Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards on the Occasion of Guards Day

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

I also extend my congratulations on this great festival to all the freedom-seekers of the world and to all Muslims; especially to the lovers of the Ahl al-Bayt throughout the Islamic world and particularly to the dear nation of Iran, for whom the names of Hussein ibn Ali and the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are a constant symbol of their lives, and especially to you dear guards who are truly the spiritual children of that great figure. I am very pleased that our festive day has been truly blessed and auspicious with your presence and the formation of this sincere gathering. May God, God willing, protect you and make your warm, bright, and loving hearts the focus of His attention and grace.

Imitating the great figures and associating with the saints is the work of the wise of the world. Everyone seeks a model, searches for an example and a role model; however, not everyone chooses the right path in seeking a model. There are some individuals in the world who, if you ask them which figure captures their mind, you will find that they turn to insignificant, small, and lowly people whose lives have been spent in servitude to their desires, and whose only art is something that does not please anyone but the heedless—only entertaining small and heedless people for a few moments—these become models for some ordinary people of the world. Some turn to politicians and historical figures and the like and take them as models. The wisest people are those who take the saints of God as their models; because the greatest characteristic of the saints of God is that they are so brave, strong, and powerful that they can be masters of their own desires and not become subservient to their own desires.

It is attributed to one of the ancient philosophers and sages that he said to Alexander the Roman—Macedonian: You are the slave of my slaves! Alexander was surprised and became angry. He said: Do not be angry; you are a slave to your lust and anger. When you want something, you become restless; when you become angry at something, you become restless! This is slavery in the face of lust and anger; whereas lust and anger are my slaves.

This story may be true and it may not be real; but with regard to the saints of God, the prophets, and the guides of divine guidance for humanity, it is true. Examples of this are Joseph, Abraham, and Moses, and there are many examples in the lives of the saints of God. The wisest people are those who take these great figures; these brave and powerful people as their models and thereby gain power and greatness for themselves in essence and meaning.

Again, among these great figures, there are indicators that undoubtedly, Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), is one of the greatest of these indicators. It must truly be said that not only we insignificant and unworthy earthly humans, but all realms of existence, the spirits of the saints and great figures, and the close angels are in need of a ray of his light, and in all the intertwined worlds of existence, which are not clear and familiar to us, the blessed light of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) shines like the sun. If a person places themselves in the light of this sun, it is a very distinguished act.

Therefore, the guards are among those who have shown this wisdom. Preserve this for yourselves and take it seriously. Seriousness is necessary. It should not be considered a superficial and disorganized and imaginary matter. Seriousness is necessary in everything. "Grant me seriousness in Your fear" is necessary in spiritual matters as well. The work must be taken seriously and pursued. Truly consider yourselves similar to that great figure; as anyone who looks at the page of the revolution from the beginning of the revolution—in these seventeen years—and turns the pages of this thick book, will see the same about the guards. The guards, by the blessing of imitating the behavior of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him), have created great value.

My dear ones! Sometimes someone does not have a blessing, we tell them to go and obtain it; but sometimes someone has a blessing, we tell them to preserve it and increase it. I often say this repeatedly in meetings with you dear ones, because you are blessed with divine blessings, to preserve and increase it. These things do not remain by themselves; they must be maintained and their maintenance requires conditions.

Consider; Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) was the son of the Prophet, the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) and Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her)—all these are values that greatly elevate a person—he was raised in that house and that lap and that upbringing and spiritual atmosphere and heavenly spirit; but he was not content with these. When the Prophet passed away, he was an eight or nine-year-old boy. When the Commander of the Faithful was martyred, he was a thirty-seven or thirty-eight-year-old young man. During the time of the Commander of the Faithful, which was a time of trial and effort and work, this capable material, under the hand of that father, was constantly kneaded and became strong, bright, and radiant.

