Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a Meeting with Clerics and Preachers on the Eve of the Month of Muharram

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

As the month of Muharram and the passionate days of Ashura approach, this humble servant has been granted the opportunity to be in your presence - a gathering of scholars, speakers, preachers, and awakeners of hearts, minds, and thoughts.

I thank you for taking the trouble to come, especially those who have traveled from Qom. I would like to share a sentence about Ashura and another about propagation:

Regarding Ashura, what I express - of course, a line from a thick book - is that Ashura was not merely a historical event; it was a culture, a continuous movement, and a permanent model for the Islamic Ummah. Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), through this movement - which at the time had a completely clear rational justification - established a model for the Islamic community. This model is not just about martyrdom; it is a complex, intricate, and very profound matter. Three elements exist in the movement of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him): the element of logic and reason, the element of epic and dignity, and the element of emotion.

The element of logic and reason in this movement is manifested in the statements of that great figure; from the time of his presence in Medina until the day of martyrdom. The essence of these luminous statements expresses a solid logic. The summary of this logic is that when the conditions exist and are appropriate, the duty of a Muslim is "to act"; this action may involve danger at the highest levels or not. The greatest danger is that a person places their life and the lives of their loved ones and close relatives - spouse, sister, children, and daughters - on the altar of sincerity and brings them to the battlefield, exposing them to captivity. These are things that have been repeated so often that they have become ordinary for us, while each of these words is shocking. Therefore, even if the danger exists to this extent, when the conditions for action commensurate with this danger are present, one must act, and the world should not hinder one; caution and conservatism should not prevent one; physical comfort and ease should not obstruct one's path; one must move forward. If one does not move, the pillars of their faith and Islam are not intact. "Indeed, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: Whoever sees a tyrannical ruler who has made the sanctities of God permissible and does not change him by action or word, it is a right upon God to enter him into his entrance"; this is the logic. When the foundation of religion is in danger, if you do not intervene with word and action against this horrific event, it is a right upon God to confront the irresponsible and uncommitted person with the same situation that the arrogant and tyrant face.

Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) has clarified this duty in various statements - in Mecca and Medina and at different stages of the journey, and in his will to Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah. Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) knew the outcome of this action; one should not think that the Imam moved for the sake of power - which, of course, the goal of that power is sacred - with his eyes closed; no, there is no need for a rational perspective to lead us here. No, the outcome of this path was, according to precise calculations, foreseeable and clear to Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) with the foresight of the Imamate; however, the "issue" is so important that when a person stands against this issue with the precious life of Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him), they must place their life on the altar of sincerity and bring it to the battlefield; this is a lesson for Muslims until the Day of Judgment, and this lesson has also become an action, and it has not merely been written as a lesson on a blackboard to be erased later; no, this has been inscribed with divine color in the forehead of Islamic history and has called out and received a response, up to today.

In Muharram of 42, our great Imam utilized this premise, and the great event of the 15th of Khordad occurred. In Muharram of 1357, our dear Imam again drew inspiration from this event and said: "Blood is victorious over the sword," and that unparalleled historical event - namely, the Islamic Revolution - came into being. This belongs to our own time; it is before our eyes; but throughout history, this flag has been a flag of victory for nations and must remain so in the future, and it will remain so. This part of "logic," which is rational and has reasoning in it. Therefore, merely an emotional perspective does not interpret Imam Husayn's movement and is incapable of analyzing the aspects of this issue.

The second element is epic; that is, this struggle that must take place must be carried out with Islamic dignity; because "dignity belongs to God and His Messenger and the believers." A Muslim, in the course of this movement and struggle, must also protect their dignity and that of Islam. In the height of oppression, when you look at the face, it is an epic and dignified face. If you look at the various political and military struggles of our contemporary history, even those who have taken up arms and engaged in physical confrontation, you see that sometimes they have humiliated themselves! However, in the logic of Ashura, this issue does not exist; even in the place where Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) grants a night of respite, he does so with dignity; even in the place where he says: "Is there anyone to help?" - he calls for help - from a position of dignity and authority; the place where he encounters various people on the road from Medina to Kufa and speaks with them and seeks help from some of them is not from a position of weakness and inability; this is another prominent element. This element must be seen in all the struggles that the followers of Ashura incorporate into their programs. All efforts of struggle - whether political, propagandistic, or in places where self-sacrifice is required - must be from a position of dignity. On the day of Ashura in the Fayzieh School, look at the face of the Imam: a cleric who has neither armed soldiers nor a bullet in all his possessions speaks with such dignity that the weight of his dignity bends the knee of the enemy; this is the position of dignity. The Imam was always like this; alone, without companions, without equipment, yet dignified; this was the face of our great Imam. Let us thank God that we are in a time that has presented us with a concrete example of what we have often said, read, and heard, right before our eyes; and he was our great Imam.

The third element is emotion; that is, both in the event itself and in the continuation and perpetuation of the event, emotion has played a decisive role, which has created a boundary between the Ashura movement and other movements. The event of Ashura is not dry and merely rational; rather, it is accompanied by emotion, love, compassion, and weeping. The power of emotion is a tremendous power; hence we are commanded to weep, to make others weep, and to explain the event. Zainab al-Kubra (peace be upon her) speaks logically in Kufa and Sham, but she recites elegies; Imam Sajjad strikes the Umayyad government with dignity and firmness from the pulpit of Sham, yet he recites elegies. This recitation of elegies has continued to this day and must continue forever, so that emotions are directed. It is in the emotional atmosphere and in the realm of love and affection that many truths can be understood, which cannot be comprehended outside of these atmospheres. These three elements are the three main components of the Ashura movement of Husayn ibn Ali (may our souls be sacrificed for him), which is a book of words and a glimpse of the issues of Husayn's Ashura; however, this one glimpse has many lessons for us.

We preachers propagate under the name of Husayn ibn Ali. This great opportunity has been granted to the preachers of religion by this great figure, so that they can propagate the religion at various levels. Each of those three elements must play a role in our propagation; merely focusing on emotion and forgetting the aspect of logic and reason that is embedded in the story of Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) is to diminish the event, and forgetting the aspect of epic and dignity is to incomplete this great event and break a precious jewel; this matter must be observed by all - mourners, speakers, and reciters.

What does propagation mean? Propagation means conveying; you must convey. To where? To the ear? No; to the heart. Some of our propagations do not even reach the ear properly! The ear does not even tolerate and transfer it! When the ear is blocked, it passes to the brain; the matter should not end here, but must penetrate and permeate the heart and transform into the identity of the listener. This is the purpose of propagation. We do not propagate merely to say something; we propagate so that what is the subject of propagation enters the heart of the audience and penetrates. What is that? It is all those things that in Islam are supported by the life, honor, and sanctity of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), which all the prophets and other divine saints and the sacred existence of the Messenger of God also acted upon, of course, the manifestation of which is Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him). We want to propagate the logic of religion, the religious values, the religious ethics, and all those things that influence the construction of a human personality based on religion, so that our audience transforms into this religious personality.

Among these tasks is the establishment of an Islamic government. I must say that the establishment of an Islamic government is one of the most miraculous tasks, but this matter should not make us forget the formation of the human identity of individuals - each individual human being we deal with. This is very important. The noble Prophet of Islam first built people; he first shaped these foundations so that he could place this structure on their shoulders. Throughout that ten years - which is more than a hundred years of work condensed into this ten years - the Prophet, everywhere; in the midst of war, while building, while worshiping, while conversing with people, did not forget the construction of the identity of his audience. The Prophet was building humans even in the tumult of dangerous wars like the Battle of the Confederates, Badr, and Uhud. Observe the verses of the Quran! "Human construction" is the goal of this propagation, and this is one of the greatest tasks.

