Statements in Meeting with a Group of Injured Students at the University Campus

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

In my opinion, there are two types of reactions and comments regarding these events. One is the initial reaction when a person encounters an incident, a catastrophe, or a crime - which this is a type of crime - and responsibilities are placed upon them. Each person has a duty. In a single incident, one person may have the duty to complain, another to investigate, and another to help. Everyone has a duty in such events. Ultimately, reacting to an incident in terms of finding practical duties is one type of response; we hope that in this incident, everyone related to it has reacted accordingly, or if they have not, they will do so.

Ultimately, the incident certainly has perpetrators and causes that must be addressed; the perpetrators must be confronted, and the causes must be identified and countered. This is one aspect of how to deal with this incident. Of course, the incident has been very bitter; it has been bitter from various perspectives. Firstly, it did not pertain to an individual but to a group. It makes a significant difference when a problem is created for an individual, such as beating one person, compared to a group. Secondly, the incident involved the student class; a valuable segment of our society and the chosen children of this family. In fact, this is the case; a student is among the chosen children of this great family known as the Iranian nation. Naturally, when an incident occurs concerning them, one feels more hurt and distressed. Thirdly, it occurred in the university environment; since the dormitory is part of the university environment and the university campus belongs to the students. Fourthly, it happened at night during a time of rest and in a secure living environment.

Ultimately, there are various causes and factors that individually and separately contribute to making this incident truly feel bad, bitter, and ugly. It was indeed bitter. Naturally, there are responsibilities on everyone; now some are also taking action. Again, today I emphasized to one of the high-ranking officials who were here to follow up, so that, God willing, we can fulfill the responsibilities that lie upon us in this matter.

Well; this is one perspective on the incident. We will move past this; since since the day this incident occurred, there has been continuous discussion about it. I also spoke about this. Others have also spoken about it. You know, there are various viewpoints regarding this incident; one says it was an act, another says it was a conspiracy. Those who have different opinions have all viewed the incident through this lens.

Another perspective on incidents is that every person, regarding any incident that occurs - whether for themselves or for the group they belong to - can utilize this incident in a way that this seemingly bitter incident becomes auspicious and blessed for them, or they can exploit it in such a way that even if the incident is actually sweet, it becomes ominous and cursed for them. The mental and spiritual approach of each person to an incident varies. For example, suppose an earthquake occurs. An earthquake is a very bitter incident. You may have been in places and witnessed an earthquake. I have been in places where earthquakes have occurred; they are among the very bitter and tearful events. However, the same earthquake can be approached in two ways. One way is that this incident becomes a positive, progressive, and blessed factor for those affected by the earthquake, and the other is that this incident turns into a completely harmful event. The individuals themselves can approach it in two ways. Of course, if those individuals are, for example, uneducated, uninformed, and distant from knowledge, others must help them understand how to utilize the second approach; however, if those individuals are wise, knowledgeable, and aware - as is the case with the student class - they can themselves utilize the subsequent benefit, which is spiritual and moral, in a way that becomes a source of blessing for them; not that it becomes a source of misfortune.

In the earthquake example I mentioned, if we follow the matter in this way, suppose this earthquake creates a situation for a boy who has lost his father, mother, or relatives in this incident and whose house has been destroyed, leading him to say: "Everything I had has been taken from me, so what I have cannot be viewed as eternal; I must rely on my own strength and the vitality that God has placed in me to compensate for these losses; just as something can cease to exist in a moment, it can also come into existence in a moment or over time. Therefore, I must create for myself." If a person affected by the earthquake makes this inference, or if we extend this to the earthquake-affected people so that they can make this inference and have this spirit - that well, our city has been destroyed, now how do we compensate - this is very good. I have witnessed the earthquakes of Ferdows, Tabas - which occurred ten years apart - as well as the earthquakes of Rudbar and Qazvin and other similar earthquakes; there were various people. Some truly had this spirit; that is, as soon as the incident occurred, they felt they had to work and recreate what they had lost. This very feeling became a source and origin of new progress for them that they did not have before. Previously, each of them was sitting comfortably in their city, engaged in their own work; later, they transformed into an active and lively people who started from scratch and created things for themselves.