If a person's ambition is like ours, they will say that this much is enough; this is good enough and with this, we will meet God. The ambition of Hussein is not this. During the blessed life of his brother, when he was the follower of that great figure and Imam Hassan (peace be upon him) was the Imam, he continued that great movement. Again, progress and fulfilling duties alongside his brother and absolute obedience to the Imam of the time is there. Consider every moment of it. Then he faced the martyrdom of his brother. After that, the blessed life of this great figure continued for ten years—from the time of the martyrdom of Imam Hassan until the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, it is about ten years and a little more—see what Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) did in these ten years before Ashura.

That worship and supplication, that resorting and seclusion in the sanctuary of the Prophet and that spiritual and spiritual discipline is one side of the matter. On the other hand, the effort of that great figure in spreading knowledge and teachings and fighting against distortion is there. Distortion at that time was the greatest spiritual calamity for Islam, which like a flood of corruption and filth, was pouring into the minds of the Islamic society. It was a time when the greatest personality of Islam was ordered to be cursed in the Islamic cities and countries and Muslim nations of that day! If someone was accused of being a supporter of the movement of the Imamate and the Guardianship of the Commander of the Faithful, they were pursued. "Killing on suspicion and arrest on accusation."

In such a time, this great figure stood like a mountain and cut through the veils of distortion like steel. The words and statements and addresses of that great figure to the scholars are things that some of them that remain in history show what a great movement he had in this field.

Another thread is the thread of forbidding evil and enjoining good in its highest form, which is mentioned in the letter to Muawiyah in historical books—it is not a Shia narration—incidentally, this letter—as far as I remember—has been narrated by Sunni historians; I think the Shia have not narrated it; or if they have narrated it, they have taken it from them. That infamous letter and forbidding evil and enjoining good, until the movement from Medina, which is after the ascension of Yazid to the throne, which is also enjoining good and forbidding evil. "I want to enjoin good and forbid evil."

See; a person, both in personal and spiritual effort—self-purification—makes that great movement; both in the cultural arena, which is fighting distortion, spreading divine rulings, and educating students and great people, and in the political arena, which is enjoining good and forbidding evil. Then his great struggle, which is related to the political arena. This person is engaged in self-building and progress in three arenas.

My dear ones! This person is a model—these are related to before Karbala—one should not stop for a moment. One must always be progressing; because the enemy is waiting for a soft trench to penetrate. The enemy is waiting for a stop to attack. The best way to stop the enemy's attack and disrupt their formation is your attack. Your progress is an attack on the enemy.

Some think that attacking the enemies means that a person must necessarily take cannons and guns somewhere; or raise a political shout. Of course, this is also necessary at times. Yes; it is necessary for a person to raise a political shout. Some should not think that when we refer to the issue of culture, we mean shouting at the enemy; no. Of course, that is also a necessary task in its place; but it is not just that. The work of building a person on oneself, on one's children, subordinates, and people, and on the Islamic nation is the greatest work. The enemy is constantly clawing to somehow weaken or thin and penetrate this great barrier. The enemy does not let go.

The enemy with its apparent and hollow greatness is all Western arrogance and decadent and tyrannical culture. This enemy has been created over centuries; it has seized all the outlets of the world—economic, cultural, human, and political resources. Now it has faced an important obstacle which is true Islam—not claimed Islam. Of course, claimed Islam exists. They sit at its table; they graze; they lick their fingers! Naturally, that has no fear.

The real barrier is true Islam and the Islam of the Quran. The Islam of "God will never give the disbelievers a way over the believers" and "The judgment is only God's." If you narrow the circle a little and get closer to the center, it is the Islam of "Indeed, God has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise." It is your Islam whose bodies are full of shrapnel. Your entire being bears the marks of operations and jihad in the way of God and the like. Whether the dear disabled veterans, the families of the martyrs, or those who went and, thanks be to God, returned alive and well—to the enemy's chagrin. The main obstacle is this.

The enemy is not heedless of this obstacle. It constantly claws at it. We must counter the enemy's clawing and scheming. Movement and effort are necessary; both in the self-building front—this is paramount; like Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) who is your master and lord—and in the political front—which is enjoining good and political movement and presence and where necessary, stating positions and political clarification in the face of global arrogance—and in the cultural front—which is human building, self-building, intellectual self-building, and spreading thought and culture—these are the duties of all those who consider Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) as a model. Fortunately, our nation is all humble before Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) and considers that great figure great. Even many non-Muslims are like this.