We should not suffer damage from either side: we should not completely exclude political issues from the realm of our speech and effort and propagandistic struggle; just as the enemies have invested decades in it, but the Islamic movement came and burned and destroyed this investment and brought political discourse into the core of religious activities, nor should we fall into the other side, thinking that all sermons, all propagations, all interactions with people and believers mean that we sit down and analyze the political issues of America and Israel; no, if it is not a more obligatory task, there is another obligation, and that is the heart of your audience. You must repair, cultivate, and quench the heart and soul and mind of the audience. Of course, this requires an internal source. We must have something within ourselves to be able to have this impact on the audience; otherwise, it will not work. In that internal capital, the element of thought and logic must be present; we must be equipped with correct thought and logic so that weak words are not spoken. Those who have said that one of the most effective attacks is weak and poor defenses have spoken completely correctly. When the defense of religion is weak, flimsy, and poor, its impact is greater than an attack on religion; we must seek refuge from this. Let there be no weak, illogical, and unproven words in our speech and propagation - what we are doing as propagation. Sometimes some things that are in a book and have no evidence are themselves a wisdom and ethical issue, which does not require evidence and we can express it; this is not a problem; but there are times when something is far from the audience's mind, which is difficult for them to believe; we should not say this; because this matter distances them from the essence of the issue and causes the religion and the propagator of religion to be discredited in their mind and heart, and they think this is devoid of logic; while the foundation of our work is logic. Therefore, logic is the main element in our propagation.

After this, it is time for how we act. We enter a city or village for propagation; our behavior, interactions, socializing, gaze, and worship, our attachment or lack of attachment to worldly pleasures and our eating and sleeping, are the most resonant propagation or counter-propagation; if it is correct, it is propagation; if it is wrong, it is counter-propagation. How can we assure the hearts of the people in the social environment and living environment of our speech while we speak against worldly desires and act differently? How can we speak against the attachment to money and strive against worldly greed while our actions are otherwise! How can such a thing have an effect?! Either it has no effect at all, or it has a fleeting effect, or it has an effect that later, with the revelation of the reality of our actions, turns into a counter-effect. Therefore, action is very important.

The third element is artistry in the manner of expression. I have a strong belief in sermons. Today, there are many tools of communication such as the internet, satellite, television, and various means, but none of these are sermons; a sermon means speaking face to face and breath to breath; this has a specific and unique impact that does not exist in any other method. This must be preserved; it is a valuable thing; however, it must be expressed artistically so that it can have an effect.

One point I would like to mention in this context of propagation: in the supplication of Sahifa Sajjadiya, there is a place where Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) says to God Almighty: "You do this, O my God, for one whose fear is greater than his hope, so that his fear is not despair"; my fear is greater than my hope, not that I am hopeless. This is an official declaration and instruction. You must instill fear along with hope into the hearts; and fear must be greater. It is not correct for us to read the verses of God's mercy - some of these verses and good tidings are specific to a certain group of believers and do not relate to us - and make some people oblivious, resulting in them thinking - with a delusion of spirituality - that they are immersed in spirituality and neglect the obligations and necessities of religion in practice. In the Quran, good tidings are specific to the believers; however, warnings are for all; both believers and disbelievers are warned. The Messenger of God weeps, and someone asks: O Messenger of God! God said: "God will forgive you what has preceded of your sin and what will come." What is this weeping for? He replies: "Should I not be a grateful servant"; meaning if I do not express gratitude for that forgiveness, the foundation of that forgiveness will be weakened. In all circumstances, warnings must prevail over our hearts and those of our listeners. The path is a difficult one; humanity must prepare itself to traverse this path and reach that destination.

The work of propagation is a very great, sensitive, and effective task. Today we observe the blessings of past propagations, and tomorrow, God willing, society will witness the blessings of your propagation today. The effects of propagation are not immediate and instantaneous; they are long-lasting. If a propagator of religion observes appearances that he believes are non-religious, he should not be discouraged. These misconceptions that some spread, claiming that the youth have turned away from religion, should all be considered psychological warfare, and the reality of the matter is the same. This is not the case; our youth have hearts inclined towards religion and are thirsty for the truths of religion, and their hearts are thirsty. Every healthy and naturally sound youth is like this; it is not specific to this place. Here, thanks be to God, the ground is also prepared; they are thirsty and eager; we must quench their souls and sweeten them with religious truths; this will yield results, and the future of our society will benefit from these blessings.

We ask God Almighty to make all of us and you appreciative of the propagation of religion, the divine values, and this straight path that the revolution has opened before us, and also, God willing, to grant us success to fulfill these heavy responsibilities.