Statements in Meeting with the People of Qom

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 progeny, especially the Awaited One on earth.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters from Qom! The name of Qom has been recorded in history through the efforts of its people as pioneers and leaders. Everything that has transpired from those days until today has reinforced and continued that concept. Thanks be to God, Qom is the center of the revolution, the birthplace of the revolution, and God willing, it will be the place of the continued and increasing strength of the revolution. Welcome; may God Almighty reward all of you. The beautiful anthem you sang should be addressed solely to the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and no one else. Let us get used to dedicating all our sincerity, all our sacrifice, and all our love and hearts to that great figure. Praying for that great figure is deserving of his prayer for the supplicant. This is mentioned in our narrations.

Regarding the 19th of Dey, which is the occasion for your warm and sincere gathering today, much has been said; we have spoken about it over the years, and others have as well. Some of the statements are repetitive, there is nothing new, but despite all this, the event of the 19th of Dey is not something that can be made old. The fact that we repeat things we have said before does not cause this incident to lose its significance, just like the event of Ashura; we do not want to compare the importance of that event with other events, but in terms of analogy, it is similar to the event of Ashura; for twelve hundred and thirty years, the event of Ashura has been recounted and repeated, all the words have been spoken many times, yet the event does not become old; it is like the shining sun that is present every day but does not have the color of oldness; every year, every month, it illuminates the lives of this community and Islamic societies, it gives light, it provides energy, it gives strength. This event is the same; it is of the same nature as the event of Ashura. The reason is that what took place on the 19th of Dey was a great act; it was an act that whenever something similar occurs among any nation or community, its effects will be astonishing. Well, the ground was prepared among the Iranian nation; without a prepared ground, no action bears fruit. The statements of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) throughout these years of struggle, and the struggles of those who fought, and the explanation and dissemination of revolutionary thoughts across the country, in addition to this, the status and position of the clergy and religious authority among the people, which has been established for centuries, all provided the groundwork, but this groundwork needed a key to activate it; that key was provided by the people of Qom. It was a great act; they entered the field to defend the Imam (may his soul be sanctified); the field was not a conventional one; there were bullets, shootings, terror, and oppression. Without fear, with complete courage, and with timely understanding - I emphasize this word: timely understanding, timely sense of duty; not later than necessary - they entered the field; the unjustly shed blood of the martyrs of the 19th of Dey and the courage of the people of Qom and their timely entry into the field, understanding their duty at the necessary moment did its work; in fact, this was the key that was turned, the groundwork began to flow, and the nation rose up. Therefore, the work of the people of Qom is an unforgettable act.

I do not want to recount history. We have current issues; today we must see what our duty is for tomorrow. Well, the revolution succeeded; the victory of the revolution, according to the conventional calculations of the world, was impossible. No one believed that in a country like Iran, with the sensitivity that the arrogant powers had towards it - this was the resting place of the Zionists, this was the place of the presence of American advisors, this was a place where foreigners felt comfort and ease; almost ten days before the 19th of Dey, the President of the United States said in a speech in Tehran that Iran is an island of stability; they calculated on this country in this way - in such a place, in such a country, with such a repressive and oppressive government that faced the people without hesitation, and with the heavy shadow of America over this country, according to ordinary calculations, it was impossible for a revolution based on religion, based on the religious beliefs and faith of the people, led by a religious authority and prominent cleric to succeed; this was impossible. Therefore, no intelligence agency in the world could guess that this event would occur; because it did not fit with ordinary calculations. In such a country, for a revolution to occur in this way and for this revolution not to fail - I will explain this in comparison with some other events in this country - for a system to be established, for the Islamic Republic to come into existence, and for this Islamic Republic to remain and become stronger, more rooted, and more robust day by day. No material rule or material calculation would accept such a thing; it could not be considered possible, yet it happened. The fact that it happened indicates that there are laws governing this universe, governing this existence, that the materialists do not recognize; they do not see those laws; the tradition of God in those who have passed before. In another place: the tradition of God that has passed before. The tradition of God means divine laws; there are laws in the universe, throughout this vast existence. These laws are like natural laws, like the law of gravity, like the laws of stars and the sun and the moon and the coming and going of the moon and the sun in a day; these are laws; they are natural laws. Similarly, there are laws in human societies, these laws cannot be perceived by the materialists with their dim eyes, but they exist. Well, when we prepare the ground for these laws ourselves, God Almighty will solidify the law. Fire has burning properties; you must prepare the ground, light the fire, place a non-moist object on the fire, and it will catch fire; prepare the ground, and the natural law will do its work. The Iranian nation prepared this ground. Our elders have said these things, both the Quran has repeatedly stated it, and in the words of the Imams (peace be upon them), in the words of the Messenger of God, these exist. When God saw our sincerity, He sent down humiliation upon our enemy and sent down victory upon us. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) in Nahj al-Balaghah says: Enter the field sincerely, stand firm, and God Almighty will suppress your enemy and grant you victory. This is a general rule and law. This rule was realized in the revolution; the people entered the field sincerely and stood firm.

Well, let us draw a conclusion here, and that is that we have a broad front of enemies in front of us. The broad front of enemies ranges from the leaders of the Zionist regime to the leaders of the American government, to other agents and factors of global arrogance, to the takfiri elements, to ISIS; that is, see what a vast and heterogeneous front it is. All of these are enemies of the Islamic Republic system; thus, there exists a front. They can do many things, they carry out propaganda attacks, all the media apparatuses of the world are in the hands of these. They spread whatever they want against the Islamic Republic. The economic keys are in their hands, the political powers are in their hands, the security systems are in their hands, the intelligence services belong to them; they are against the Islamic Republic system. Well, when some people see this front, their hearts sink. This is because they neglect the important keyword of divine tradition. Well, these hostilities and even greater hostilities were present with the revolution; the revolution succeeded. Today, the same hostilities exist; today, if you act according to its requirements, you will be victorious; there is no doubt about it. When God saw our sincerity, He sent down humiliation upon our enemy; this is still true today. When you and I enter the field sincerely, act according to its requirements, stand firm, exercise insight, act timely, speak correctly, act correctly, and enter the field sincerely, the same statement that Amir al-Mu'minin made exists: "Victory belongs to us, and humiliation and oppression belong to the enemy." Well, so far, the issue of the revolution serves as a fundamental and clear point, a great lesson for our future.

And as we mentioned, this revolution in comparison with other events; if we compare it with other events that have occurred in this country - the events of the world are the same - [it is an unprecedented event]. Now, if I want to delve into comparisons with some of the great revolutions, it will take time; I have mentioned some before, but in comparison with events within our own country; for example, consider comparing the revolution with the nationalization of the oil industry, which was a significant event in the country; there too, the people entered the field, there too, the people were present, which is referred to as the national movement, it has become known in the political language as the national movement. What was the demand of the national movement? It was a minimal demand; it was not seeking comprehensive economic and political independence; our oil was entirely in the hands of the British; in the nationalization of the oil industry, the demand was to take the oil from the British and put it in our hands. Well, this was not a very significant demand, of course, it was important, but it was not complete independence. In this movement, the people also came to the field, and events occurred, but the movement did not last more than two or three years; it did not last more than two or three years! The enemy was able to suppress this movement, and it did not continue. After the movement was suppressed, the situation of oil became worse than before; that is, the consortium that was created after the events of the 28th of Mordad was much worse than what existed before; that is, if it was previously in the hands of the British, now it was in the hands of both the British and the Americans! The oil situation was entirely in the hands of the enemies; it remained that way until the revolution. Well, see, the discussion of the Islamic revolution was not about oil; it was about complete independence; political independence, economic independence, cultural independence; it came to the field with these slogans; it cannot be compared with the national movement, but that movement could not endure; this revolution succeeded, and it remained, it became enduring.

Comparing it with the constitutional movement; let us compare the revolution with the issue of constitutionalism. Well, constitutionalism was also a very important event in this country, but what was the demand of the constitutional movement and the constitutional revolution? It was to limit the absolute tyrannical power of the kings; the king should remain, but his absolute power should be limited; for example, a parliament should be formed, this was the demand of constitutionalism. Many people also came to the field - various individuals came - they sacrificed lives, they gave martyrs, but the enemy took control of that movement and seized it, effectively destroying it. After destroying the constitutional movement, the dictatorship intensified! That is, fifteen years after the signing of the constitution, Reza Khan came to power; Reza Khan, whose dictatorship could not be compared with any of the previous dictators: oppressive, abusive, an enemy in every way; and a servant of foreigners. Others, if they were tyrants, were not so submissive to foreigners; he came at the behest of foreigners and left at their behest; the British were in control. At one time, he came and made a little noise, they hit him on the head, and that was the end of it. The constitutional movement, despite its minimal demand, could not endure, it did not remain, it was destroyed.

What about the Islamic revolution? The Islamic revolution did not say to limit the rule of the sultans; it said, what does monarchy even mean? What is the meaning of monarchy? A nation is living, the country belongs to them, why should one person come and dominate the people and his command be enacted over the lives of the people; the revolution came to abolish the very principle of monarchy, the principle of absolute rule. However, the revolution remained; see, these enduring aspects have an analysis of why they remained. Why, despite the fact that in the national movement, the people were present - of course not like the revolution, to a large extent they were present - with that minimal demand, could not remain, but the Islamic revolution with its maximal demand for independence remained? Why could the constitutional movement, with its minimal demand for limiting absolute power, not endure, but the Islamic revolution with its maximal demand and request for the uprooting of monarchy and the royal regime in the country succeeded and remained?

These require analysis. The youth should go and analyze these; it is clear to me; the youth should analyze, sit down, think, and see what played a role here? What element had an impact that those movements could not remain and could not reach their final results, but this revolution was able to stand powerfully? What was the reason? The youth should analyze these. If we can find a correct analysis of these events, then the seeds of fear and terror and despair that some sow in the hearts of the people will completely decay and disappear; if we can understand correctly, the future path of this country will be completely clear. Remaining, endurance for a social event is a very important element. Well, yes, events occur in the world that sometimes are very significant, but they are eliminated, the enemy gains control over them and destroys them; that a revolution can remain is very important. Of course, these discussions require length, and the youth should study a bit.

Suppose, for example, the famous French revolution - which is known as the Great French Revolution - well, it was truly a revolution, a complete and comprehensive revolution with the presence of the people; with the bitter events that occurred, the revolution ultimately succeeded, but the survival of this revolution did not even reach fifteen years. The revolution was against monarchy; less than fifteen years after the start of the revolution, the monarchy of Napoleon began; a complete absolute monarchy; then the revolution was completely forgotten! The same people who had gone, the family that had fallen with the revolution, those same people returned and ruled for many years; then again, the people raised another outcry, and it continued like this; for about a hundred years, this struggle existed in France until finally the republic that the revolution sought was established after about ninety or a hundred years; they could not maintain the revolution; the Soviet revolution was also in a different way, it was the same. That a revolution can remain, can sustain itself, can confront its enemies, can prevail over them, is a very important issue; our revolution is the only revolution that has been able to do this, and it must continue to do so.

I tell you, now all the centers of political thought and ideology in the world of arrogance - whether in America or in some other arrogant countries - are focused on what to do to uproot this tree, this towering tree that was once a thin sapling and they could not destroy it, and now it has become a towering tree, to overthrow it; all their efforts are directed at this. Pay attention until the matter settles in minds. The news we have, the analyses that come to us from those who reflect their analyses to us, they are constantly thinking about what to do to eliminate this revolution; now this revolution, with God's grace, with the efforts of you people, is moving forward with its head down; becoming stronger day by day, advancing day by day.

All their efforts are to somehow disrupt this endurance; all their efforts from the beginning of the revolution have been to eliminate it: the imposed war was because of this; the ethnic wars around the country were because of this; the economic blockade was because of this; the severe sanctions that have been imposed in recent years are for this reason; the formation of takfiri groups in the east and west of our country is all to eliminate this revolution, this endurance that is very astonishing and painful for them; all their efforts are directed at this.

Every day they create a new initiative; the actions they took in 2009 were a new initiative that was American in origin. Of course, they had tried this in several other places; it was not specific to us; they had experienced this in several other countries, then they came to implement the same experience in our country, and they were met with a slap in the face. This initiative was that under the pretext of elections, in a country where elections are taking place and suppose a government is in power that is not accepted by America and does not secure its interests as they wish, they hold elections and this government has won; then they bring the minority that did not win into the field, bring them into the streets. And to highlight this minority and make it visible, they specify a color; purple, pink, green, and so on; what reached us was green, which before that they had created red and orange colors in other places to bring that minority that did not win into the streets with this trick. Because the people are indeed people; however, they are people whose preferred candidate did not win; there is no doubt about their being people - wherever they are, they should stand firm; they should also continuously help, and if necessary, provide financial support, political assistance, and if necessary, even give weapons to them to overturn the election results. They did this in several countries and succeeded; they came here to do the same, well, they could not; here too, it was the same situation.

Of course, our friends at the time these events occurred repeatedly advised me not to mention the term color revolution; I, too, because I believe in my consultation - after all, the advisors have opinions and are thinkers - did not mention the term color revolution, but it was indeed a color revolution; in reality, it was an unsuccessful color coup. Well, this is very important; this event that in other countries - in four or five countries - the Americans carried out with money and resources and succeeded; in the Islamic Republic, they did not succeed; even though they supported it.