The earthquake that was so bitter, with this type of approach, after ten years, you see that for these people, it became a source of blessing and growth, and ultimately this incident was blessed. Initially, it was bitter; however, in the end, if this incident had not occurred, they would have lived their lives in idleness and laziness, and now they would have been ordinary people; but now they have become a people who, with their own hands and strength, with their own will and determination, have traversed a path and accomplished a difficult task. Now, if these earthquake-affected people utilize this opportunity differently, meaning they say: well, it was good that until now we went to the store every day, but now people come with trucks and bring us supplies, so we can sleep in the mornings, and when the time comes, something is brought to our tent and given to us to eat; if they give us less, we go and argue and ask them again - let’s assume such a situation exists, which unfortunately I have seen in some places; I have seen some individuals living this way - with this type of approach, this earthquake will truly become a disastrous incident for me.

Now, remove the earthquake from the equation and suppose instead of it, there is wealth. Imagine a young man living in a wealthy family with no problems; he has a bed to sleep on, a desk for studying, a car for transportation, an air conditioner for hot weather, and whatever else for cold weather, and at lunchtime, food is brought to him. If this situation makes this young man lazy, idle, and without ambition, and he cannot recognize and develop his own abilities, this comfortable life becomes a calamity for him; because if he does not correct this situation in his future life, he will face misfortune and have a bad life. Thus, the subsequent decision-making and type of inference from an incident can be decisive for a person.

Well; now an incident has occurred for you, and of course, it is a bitter incident. Some have suffered more damage, and some less; ultimately, everyone has been affected. The minimum is that they were frightened, scared, and went into their rooms; but they kicked the door open and startled some from their sleep, or insulted them. In any case, they exhibited violence. Yes, this bitter incident is a crime; however, it is not among the most severe bitter incidents - it is evident - it may be more bitter for me, as someone responsible in the system, than an earthquake; because it has human factors and other elements. I am not discussing it from that perspective; however, it may not be among the most severe bitter incidents for you who were affected by this incident. Suppose bombings are more severe - for those who were bombed - but ultimately it was a bitter incident.

Now, how do you utilize this incident? That is, what kind of thought and inference do you place in your mind regarding this? This will have an impact on the future. From this incident, all kinds of thought threads can be derived, and each of these thought threads may have a specific impact on the life of the person who thinks this way. If we assume that someone thinks that in the path of education and reaching a level of perfection that we seek, all kinds of unexpected and unaccounted incidents may arise. Because this incident was unexpected; that is, you never imagined that such a thing and incident would occur. In the path of education, in the pursuit of knowledge, in the quest for perfection - the same perfections that are achieved through education - or a bit more broadly, throughout the journey of life, unexpected incidents occur that are not calculated and foreseen. No one blames a person for not thinking that someone might kick the door and open it while they were sleeping in the dormitory. This is not predictable at all. It is not a reasonable possibility. Just as someone who was sleeping in their house - for example, in a city relatively far from the border - did not expect that suddenly an airplane would come at midnight and drop a bomb, and coincidentally this bomb would hit the roof of their room and kill their wife, children, and relatives. These are truly completely unexpected. There are many such unexpected incidents and thousands of varieties of them - we cannot imagine all types of incidents - that exist in the journey of life.

Thus, an initial conclusion can be drawn from this, which is that a person must strengthen themselves spiritually and prepare for facing various incidents in life. How does this happen? What should a person do to strengthen themselves? It is natural that a person strengthens their body for material encounters; for dealing with incidents that have a spiritual aspect, what should one do? I believe that a person must strengthen their faith. A person must solidify their faith in a fundamental, reassuring, and secure point. When this faith exists, a person will not experience despair at any stage of their life. Do you understand? What destroys a person is despair. This is what prevents a person from taking a step forward and annihilates them, destroying all their powers. If a person feels that they can no longer continue, they have lost their father! What prevents you from feeling that your work is finished and you have reached the end of the line? That is faith in a source and a point. Of course, this point can be faith in God and faith in the unseen - which is the best - it can also be faith in a human idea that some people have. There are people in the world who believe in an idea or thought, even if that idea is not entirely divine; although still, every idea is ultimately spiritual, as it is mental and spiritual, but it is not divine.