Now we come to the issue of Karbala, which is important from another aspect. Again, this is a lesson for those who want to take Imam Hussein as a model. My dear ones; see! The Karbala incident lasted more than half a day—or a little more. A number were martyred—now seventy-two people or a few more or less—there are many martyrs in the world. The Karbala issue that you see has gained so much greatness—and rightly so, and it is still greater than this—has influenced and penetrated deeply into the depths of human existence because of the spirit of this incident. The physical aspect of the incident does not have much volume. After all, small children have been killed everywhere; while there a six-month-old child was killed—the enemies have massacred and killed hundreds of children in some places—the issue here is not physical; it is very important in terms of meaning and spirit.

The spirit of the incident is that Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) was not facing an army; he was not facing a group of people, even if they were a hundred times his own number; Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) was facing a world of deviation and darkness. This is important. He was facing a world of deviation and darkness and oppression, which also had everything. Money, gold, power, poetry, books, narrators, and clerics. It was terrifying. The body of an ordinary person—even an above-average person—would tremble in the face of the hollow greatness of that world of darkness. The step and heart of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) did not tremble in the face of this world; he did not feel weak or doubtful and came alone into the field. The greatness of the incident is that it is a stand for God.

The work of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in Karbala is comparable to the work of his pure grandfather, Muhammad ibn Abdullah (peace be upon him and his family) in the mission. The issue is this. Just as the Prophet faced a world alone there, Imam Hussein also faced a world alone in the Karbala incident. That great figure was not afraid; he stood and came forward. Imam Hussein was not afraid; he stood and came forward. The prophetic movement and the Husayni movement are like concentric circles. They are directed towards one direction. Therefore, here "Hussein is from me and I am from Hussein" finds meaning. This is the greatness of Imam Hussein's work.

Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) on the night of Ashura, when he said: Go and do not stay here; take my children and go; they want me, he was not joking. Suppose they accepted and left and Imam Hussein remained alone or with ten people; do you think the greatness of Imam Hussein's work would have diminished? No; it would still have had the same greatness. If instead of these seventy-two people, seventy-two thousand people surrounded Imam Hussein, would the greatness of the work have diminished?

No, the greatness of the work was that Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), in the face of the pressure and weight of a world of aggression and claims, did not feel doubt; while ordinary people feel doubt. Even above-average people feel doubt. As I have said many times, Abdullah ibn Abbas—a great personality—and all the sons of the Quraysh nobles were upset with that situation. Abdullah Zubair, Abdullah Umar, Abdul Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, and the sons of the great companions and some companions of this kind. In Medina, there were many companions; they were also people of honor—not that you think they were not honorable—they were the same people who stood against the attack of Muslim ibn Aqabah in the "Harrah" incident in Medina—when they attacked Medina the following year and massacred everyone—they stood; they fought and resisted. Do not think they were cowards; no, they were swordsmen and brave.

But the courage to enter the battlefield is one issue and the courage to face a world is another issue. Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) had the latter. He moved for the latter. That is why I have emphasized many times that the movement of our great Imam was a Husayni movement. The great Imam in our time had a trace of the Husayni movement in his work. Now some may say that Imam Hussein was martyred thirsty in the desert of Karbala; but the great Imam lived with this honor, government, and passed away and was buried. The index of the issue is not these. The index of the issue is facing a hollow greatness that has everything with it.

I said before that the enemy of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) had money, power, swordsmen, promoters, and advocates. My dear ones! Now your situation is like this. Karbala is spread until the end of the world. Karbala was not limited to the borders of that few hundred meters field. Now is the same day. All the world of arrogance and oppression today is facing the Islamic Republic.

Of course, today is truly and fairly better than the time of Imam Hussein. This must be accepted. After all, today amidst these darknesses, lights are seen. There are individuals and people; intellectuals, aware people, and nations in corners of the world; communications are good. But the situation of the enemy of Islam and the Islamic Republic and the enemy of this right and this precious gem that is in your possession and in your hand is widespread everywhere. From the arrogant American government to the culture prevailing in many societies today—whether Western societies and their followers, to the deceived hearts that even live in your home, that is, within the four walls of this divine and Husayni country—they are widespread; they are also claimants! Suddenly, with a meeting and sitting, they accuse the Islamic Republic of something that if explained to the people of the world, the people of the world would be surprised! Just as the Commander of the Faithful was accused of not praying!

One is this American government that has committed a thousand types of atrocities in Latin American countries and various countries of the world and in Asia; America that did not express any discomfort over the massacre of thousands of faithful people in "Srebrenica" and in the areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even now that they are pretending, they are not sincere. They do not pursue it seriously. That day they stood and just watched until they massacred and destroyed the Muslims. They destroyed thousands upon thousands. We kept shouting continuously; but they said: No, there is no news at all!

I was looking at a note from the year 1995—related to "Srebrenica"—in that note it was mentioned that several prominent political leaders of the world had said: There is no news of these things being said! Whereas after a few months—about twelve, thirteen, or fifteen months—mass graves were discovered in Srebrenica! We were shouting continuously that day; they said: There is no news!

They do not value the unjustly shed blood of the Palestinian people at all. They did not care about the thousands who were affected by chemical attacks by the Ba'athist regime of Iraq in the Halabja incidents and others. They do not care about various atrocities in the world and for humanity at all. This American government and its likes and counterparts—which I do not want to name individuals and governments one by one. The worst of all is America; others are somewhat close or distant to it—come and accuse the Islamic Republic of not respecting human rights! It is not just that the radios say it; newspapers write it and make resolutions. The Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations raise it and do whatever they can, such as giving money and threatening!

Now this is one item. In various issues, in economic blockade and in various actions and different threats, it is also like this. Of course, the political and cultural opposition of governments is a small part of the opposition to the Islamic Republic. The more important part is the cultural opposition of the West to the Islamic Republic system, which is a deep and long-term opposition. Standing against these requires a Husayni spirit. Those who today stand against the attacks and conspiracies of our enemies in the arrogance front, in jihad and political work, are doing the work of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him). So the greatness of the movement of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) is here.

This point in turn leads us to another point, which is how can one stand? Standing is not an easy task; it requires power. This power is also achieved with sincerity; therefore, you must seek sincerity and we must seek it. We must act for God, for duty and obligation, not for desires and whims, or expectations and what others say. If this happens, then the field will never be empty of great people and strong pillars who can hold this tent. Just as the issue in the battlefield, for many of our self-sacrificing and devoted warriors, was truly and fairly a matter of sincerity. At the beginning of the revolution, before the war and after the war, it has been the same. We must practice the issue of sincerity.

Today the Islamic Republic needs this spirit and that determination and steadfastness. I want to tell you that my dear ones, today the dignity of Iran and the Iranian nation also needs it. If someone is not a person of God's religion, they will not work for God; just wanting this house to remain safe and standing for its people. Such a person must also know that it is not possible except with steadfast and courageous standing against the enemy. The enemy is not heedless for a moment and does whatever it can. I have said many times that our global enemies have no favor on the Iranian nation to say that we could have dealt you such a blow and we did not; no. Every blow they did not strike, they could not! Not being able is not just lacking ammunition. They had a thousand kinds of obstacles and problems that they could not. They were afraid of its reaction and regional problems; but they were never heedless of being able to strike an effective blow. They also tested it and saw that there is no effective blow for this nation. Is there a more effective blow than the eight-year war?

The eight-year war made this nation tempered, brave, and self-reliant. It raised the name of this nation. Many Muslim nations of the world have paid attention and inclination because of the war and your nation's beliefs. Read the biographies of those who have written poems and articles in praise of the Iranian nation and in praise of Iran and the Islamic Republic and the city of Tehran—which are numerous. They are in Islamic countries, especially in Arab countries. Of course, non-Arab countries are also numerous in this regard. They are asked the reason; they say: The war incident brought us to ourselves!

This steadfastness of the Iranian nation, this power accompanied by oppression, shook the nations. They also tested this and saw. But they are still waiting; "They are waiting for you to be caught in a circle." As the Quran said about the Prophet: They are constantly in ambush to be able to make a move. When you sometimes see that they say about Iran and the Islamic Republic: "Security does this"—they create rumors—or they say: "It has such a weapon; it was involved in such an incident and explosion," all these are the same conspiracies. The same plotting and creating a background for confrontation with the Iranian nation. Of course, all of them have been, thanks be to God, foiled; and they will be after this.

The Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic government have not once caused insecurity in this region throughout these years. They have always maintained security. Others have created insecurity. In this seventeen-year history of the revolution, they cannot show once that the Islamic Republic or the Iranian nation has made a move that has caused regional insecurity.

Of course, others did; everyone knows and is informed. Both some internal powers of the region and those who were outside created a lot of insecurity; but we did not. We have always maintained security. Security for ourselves is naturally security for the region. That is, we wanted both our security and the security of the region; because it is inseparable. Our insecurity is also the insecurity of the region. Transnational powers or their followers should not think that Iran can be made insecure and the region kept secure for others; no. This is nothing but a dream and fantasy. They should know that if the devils try to create insecurity for this nation, this nation is not a nation that leaves the enemy's blow unanswered. The Iranian nation does not leave anyone's blow unanswered.

The Americans with their weak and ailing foreign policy—which has shown in these few years how weak and ailing and incapable the foreign policy of the American government, especially this current American government, is—have come to the conclusion that perhaps they can—according to their imagination—show a blow. Of course, they do not express anything. The evidence seems to suggest this to some. For example, they say: In such an explosion, the Iranians were involved; or in such a case, the Iranians were involved—such worthless and futile words and excuses—to perhaps at least create a mental groundwork!

They should have known the Iranian nation well. The Iranian nation is a nation that most of the region's sensitive Gulf stability depends on it and its country. The day Iran has security and peace—as it has been, thanks be to God, and it is and, God willing, will be in the future—the region will see peace. Unless they create trouble for themselves. In other places that do not concern us; but if they want to attack the Iranian nation, they should know that the region will become much more insecure for the enemies of the Iranian nation, especially for those who sit in glass houses. The situation will be much harder for them.

The Iranian nation is a great and brave nation; a nation that relies and trusts in God. Its path is also a clear path. Its path is to provide a healthy, prosperous, developed, safe, and secure human system for the people of this country, to become a model for other nations. The defense of this nation was a model and example for other nations, and God willing, others have learned from it and Muslim nations, when necessary, can defend themselves. Today, the construction of this country is also a model for other nations and they should learn from it. They should rely on themselves and build their country. They should feel independence from others and become self-sufficient.

Creating security for Iran for itself and its neighbors is also the same. The Iranian nation, thanks be to God, in various issues, wherever it is present, it is a calming and anti-tension presence. Wherever we have entered, it has been like this—trust that, thanks be to God, governments and nations have in the government and nation of Iran—which is also one of God's favors. These are models for other nations and governments. This is due to trust and reliance on God. This is also its clear path.

You dear young people; you who have tested and experienced the path of God and reliance on God and understood its benefits, you have observed the blessings of reliance on God in the behavior of the Imam and in your own behavior in the war, you should not neglect this clear path for a moment. The blessed name of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), his memory and life and history, are all lessons for us. We must learn these lessons. We must understand them correctly and scrutinize them. We must implement them in our lives. God willing, we will also make this a model for nations.

We hope that God will include all of you in His favors and divine confirmations and include you in the pure prayers of the Master of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and, God willing, enlighten and illuminate your eyes and the eyes of all of us with the visitation of that great figure and make the sacred spirit of our dear Imam pleased and satisfied with all of us.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings