Statements in Meeting with the People of Najafabad

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 Muhammad and his pure family, and God's curse be upon all their enemies.

I extend my greetings to all the dear brothers and sisters of Najafabad who have truly been, without consideration and without pretense, a model of revolutionary, faithful, and loyal men and women throughout all periods of the revolution, especially to the esteemed families of martyrs, the respected scholars, and the various dear groups present here.

What Mr. Hasanati said about Najafabad is fully confirmed and endorsed by me; I truly testify that the people of Najafabad have an advantage over many regions of the country; in their honesty, in their loyalty, in their history regarding the revolution. When the Islamic struggles and the Islamic movement were in obscurity, Najafabad was a place of flourishing thoughts of these struggles. I came to Najafabad during that time - in the years before the revolution - and I saw up close the enthusiasm of the people, their awareness, their presence, and their understanding of the issues of the revolution; all classes; not just the youth of that day or the intellectuals of that day; even some rural and ordinary individuals, when one spoke about the issues of the revolution, one could see they were enlightened, aware, and committed. May God's mercy be upon those who worked hard in this path, who endeavored, and who made the people aware.

And when the revolution triumphed, Najafabad was again at the forefront. They referred to the Najaf Brigade, Martyr Kazemi, and other martyrs of this brigade; those sincere, faithful, loyal, zealous, and capable commanders. I visited the brigade in the operational area at the front - more than once - and one could see the signs of these outstanding qualities there as well. You stood firm, you showed steadfastness, you demonstrated honesty and loyalty, you gave martyrs, you gave disabled veterans; your reward is preserved before God; your name shines in the golden tablet of the history of the revolution. The path must continue; we have not yet reached the end of the journey; we must continue to advance, we must continue to strive, we must continue to jihad; the fields have changed, but the essence of jihad remains. If we can hand over this trust to the next generation, we will have fulfilled our duty. Thanks be to God, your youth are active, diligent, and aware; the country belongs to the youth. We hope, God willing, that the Almighty God preserves the blessings of your martyrs, your great ones, the great scholars that this city has produced - whether those who were in Najafabad, those who were in Isfahan, those who were in Mashhad, or those who were in Qom, [meaning] the export of scholars and jurists from this blessed city - for you and that we see the results of these blessings throughout the country.

I would also like to mention the days of the martyrdom of the precious member of the household, Fatimah al-Zahra, the pure and chaste (peace be upon her), which these days, according to the narration, are the days of her martyrdom for 75 days. Amir al-Mu'minin bids farewell to his beloved with a broken heart, filled with sorrow, returning the precious trust of the Prophet to her; the heart of Amir al-Mu'minin is filled with grief, but his will and determination have not diminished at all; this is a lesson for you and me. Sometimes the heart becomes filled with sorrow - such events occur in human life; whether in personal life or social life - but determination and will must remain steadfast, steps must be taken firmly; there are sorrows that can break mountains, [but] a believer cannot be broken; the path must continue.

Today, on the occasion of being on the verge of elections, which are very important, I would like to present a few points regarding the elections.

The first point is the importance of these elections; it is not merely that we go to the ballot box and drop a ballot for someone; the issue is that elections in our country are a national manifestation; the nation stands against the enemy with elections, it shows its presence; this is the importance of elections. When the enemy observes that after 37 years, with all this pressure, with these unjust sanctions, with this malicious and vile propaganda, it has not been able to prevent the people from pledging allegiance to the system, the greatness of this revolution becomes intimidating in its eyes, the Iranian nation gains greatness; its revolution gains greatness; this is what elections signify. Elections mean support for national dignity and national independence and signify the steadfastness of the Iranian nation. You see, Mr. Hasanati spoke about the loyalty and steadfastness of the people of Najafabad; both you felt pride in your hearts, and I felt pride in my heart; when the loyalty of a group and the steadfastness and strength of their determination become apparent, every observer, every listener feels pride; elections demonstrate the loyalty of the Iranian nation. A nation of nearly eighty million in this field full of enemies, a minefield, a field of confrontations and vile struggles, so bravely, so courageously announces its presence; this is what elections are. See how important it is! Anyone who cares about the dignity of Islamic Iran must participate in these elections and will do so; now, God willing, you will see. The world will see on Friday how the people of Iran eagerly move towards fulfilling their duty and asserting their rights - which is both a duty and a right. In my opinion, this point is the most important point that should be made regarding the elections, and I have repeatedly stated and will continue to state; the essence of elections.

The second point is that just as we, the Iranian nation, have been sensitive to these elections and to elections over these 37 years, the enemies of the Iranian nation have also been equally sensitive; they too have sought to introduce some flaw into these elections with various tricks; all sorts of tricks: for a while, they tried to say that elections are a lie, that there are no elections in Iran at all; which, of course, was evident to everyone, there were elections; the propaganda of those early years was like this. For a while, they tried to explicitly dissuade people from going to the ballot box; even during one election period, the President of the United States explicitly told the Iranian nation a few days before the elections not to go vote! What did the people do? They became stubborn, and that time they voted more than ever; this was also a trick to prevent people from going to the ballot box with various means and different propaganda. Another trick was to make people believe that your choice has no benefit; you write the name of Zayd, and the name of Amr comes out; they used to say these things, you remember; now perhaps the younger ones do not remember, have not seen those days, but most remember; they would turn this into a slogan and say it; unfortunately, some oblivious individuals inside the country would harmonize with them; for a while, they said this. None of these were effective; these tricks could not weaken the people; the understanding of the people and their awareness of the importance of the issue could not be overshadowed; now they are trying other ways. Of course, the American statesmen have learned from experience that they should not comment; whatever they comment on, the people act contrary to it, so this time they are silent; the American statesmen are silent, out of fear, they do not say anything lest they say something and the people act contrary to it, but the crumbs of the table of global arrogance who have gone there and become the breadwinners of the American and British governments are busy; in radios, in various media, in the virtual world and the internet and the like, they are busy day and night. One of their tasks is to spread false polls and draw conclusions from these polls that the people have no interest in the elections.

One of the tricks they have recently learned and are applying is to create false dichotomies; false dichotomies. This point is important; I would like to discuss this a bit more with you dear brothers and sisters: the false dichotomy.

Well, elections are a competition; it is clear that in a competition everyone tries to win, everyone tries to get ahead; the nature of competition is enthusiasm, vitality, and running around, and so on; elections are a competition; one gets ahead, one falls behind; this is not enmity, this is not animosity, this is not becoming dichotomous. They constantly report in their radios and televisions and in their various media about the dichotomization of the Iranian nation - meaning a division where they are enemies with each other and work against each other. Yes, in Islamic Iran, there is a dichotomy; the dichotomy of revolution and global arrogance. Those who are the remnants of the era of global arrogance and anyone who follows them, thinks like them, yes, these are against the revolution; this dichotomy exists, but the vast majority of the Iranian nation, the vast majority of revolutionaries, are fond of the Islamic system, love Imam and the memories of Imam - those who have never seen Imam even for a moment and were born after Imam's passing - and the sayings of Imam, the voice of Imam, the recommendations of Imam, and the principles that Imam established [are present]; the vast majority of the Iranian nation are fond of these; yes, [between] those who love Imam, love the revolution, and those who do not accept the revolution at all, do not accept the system at all, of course, there is such a dichotomy. I have, of course, told those who do not even accept the system that you accept Iran; [therefore] come for the dignity of Iran; now some listen and some do not.

Now in these elections, they are imposing a dichotomy; imposed dichotomies; the essence is there, and sometimes it is repeated here; but those who are informed about foreign propaganda, listen, become aware, know that this is theirs. The dichotomy of a pro-government parliament and an anti-government parliament; as if in Iran there are some who support a pro-government parliament, and some who support an anti-government parliament; no, the Iranian nation wants neither a pro-government parliament nor an anti-government parliament; the Iranian nation wants a parliament that is familiar with its duties; that knows what is incumbent upon it in the constitution; that is committed, religious, courageous, and not intimidated by America; that is genuinely interested in the progress of the country and understands that the progress of the country lies in the scientific training of the talented youth of this country and this nation. This is the kind of parliament they want; a parliament that understands the pains of the people, understands the pains of the country, and seeks to remedy and heal those pains - legislation means this - the people want this kind of parliament. What does a pro-government parliament and an anti-government parliament mean! These are false dichotomies. You contact each and every Iranian and ask them whether they want a parliament that recognizes the pains of the country, the problems of the country, the problems of the people, and wants to solve them, or a parliament that supports Zayd or Amr. What is the answer from the people? It is clear that the people want the former; for the people, this is important; a religious parliament, a committed parliament, a courageous parliament, a parliament that does not fall for the enemy's tricks; a parliament that values national dignity and independence and does not trample on national dignity, does not trample on national independence; that stands against the greed and excessive demands of global arrogance, against the greed of powers whose hands have been cut off from Iran and are trying to return and take control of this country again; this is the kind of parliament. We have raised the issue of endogenous economy; the people want a parliament that genuinely invests time in endogenous economy, lays the groundwork, and the government is obliged to act based on this movement; these are what the people want.

