Statements in Meeting with Executive Officials of Qom Province

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 among the earth's inhabitants.

Peace be upon you, O my lady and mistress, O Fatimah, O daughter of Musa ibn Ja'far, the infallible. May God's peace be upon you and your pure and infallible ancestors.

We are very pleased to have this sweet meeting today with the sincere and devoted servants of the Iranian nation and the city of Qom. I thank the esteemed government delegation for their efforts in planning for the development of Qom and assisting the welfare of these dear people by visiting Qom and being present before the shrine of Hazrat Masoumeh (peace be upon her). I sincerely thank all of you present, regardless of the sectors in which you serve, and I hope that the Almighty God grants you success and is pleased with you, so that you can, God willing, satisfy and please these dear, faithful, and enthusiastic people in every sense of the word.

A great blessing for anyone is the blessing of service. In the eyes of the Almighty God, serving humanity is in itself a value and a virtue. If the people you serve possess merits such as faith, jihad, and high motivations in social movements, serving those people gains additional value; and serving the people of Qom is of this kind; a faithful people who have proven themselves well in facing heavy responsibilities over the past decades and have emerged from the test with honor. Serving these people is truly a great blessing. You dear brothers and sisters should appreciate this.

Qom was despised during the reign of the tyrants. Its being despised was precisely due to the spiritual and real merits of this city; due to their piety, due to their connection with the clergy, due to the seminary established in this city. The first cry against the tyranny of Reza Khan was raised from the city of Qom. The late Hajj Agha Noorullah Isfahani, in order to confront the tyranny of Reza Khan at the beginning of his rule, made Qom his refuge; he came to Qom, and scholars from various cities across the country gathered in Qom; of course, they faced the suppression of the tyrannical Pahlavi regime, and the late Hajj Agha Noorullah was poisoned and martyred. After that, in this very holy courtyard, a pious religious scholar raised his voice against the unveiling and drew everyone's attention. Reza Khan came from Tehran and assaulted that learned, pious, and spiritual man. The confrontation with the Pahlavi regime in Qom has this history. Therefore, the issue is not just from the beginning of the clergy's struggles in 1961. All of this caused the tyrannical government to treat Qom as an enemy. Thus, there was no development and construction in Qom, the necessary budgets were not allocated to Qom, and various facilities were lacking; that is, less attention was paid to Qom than to other areas. Many of the people's needs were overlooked during the era of tyranny and did not reach the people; they had other tasks; however, Qom was still more deprived compared to many other cities. This is the situation of Qom.

Well, after the revolution, special attention was given, and there was a special inclination towards Qom; however, truly and fairly - as has been reported and I confirm this report - since five years ago, the movement for the development of Qom and assistance in the construction of this city has increased, accelerated, and has shown remarkable growth; which is good, but it must continue. If this determination and enthusiasm and interest that the esteemed officials express towards the issues of Qom continues, there is hope that, God willing, the accumulated backwardness of the past will gradually be compensated; and this is important for the country. Serving Qom is not just serving a city; it is serving the country and the dignity of the country; because this is the base of the revolution, the base of the clergy, the largest seminary is established here, prominent scientific and religious figures reside in this city, and it is of public interest worldwide. You observe that in these few days, all the propaganda apparatuses of the world have focused on Qom and the people of Qom and the clergy of Qom; this is a sign of the importance of this city, the centrality of this city. Therefore, serving this city is serving the dignity of the Islamic Republic.

One of the enemies' propaganda programs over the years of the revolution has been to weaken the symbols and signs of the revolution and Islam. Everything that exists as a symbol of Islam and the revolution at the national level has been targeted for weakening; the weakening of the clergy and mocking the clergy is from this perspective; the weakening of many Islamic teachings and insulting them and undermining them by various individuals is of this kind. Weakening Qom is also of this kind.

They have planned for Qom. As I mentioned yesterday in a meeting here, the enemy's front decided that just as Qom was the base of the greatness of Islam and the raising of the flag of the revolution, they would create an anti-thesis to the revolution in Qom; they aimed to make this place a base against the revolution; they worked for this, they planned for this. They used various methods; among them, working on the thoughts of the people of Qom, on the feelings of the people of Qom, perhaps they could extinguish or diminish these feelings. Therefore, a lot of work has been done in these years.

If you see the people's response to all this hostile effort is so enthusiastic and magnificent - this epic that the people of Qom have created in these few days and demonstrated - it is due to the awakening of these people, a sign of the depth of faith's penetration in these hearts; otherwise, the enemy has left no stone unturned. Attention to Qom is significant. We must work to neutralize this propaganda; and this is possible through serving the people and assisting the people, identifying the real problems of this city and its people. Therefore, today in this session and in the presence of you esteemed officials, my main recommendation is the same: do whatever you can to serve these people, to untie the knots in the lives of these people.

Of course, the facilities of the government apparatuses are limited - they are not unlimited - so priorities must be considered. It is always like this; we must look and see where the priorities are; and this is one of the priorities. In my opinion, the important issues of the city of Qom - which fortunately are on the path of execution - must be precisely listed. The same resolutions that the esteemed cabinet had here today, as well as the matters that were approved during the esteemed President's trips to this city, must be executed precisely and meticulously. Esteemed officials should strive to follow all these resolutions with diligence and care. The issue of water for Qom, which is a very fundamental and vital issue, has, thanks be to God, started its work for several years and has relatively reached desirable results; but this effort and this endeavor must continue until, God willing, clean drinking water reaches the city of Qom and sweetens the people's lives.

The issue of the deprived areas of Qom that was mentioned and the gentlemen stated - both the governor and the esteemed first deputy - is very important; the same areas they mentioned and some areas they did not mention. In Qom, there are deprived areas with large populations, and they are among the most eager and enthusiastic people for the revolution. The same area of the power plant that they mentioned, despite all its deprivations, the people there are among the most eager and interested in the revolution and the ideals of the revolution; we are aware of this. It has been the same during the Sacred Defense and continues to be so until today. Or the Shah Ebrahim neighborhood and other neighborhoods that are poor and backward in Qom must be addressed with a focus on welfare, health, educational, and service matters; a fundamental plan must be made for these neighborhoods; a decisive movement must take place so that, God willing, they can return to normalcy.

One of the issues of Qom is health and treatment; during these few days that I have been here, I have received various opinions from individuals regarding the city's need for more health and treatment facilities. Of course, some actions have been decided in this regard and, God willing, will be carried out, but attention must be paid. I have heard that one of the needed sectors is the women's sector in treatment, which must, God willing, be given attention.

The issue of the handicrafts of the city of Qom - which I also mentioned in my speech on the first day - is important. Historically, when we were in Qom and even before that, this city was famous for its beautiful and exquisite carpet weaving; this must be supported. This is a possibility in this city, a very important opportunity. We have always heard that the women and men of Qom took pride in the carpets woven here and were known as "foreign thread carpets"; I do not know if it is still known in the same way or not. Attention must be paid to their carpets and to their other handicrafts; this can benefit and enrich the people from within their own lives.

The issue of industry was mentioned; it is very good. Regarding the agricultural issue here, I have heard that funds are to be directed from the Tehran and Varamin region towards the agricultural area of Misseleh; this has been one of the government's plans and has been decided beforehand; it is a very good and important work; God willing, these will be carried out. Thanks be to God, great works have been accomplished in this government. In the ninth and tenth governments - as mentioned - valuable works have been done; several times more than what was previously done; however, the needs still exist. The needs have decreased, but more efforts are needed to completely address these needs; this is your responsibility.

One of the very important things is the approach of officials at various levels of the apparatus towards the people and visitors; a pleasant demeanor, a pleasant demeanor. It is said:

"Since you do not untie a knot, do not be a knot yourself."

"Be open-hearted, for your hand is not open."

Sometimes an official cannot meet the expectations placed upon him. An apparatus may have limited budgets, limited facilities; this is not a problem; if, to the extent possible, but with a pleasant demeanor, with an open heart, and warmly engaging with the people, the people will be pleased and satisfied. Sometimes people come to our office in Tehran. Someone has a request; it is not feasible for us. They say, yes, your request has been received, but we cannot do this; either it is against the law or there are other problems. The other side says, I am satisfied just because you paid attention to my request, even if this work has not been done. The people are pleased that the officials feel their pains and are sympathetic to them. Of course, they should also strive and, to the extent possible, meet their needs. I mentioned that the government's facilities are limited. It is not that we think that all the necessary works can be done by the government with open hands; no, there are many limitations from various aspects; but to the extent possible, we should act and do what we can with an open heart. We must be open-hearted with the people; this is one of the most important tasks that is upon us, upon all officials.

