Statements at the Meeting with Officials of the System and Ambassadors of Islamic Countries

On the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) ascension

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 family, especially the Awaited One on earth.

I congratulate the blessed occasion of the Prophet's ascension to the esteemed attendees and the foreign guests present at this meeting, as well as to the entire Iranian nation and the great Muslim community. Although during these days our dear nation is facing difficulties due to the floods, and in some cases, people are afflicted with calamities; casualties or damages, we hope, God willing, with divine grace and the help of the Almighty, that the esteemed officials, with the immense support of the people, which has thankfully existed until today, can alleviate the heavy burden of this incident from the shoulders of the Iranian people, and may God, by the blessing of this dear day, bestow upon us and bring joy to our people's hearts.

Thanks be to God, the people's efforts in this matter have been commendable. This is not the first time; in all natural disasters and calamities—events that appear to be disasters, although their essence may be divine blessings—the Iranian nation truly enters the field with great determination; we have tested this repeatedly. This spirit of solidarity among our people and the mobilization for serving fellow citizens is exceptional; it encourages the government officials and assists them. In this case, it was the same; both the people entered and helped from all corners of the country, and the officials, with unanimous agreement, focus, and unity, were able to carry out initial tasks in this matter; of course, many tasks remain to be done. We have emphasized this point to the esteemed officials, and they are aware that the main tasks lie ahead. The destruction, the devastation of farms, the destruction of homes, and similar losses that have occurred must, God willing, be compensated for, and they will be. Our dear people should continue their cooperation with the officials; this is essential. The presence of the people in the scene, their cooperation, and their assistance are truly key to resolving the issues.

In the matter of the ascension, there is a point, and that is that the sending of messengers, the sending of prophets—for the guidance of humanity—is repeatedly referred to in the Quran as 'ascension,' awakening; the sending of messengers is referred to in the Quran as 'Ba'ath' (ascension); 'Indeed, God has bestowed a favor upon the believers when He sent among them a messenger' (Quran 3:164); 'He is the One who sent among the unlettered a messenger' (Quran 62:2); 'And We have certainly sent in every nation a messenger' (Quran 16:36); this is an important point: 'Ba'ath' is awakening, it is not a mere educational movement. The prophet who appears in a society does not merely come to teach people certain things; yes, 'He teaches them the Book and wisdom' (Quran 2:129), 'He purifies them' (Quran 2:129), but all of this is within the framework of an ascension, within the framework of a great movement. Ascension means awakening. What is the direction of this awakening? The direction is what is repeatedly mentioned in the Quran itself: 'And We have certainly sent in every nation a messenger to say: Worship God and avoid Taghut' (Quran 16:36); firstly, the worship of God means placing the framework of life in service to divine commands and prohibitions; and secondly, avoiding Taghut. Who is Taghut? All oppressors, all wicked kings, in today's terms, all presidents like those in America and some other countries—these are the Taghut. The meaning of avoiding Taghut is not merely to keep your garment away from them to avoid contamination; it means that there is a line opposing the line of monotheism and the line of divine servitude, and that is the line of Taghut. Disbelief in Taghut is accompanied by faith in God; this is the direction of the prophets' ascension.

The ascension of the prophets is for the establishment of a virtuous society; as has been pointed out, it is for the establishment of a civilization. Well, this civilization encompasses everything; in civilization, there is everything; there is knowledge, there is ethics, there is a way of life, there is war. There is war, as you can see how many verses in the Quran relate to war. It is not the case that we can say that Islam came to eliminate war; no, the direction of war is important; who is the war against? What is the war for? This is important. The arrogant powers of the world wage war for their own desires, for their own power-seeking, for the spread of corruption. For years, the Zionists have been waging war, but for wicked purposes; against them, the believers also fight—the Palestinian Mojahedin fight, Hezbollah fighters fight, our dear nation fought in the Sacred Defense and the eight-year war—but this war is not blameworthy; it is praiseworthy, it is jihad in the way of God; 'Those who believe fight in the way of God' (Quran 4:76); it is important that the believer fights, but for divine objectives. 'And those who disbelieve fight in the way of Taghut; so fight against the allies of Satan' (Quran 4:76). See, paying attention to the nuances of Quranic expressions opens doors for us.