Another point is that I have said for some time to be cautious of infiltrators; some have become unnecessarily agitated; there is no need for agitation. The Americans had a plan for after the nuclear negotiations, a plan for inside Iran, a plan for the region. This was clear to us and became clear. They had a plan for Iran, and they still do; they had a plan for the region, and they still do; they are also trying; they know who stands firmly against their evil goals in the region; they are aware of this. Well, when the enemy has a plan for inside the country, what does it do? It uses infiltrators. The meaning of infiltrator is not that they must have gone and taken money to come and infiltrate a certain apparatus and know what they are doing; no, sometimes an infiltrator is an infiltrator, and he does not even know! Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) said that sometimes the enemy's words are heard from the mouths of respectable people through several intermediaries. Imam was vigilant, Imam was experienced. The enemy says something, wants something, and through various means, with several intermediaries, it makes it come out of the mouth of a certain respectable person who has neither taken money from the enemy nor made any commitments to the enemy. Did we not see these? Did we not experience these? In this very Islamic Consultative Assembly, did we not see that a representative came and accused the system of lying! He said we have been lying to the world for ten years, thirteen years, from the public platform of the Islamic Consultative Assembly! In this public pulpit! Well, he is saying the enemy's words; the enemy was telling us that you are lying! Now one of our own finds himself saying that the system is lying! Is this not infiltration? Perhaps he himself does not know and is unaware. We had a parliament that during the difficult negotiations of the nuclear talks, when our current respected president was the head of the nuclear negotiations and they were struggling, fiercely arguing with the opposing parties and actually fighting to make Iran's voice heard, in the parliament, they brought a three-urgent plan to make the opposing party's words heard! At that time, the head of the negotiating team, who is our current respected president, complained and said we are fighting there, here the gentlemen are designing a plan in favor of the enemy; well, this is infiltration; what are these? [Is] infiltration something that has horns and a tail that some become agitated when it is said that infiltration is mentioned? Yes, we must be cautious. Well, then the enemy is thinking about infiltration; who should be vigilant? Both the people must be aware and vigilant, and the officials, politicians, and political figures; they need to be more vigilant. They must ensure that what they know is the enemy's desire does not take place. When you see that the enemy says something to create division [for example] praises you, this wants to create doubt; well, the enemy is not your friend; when you see that the enemy is using such a trick, immediately and without delay express your disapproval, say we do not want it. You say the enemy intends to sow discord with this action, well do not let the people's minds become hesitant. These things must be taken into account. We return to the sayings of Imam; Imam said that when the enemy praises you, you should doubt your behavior and your actions and refer to see what mistake you have made that the enemy is pleased and praises you. This is the instruction of the revolution, this is how we should act, this is how we should move forward; we must not be negligent. Governing the country is not an easy task; leading a nation of this size, with this greatness and valor is not a trivial matter; we must be careful, we must be vigilant, we must move with open eyes, we must move with firm determination against the enemy. This is also an important point that I have mentioned.

One more point is that we should not use the political language of the enemy; I emphasize this issue, especially to our friends and respected brothers in various political, governmental, and non-governmental positions; do not use the language of the enemy. The enemies of the revolution have from the very beginning introduced the terms of hardliner and moderate; so-and-so is a hardliner, this current is a hardliner, that current is moderate. At that time, the most hardline in their view was Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified); today, in their view, I am the most hardline. Moderate is a nice term, but Islam does not speak this way; let us understand Islamic teachings. Islam is in favor of the middle and supports the "middle": وَ کَذلِکَ جَعَلنٰکُم اُمَّةً وَسَطًا (And thus We have made you a just nation). But what is the "middle" in Islam? Is it in contrast to hardliners? No, the "middle" is in contrast to deviants: اَلیَمینُ وَ الشِّمالُ مَضَلَّةٌ وَ الطَّریقُ الوُسطی‌ٰ هِیَ الجادَّة (The right and left are misguidance, and the middle path is the straight path); this is from Nahj al-Balagha. The middle way means the straight way, the path of the road. If you deviate from this straight path - whether to this side or that side - this is not the middle. So, in contrast to the moderate, the hardliner is not; in contrast to the moderate, the deviant is. The one who is moderate is not the one who is deviating from the path and deviating from the road; but on the road, some go faster and some go slower. Going fast on the straight path is not a bad thing; سابِقوا اِلی‌ مَغفِرَةٍ مِن رَبِّکُم (Race towards forgiveness from your Lord); go ahead. Those who today say hardliner outside the borders of the country have a purpose and a specific meaning in mind. Our friends and brothers inside should be cautious not to repeat what they mean. Those who say hardliner mean those who are more determined and steadfast in the path of the revolution; they call the Hezbollahis hardliners. A moderate is someone who submits to them. In the political language of America, Britain, and the like, the meaning of hardliner and moderate is this: a hardliner is someone who is committed to the revolution, a moderate is someone who submits to their demands. Now who is submissive to them? Fortunately, they themselves also admit and say that there are no moderates in Iran, everyone is hardliners. This statement is correct; in the Iranian nation, no one supports dependency on them. Sometimes negligence occurs, slips happen, and some make mistakes, but the vast majority of the Iranian nation supports the revolution, follows the revolution, and insists on the revolution; they call this hardliner. Why should we repeat their words? They also call ISIS hardliners; is ISIS a hardliner? ISIS is deviant; deviant from Islam, deviant from the Quran, deviant from the straight path. We do not have hardliners in this sense. They should pay attention to the language that the enemy uses and the specific meaning that they have in mind; we should not repeat it.

I would like to mention one last point. Dear brothers, dear sisters, my dear children, youth! Whatever you choose, you have chosen for yourselves. Your good choice returns to you; if you make a choice carelessly that results in a bad outcome, its badness returns to you; this is the nature of the work. You are taking an action with choice and will, so try to do the work correctly. If you do it correctly and with precision, you will gain two benefits: firstly, the Almighty God will be pleased with you for having done the work correctly; secondly, the result of the work will likely be a good outcome. If you do the work carelessly, it is possible that sometimes the result may not turn out well, but the initial reward exists; when you do the work with precision and insight, the Almighty God accepts it from you, even if a mistake has occurred in the process; but if you do it carelessly, no; the Almighty God will also be displeased, and the likelihood of coinciding with the truth decreases. When you want to make a choice, recognize and choose; recognize them. Be assured of their faith, their commitment, their loyalty to the revolution, their steadfastness in the path of the revolution, their determination and courage, and their not being intimidated, [then] vote; whether in the elections of the Islamic Consultative Assembly or in the elections of the Assembly of Experts; it does not matter, both are important, which I have previously spoken about the importance of both. Even in cases where you do not know, do not say I do not know, so I will not vote; no, go to those whom you trust in their faith, their commitment, and their insight, and ask them; this is the remedy. Therefore, the path is clear, the goal is clear, the duty and obligation are clear, and the work is great. And when a person does a great and divine work correctly, اِن تَنصُرُوا اللهَ یَنصُرکُم (If you support God, He will support you); when you step in the path of divine support, the Almighty God will certainly support you. In that case, the result of the elections will be a result that, God willing, will be in favor of the country, whatever it may be. And know that I firmly believe that with all the efforts that the enemy is making - that for these 37 years, the enemy has constantly tried - to strike at the revolution, the revolution and the country have constantly advanced despite his wishes; know that after this, the Almighty God has decreed the final victory for you, the Iranian nation, and for this holy country, and God willing, you will reach the result, and the Almighty God will defeat your enemies, and by God's grace, the enemy will not be able to inflict any harm on this revolution and this Islamic system.

We ask the Almighty God for the elevation of the status of the dear martyrs and the elevation of the status of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) who opened this path before us, and we ask for the success of the Iranian nation in all their affairs, especially in this matter that, God willing, they will face in two days.

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