Statements at the Meeting with Participants of the International Quran Competitions

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, virtuous, and infallible family.

I welcome all the esteemed attendees, especially the dear guests who have come from various Islamic countries to participate in this grand Quranic program; particularly the scholars, judges, and Quranic researchers. I express my gratitude to the officials and organizers who have established and conducted this magnificent ceremony in the best possible manner.

First, know that what you have done is a great good deed; today, throughout the Islamic world, any action taken for the Quran, in the direction of understanding the Quran and promoting the Quran, is one of the greatest good deeds that can be imagined; your work was a good deed. Purify your intentions for God and keep away from the whims of the soul and various motivations, so that, God willing, it may be accepted by the Lord and you may be rewarded in the presence of the Almighty God.

This Quranic movement in our country must continue; we are distant from the Quran; we are strangers to the Quran; we are unfamiliar with the concepts of the Quran; we must take action; we must strive so that Quranic concepts become part of the common discourse and prevalent ideas among the Muslim nations and our countries. I will, God willing, speak about this matter at an appropriate time.

What I am saying here is that we have teachings in the Quran, concepts in the Quran that are truly the foundation for a powerful and dignified life for the Islamic Ummah; they are truly the means of salvation for the Islamic Ummah from its predicaments; these concepts are found in the Quran. In order for these concepts to be acted upon and realized, first, they must be made part of the clear ideas of the Islamic community, and efforts must be made to ensure that these concepts become certain and clear for the Islamic community, so that nothing can obstruct them. We are still struggling at this stage; we still have problems at this stage; we must work to ensure that these concepts become established thoughts, the most common ideas among all segments of the people; this is the work that must be done regarding the Quran. These sessions, these gatherings, these recitations, and these memorizations—all of these are necessary and good deeds—are the prerequisites for that public understanding and general comprehension.

Now, let me present one of these concepts as an example. It is stated: "So whoever disbelieves in Taghut (the tyrant) and believes in Allah has certainly grasped the firmest handhold, which will never break;" this is a piece of knowledge, this is a principle; disbelief in Taghut and belief in God. This means we divide the entire existence into two parts: one part is the domain of Taghut's influence, which must be disbelieved; the other part is the domain of Allah's influence, which must be believed in, which must be accepted; the identity of faith in contrast to the identity of disbelief. This does not mean that we must constantly fight with anyone who is in the identity of disbelief; this does not mean combat; this does not mean lack of communication; this does not mean lack of exchange of information; this means the independence of the identity of faith and the demarcation of the identity of faith so that one can preserve, maintain, complete, and progress oneself in the face of the identity of Taghut and the identity of disbelief.

Today, what is the predicament of the Islamic Ummah? It is the dominance of Western culture over it, the dominance of Western economy over it, the dominance of Western politics over it; these are the predicaments. Today, in many Islamic countries, there is no such thing as an Islamic identity; yes, people are Muslims, they pray, they fast, they may even give alms, but the community as a whole lacks an Islamic identity; that is, there is no personality, no reality that stands in opposition to the reality of disbelief and the reality of Taghut. Therefore, you see that they interfere; they interfere in their culture, they interfere in their beliefs, they interfere in their economy, they interfere in their social relations, they take their politics into their own hands. The result of this is that because there is no unified identity within the Islamic community and the Islamic Ummah, disputes arise, wars arise, enmity arises, and lack of understanding arises; this is how it becomes. Today, the world of disbelief is intent on obliterating and destroying this identity; whatever remains of this identity anywhere in the world, they want to eliminate it. This is an Islamic principle; "So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has certainly grasped the firmest handhold, which will never break; and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing;" this is a truth. If we understand this truth correctly, pursue it, and bring it into a general understanding within the Islamic community and the Islamic Ummah, you will see what transformation occurs! You will see what transformation this one truth, which hundreds of such truths exist in the Quran, brings about in the Islamic world! If we correctly understand and believe in and spread this one matter, this one piece of knowledge, see what happens!

The Quran must be understood; we are distant from the Quran. The enemy is taking advantage of our distance from the Quran. The enemy injects disbelief into us day by day, injects carelessness into us, injects dependency into us. Look at the Islamic governments, look at the Islamic countries, see what their situation is against America, against Zionism, against the enemy, against the plunderers! This is a result of our distance from the Quran. If we draw closer to the Quran, all these gaps will be filled; all these flaws and openings will be closed; the Islamic identity will manifest itself against the identity of disbelief. The meaning of our saying that if we act according to the Quran, life will be set right, is this. Quranic teachings exist; these teachings must become part of the public discourse among the people; they must be repeated enough, worked on enough, researched enough, written about enough, and artists and poets must create artistic works about them so that they become part of the obvious and clear ideas of the Islamic community; of course, this is not impossible, nor is it out of reach; do not think that if we want to do these things, it will take a hundred years; no, if the people of heart and faith strive, these things can be realized very quickly; this is how we must pursue the Quran.

Thanks be to God, our successes in drawing closer to the Quran in the Islamic Republic have not been few; we were very distant from the Quran; during the reign of Taghut in this country, the Quran was completely neglected; in our schools—children's schools, adult schools, high schools, universities—there was no news of the Quran; there was no news of the Quran in our society. Quranic sessions existed but were neglected; we had seen some examples of them in Tehran, in Mashhad, and elsewhere, some we had heard about; a group would come, a Quran would be recited, and that would be the end of it. Memorizing the Quran, being familiar with the Quran, continuous recitation of the Quran, spreading the teachings of the Quran—these things were very rare. Our revolution brought us closer to the Quran, made us familiar with the Quran. Today, we are proud to be interested in the Quran, eager for the Quran, proud that our youth are interested in the Quran. Today, anywhere in this country, if a Quranic session is announced, there will be a great influx of youth to that session. You see the Quran sessions; in all cities, in all gatherings, they come rushing, they listen, they sit; these are things that have occurred thanks to the revolution, thanks to Islam.

Those of you who are interested in the Quran and are responsible for Quranic affairs, do not abandon this path; do not say that now we have reached this point, so it is over; no, the work regarding the Quran, the work for the Quran is never finished; we must strive a lot, we must work a lot; everyone must strive, everyone must work; let us become familiar with the Quran. All our families, our youth, our people must become familiar with the Quran. This memorization of the Quran is a means of familiarity with the Quran, the repetition of these sessions is a means of familiarity with the Quran. This familiarity with the Quran has many benefits; it will, God willing, give us the familiarity with those teachings.

We hope that the Almighty God rewards you and those who have worked hard in this path over the years; may God grant them high ranks; those who have passed away, may God elevate their ranks; and those who are still with us, may God, God willing, preserve and protect them for our community; and may God gather our great Imam, who was the opener of this path, with his pure ancestors and, God willing, gather him with the people of the Quran on the Day of Judgment; may He also make us, God willing, among the people of the Quran.

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