You esteemed officials in various sectors - whether in educational sectors, service sectors, industrial sectors, agricultural sectors, cultural sectors, health and treatment sectors, security and law enforcement sectors, and so on - know that this service you provide is not just the reward that is paid to you by the apparatus; its reward is with God. The reward that the Almighty God gives is far higher, more valuable, and sweeter than the rewards and payments given to a person in this world; whether material rewards or even thanks. Sometimes we do something, and people thank us; this is also a reward; but divine reward is much higher than these. You provide a service, you show compassion, you spend time, you stay longer than usual at work and serve. It may be that no one knows, but God knows. It often happens, and we have encountered individuals during these thirty-one or thirty-two years of service who, without anyone knowing, without even their superiors or subordinates or colleagues knowing, have done something compassionate. They have looked at a file, pursued a task, and when the working hours are over, they say, I will stay another half hour, another hour to finish this work. No one has noticed, and no one has thanked them. Know that these are preserved with God. Even if no one knows, the divine recorders know, the honorable scribes understand; they record these. On the day when all eyes and hearts are in need of God's grace, mercy, and forgiveness, these will be a source of light for you; these will be a shade over you on that difficult and terrifying day of resurrection. Therefore, divine reward is much higher; pay attention to this reward. Know that whatever you do, any service you provide to the people, it is preserved and safeguarded with the Almighty God. When you work with this spirit, you will not tire of work. Work will not exhaust us; especially considering that our country truly needs work. We must advance in all areas.

In the scientific field, for a hundred years, a hundred and fifty years, we have been held back. In the industrial field, it has been the same, in various social fields, it has been the same. Corrupt governments, tyrannical governments, lustful governments, greedy governments, and in the last few decades before the revolution, the governments that were heavily dependent, made life difficult for this country. One day there was only tyranny, there was dictatorship - the dictatorship of Nasir al-Din Shah, the dictatorship of Fath Ali Shah - but there was no dependency; but one day the situation of this country reached a point where there was both dictatorship, oppression, and pressure on the people, and there was also servitude to foreigners. Reza Khan, the tyrant, who pounced on the people like a wild wolf, was submissive to the English masters, giving them every concession they wanted. He took the oil contract, apparently threw it into the fireplace and burned it; but a few days later, he signed an even worse and more disgraceful contract for a long time - adding thirty years to the previous oil contract - and handed it over to them! His government officials were also his followers. After Reza Khan's departure, they asked Taghizadeh, who was then the Minister of Finance, why did you sign that contract that day? He said, I was an instrument; that is, Reza Khan was responsible. This man, who behaved so savagely, shamelessly, inconsiderately, and confrontationally towards his own people, was humiliated and degraded before the English. They had brought him to power. For a while, he wanted to connect a little from one pole to another - he leaned towards the Germans - they removed him; like a humble servant, they expelled him from Iran, took him away, and placed his son in his place.

For years, our country lived like this. This nation has lived for years under the pressure of corrupt, tyrannical, dictatorial, and greedy governments. Wherever there was a prosperous estate in the country, Reza Khan claimed it as his own; in Mazandaran, in Khorasan, in many other regions. They amassed wealth, gathered estates, collected jewels for themselves; in the end, they took some of the national wealth and fled. Now billions of dollars belonging to this nation have been taken to America. At the beginning of the revolution, we asked America to return the wealth that the Pahlavi family had taken with them to the Iranian nation; they did not listen. Well, it was clear that they would not listen. All of these are of the same nature.

This nation, thanks to the revolution, began to think about renewing its life, embarked on the path of renewal, and accomplished great works; however, even greater works lie ahead. We still have a lot to do in terms of science, technology, services, and organizing and systematizing various organizations in the country. Whatever you do for these people is not too much; this is my message and recommendation to you.

I once again thank all of you esteemed officials who are stationed in this city - the esteemed governor, various officials - and I repeat what I said on the first day: the government apparatuses must be careful; if there is a disagreement among them over an issue, do not let this disagreement harm the people.

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