Speech at the Opening of the Seventh National Gathering of Friday Prayer Leaders

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

First, I extend a warm welcome to all the esteemed gentlemen, the distinguished and prominent figures who, thanks be to God, have illuminated the scene of Friday prayer leadership in our country. Secondly, I remind you that if these sessions, which are convened with considerable effort—since you gentlemen travel from various places, endure the hardships of travel, and organize the planning and other arrangements—lead to significant progress, then the rights of these sessions have been fulfilled. If we are to expect such progress, the sincere involvement and participation of each of you in the discussions and consultations—namely, the commissions—is essential.

I urge all of you, especially those who possess innovative thinking and the courage to take initiative in opening new paths, to strive to continuously and daily enhance this nationwide assembly. If we are content with conducting our prayers as we did ten years ago, it is a loss; 'He whose two days are equal is a loser.' The rule of any continuous work, especially when it bears a great responsibility, is that it must constantly be in a state of transformation and progress.

Ultimately, a human assembly, with a valuable reservoir of knowledge, culture, experience, and wisdom, has been placed in a high responsibility, which has been much discussed, so I do not intend to repeat it. This assembly, with this responsibility, must be in a state of progress and transformation; find its path. How will transformation occur? What are its tools? What should we do? What should you do? These are the questions you must think about. These sessions are generally convened for such purposes.

Before I present the main topic, I will state a preamble. The preamble is that today, the situation of our country, system, and revolution is noteworthy from two perspectives: First, from the usual standards of governance; that is, planning, selecting efficient individuals, utilizing abundant experiences, becoming familiar with the issues and concepts needed in governance, and streamlining operations. We have made progress in this regard, and the effect of this progress is noticeable. Therefore, in the overall administration of the country, everything is moving forward.

Now, when I look at the various lines that exist in the administration of the country, I feel that we are progressing in all these lines in terms of management, planning, and maturity in work. If a precise and detailed analysis is conducted on this matter, this point will become clear. For example, we are progressing in the field of economics. Some of the current economic appearances, such as inflation and the high cost of goods, may come to your minds; but I say that this does not contradict what we claim. Ultimately, in this economic field, after many years, we have reached a clear point; that is, for the officials, the country's economic program is clear; and the approach considered to achieve the goals of this program is a correct, solid, and defensible approach.

Many works that are correct in themselves, have correct goals, and correct methods, encounter problems while passing through various obstacles. These problems do not indicate that the path, goal, program, and predictions are incorrect. Now, this is one example, a solid and precise program that, if it proceeds without opposition and disturbance, will reach good points. In the field of political issues and international conduct, there is a precise, clear, calculated program that, if it moves without opposition and disturbance, will reach good goals. In various fields, the pains are recognized, and the officials are planning and taking action.

Of course, 'Not everything a person wishes for is achieved' and 'The intention of a believer is better than his action.' A believer always intends things that he may not be able to achieve in practice. The intention of a believer is always higher and better than what he does; this is a natural matter. Now, these economic or political issues, etc., were mentioned as examples; this is one aspect of the matter; that is, today our situation in the general movement of the country towards revolutionary goals is clearer, more precise, and stronger than before.

The other side of the issue is that today, for this very reason and many other reasons, the conspiracies of the enemies against us are more complex. Of course, no one in the world openly admits that they intend to oppose the Islamic Republic or are against Islam. Outwardly, everyone is friendly, their words warm and engaging, but the reality is something else. On one side, the leftist enemy, which dissolved and disappeared on its own, is no longer on the scene. That is, the Marxist system and the countries formed with this system no longer have the hostile stance they had with us in the past. But the question is, did the removal of this enemy in the overall battlefield that the revolution and Islam have with the enemies benefit us? Did it mean a reduction in hostilities with us, or not? From one perspective, yes, it benefited us, and that was that the front of atheism lost its sharp weapon—which was Marxist thought and the well-structured Marxist doctrine.