The President of the United States had written to me shortly before these events - the second letter - and made general statements in agreement with me and the Islamic Republic system; I intended to respond and did not want to refrain from responding; after these events occurred, he quickly took a position in favor of those who appeared against the system, against the revolution, against the name of Islam in the Islamic Republic in the streets of Tehran, and all the actions that the opponents took were endorsed by him; of course, they wanted to do more than this, but they could not. Now, some of the opponents of the current President of the United States say you did not fully support those who were against the Islamic Republic in 2009; but why, they supported; however, the Iranian nation acted timely, entered the scene timely, and did the right thing.

The point is that this endurance is a very important issue; this endurance should be considered as a goal and we should think about how it will be secured. Look and see what the elements of the endurance of the revolution are; we must secure those elements one by one; all of us must secure them. Of course, I mentioned that the analysis of this is up to you, the youth. This period after the nuclear negotiations has been named by the Americans: "the period of strictness towards Iran"; we must be strict; very well, now the strictness is not more than the previous strictness. The youth of Iran, the Iranian nation, the officials of the country must stand against the enmity of the enemies consciously, alertly, hopefully, with courage, relying on the many strengths that exist, against the enmity of the enemies; this is very important. At every moment, there is a duty, that duty must be recognized and must be fulfilled. Well, now in this regard, I have spoken a bit long.

Let me raise the issue of elections; one of the tasks is indeed the elections. Elections are in fact a breath of fresh air for the Iranian nation; [the Iranian nation] gains a fresh breath, the nature of elections is this. That the Iranian nation comes, each individual enters the field and votes [saying] my opinion is this, this person should be responsible - whether in the presidency, in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, or the Assembly of Experts; each of these has great importance in its own place - each individual from the masses who feels this sense of responsibility is one of those elements that preserves the revolution. The presence of the people is one of those elements that frustrates the enemy. The reason we emphasize, insist, and urge that everyone participate in the elections, and I have said this many times before - I do not remember how many times - that even those who do not accept the system should participate in the elections for the sake of preserving the country, for the credibility of the country. Someone may not accept me, that is fine, but the elections are not for the leadership, they are for Islamic Iran, they are for the Islamic Republic system. Everyone must participate in the elections; this will strengthen the Islamic Republic system, ensure its stability and endurance, and keep the country in complete security - which, thanks be to God, it is today - this will give the Iranian nation prestige in the eyes of other nations and elevate its credibility; it will give the Iranian nation dignity in the eyes of its enemies; this is what elections are about. Therefore, the essence of elections is the presence of the people at the ballot boxes and their voting. Everyone must participate; participation in elections is the dignity of the Islamic Republic system, the dignity of Islam, the dignity of the Iranian nation, the dignity of the country. This is the first issue.

The second issue is to choose correctly. Well, opinions and preferences may differ, that is fine, but everyone should strive to choose correctly. Let us make our efforts; this effort may yield results and the choice may be correct; our effort may not yield results and we may make a wrong choice, that is fine; God Almighty will accept from us, because we have done our part, we have made our effort, we have strived. For example, now we have two elections ahead: the elections for the Assembly and the elections for the Assembly of Experts.

Well, the Assembly is very important; both in terms of laws and in terms of laying the rails for the movement of governments - this rail is laid by the Assembly so that this train can move towards its goals - and in international matters. You see that thanks be to God, our current Assembly takes very good positions in international matters; this is very valuable for the country. This is one thing, and having an Assembly that speaks the words of the international enemies and the united front of enemies is another thing; this is very different. This is one thing, having an Assembly that repeats the enemy's words in the nuclear issue and in various other matters; or having an independent, free, and courageous Assembly; just as the people chant slogans, they should chant slogans inside the Assembly; just as the people want, they should take positions inside the Assembly; this is very important. The Islamic Consultative Assembly, therefore, is very important for both the internal issues of the country and for the international credibility and standing of the country, and each individual representative is involved. You want to vote, a certain city has one representative, a certain province - for example, suppose a certain province has ten representatives; well, each of these has a role, an activity; one must reach a reassuring conclusion. In my opinion, it seems that since we may not know each individual - even I, when these lists are brought to me to vote, I do not know some of the people on these lists, but I trust those who have introduced them, and I look to see who those who have introduced this list are; if I see that they are religious, faithful, and revolutionary people, I trust their words and vote for their list; if I see that those who have given this list are people who do not give much importance to the issues of the revolution, to the issues of religion, to the issues of the independence of the country, their hearts are following the words of America and others, I do not trust their words; in my opinion, this is a good way - let us see who this list that is given to us for the Islamic Consultative Assembly or for the Assembly of Experts is given by. Let us trust those who we truly believe in their religiosity and commitment; let us know that they are religious, let us know that they are revolutionary, let us know that they are in line, that they truly accept the Imam; this is the way. If those who act in this way and conduct this research, they have done their part; God Almighty will reward them, even if in one case, a mistake occurs. For example, the person I thought was a good person and I voted for him turns out not to be a desirable person, but I have made my effort, and God Almighty will reward me.

The Assembly of Experts is also very important. The Assembly of Experts, on the surface - if we look with the superficial eye - gathers twice a year, sits together, discusses political and non-political issues, and then disperses; we should not look at the Assembly of Experts with this eye. The Assembly of Experts is supposed to elect the leader; is this a joke? The day when the current leader is not in the world or there is no leader, they must elect a leader. Who will they choose? Will they choose someone who will stand against the onslaught of the enemy, trust in God, show courage, and continue the path of the Imam? Will they choose such a person or will they choose someone else? This is very important. You want to choose someone for the Assembly of Experts who will actually elect the leader, who holds the key to the movement of the revolution; this is very important, this is not a small matter. Therefore, research must be done, trust must be established. So, the essence of elections and participation in elections is a fundamental issue, and the issue of choosing the best or the righteous is also an issue that must be considered.

The issue of the indicators of revolutionary commitment is also very important; that is, we must truly know what the indicators are, correctly identify the indicators of revolutionary commitment, clarify them in our minds, and ask those who are more informed than us. If these tasks are carried out, the endurance of the revolution will undoubtedly be secured.

There are two characteristics in fulfilling these duties: one characteristic is that the revolution will endure. It is obvious that we have both attrition and growth; I have said this many times. There are those who were once revolutionary, but then for some reason, justly or unjustly, turn away from the revolution. Some turn away from the revolution because of personal issues, family matters, and various issues. This is attrition; these are the attritions of the revolution. All revolutions have attrition, all social movements have attrition, but alongside these attritions, there is also growth. My information is not limited; I am aware of many places; when I look, I see the growth more than the attrition; all these faithful young people, all these faithful educated individuals, all these faithful analysts, all these capable individuals in technical and scientific matters, all faithful; these are the growths of the revolution. Once in this country, our problem was that all those who could teach in our universities did not reach five thousand. At the beginning of the revolution, it was like this; some had left, some did not come, some were not qualified. But today we have tens of thousands of faithful professors in the field of academic work; faithful professors, those who are truly committed to the revolution from the core; this is not a small matter, this is not insignificant, these have been nurtured by the revolution. All these faithful young writers, artists, scholars, innovators, propagandists, eloquent speakers; in various fields, in internal matters and in external matters. These are the growths of the revolution, the green and ready growths; this is very valuable. Therefore, if we fulfill our duties regarding the revolution, the meaning of this is the increase of these growths and the abundance of these growths.

Secondly, there is a tranquility that settles in the heart of a person. God Almighty in the Quran speaks about the allegiance with the Prophet: "Indeed, God was pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you under the tree; He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquility upon them." O our Prophet! Those who pledged allegiance with you - God Almighty knew what was in their hearts - this allegiance with that sincere motivation causes God Almighty to send tranquility and peace upon their hearts. When tranquility descends upon the hearts, worries will disappear, anxieties will disappear, despair will disappear. Today, one of the important tasks of the enemies is to create despair and inject despair; to discourage the youth, to discourage the elderly, to discourage the former revolutionaries. This divine tranquility and peace gives hope to a person. This is how allegiance with the Prophet is. Today, when you pledge allegiance with the revolution and renew your allegiance, you have pledged allegiance with the Prophet. The one who pledges allegiance with Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) has pledged allegiance with the Prophet. When you keep the revolutionary line of the Imam alive and do not allow it to become obsolete, do not allow it to lose its freshness, in fact, you have pledged allegiance with the Prophet; when you have pledged allegiance with the Prophet, then: "God sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers"; this is in another verse; in this verse: "Then God sent down tranquility upon them"; God Almighty will give peace to the hearts. When you have peace, when you have certainty in your heart, then you will not be bewildered in the face of the enemy, you will not be discouraged, you will not be shaken; today, based on this tranquility and this peace, a person can be certain that the Iranian nation will certainly prevail over America and its plots.

God willing, may God Almighty grant you all success; may He keep us steadfast on this path; may He make us among those soldiers who strive for the endurance of the revolution and do not withhold our resources. O Lord! Bestow Your grace and favors upon this nation through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad; make the pure soul of the Imam happy with us; make the sacred heart of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him) happy with us.

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