pahlavi regime could be destroyed and eliminated by this people, no one would have believed it. If they had said that instead of the Pahlavi tyrannical regime, an Islamic system would come to power, no one would have believed it; but this seemingly unbelievable thing happened, and it became clear that the true arrangement of influential forces in the political and social transformation of human beings is different from what the superficial eyes see and what the propaganda of arrogance wants to portray. The influential forces are: human will, human faith, decision-making, the sacrifices of the pioneers and leaders, and their not becoming weary. Yes; if the Palestinian nation hands over the reins of its affairs to those who have shown that they are unworthy of the Palestinian scene; who have shown that they are too insignificant to bear an issue as great as that of Palestine and to go and negotiate and play the role of agents and mercenaries of the Zionist regime and America; of course, no results will be achieved. But if, just as we observe today in the Palestinian scene, faithful individuals, faithful youth, faithful leaders, and those who do not become weary, whose hearts are illuminated and enlightened by the light of faith — faith in the Quran and faith in Islam — are present in the scene and the youth gather around them and draw their faith from their faith — as they are doing today — this movement will advance, and know that one day the people of the world will witness that Palestine will return to its rightful owners — Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

In conclusion, I want to say to our dear nation: Dear Iranian nation! O proud nation! O nation that once again repeated the Quranic experience of the early days of Islam with your presence, your will, your sacrifices, and your devotion! O great nation! Today, you need the same will and faith to stabilize what you have achieved. Today, the Islamic system has, thanks be to God, been stabilized; but those who have been humiliated by your revolution have not given up; the policies that have been sidelined by the powerful hand of the Iranian nation have not sat idle; they have not turned away from enmity; they have plans.

We thank God that many of the malicious intentions of our enemies, the American and Zionist security, intelligence, and political planners, have become clear to our nation. Of course, there are still corners that will become clear to the people after this, and I will, by the grace of the Lord, unveil the overall picture of the enemy's plan against our system for the nation.

The danger that threatens the continuity of this proud movement among the people is primarily despair. If the enemy can make our people, our youth, our classes, despairing about the future of their movement, they have struck their blow. This is the main danger. Therefore, you see that with various methods, expressions, languages, and ways, they try to make hearts hesitant and hopeless about the continuity of this glorious Islamic movement and take hope from them. This is the most important danger.

However, those who influence the people — those whose words, actions, deeds, demeanor, writings affect the people — face several major dangers that they must be very cautious about. One is the danger of becoming weary, one is the danger of complacency, one is the danger of a desire for compromise, and one is the danger of clinging to immediate benefits; the same calamity that befell those who diverted the Palestinian revolution; the same danger that befell all the leaders who diverted their nations from the correct path and the path they had begun. Heavy burdens weigh on the influential forces on the minds of the people. They must strengthen their faith and piety; they must increase their reliance on the grace and favor of God; they must not be optimistic about the enemy for a moment; the enemy is seeking to strike a blow. If the elites of a country — that is, those who influence the path of a nation with their words, pens, behaviors, and signatures — develop a desire for compromise, complacency, and a comfortable life, and become weary of being present in the fields of danger, then the danger threatens. Thus, you see that Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) during his short caliphate, his most frequent addresses, his most frequent admonitions, his most frequent recommendations, and his most frequent reminders were to those whom he had entrusted with responsibilities to manage various sections of that great country that was under his control. Our great Imam repeatedly reminded the officials of the country, us, his students, and his disciples. The essence of that reminder was that they should not become accustomed to the sweet and creamy life of comfort and refrain from striving in the way of God.

O Lord! This great nation has believed in You and has strived in Your way. You have said: "Indeed, God defends those who believe." You have promised to defend the believers, the strivers in Your way, and the pure-hearted. O Lord! Defend this great nation in the way of its great ideals, in the face of its dangerous enemies, and grant this nation victory and success. O Lord! Keep alive the name of the Imam, the path of the Imam, the memory of the Imam, and the enduring lessons of the Imam in our minds, hearts, and actions. O Lord! Be pleased with the pure spirit of the Prophet and his saints, the pure spirit of the martyrs, and the pure spirit of our great Imam. O Lord! Stir the spring of hope in our hearts. O Lord! Defeat, crush, and annihilate our enemies. O Lord! Make our unity of word, our faith, our will, and our beliefs clearer, brighter, and stronger day by day. O Lord! Bring us closer day by day to Your grace, Your help, Your kindness, Your promise, and what You have promised to the believers, the benefactors, and the righteous. O Lord! Make us among Your righteous servants; let our death and life be in Your way. O Lord! Make us among those who are called the soldiers of religion and Islam. O Lord! Grant victory to all Muslim nations; grant complete victory to the nations of Lebanon and Palestine.

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