Brothers who dealt with leftist groups during the struggles and early revolution remember with what intensity and from what position of power and confidence they spoke of this doctrine. That front disappeared, and it became clear that today explicit materialistic thought has no place in the world. This was the positive point of the matter; but on the other hand, Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) wrote in a letter to the President of the Soviet Union that you must be careful not to surrender to the West; but this advice of the Imam was not heeded.

Today, Eastern Europe, which was a concern for Western Europe, has become part of Western Europe and a dependent and auxiliary force for Western Europe! Countries that were maneuvering between two powers, because there is no real independence in those countries, have leaned to one side and all have gone to one side.

Today, a dangerous and vast empire—of course, apparently; the reality is something else, which I will explain later—equipped with knowledge, weapons, and technology, is located in one part of the world; at its head is America. This is a great danger; we must not underestimate it.

The positive point that should not be overlooked here is that 'The hypocrites, men and women, are of one another'; that is, they are of the same kind. Regarding 'The believers, men and women, are allies of one another'; they are connected to each other. Among the hypocrites, that intimacy, sincerity, and unity will never exist. Ultimately, in this united front of disbelief and global arrogance, there will be so much disagreement, division of opinion, and conflict of forces and powers with each other that if there are time-conscious believers who want to take advantage of opportunities, they can; but the apparent situation is that if a single danger threatens the entire material power of the world and this dangerous empire, they are united.

Today, in the world, what power stands against this united empire? It is completely clear that no thought, doctrine, ideology, or intellectual inclination other than Islam exists. They did not allow anything to remain in the face of this assembly of power and struggle except Islam, which remains and, by God's grace, will always remain.

Of course, today there are thoughts in the world. The same Western philosophers and sociologists, like those who existed before, are still present today and have social doctrines; but these social and political doctrines are in the service of Western thought. The same liberalism and so-called Western democracy—which they themselves wish to name this global empire as human democracy; which, of course, there is no real democracy and freedom in it—is in the service of this empire.

Today, there is no doctrine that teaches people that they must fight against this devil of wealth and power; nationalism and the sense of nationality do not stand against that power. One day in Africa, in Latin America, and in some Asian countries, the colonizers directly took power; they wounded the spirit of ethnicity and nationality of the people and set them against themselves; today that is not the case. Today, colonial policy is much more precise than to provoke the sense of nationalism and ethnicity of the people against itself. Arab nationalism is one example. Will Arab nationalism stand against America, or is it in service to America and will be used to their advantage?

There is no doctrine, no fortress, and no point of reliance and hope. Of course, truth-seeking humans never disappear. The suffocation caused by the power of global arrogance and its power displays and the wrongdoings it is currently committing and will commit more in the future, none of these will disappear and will not be overlooked by precise and sensitive humans. The young generation in various poor and dependent countries in service to Western arrogance will certainly have the same fervor and enthusiasm as in the past; they do not disappear; but they have no fortress and no means behind which they can stand and use it to quench their anger against the arrogant and oppressors. One means remains, and that is Islam; that too, Islam with the correct and revolutionary interpretation and, in the words of our great Imam, pure Muhammadan Islam (peace be upon him and his family). This is the Islam that today stands against all this power display in the world and is feared; this is the Islam that still attracts nations to itself; this is the Islam that today, wherever you travel in the world—whether it is an Islamic country or a non-Islamic one—you find many people and young people who are hopeful and attached to it, even to the shadow they see and hear from afar; therefore, they approach you, talk to you, inquire from you, and many ask for your help.

This is the only fortress that remains against global arrogance and against the devil and its great wickedness. The result is that today the hostilities against Islam and the system that promotes this truth and doctrine and holds its banner are more than ever. This is the other side of the issue.

Today, we must expect very deep and complex hostilities from global arrogance. Of course, it is unlikely that these hostilities will take the form of military attacks and past experiences; they will most likely choose other ways for this. One of the ways is tightening the economic siege. Another way is increasing political pressures.

You see now that for some time, the issue of human rights has been raised again. Such and such a country, such and such a group, and such and such a commission come to fight the Islamic Republic with the weapon of human rights; those who, deep down, do not recognize any rights for humans; and if they recognize a right for humans, it is for Western humans, not for every human; and they are willing for millions of non-Western humans to be destroyed and sacrificed to preserve their own happiness and well-being. These lying people raise the banner of human rights against the Islamic Republic, and previously they had raised political pressures of this kind and pressures through creating centers of corruption and depravity inside.

The fact that we have repeatedly said and say that a cultural conspiracy is underway, and I see it clearly before me, is based on reasoning; I am not making slogans; I see this. Today, the enemy is engaged in a full-scale cultural war against us in a very cunning manner inside. This is the preamble I wanted to present.

The issue is what we should do now for this cultural war. The habit is that if a cultural problem is seen or heard in the country—which such a problem does exist—all eyes turn to the government and say, 'Government! Why don't you strive and act?!' The clear example is improper hijab, or in some cities and remote areas, the prevalence of these old musical instruments and these things that sometimes gentlemen write to us about, or reports come, and we become aware that some gentlemen are complaining and upset.

Of course, these are bad appearances—there is no doubt—but the issue of cultural conspiracy is not these; these are a small appearance and, compared to that conspiracy, a very insignificant issue. Today, in terms of hijab and the status of women in the country, our distance from before the revolution is very deep and profound. There are few parts where we have distanced ourselves so much from before the revolution. You see in which of the various sectors of society—whether sectors related to religion and faith, sectors related to scientific issues, sectors related to politics and economics, etc.—there is such a distance between the current situation and the situation of that day, which we now observe between today's woman and the woman of the oppressive monarchy's time? That day, nothing was left of the woman. That day, they did not allow anything called the sanctity, hijab, protection, and purity of the woman to remain; especially in big cities. Today's situation is not comparable to that day. Of course, there is no doubt that it should be better than this; but what exists today is not comparable to those days. This is not what we should pay attention to as a cultural loss and the decay of our society and as a danger and attack of the enemy; it is something else, of which this is one of the corners and one of its manifestations.

In summary, gentlemen! The young generation is gradually being corrupted by the enemy; we must not allow it. We must preserve a young generation that, if there is a war, will defend; if there is an incident inside, will be present; where it is the turn of science and scientific and research training, will study and self-educate; where it is about the future, will prepare itself. Efforts and work are being done on this young generation, which is a source of reliance and hope, gradually in various forms and methods; this effort is mainly cultural. Of course, there are gatherings to take young people and corrupt them, which have a non-cultural and practical aspect; but what is more dangerous than anything is the mind, thought, and spirit of the young person; this must be understood.

The most influential thing on the young mind is two factors: one is the various propaganda of the enemy; propaganda that makes the young person indifferent and indifferent to the sacred truths of Islam and the truths that are recognized as certainties and main pillars of belief in the revolution. The second factor is the lack of proper explanation and defense of these truths and principles. I think that the impact of the second factor is no less than the first; because in the Islamic Republic system, openly and publicly, against Islam and Islamic principles and foundations and Islamic knowledge, less propaganda is done and the field for extensive propaganda is not open; therefore, the enemy's propaganda only covers a certain level; while the second factor has no limit or measure.

When we do not preach, when we do not explain the truths, when we do not provide a correct explanation and defense of Islamic knowledge—from monotheism itself, from divine governance, from the necessity of human servitude before God, from the necessity of human submission to God's commandments, which are the main foundations—the impact that results from this lack of defense and lack of explanation and lack of proper justification is not limited to a specific extent; it includes everyone.

From here, I want to enter our duty as clergy and especially Friday prayer leaders. In my opinion, the duty is very heavy. The work that the Friday prayer leaders must do is very great and significant; it cannot be approached superficially, and it cannot be taken lightly.

Of course, what may pass through the minds of some gentlemen also passes through my mind. Some may say that whatever we preach, on the other hand, for example, radio and television or some centers, conduct counter-propaganda. Of course, I accept this to some extent; naturally, we do not fully accept this. Yes, there is bad and incorrect propaganda there; but I believe in distinguishing between issues. I say there are two issues:

One issue is to see what the counter-propaganda from outside us is; they must be remedied; there is no doubt about this. Of course, a hand and a plan and an action and work must follow it, and we hope that, God willing, it will be corrected. There is also pursuit of those issues.

The other issue is what should be done now, considering this situation, and considering that our radio and television are not the desired radio and television of the highest necessary level for an Islamic environment? Does this remove the obligation from us? Can our spiritual environment claim that it is doing all the necessary efforts and work to explain the thoughts of young people and adolescents and women and men in this society? This is the question we must answer. In this part of the issue, I consider myself responsible as a cleric like you. Of course, there are other duties that must be acted upon in their place, and we hope they will be acted upon.

What about explanation? I say in a city, what is expected from the Friday pulpit is not just that we prepare a topic and go to the pulpit to present it; more is expected. It is expected that we be like a doctor who searches for the disease, recognizes it, and prepares its treatment with the utmost effort and places it on the wound or gives it to the patient.

Our duty is not to say, 'We said it; whoever wants to, act on it.' This does not pertain to this era when governance is in the hands of Muslims; an era when the burden of managing society is on our shoulders; especially an era when the enemy is making all these efforts to erase Islamic concepts from minds. Our duty is not just to say a topic; if it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't; we just have to say our word; it is not like this. We must convey our word to the hearts; 'The Messenger's duty is only to convey.' This idea of throwing something into the air, if someone catches it, they catch it; if not, they don't; if it reaches somewhere, it reaches; if not, it doesn't; this is not acceptable. I see this as a problem.

Of course, I know that gentlemen strive and work hard. The Friday prayer leader in a city is the center of expectations and the place of referrals; he has public and administrative and political work; people want the solution to many problems from him; even just because he and some government officials are turbaned, some short-sighted people see the existence of problems from his perspective! I know these; but we must overcome these problems and find the main duty.

Brothers! Today in a city, if the Friday prayer leader does not address the disagreement of such and such two administrative officials, nothing happens and no sky falls to the ground. Of course, if he addresses it and takes action and corrects it, it is much better; but if I am in this city and have the responsibility of the great pulpit of explaining God's religion and, at the same time, young people become irreligious in groups, this is a loss.

We must first think about how young people can be attracted to Friday prayers. I see the reports of Friday prayers across the country, even some sections, over time. What these reports require of us is that this issue be examined and thought about. Of course, it is very easy to blame others for everything; to say the economic situation is like this, the high prices are like that, football is like that, so people don't come! This can be said; but it is not correct.

These are factors here and there and, of course, they have effects—they are not without effect—but the main issue is that we see that in our Friday prayer, there is no young person present, or very few are present, or they do not come with enthusiasm and willingness, this is not the case. The main issue is that this center must have attraction to draw people. If it has attraction, it will draw; it will even draw any person from in front of the television.

Gentlemen! We must think about this issue. My expectation and request is that gentlemen think about this issue in these sessions, what factors can be used for this issue; what kind of expression should be used and what kind of topic should be used for attraction and appeal. Some may not have the necessary initiative in recognizing the correct expression; very well, let us sit down and arrange for what should be said to be compiled with the best expression and made available to everyone.

We must not abandon this center of such importance; the foundation of our work is here. It is Friday prayer that strengthens hearts and strengthens faith; it gives people the courage to act and employs these great soldiers and these soldiers of God when necessary. If this weapon becomes dull, many problems will arise.

The divine system relies on the people; and the people are present on the scene more than anything else with their emotions and faith; these emotions and this faith must be attracted. Of course, I have topics in this regard that are not only related to Friday prayer leaders; they are related to all clergy, and I must present those topics in a gathering that is not only for the esteemed Friday prayer leaders, so that all the burden does not fall at the door of these honorable ones; but what I can say here is this 'pulpit.' This pulpit that is at our disposal is a heavy responsibility; this responsibility must be accepted with all its conditions and characteristics and used as it should be.

Today, people's eyes are on you. Today, people's spiritual hope and reliance are on the clergy. The greatest public manifestation of the clergy everywhere in the country is the Friday prayer leaders. Of course, in seminaries and scientific centers, there are professors and great scholars and references; but they are specific to some parts of the country. What is universal throughout the country is the Friday prayer leadership. The Friday prayer leadership represents both the entire clergy and the system; because the system is also Islamic.

With this view, with this understanding, and with this attention, one must be present in that center and that nucleus of such importance and based on that, one must choose the topic and speak to the people. I think that based on this, we must work a little. Of course, I have no objection to participating in any work that needs to be done. Although I am very busy, I consider this issue very important and believe that fundamental thought must be given to this work.

Topics from Islamic issues must be prepared and written and expressed in an appropriate manner and said throughout the country; in such a way that it finds a place in all hearts and minds. Topics from Islamic issues must be selected that respond to the hypothetical and assumed doubts that we know today are spread among the elite of the people through various means.

The thoughts of Western materialist philosophers and writers and thinkers are present today in our universities in the form of books and translations. It is not possible to create a barrier to prevent them from entering; this is not possible and it is not advisable. Thoughts must come and be present. In response to those thoughts, an antidote must be created. The clergy of this country vaccinated the youth against the attractive thoughts of Marxism and gave them an antidote.

Did the Marxists work little in this country, publish few pamphlets, hold few discussions? It was these Islamic thinkers and clergy who were able to preserve our youth against all those attractive and sweet and demagogic words—of which there are few more demagogic words than that. Among our youth, there were those who engaged in scientific struggle with the Marxists. Now, whatever thought there is, its attraction is not greater than theirs.

We must prepare topics that refute the deviations and distortions and mistakes that are distributed among our youth in the form of intellectual food, in various books and pamphlets. Even sometimes unknowingly, these topics appear in university textbooks and also in discussions published in our mass media! We must prepare responses to these. A group of thoughtful and knowledgeable people should spend time and prepare them, so that they are distributed among all Friday prayer leaders and studied and worked on. Political discussions and precise political work and current political issues must be examined in a correct, deep, and precise manner and made available to Friday prayer leaders. These are tasks that this assembly itself must undertake. This assembly is a general organization at the national level that must carry out its work within itself. Of course, in the center, there are naturally duties on the brothers.

These methods must be chosen: Friday pulpits must be made attractive and young people must be attracted to them. Things that repel healthy natures must be avoided. Things that take away faith from the clergy must be avoided. One of the main duties of the clergy is to preserve these faiths; because faith in the clergy has always been accompanied by faith in the essence of religion. There have been few who did not accept the clergy but had a correct and proper belief in the essence of religion. Some have claimed, but we have found few. People have understood religion through this means. People's faith in religion must be accompanied by their faith in this assembly.

Of course, the commissions have the opportunity to discuss these issues. Thanks be to God, there are a few days of opportunity; these topics can be considered and thought about and truly and sincerely and persistently, a way can be found; God Almighty will also help.

By God's grace, the great organization of Friday prayer leadership in the country has so far rendered great services and preserved the country and the revolution and given hope and vitality to the people; in the future, God willing, it must continue to be so, and by God's grace, it will be, and the tools and means are at our disposal. We must strive and work so that, God willing, divine mercy is attracted. We hope that God Almighty grants success to the gentlemen and guides all of us and opens the paths of growth and guidance for us.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings