Statements at the Gathering of Affection with the Quran on the First of the Blessed Month of Ramadan 1434

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

We are very grateful to our dear brothers; the reciters, the reciters and the esteemed speakers who have today perfumed and illuminated our gathering with the noble words of the Quran and the divine verses, and the remembrance and praise of the Prophet and the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them). Today’s gathering was very good; from beginning to end, thanks be to God, the session was engaging, beneficial, profound, and artistic; especially some parts of it, which were truly outstanding.

We thank the Almighty God for making us familiar with the Quran. Our Muslim community, prior to the years of the victory of the Revolution, although interested in the Quran and in love with the Quran, was not familiar with it. This is one of the blessings of the Revolution that our youth, who possess the voice, taste, and art of recitation, and the talent and readiness to learn, have, thanks be to God, entered this field and made progress. However, these are just a prelude; a prelude for understanding the Quran and embodying the ethics of the Quran. One issue is the outward respect and honoring the sanctity of the Quran in terms of its words and recitations; this is, in its own right, something important and respected. A higher issue is embodying the ethical teachings of the Quran; aligning one’s lifestyle with the Quran.

One of our flaws and the flaws of our communities over time has been that we sometimes allowed our culture to be influenced by foreign cultures. Some have deliberately promoted this among our society and our country; they directed us towards the lifestyles of those whose hearts and souls were devoid of the light of spirituality; in lifestyle, in the quality of clothing, in the way of walking, in the quality of social interactions and communications. If anyone objected to them, they would say that this is how the world is today. While the Quran teaches us: "And if you obey most of those on earth, they will mislead you from the way of God; they follow nothing but conjecture, and they do nothing but lie." What a person should learn and, if necessary, imitate, is the path of guidance; "the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor"; we ask the Almighty God to guide us to the way of those who have attained and reached divine grace; this is what we should follow and adhere to. However, the fact that now the majority of people in the world speak this way, act this way, behave this way, we must set our reason, our religion, and divine guidance as the criterion for acceptance and rejection. The faithful and believing community is that community and nation which takes its criterion from the Quran, from divine guidance; this becomes the standard.

One of the things that the Quran and divine guidance have taught us is to follow the judgment of reason and human intellect; this is also Quranic. That is, following what sound reason judges and having the judgment of reason behind it, this is also a Quranic matter, this is also a religious matter; these have become the criteria. What the chosen servants of God, the infallibles in the sight of God, have taught us, this becomes the criterion; these are the standards. The fact that now people in Western countries, materialistic people, people from certain parts of the world, act this way in their behavior, in their actions, in their life matters, in their relationships, in forming families, we should also act this way, this is a mistake.

The guidance of the Quran must be implemented in our lives. Thanks be to God, we have both the Quran and the words of the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them); that "I am leaving among you the two precious things"; both are, thanks be to God, at our disposal; we must utilize them, shape society based on them. This Quranic gathering, this Quranic education, this recitation of the Quran, this beauty of reciting the Quran with good melodies, with good voices, all of this is a prelude for this. We should not view this as merely a preliminary; this is the entry point; we must engage with the Quran.

Thanks be to God, today our society has become familiar with the Quran. Of course, we are not satisfied with this; we believe that all members of society must establish a connection with the Quran, be able to read the Quran, be able to understand the Quran, and be able to reflect upon the Quran. What brings us to luminous truths is reflection upon the Quran; and this memorization of the Quran, which thanks be to God has today become widespread among you youth, among the youth of the country, throughout the country, is a good prelude for reflection. That is, memorization and repetition and engagement with the noble verses of the Quran and paying attention to the divine verses consecutively enables a person to reflect upon the Quran.

We hope that the Almighty God advances the Quranic community of the country day by day, grants success to the esteemed Quran teachers, God willing, to be able to train more youth; and to enliven our country and our nation with the Quran. O Lord! Make our life a Quranic life; make our death a death in the way of the Quran; resurrect us on the Day of Resurrection with the Quran. O Lord! Bestow Your grace and favor upon our country, upon our nation, upon all Muslim countries and upon the Islamic nations.

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