Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with the People of Shahrud

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 Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One among the people of the earth. I am grateful to the Almighty God and I am sincerely pleased to have once again had the opportunity to be among you, the dear, warm-hearted, and sincere people of Shahrud, and to witness this great and enthusiastic gathering of yours. I once again observe the signs of love, sincerity, and faith that I have witnessed in the people of this city for a long time. Throughout my life—whether during the struggles, the peak of the Islamic Revolution, during my seminary years in Mashhad, or later during the imposed war and in administrative, work, and revolutionary environments—I have always recognized the people of Shahrud by these characteristics: pious, sincere, warm-hearted, proactive, lovers of knowledge, and values of religion and Islam. Today, after many years since the victory of the revolution, and as our dear country has gone through various experiences over the past years, we again observe the dear people of Shahrud, men and women, old and young from different strata, with these same characteristics; a sincere city, sincere people, sincere hearts. Certainly, the role of religious and ethical teachers in this area and in this land has been significant in nurturing the moral character of the people of Shahrud. The great scholars, prominent religious and ethical figures in this region, in this city, and in the areas connected to this city—both in the past and during the times we witnessed or were contemporaneous—have played a prominent role. In our youth, the names of the prominent religious scholars of Shahrud were well-known. The late Ayatollah al-Uzma Shahroudi, a source of emulation, a distinguished teacher in the Najaf seminary; the late Ayatollah Agha Sheikh Agha Bozorg Shahroudi, one of the prominent scholars residing in Shahrud; before them, we had heard in Mashhad of the late Agha Sayyid Abbas Shahroudi, a distinguished scholar; the uncle of another pious and God-conscious religious scholar, the late Agha Hajj Agha Hossein Shahroudi, who passed away a few years ago; up to the time of the revolution, the late Agha Tawhidi, a distinguished and active scholar; and among the younger ranks, the late Agha Taheri and many other scholars. This is a region rich in scholars; a region of teachers of religion and ethics. In the past, the names of Bayazid Bastami and Abu al-Hasan Kharaqani were known to all Muslims and those connected to Islamic teachings—even non-Muslims. Of course, figures like Bayazid and Abu al-Hasan Kharaqani should not be confused with these claimants of Sufism. They have a different story and a different narrative. This point is important: how this region has nurtured so many teachers of religion and ethics and prominent religious scholars. This is not a coincidence; it is a sign of an ancient local character among these people; a desire for spirituality, a belief in spiritual and Islamic values. We do not present these matters to please the people of Shahrud; they are already familiar with these issues. The pride and reliance on the virtues of our ancestors and forefathers is not merely to take pride in our predecessors. Reminding of these matters serves another important point. And that is that a nation and a community, when they become aware of their fundamental local values, recognize their talents, and understand their moral and human worth, will not be defeated by the events that are created for them. The future for such a community and nation is bright. For many years—perhaps decades—the aim of the colonizers has been to make the Iranian nation indifferent to themselves and to their values and past. The great sin of the first generation of intellectuals in this country, who propagated Western thoughts and culture, is precisely this. They explained to the Iranian nation and insisted and repeated that you are nothing. Your values, your beliefs, your past, your history, and your great figures are worthless. They managed to create a generation alienated from itself, one that would accept a tyrannical and puppet government like that of the brutal Reza Khan. This is the work that our enemies have done over many long years. The Islamic movement, the great movement of the clergy and the people in the years leading up to the victory of the revolution, was precisely to make the people optimistic about their identity, their capabilities, and their past and history, to tear down the veil of lies and illusions that the enemies had cast over our national beliefs; and they succeeded, and Shahrud was one of the cities where the people and the youth welcomed this. I myself had close connections with Shahrud during the struggles. Our friends, our companions, would come to Shahrud and were welcomed by the youth here; in various mosques of this city, there were numerous gatherings where the foundations of the revolution, revolutionary concepts, and issues related to the Islamic movement were discussed and explained. May God have mercy on the late Agha Tawhidi and some other scholars of this city who helped our youth and were connected with me. A number of the faithful and enthusiastic youth of this city were in contact with us in Mashhad. I also visited Shahrud several times. Among these visits was during the peak of the revolution, when I spent a night in Shahrud among the enthusiastic and faithful youth of this city. These experiences are unforgettable. The people of Shahrud, you dear brothers and sisters and respected families, also proved themselves well during the Sacred Defense period. The highest number of martyrs from this province are from Shahrud. The distinguished members of the armed forces and the self-sacrificing individuals are from this region, this city, and the surrounding areas. We hope that your share, dear people, in the glorious future of this country and this revolution will be as evident as it has been in the past and in the period leading up to these days. What all the people of Iran and you dear people must know—and fortunately, the awareness of the nation has kept them completely clear and informed about these conditions—is that in the confrontation between Islam, the Islamic movement, and the camp of disbelief and global arrogance, the share of victories for the Islamic and faithful front is several times greater than that of the opposing front. The issue is not just about Iran; it is about the Islamic movement, and the Iranian nation is the flag bearer of this movement. The day we, the people of Iran, began the Islamic movement in this country, it was not with the intention of creating a global movement. The compassionate, interested, and aware individuals did what they deemed necessary for enjoining good and forbidding wrong and defending the truth and rising against oppression. And our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified) repeatedly said that in every situation, he did what he felt was his duty and took steps in that direction; and his problems did not deter him. The intention of the fighters, the activists, and the Iranian nation was to reform the current issues of their own country. However, the nature of the truth and its claims is such that it attracts eager hearts from all corners of the world. The uprising of the Iranian nation was able to draw the attention of Muslims in various parts of the Islamic world and Islamic countries; it shook many awake and made the youth aware of attainable ideals. Thus, the movement became an Islamic movement. We do not interfere in the internal affairs of countries. The issue of Palestine or the issue of Lebanon or the issue of Iraq is not managed or administered by Iranian officials and the people of Iran; but it was your movement and the resistance of your youth and the patience of your families that could awaken the Palestinian nation; it could empower the faithful youth in Lebanon and instill in them the spirit to resist against a powerful, oppressive army backed by America, and to achieve victory. On the scene, it was the Lebanese nation and Hezbollah; but in the world, the judgment of all observers is that the Iranian nation was victorious in this matter. Today, in the Islamic world, every Muslim group and every Islamic and value-based slogan that achieves victory is judged by the world and international politicians as a victory for the Iranian nation; while the Iranian nation has no involvement with any particular country or political or revolutionary group. This is because the proud banner of the independence of nations is held under the shadow of "There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God" by you. And you, the nation, have managed to hold this banner despite all its difficulties. Do not let it fall. This capability has been demonstrated by the Iranian nation. For our nation, this is a great honor. However, this is not enough. We do not want to comfort ourselves with the notion that the Iranian nation is esteemed and respected on the international stage or in the Islamic international arena; this is true; but we do not settle for this. We must demonstrate this capability of ours to build a society that is pleasing to Islam. This is our duty. And incidentally, the fundamental point that the scheming enemies of Islam are focused on and want to prevent from happening is precisely this. The country and society that Islam envisions must be advanced both materially and spiritually. Our country must be at a high level in terms of knowledge, experience, and technology. In terms of social structures and interactions among people in the economy and other matters, the connections among people must be healthy, strong, and indicative of progress and prosperity; talents must flourish in that society. All individuals should be able to assist one another in advancing the goals of life with their God-given abilities. There must be social justice in that society. Justice does not mean equal distribution of all benefits; it means equal opportunities; equal rights. Everyone must be able to benefit from the opportunities for movement and progress. The grip of justice must seize the oppressors and transgressors, and the people must be assured of this. In such a society, spirituality and ethics must advance as much as the material progress does. The hearts of the people must become familiar with God and spirituality. Affection for God, connection with the world of meaning, divine remembrance, and attention to the Hereafter must become prevalent in such a society. Here, the exceptional characteristic of the Islamic society and civilization reveals itself; the combination and integration of this world and the Hereafter. The material civilization of the West has advanced in science and technology. It has achieved great successes in complex material methods; however, it has suffered increasing losses in the spiritual realm. The result has been that the science and advancement of Western material civilization have been detrimental to humanity. Science must benefit humanity. Speed, ease, and accessible communications must serve the peace, security, and comfort of the people. The science that causes people to live in fear of its outcomes—namely, fear of atomic bombs and long-range missiles and unintended explosions—does not benefit humanity. The Western world has fallen into this dangerous trap with its scientific advancements. Islamic thought and civilization seek material progress; but for the security of the people, the comfort of the people, the welfare of the people, and the kind coexistence of people with one another; these are the characteristics of the Islamic system. We have raised these issues loudly from the very beginning of the revolution on the global stage, and many hearts of both Muslims and non-Muslims have been attracted to these ideas. The backing of the dignity of the Iranian nation is based on these principles. That is, a Christian thinker and a non-Muslim politician—perhaps even an atheist—in international forums are influenced by the thoughts of the Islamic Republic system. This has been observed and witnessed repeatedly. We want to implement these lofty thoughts in our country. Dear brothers and sisters! This requires work and effort; it requires faithful, self-sacrificing, and courageous men; it requires the ever-increasing bond between the nation and the government. The enemies of this country and nation, and the enemies of achieving these goals, target these points. They design plans to weaken the bond between the officials and the people; they design plans to weaken the will of the officials of the country. In recent years, Western propaganda apparatuses have explicitly stated and repeated that they intend to create discord within the management of the Islamic Republic system; to create divisions and factions; they have admitted this themselves. And thanks be to God, they have not succeeded. They plan to divert our youth from thinking about the future and striving for building the future towards desires; they design plans for this. They aim to dishearten our people, who can traverse this long and difficult yet inspiring path under the shadow of hope; to empty their hearts of hope. These are among the plans that the enemy designs. I must tell you that throughout these twenty-seven years since the victory of the revolution—during which not a single day has been free from the enemy's plots—the enemy has repeatedly felt frustrated in confronting the Iranian nation and the Islamic revolution and this great movement. The enemy has never succeeded or triumphed. Sometimes they would find some false hopes and receive misleading signals from one side, and then they would imagine they had managed to carry out their plots in this country. But it would soon become clear that they had made a mistake. Therefore, the enemy has not succeeded. Today, the plans of the officials of the country for building and constructing the future in various sectors are calculated and clear plans. The officials are also those who, with firm decisions and complete self-confidence, are moving towards achieving these goals. I might say that today the determination of the government officials in traversing the long and difficult paths towards the goals of the revolution is greater than in past periods; even though the enemies and ill-wishers of our nation expected the opposite and imagined it. They thought that as time passes and we move further away from the origin of the revolution, hopes would diminish; whereas the opposite has happened. Today, our officials and government, in addressing problems and untangling knots and traversing paths, have more hope, self-confidence, and determination than in the past. And I say that what they have set their sights on is all achievable. Just as what has happened in this country from the beginning of the revolution until today—various advancements in different sectors—resembles a miracle. Of course, there are problems. I am aware of the problems in various sectors of the country and the problems of you, the people of Shahrud. The shortages that exist; the grievances that exist; the expectations that exist; the tasks that are prioritized: such as the issue of water, the issue of employment, and various matters that concern the people. Seeking these is the right of the people. Of course, all of these are not equally accessible; some things require a bit of patience, while some are closer and more accessible. The main thing is that the officials should know what is necessary and strive to accomplish it and close the avenues for corruption and exploitation. I feel that all of this is achieved by the grace of the Lord and divine success. The provincial documents related to this province are well-prepared documents. The officials are familiar with the needs and capabilities of the region. They are also determined to do this. Fortunately, they are fresh and ready to work to accomplish these tasks, and they must do so. Of course, some tasks naturally require time. In some tasks, the path one wishes to take may require walking for ten hours to reach a certain point; one cannot expect it to be accomplished in an hour. Some paths are closer, and some are farther. The important thing is that the officials want to, understand, feel, and strive, and this, thank God, is present. What supports the movement of the officials is the backing of your hearts, feelings, and trust and hope. They rely on this trust, enthusiasm, and affection of you, the people, and it is truly a decisive factor for them. That is, the support of the people for the officials of the country is a comprehensive, strong, and deeply rooted support with roots in faith. They must rely on this trust and this good opinion of yours to advance their work, and I am very optimistic that, God willing, they will accomplish all that they need to do. The people should not forget their share. The effort of the people, carrying out tasks assigned to anyone with a sense of responsibility, seeking, and following up—these are the duties of the people. The officials have a share, and the people also have a share. By divine grace, God willing, with the combination of these, we will witness much better days. And we hope that our nation, just as it was able to attract the hearts of the Islamic Ummah with the proclamation of great Islamic slogans and aspirations, can also succeed in this path by presenting a complete and well-crafted model of the Islamic system. O Lord! Bestow Your grace and favor upon this faithful and sincere people through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. O Lord! Grant the officials success in serving this faithful and sincere people. O Lord! Increase this bond of love and solidarity between the people and the officials day by day. I sincerely thank you, dear people, from this gathering that has assembled in this field and from the brothers and sisters whom we have visited along the way, and I hope that the attention of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him) encompasses all of you. Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.