Why is it said ascension, sending messengers, sending a prophet? Well, suppose a philosopher arises in a society, for example, suppose Plato or Socrates; they were also people who taught humanity certain things, but they are not 'Ba'ath'; prophets are not of that kind; prophets have ascension. The ascension of the esteemed and honored Prophet of Islam is the greatest ascension, the most comprehensive ascension, the most complete ascension, and the most enduring ascension; this means that this ascension exists today as well; today, the Prophet Muhammad is in a state of ascension. [Meaning] when you read the Quran, you learn a lesson, you gain motivation, and you start a movement; this is the continuation of the Prophet's ascension. The Iranian nation, which stands behind a great personality like Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), overcomes obstacles, endures hardships, crushes difficulties underfoot, and moves forward, dismantling a rotten, wicked, centuries-old Taghut structure in the most important point of the region, namely in Iran, and establishes an Islamic foundation; this is the continuation of the Prophet's ascension. The revolution was the continuation of the Prophet's ascension; the Islamic Republic is the continuation of the Prophet's ascension; this is our message. Those who are enemies of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic, like the enemies of the early Islam, are enemies of the Islamic ascension and the monotheistic movement; this is our message.

Some say, 'Sir, do not create enemies'; no, we do not create enemies; we merely express the words of the Prophet, the words of God, and the words of monotheism, and just by saying this, a number of enemies are created. The enemy becomes an enemy due to the creation of a monotheistic movement. The removal of his enmity is that you should cease your movement and return to what they want, which is the servitude of Taghut, following Taghut, and the like; America expects this from us, and America's lackeys like the Al Saud—this regional servant of America—do the same; whatever they say, these also repeat the same; in reality, 'They fight in the way of Taghut' (Quran 4:76). Those who are fighting for Taghut are moving for Taghut.

Well, in this confrontation that exists, this confrontation of truth and falsehood, the confrontation of monotheism and Taghut—which such a confrontation is inevitably present—what God the Almighty has decreed to be victorious is the front of truth; that is, you, the Iranian nation, if you continue your movement as you have until now, you will certainly be victorious over your enemies; that is, you will be victorious over America: 'And We wish to bestow favor upon those who have been oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors' (Quran 28:5). 'He is the One who sent His messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religions' (Quran 9:33); God the Almighty has decreed this way, but you and I can change this outcome; how? By being negligent, by not cooperating, by not being sincere in the movement we undertake, by not sacrificing ourselves, by not striving and making efforts in the way of God.

Yes, if we do not do these things, this front, which is supposedly the front of truth, will not be victorious; however, the Iranian nation has shown that they are not like that; and as time goes on, this meaning becomes clearer. Our youth today, compared to us who spent a period of our youth in service to this struggle and similar matters, have more motivation, more knowledge, and more readiness. The reason I address the youth and speak is because of this; our youth today are ready, our youth are ready to move in various fronts. [Of course] this struggle and jihad of the Iranian nation does not merely mean taking up arms; no, we do not fight with anyone; as long as we are not attacked, we do not usually attack; but in other fronts, for example, we advance in the front of science, we advance in the front of ethics, God willing, we advance in the front of lifestyle, we move forward. The motivations of our youth today are very good; thus, we progress step by step.

In the economic sphere, everyone must be active, especially the youth; in the cultural sphere, everyone must be active, especially the youth; in the political and conscious movements, everyone must be active, especially the youth. The youth are ready and can be active, and they will be active, God willing. The future of this country belongs to the motivated and faithful youth who can, with decisive will, youthful energy, clear thinking, and continuous innovation, elevate this country to the heights of prosperity, God willing; this is what we expect. From the ascension, from the day of ascension, we must create this understanding in our minds so that the day of ascension is not just a memory and a commemoration of the great Prophet; it should not be merely verbal; it should truly be a lesson for us.

Thanks be to God, the Iranian nation has found this path through the blessing of the movement of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and has opened the way and moved along this path. All the virtues of the Iranian nation and their merits are due to their presence on this path. Before the victory of the revolution, this news and this form of public movement in cultural, political, economic, and popular sectors did not exist; thanks to the revolution, this state has emerged, and we hope that, God willing, it will increase day by day; and we swear to God, by the right of the greatest Prophet, that may He unite the pure soul of Imam and the souls of our dear martyrs, who truly guided and directed us on this path, with the Prophet.

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