Meeting and Allegiance of a Large Number of Various People with His Eminence

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

I sincerely offer my condolences to each of you, dear brothers and sisters, for this heartbreaking and tragic loss for the Islamic world, and I pray for the complete success of all of you dear ones from Almighty God. I also find it necessary to sincerely thank all the brothers and sisters who have come from various cities and different parts of the country, from near and far, especially the esteemed scholars, the honorable Friday prayer leaders, the revered clergy, and the noble families of the martyrs and the disabled.

In the life of all nations, and indeed in the life of every individual, opportunities arise that, if God's grace assists that nation or individual, their intellect and wisdom are awakened, and they make the most of those opportunities. However, if God does not grant success, opportunities are lost and often do not easily or quickly return. Many such events are observed in the history of nations.

There is no doubt that the ten years of the tangible and powerful leadership of our great and magnificent Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) was a precious opportunity for the Iranian nation. As far as we remember, after the Prophets and the Imams (peace be upon them), our nation has never seen a personality and leadership with such greatness, power, and success. Indeed, our nation made the most of this opportunity. You faithful, believing, and self-sacrificing people did not fall short in obedience and following this great and noble Imam.

When we compare our nation with different periods of Islamic history and other nations, we see that our nation is truly much better, and in some cases, not even comparable. Even when compared to the early Islamic period, our nation is overall better, more self-sacrificing, more sincere, and more devoted. Of course, if we consider the prominent figures and distinguished personalities of the Prophet's era, like his close companions and disciples and the person of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), they are certainly exceptional and unparalleled.

There is no doubt that Almighty God rewards and punishes nations according to their deeds, which we sometimes understand and sometimes do not. The noble verses of the Quran indicate that if a nation performs righteous deeds and especially accompanies them with faith and piety, their life, world, dignity, and independence will be secured. Even if it is not accompanied by faith and piety, Almighty God will still reward them; "We aid these as well as those": both those who work for this world and those who strive for the hereafter, Almighty God will reward all.

You see that some nations do not have religion or piety, yet they enjoy a seemingly desirable material life because they perform worldly tasks well. However, such a life does not have a happy ending and is accompanied by corruption, which will destroy that person. Today's material civilization of the world has chosen this way of life; however, a nation that is faithful and strives like you, there is no doubt that Almighty God will reward them. This reward is not only for the hereafter; it will also be given in this world. The worldly reward is that according to the deeds they have done, they will be happy and honored and will come out of humiliation, force, and imposition.

Today, perhaps among the nations of the world, there is no nation like Iran that does not obey any foreign power, does not consider them, decides for itself, chooses its own path, and is independent. Within Iran, too, the affairs of the country are in the hands of the people themselves. Thanks be to God, the apparatus of despotic and oppressive governments has been dismantled from this country. They ruled over our country and nation for centuries, and the people had the least involvement in their own affairs.

During the previous regime, if relations were cut off or established, if a transaction was made, and if a trip was conducted, the one whose opinion was neither sought nor informed of the affairs and was not respected was the Iranian nation.

The council that existed at that time was not truly composed of representatives of the people, so they could oversee and be present in the affairs. The council was composed of the regime's appointees, local lords, bullies, and influential figures, and the people were on the sidelines, their heads down, busy with their own work, living with difficulty, while the regime took the wealth of the country for itself, sold it, used it, consumed it, and squandered it without accounting to anyone!

The Islamic Revolution, when it triumphed, changed everything. Today, the President, the government, the representatives of the parliament, and the leadership belong to the people. The people decide and sign, and in truth, their will is the main focus and axis of work for the officials.

The divine reward is that the life of a nation becomes good, desirable, and independent; it makes its own decisions, chooses the President and the representative of the parliament; considers them as its own and is assured that they have faith and belief in it, love it, do not betray it, and strive for its interests. After securing these matters, then the nation, with the help of the officials it has appointed, rushes to cooperate with them and engages in the development and prosperity of the country.

Our country is one of the rarest countries in terms of development and prosperity. Even if we have twice the population we have today, we can still manage ourselves in the best way without the slightest need for other countries. This good capacity exists in our blessed land, in the excellent human talents of the country, in the instructions and methods and the constitution, and in our officials.

If they imposed the eight-year war on us, it was because they wanted us to be delayed in rebuilding the country and reviving the fields of development. Colonialism and global arrogance know that if our nation, with the help of the country's sincere officials and managers, can build a prosperous and free Iran and make the members of society completely prosperous and enjoy social justice and other Islamic values and keep them under the sacred law of Islam, then our great and glorious revolution will, by itself and without anyone's effort, be exported to all Islamic countries and become a model for others.

For ten years, they exerted pressure to prevent this transformation; but their efforts were in vain. Our nation is a lively, capable, and mature nation. This nation caused the event of the Imam's passing and its leader, which was a bitter and heartbreaking event, and the whole world was waiting for this event to weaken the nation and its organization and system, to become a source of strength for the system.

Our nation, with its gathering and expression of loyalty and sincere devotion to the caring and interested clergy, proved its worth. No matter how much America and its followers try, they will not be able to prevent this nation from reaching the peak that its dear Imam was guiding everyone towards. Even if all the bullies and thugs of the world join hands, they cannot stop us from moving towards a prosperous, just, and developed Islamic society. Thanks be to God, we have the will to pursue this path and accomplish this task with divine grace and the help of the people, and we lack nothing.

Just be careful to maintain unity and enthusiasm and a sense of duty within yourselves. The Quran addresses Muslims and says: if you are believers, fear no one and do not weaken. The manifestation of faith is this enthusiasm, effort, unity, and presence on the scene; the enemy fears this. As long as your strong and enthusiastic presence continues, God willing, God's grace will also be with us.

I hope that the prayers of His Holiness the Master of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him and may God hasten his reappearance) and the attentions of the spiritual soul of our dear Imam will always be with you and help you, so that you can continue the path that the revolution and Islam have determined to the last stages and stations. May God protect you. Again, I thank all of you dear ones. Please convey my greetings to the dear people of your cities.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings