Statements in Meeting with a Group of Students and Clergy

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

I extend a warm welcome to all dear brothers and sisters present in this luminous gathering. Thanks be to God, esteemed scholars, respected students, professors, and administrators of the Qom seminary are all present here, and it is a distinguished and rare assembly.

The occasion is one of promotion; that is, the main and essential work of you and me. The days are also very appropriate and inspiring; yesterday was the blessed day of Mubahala (the event of mutual imprecation); in a few days, the days of Muharram will begin; the twenty-seventh of Azar - in a few days - is the day of the unity of the seminary and the university. All these occasions are significant and instructive for us who are dedicated to the promotion of religion and the communication of truth to hearts and minds.

The day of Mubahala is the day when the noble Prophet of Islam brings forth his dearest human elements. The important point regarding Mubahala is: "and our souls and your souls" is in it; "and our women and your women" is in it; the Prophet chooses and brings forth the dearest of human beings for a confrontation in which the distinction between truth and falsehood and the enlightening criterion must be presented to all. There has never been a precedent in the promotion of religion and the expression of truth where the Prophet takes the hands of his beloved ones, his children, his daughter, and Amir al-Mu'minin (the Commander of the Faithful), who is his brother and successor, and brings them into the arena; the exceptional nature of the day of Mubahala is in this form. This indicates how important it is to express and communicate the truth; he brings them into the field with the claim that let us engage in Mubahala; if we are on the right, we remain, if we are against the truth, let us be uprooted with divine punishment.

This same issue occurred in Muharram in a practical manner; that is, Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) also brings forth his dearest ones to express the truth and enlighten throughout history. Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), who knew how the incident would end, brought Zainab, his wives, his children, and his dear brothers into the arena. Here, too, the issue is the promotion of religion; promotion in the true sense of the word; conveying the message, illuminating the atmosphere; the dimensions of the issue of promotion can be understood in this way, how important it is. In that sermon, "Whoever sees a tyrannical ruler who makes the forbidden of God permissible and breaks the covenant of God... and does not change him by action or word, it is right for God to enter him into his entrance"; that is, when he is polluting the atmosphere in this way, ruining it, one must come to enlighten either by action or by word. And Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) does this, even at this heavy cost; he brings his family, his wives, his beloved ones, the children of Amir al-Mu'minin, Zainab al-Kubra, and brings them into the arena.

One contemporary aspect of the issue is the third occasion, which is the bond between the seminary and the university. Here, too, the issue is one of building and conveying. The connection of the vast student body of the country with religious scholars, with young people engaged in religious knowledge and promotion, is what is desired on this occasion; that is, this occasion is for that. The unity of the seminary and the university means this. Otherwise, the intended unity was not a physical and external one. That does not make sense. The seminary is the seminary, the university is the university; that is, this is a true bond between two influential and important entities that until the day it was expressed and declared by the dear Imam, the policies were to keep these two apart and separate: the university should stay away from Islam, the seminary should distance itself from global developments and scientific advancements; they should be kept apart; that is, these two wings should not strive together, should not be coordinated. This goes back to the issue of promotion. The importance of promotion is this. The lessons we study are for the purpose of being able to convey the divine message, to deliver it; now whether in the field of religious knowledge, whether in the field of religious rulings, or in the field of divine ethics.

Thus, these occasions and this fundamental issue of promotion are directed towards action, accompanied by insight and certainty. There must be insight. Certainty means the same as committed heart-felt faith must exist, and based on this insight and certainty, action must be taken. If there is insight, there is certainty, but no action is taken, this is not desirable; it has not been promoted. If something is promoted, but without insight and without certainty - if either of these is lacking - one foundation is weak, and the desired outcome will not be achieved. This certainty is what is meant by "The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers; all of them have believed in God and His angels and His Books and His messengers"; that is, the first person who has a deep belief and faith in the message is the messenger himself. If this is not the case, the work will not continue, it will not penetrate. That faith must also be accompanied by insight; just as has been said about insight and is clear. This becomes righteous action. That is, "Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds"; truly righteous action and the most complete example of righteous action is the promotion that must take place. Therefore, in the matter of promotion, one must think, one must work. This point that Mr. Moqtadaei recently mentioned in his statement, I had not heard, and it is an important point for me that he said a center for designing religious promotion has been established. Well, this is exactly what I wanted to demand that this work must be done.

Today, promotion plays a significant role in the world, and it has always been so. Previously, there were no such tools; these close communications did not exist. We, the clergy, have an advantage that we promote face-to-face and directly. This is an unparalleled work that nothing can replace; going to the pulpit, talking to people. This is more effective than other methods of promotion in many respects - those artistic aspects and others are also necessary in their own place - but this has an impact, it fills a void that other devices and promotional methods do not have. So promotion is important, and today it is a fundamental tool. We also have one of the effective methods of promotion at our disposal.

We want to say that promotion must be a movement creator, promotion must create discourse, promotion must create an atmosphere; it must create discourse. Discourse means that a concept and knowledge become widespread in a community at a certain time. Then, this becomes the discourse of society. This will not be achieved with separate, unplanned actions; this work requires planning and active work, like the continuous blowing into a pressure device that can deliver water or the essence of life or air to various points that are desired. One must constantly blow into this, so that this ignition remains alive. This work must never stop and requires planning.

What is this discourse creation for? It is for the growth of religious thought and religious knowledge in the audience, in the people. When religious thought grows, when it is accompanied by a sense of responsibility and commitment, it produces action, and that is what the prophets sought. Correct culture, correct knowledge, in some cases awakening, in some cases warning; these are the functions of promotion; these are the effects and results that follow from promotion.

One example is the promotions of the month of Muharram that take place on the occasion of mourning for Muharram. This is the best opportunity for promoting. This opportunity must be used for the same matter that has been mentioned; a criterion must be established; distinctions, signposts. If there is no signpost at a crossroads indicating where the way to a certain place is, whether the right is or the left is, the traveler will go astray. If there are several paths, he will be misled. A sign must be determined, the pointing finger must be clearly placed before everyone's eyes so that they do not go astray. In a world where the basis of the enemies of truth is to create discord, the basis of the supporters of truth must be to highlight insight, guidance, as much as they can, and to present these signposts, these distinctions, these markers more clearly and vividly before the eyes of the people, so that the people understand, discern, and do not go astray.

In promotion, one matter is this - in the verse of Surah Al-Ahzab that was recited - "Indeed, those who convey the messages of God and fear Him and do not fear anyone except God, and sufficient is God as a Reckoner". The promotion of the messages of God is practical with these two conditions: "they fear Him", this is one. "And they do not fear anyone except God". First, divine fear is necessary; it must be for God, in the way of God, inspired by divine teachings. If it is contrary to divine inspiration and teachings, it is misguidance, it is error. "So what is after the truth except misguidance". Understanding the truth is achieved with divine fear. Then, in the stage of expressing the truth: "and they do not fear anyone except God". Why? Because truth and reality have enemies; expressing the truth is not easy. The enemies of truth are worldly people, powerful ones, tyrants of the world; this has been the case throughout history, and it will continue until the time when the rightful government of the Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) appears. These powerful ones do not remain idle; they create problems, strike, and use all their tools. Therefore, "and they do not fear anyone except God" must exist; otherwise, if there is fear from anyone other than God - in various forms. Fear is not one thing - another way will be closed. Sometimes it is that a person fears for his life, sometimes he fears for his wealth, sometimes he fears for his reputation, sometimes he fears the words and sayings of this and that; all these are fears. These fears must be set aside; "and they do not fear anyone except God". This requires a lot of effort. This hardship, this effort is often not understood by individuals; people do not realize what hardship is being endured. It continues: "and sufficient is God as a Reckoner"; sincerity, action accompanied by certainty, accompanied by courage and bravery, and leaving the reckoning to God. This becomes the general framework of Islamic promotion.

I also want to mention regarding promotion during the upcoming Muharram - some may say you want to express the movement of Imam Hussein, very well, go ahead and express it, what is the need for mourning and weeping? Go and sit down and express that the Imam did this and that, and their goal was this. This is a very erroneous thought, a wrong perspective. This affection towards the friends of God, the friends of religion, this emotional bond is a very valuable backing for the intellectual and practical bond. Without this backing, it becomes very difficult to move in this path. This emotional bond is very important. What the late Imam (may God’s mercy be upon him) said about mourning in the traditional style was not a statement made out of habit; it is a very profound statement; it is deeply insightful. You see, in the Quran, there are three expressions regarding the friends of God:

One expression is the expression of guardianship; "Indeed, your guardian is Allah and His Messenger and those who have believed - those who establish prayer and give zakat while they bow"; the discussion of guardianship. It is clear that connection, relationship, knowledge, these are all included under the umbrella of guardianship.

One discussion is the discussion of obedience; "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you"; obedience to the Messenger and obedience to those in authority. This is in action. In the field of action, one must obey, follow.

But there is a third discussion, and that is the discussion of affection. "Say, I do not ask of you for it any reward except for affection in kinship". What is this affection? Have guardianship over them, obey them; what is the affection for? This affection is a backing. If this affection is not there, the same calamity will befall the Islamic community that befell some people in the early periods who gradually set aside this affection, and obedience and guardianship were also set aside. The discussion of affection is very important. This affection is achieved through these emotional connections; narrating the tragedies of these individuals creates an emotional connection; narrating their merits and virtues creates another emotional bond.

Therefore, these mourning ceremonies that take place, this weeping and wailing that occurs, this detailing of the events of Ashura that takes place, these are necessary things. Some from the perspective of enlightenment should not come and say, these are no longer necessary. No, these are necessary; these will remain necessary until the end; the very actions that people perform. Of course, there are some bad forms that we have mentioned; like self-flagellation, which we have said is forbidden, this should not be done; this is a cause for the enemies to speak ill against the friends of the Ahl al-Bayt. But this ordinary mourning that people perform; processions of chest-beating, raising flags, expressing affection, writing slogans, reciting, weeping; these increase the emotional connection day by day; these are very good things. This is the importance of promotion.

Therefore, in the seminary - which is the center in every respect, Qom - a good effort must be made for organizing, creating movements, coordinating, and policymaking for promotion - which has now been promised - God willing, this work will be pursued. It may be that at a certain time, some issues need to be promoted that for example, there is a need for five years, ten years, and it may be that five years later, that topic is no longer needed at all. This work must be designed. We always recommend to the promoters, to the students, to the scholars to assess needs and speak according to the needs and inquiries of the audience; but this is not the work of an individual. Individuals may sometimes make mistakes in this understanding and evaluation. This is the work of a focused group and planning, which God willing must be done.

The most important period and time and place where promotion makes sense is where discord exists. The greatest hardships in the early Islam and during the time of the Prophet were related to the hypocrites. After the Prophet, during the time of Amir al-Mu'minin, there were hardships that arose from the conflict and challenge of the Islamic government with individuals who claimed to be Muslims. Then it continued in this way; during the times of the Imams (peace be upon them) it was the same; during the times of obscurity. Otherwise, when the Battle of Badr occurs, the work is not difficult; when they present themselves in the battlefields against enemies who are clearly known, the work is not difficult. The issue becomes problematic when Amir al-Mu'minin faces those who claim to be Muslims and believe in Islam; it was not that they did not believe in Islam or had turned away from it; no, they believe in Islam, but they go astray, their carnal desires lead them astray. This is the most difficult situation that leads individuals to doubt; to the extent that the companions of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud come to the Prophet and say, "We have doubts about this battle"! Why should they doubt? This doubt among the elite gnaws at the foundation of the correct movement of the Islamic community like a termite. This is the problem of Amir al-Mu'minin. Today it is the same. Today, if you look at the world level, it is the same; if you look at the level of our own society, it is the same. Clarification is necessary.

At the international level, today the enemies are using all tools to confuse the public minds of the masses - both the elites and the common people; wherever they can reach. They are striving for this. They claim to be law-abiding, they claim to support human rights, they claim to be advocates for the oppressed. Well, these are beautiful words, these are attractive words; but the truth is something else. This President of the United States - just a few days ago - says: We are seeking to hold law-breaking governments accountable. Well, which government is the lawbreaker? Which government is more lawbreaking than the American government? With what law did the American government occupy Iraq and inflict so much human, material, and spiritual damage on the Iraqi people? Based on a false rumor that they themselves created, they attacked and occupied Iraq, resulting in hundreds of thousands of Iraqis being killed and millions displaced. Recently, it was reported that five hundred and fifty Iraqi scientists were assassinated by the Israelis. Is this a small matter?! Assassination squads mobilized, went and found Iraqi scientists one by one and assassinated them. This is due to the American occupation. With what law did you enter Iraq? With what law have you remained there until now? With what law are you treating the Iraqi people in such a humiliating manner? With what reasonable international law are you increasing your forces in Afghanistan? How many times have American planes turned wedding caravans in Afghanistan into blood and ruins? Over these years, this has happened repeatedly; dozens of people have been killed in each incident; people who were attending a wedding. Then an American officer shamelessly says: We are after the Taliban! What do you have to do with the wedding of the people? What do you have to do with the lives of the people? Just recently in Herat, one of these incidents occurred, resulting in more than a hundred deaths, fifty of whom were children. You are the epitome of lawlessness. The most lawbreaking governments today are the American government.

The reality of the matter is this; but the language they use is what I said: We oppose lawbreaking! Lawbreaking governments must be held accountable! See, this is discord. What can gather these conspiracies, this corrupt swamp of thoughts from the public minds of the world except enlightenment; and break these darknesses? What can break it, except the light and torch of expressing the truth? See how heavy the duty is.

In the field of religious issues, it is the same. One of the things that today the hands of the instigators in the world are diligently pursuing is the sectarian differences among Muslims. Because the region where Muslims live is a sensitive area, a very beneficial area, a strategic area, an oil-rich area, and they need this place; Islam is also an obstacle. Therefore, they must find a way to solve the problem of Islam for themselves. One of the good ways they have found is to create discord among Muslims; the means of discord is sectarian prejudices. What can stand against this? Insight, enlightenment, correct promotion, not falling into the enemy's trap. This is the international arena.

In the internal arena, it is the same. You observe that some have broken the law, created chaos, encouraged people to stand against the system as much as they could - now their blade did not cut; what they wanted did not happen, that is another discussion; they made their efforts - they gave courage to the enemies of the revolution and the enemies of Islam; they made it so that the enemies of the Imam - those who harbored animosity towards the Imam - gained the courage to come to the university and insult the Imam; they made it so that the hopeless and despairing enemies gained courage to come before the eyes of the multitude of students who are certainly fond of the Imam, fond of the revolution, eager to work for their country and the Islamic Republic, and commit such a great insult, such a great act. Their lawbreaking, their chaos-inducing - encouraging chaos and dragging people into the arena of chaos - this is also its result. These mistakes happen, wrongful actions are committed, wrong actions are performed, and then to hide the wrongness of this action, a philosophy is created around it! They weave philosophy; they create reasoning for it! One of the great trials of humans is this; we are all at risk, we must be vigilant. We commit wrongful acts, and then to defend ourselves against our conscience, against the questioning of the people, against the eyes of the inquirers, we create a philosophy for it; we fabricate a reasoning for it!

Well, these create discord; that is, they make the atmosphere a murky one. They shout support for the law, yet they act explicitly against the law. They shout support for the Imam, yet they do something that leads to such a great sin against the Imam, to insult the Imam. This is not a small matter; this is not a trivial matter. The enemies are very pleased with this action. It is not just pleasure; they analyze it as well. Based on that analysis, they make decisions; based on that decision, they act; they are encouraged against national interests, against the Iranian nation. Here, what creates the problem is the same deception, the same murkiness of the atmosphere, and the same thing that is in the words of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him): "But a handful of truth and a handful of falsehood are taken, and they are mixed, and then the devil takes control over his allies"; they mix a word of truth with a word of falsehood, and the truth becomes obscured for the allies of truth. Here, enlightenment, determining clear markers, and establishing distinctions become meaningful.

The one who works for the revolution, for the Imam, for Islam, as soon as he sees that his words, his actions have led to a direction against these principles, he immediately becomes aware. Why do they not become aware? When they hear that one of the most fundamental slogans of the Islamic Republic - "Independence, Freedom, Islamic Republic" - is being removed from Islam, they must awaken; they must understand that they are going the wrong way, making mistakes; they must disassociate themselves. When they see that on Quds Day, which is for defending Palestine and against the usurping Zionist regime, slogans are being chanted in favor of the usurping Zionist regime and against Palestine, they must become aware, they must pull themselves aside and say no, we are not with this current. When they see that the heads of oppression and global arrogance support them, the leaders of America, France, and England, who are the epitome of oppression - both in the current time and in the historical period of the last hundred and two hundred years - support them, they must understand that something is wrong; they must become aware. When they see that all the corrupt individuals, the monarchists, support them, that the Tudeh party supports them, that the runaway entertainers and musicians support them, they must become aware, they must open their eyes, they must understand; they must realize that their actions have a flaw; they must immediately return and say no, we do not want your support. Why do they hesitate? Can one ignore these clear truths under the pretext of rationality, that we are being rational! Is this rationality, that the enemies of this nation, the enemies of this country, the enemies of Islam, and the enemies of the revolution consider you as their own and cheer for you, and you are pleased with this, feel happy; is this rationality?! This is the opposite of reason. Reason is that as soon as you see something contrary to the principles you claim, you immediately pull yourself aside, say no, no, no, we are not; as soon as you see that the Imam is insulted, instead of denying the original issue, condemning the action; more than condemning the action, understand the truth of the action, understand the depth of the action; understand how the enemy is planning, what he wants, what he is after; this is what these gentlemen must understand. I am astonished! Those who have their names and reputations from the revolution - some of these gentlemen did not even receive a slap for the revolution during the period of oppression and tyranny - and thanks to the revolution, they gained a name and reputation, and everything they have is from the revolution, you see how the enemies of the revolution have become so bold, prepared, lined up, happy; do you see these? Wake up, realize.

You are our former brothers. These are individuals who at one time were insulted for supporting the Imam. Now they see that those who shout in the name of these individuals, hold their pictures, mention their names with reverence, are doing the exact opposite, shouting against the Imam, against the revolution, and against Islam, and publicly breaking their fast on Quds Day, in the month of Ramadan; do you see these, well, pull aside. The elections are over. There was an election, it was public, it was correct, there were no objections that could be made against the election and proven; now they keep claiming, they were given the opportunity; we said come, show us, prove it; they could not, they did not come; it is over. Adhering to the law requires that a person, even if he does not accept this president who has been elected, when he respects the law, he must submit to the law. Well, it is clear that no one can say that the one who has been elected is one hundred percent good, and the one who has not been elected is one hundred percent bad; no, both have good and bad; this side has good, bad; that side has good, bad. The law is the criterion, the standard. Why does it become like this? Why? This is the desire of the self.

These are not just today. Those who remember from the early days of the revolution know; some were among the companions of the Imam, close to the Imam in the first decade of the revolution and during the life of the Imam, whose actions led them to oppose the Imam; their actions led them to confront the Imam; they stood by to bring the Imam to his knees and prove the error of the Imam's movement (may God’s mercy be upon him), that great man, that divine man; but then they became estranged. Well, the revolution rejected them. Those who were close to the Imam, those who were companions of the Imam, their actions led them either to seek refuge with the enemy or to confront the revolution or to strike at the revolution. These must be a lesson for all of us; they must be a lesson; we must understand.

I have no belief in repulsion; I said in the Friday prayer; my belief is in maximum attraction and minimum repulsion; but some seem to insist on distancing themselves from the system. They turned an internal family dispute, an internal system dispute - which was electoral struggles - into a struggle against the system - of course, these are a minority, they are small; in the face of the greatness of the Iranian nation, they are zero, but they shout in the name of these, and they feel happy about this - this must be a lesson. Promotion must be able to clarify these truths for the people and for themselves so that they understand they are making mistakes and errors.

Of course, this system is a divine system; this system is one that God Almighty has shown His grace and support for this system repeatedly; our experiences from the beginning of the revolution all show this. If we are with God, God is with us. These individuals and these world oppressors who today want to manage the world with these distorted logics and these flawed logics - which I referred to - will certainly be dealt a blow by this nation and by independent nations, with the help and power of God. They have neither understood Islam, nor this nation, nor this revolution, nor our great Imam; they do not know who they are dealing with. They have not recognized this nation; this nation is a resilient nation. Our youth are youths who, in the true sense of the word, strive for happiness; happiness that exists in Islam. Our students are the same; our students today are among the best students; not only in terms of intellect and knowledge but also in terms of purity, spirituality, and faith; our students are very good. In these matters, it has been repeatedly shown; the university has provided a very good test. In these matters, it has shown that it is present in the scene, aware, and awake. The more this connection between the seminary and the university, this bond between the seminary and the university increases, the more this spirituality, this spirit will grow.

We, of course, request from the people: in these matters of insult to the late Imam (may God’s mercy be upon him), our people became angry, they became furious; they have the right. They declared their disavowal, it was appropriate, it was good; but they should maintain their calm. We also have the same request from the students: maintain your calm. Those who stand against you are not individuals who have roots, who can remain, who can resist against the greatness of this nation and the greatness of this revolution; no. With calm; everything must be done with calm. If at any time it becomes necessary, the authorities, the law, and the guardians of the law will perform their duties. Of course, they must identify; the students themselves are obliged in the university environment to recognize those who are the source of corruption, to make others aware. This itself is a correct and proper promotion. Make them aware; they should know the connections of these individuals, their orientations; but everything must be done with calm. In the community, tension, chaos, and conflict are not in the interest; this is what the enemy wants. The enemy wants the community not to be calm. Security is important. The enemies of the people's security want the people to live in insecurity, to become upset, to become frustrated, to become angry; we do not want this. We want the people to have a calm life; students should be able to study; clerics should be able to study; scholars should be able to conduct their research; industrialists, farmers, merchants should be able to carry out all their work. The university environment must also be a secure environment; the youth of the people are gathered in this university community, and the people want their youth to be in a secure environment. Those who make the university environment insecure with their chaos are facing the people, they are confronting the people. Of course, the legal authorities also have duties; they must fulfill these duties.

Know, dear youth! Dear students! Young scholars! Know that this blessed verse: "And as for the foam, it goes away as scum, but what benefits the people remains on the earth", today has a complete and perfect application in your time, and you will see it by God's grace that "and what benefits the people remains on the earth", this solid foundation whose geometry is divine, its foundation is laid by the hand of a divine man, its permanence is with the will of this great nation and with the faith of this great nation, will remain steadfast, and God willing, this tree will become more rooted day by day, and you will see that these opponents, those who oppose this foundation, this truth, "will go away as scum"; these will be destroyed before your eyes, God willing.

We hope that God Almighty will be kind to the sacred heart of the Mahdi and include us in his prayers and make the pure souls of the martyrs and the spirit of the great Imam, God willing, pleased with us.

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