The beauty of divine ideas is that a person can interact and respond with that source of reliance; that is, it is a being and reality in front of you that hears your words and has something to say in response to your words. My dear ones! Know that what is important is that anyone whose heart connects with God, their connection is certainly not one-sided; it is two-sided. Some may find it very strange that how can God speak to a person? Yes; He speaks, and you will feel this. You feel it; it is not far at all. "And indeed, the traveler towards You is near in distance". If someone moves towards God, He is very close.

Imagine that the meanings of the phrases in prayer that you know and understand the translation of, if a person from the beginning speaks with attention to the meaning, without letting their mind wander to anything outside or inside, just as I am speaking to you now; that is, during the time I am speaking to you, you do not leave my mind for a moment, I am constantly addressing you - if a person truly speaks with God, it is sufficient. This is not a lot; they have not asked for more than this from us. When you speak with your friend or an ordinary person, you are constantly aware of them, you understand the meaning of what you are saying to them, and your intention is clear to you. In prayer, when you speak with God, speak in the same way. If you start a prayer this way, and maintain this state in the middle of the prayer, suddenly you will feel that your heart receives something from somewhere; it perceives a feeling from somewhere; you are spoken to; your heart becomes precise, and you receive the exact answer you need. Of course, it may be somewhat vague at first. Of course, you are radiant young people; your task is much easier than ours. You understand the divine message much sooner and more clearly. God speaks to you, answers you, and you feel this answer in your heart.

The difference between this point of reliance and the imaginary or real points of reliance that others have, and sometimes utilize, is that those places may be useful to them; however, that point of reliance does not have these characteristics. I say that for the duration of your life, whatever future you have chosen or wished for yourself - one may want to become a doctor, another may want to become a professor, another may want to enter economic activities, another may want to become a politician, another may want to become a ruler, everyone has envisioned, defined, or at least wished for a future for themselves - if you want to reach this future and attain it, you must strengthen your faith - of course, clear faith - in your heart. Faith, even if unclear, is beneficial; like a completely ordinary person who has faith but lacks much knowledge. Even that has miraculous effects; however, if this faith is accompanied by knowledge, its impact increases a thousandfold, and you young people can achieve this.

Well; you see; life has incidents. This is one type of incident, and another type may occur within the person themselves. In one type of incident, there may not be a sinner. In this incident, your happiness is that there is a sinner, and God willing, there will be punishment. Because a person always seeks a sinner in incidents - this is usually the case - if they bump into a glass and it falls, they say why did you leave this glass here?! That is, a person usually seeks a sinner. There are incidents that harm a person, but one cannot hold anyone accountable; a person cannot label anyone as a sinner! There are many such incidents in human life. These incidents sometimes change a person's path, create doubt in their heart, and present dead ends in front of them. If you want to avoid this in incidents, you must always maintain your enthusiasm, will, power, and firm determination in continuing the correct paths of life. You must strengthen that conscious faith within yourself; of course, faith and awareness. Awareness must be learned through books and listening to knowledgeable individuals. I believe that faith should be increased by utilizing the very faith you currently possess. This faith is an incredible asset. Thanks be to God, all of you are faithful children and have been raised in faithful families. If you utilize the faith you currently have, meaning you associate righteous deeds with it, do not sin, and as much as possible perform good deeds in the best manner, and among the sins, avoid those that relate to human selfishness more, avoid those that involve injustice to others, avoid inappropriate words that a person may say about others, even strive to clear your mind of certain things, these are more righteous actions. These actions will increase that faith. That is, faith is such that if it is accompanied by action, that faith will increase day by day. Although that awareness - which I said a person must acquire from knowledgeable individuals, books, and sermons - if accompanied by righteous action, even that awareness will increase. "And whoever fears God, He will make for him a way out. And He will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon God, He is sufficient for him." "And whoever believes in God, He will guide his heart"; God guides his heart. This verse was my point of interest. Piety and vigilance guide a person's heart and strengthen their faith.

I am very happy to have seen you dear ones. This concern that I had in my heart regarding this incident - and of course, it still exists - and the sorrow and grief that arose from this incident for us, God willing, will be alleviated by seeing you, and a person finds solace in your bright and lively faces. I want to emphasize, God willing, do not let this enthusiasm fade; especially for this dear one. My time became very bitter for your eyes. I had not heard it this way; although I had heard a lot about the events of this incident and it was said that one of the youths who ranked first in the entrance exam was injured in this incident, but they did not say that your eye was like this. I became very sad. God, God willing, by the right of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, compensate for you in the best way.

I send my greetings to you. The moment we came to you and you said, "My heart is wounded," we truly wished for our death a thousand times. I say this with certainty. Dear Sir! I convey the greetings of all the children and all those who wanted to come but could not. They all asked for your prayers, and they all said to send their greetings to you. With all our being, we apologize to you for those who insulted you in our name. Dear Sir! Do not think that we were silent. We apologize to you with all our being. God willing, may your good prayers accompany us. We promise you that until our last breath, we will remain loyal to our pledge with you and the Imam. We convey our greetings to the Mahdi, saying that we stand firm, and may you assist all our officials.

May God, God willing, protect you. You are my dear children. I have the same feeling towards you. God willing, may God always be with you.

The things our brother said were the hearts of all. I will say one more thing. When they were beating us, they said either Zahra, or Hussein, and some said death to the enemies of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist. Why do they use the name of religion?! When we heard your words from the news, perhaps their attack, which was a dagger in our hearts, your words, "My heart is wounded," were a bigger dagger. We were more upset by your words. Some of those who were affected by tear gas may have insulted, but in that atmosphere, they did not understand what they were saying. Many are now regretting. They did not intend to say this. Please forgive them and pray that the atmosphere becomes such that the pain of religion is the first word; not the interpretation of religion and self-promotion in the name of religion. We have always tried to calm these gatherings; however, perhaps our movements also caused you distress. God willing, forgive us as well.

God willing, may you be successful. Just as you said they entered in the name of religion, in the name of Zahra, or in the name of these sacred names, I think a bit of mental work should be done on this point; that is, we must see what motivations exist - a person feels this way - because I cannot believe that someone would come into a student’s room, hit them, and say you are an enemy of Zahra or the leadership, so take this - get beaten! I cannot believe it at all. If we can identify those who said this - because surely not all of them said it, some did - I think we can discover another motivation in them; that is, the very thing you are now referring to and saying, "They become pessimistic" is correct; this is very important. Now, who discovers it is another matter. When they discover it, whether they discover it correctly or not, those are other discussions; but now let us return and implement that second perspective on the matter here. Let us say we should do something so that this young student does not turn away from religion because of that malicious or ignorant act. The matter that you and I should truly feel here is this. Yes; do not let them turn away from religion; because this kind of turning away from religion is the bitterest of all. I have sometimes given examples for this matter in my speeches; now I am a bit tired and do not have the energy to continue. If another time you come, remind me to tell you the story that Molavi narrates about keeping someone from religion, with the same method of "O Hussein" and "O Zahra". This is a method for turning away from religion. It seems that even in the time of Molavi and these people, there were such things! Now some do it intentionally; at that time, it was unintentional. Now you, who are radiant, faithful, and righteous youth, what is your duty towards them? It is that you should not let them turn away from religion. Ultimately, one of these ways leads individuals away from religion; you, who think the opposite of that, must not allow it. Ask God for success, and God will grant you success.

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