Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with Various People from Different Cities

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

Dear brothers and sisters, especially the esteemed families of our noble martyrs, and particularly those who have traveled long distances and endured hardships to be here; welcome. These days are among the most prominent days of the year. The first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah are significant due to the valuable memories associated with the Imams (peace be upon them), the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the great festival of Muslims, and the symbolic and significant act of sacrifice on this day, and especially due to the day of Arafah, a day of prayer, supplication, and humility. Although the coincidence of the day of Arafah with the martyrdom of Hazrat Muslim (peace be upon him) gives this day an aspect of mourning, the great blessings of the day of Arafah truly introduce such a day as a day of Eid, blessing, and mercy from the Lord.

I wish to tell all of you brothers and sisters present here and the entire Iranian nation to seize these opportunities to turn to the Lord. No one should think that in the life of a nation that is in the process of construction, prayer and supplication do not play a significant role. On the contrary, a nation that has a difficult path ahead and wants to accomplish great tasks must, alongside work and effort, open a door for prayer and turning to the Lord and seeking help from God. In the history of Islam, you see that the Infallibles (peace be upon them), including the Prophet and the Commander of the Faithful (peace and blessings be upon them), would open their hands in supplication and prayer in battlefields, in dangerous situations, and during great tasks. No one can say that the Prophet and the early Muslims did not work and strive. There is no greater effort than theirs. In those ten years when the Prophet held the governance of the Islamic society of that time, those years were entirely filled with work and effort. However, alongside that work and effort, prayer, supplication, repentance, and seeking forgiveness from the Lord also had their place.

If a nation wants to succeed in its path, it must correct and improve its relationship with God. If it wants to accomplish great tasks, it must seek help from God. If a person wants to remove the fear of enemies from their heart, they should not fear the great powers. The misfortune of nations occurs when they fear the powers and international bullies. A nation becomes disgraced and falls into the abyss of misery when it fears the world's tyrants. If nations fear the tyrants, they will be unfortunate. Similarly, if the governments and leaders of today's countries fear the arrogant and audacious international powers, their hands and feet will be tied. The path to a nation's progress; the way for a nation to properly use its power and resources is not to fear the international bullies and tyrants.

To not fear the powers, one must fear God. A heart filled with the fear and love of God and attention to the Lord will not fear any power. This is the benefit of prayer. The great secret of the success of our noble Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) - whom you saw standing firm like a mountain - was his steadfastness, which he gained through his connection with God. The relationship with God has this benefit. The reason I sometimes emphasize prayer and supplication, especially for you young people, is that the future of the country is in your hands. The destiny of this nation is in the hands of the youth, and the youth should not have fear and dread of the powers and foreigners in their hearts, nor should they be seduced by them. This lack of fear and seduction is achieved through intimacy with God, prayer, supplication, and attention, and the day of Arafah, which is approaching, is one of these days of prayer, supplication, and intimacy with the Lord.

Value the day of Arafah. I saw in a narration that 'Arafah and Arafat are named so because on this day and in that place, there is an opportunity to confess sins before the Lord.' Islam does not allow confession of sins before people. No one should verbalize a sin they have committed and confess it before anyone. But before God, yes. Between yourself and God, between ourselves and God, we should have solitude and confess our shortcomings, faults, mistakes, and sins, which are the cause of our disgrace, the binding of our wings, and the hindrance of our flight, and repent from them. If an individual wants to reform, they must accept their sin and fault and confess it before themselves and God. Those who do not acknowledge any fault or mistake for themselves will never reform. A nation, too, if it wants to follow the right path, must understand where it has erred and what its mistakes are and confess its sin.

Today, if the members of the great Islamic nation accept that they have been negligent towards Islam; if the Muslims of the world acknowledge and confess that they have erred in following the Islamic powers and have gone astray in accepting the corrupt and misleading Western culture, their path will open, and they will be able to reform themselves. Global propaganda wants to distract nations so they do not understand which path is right and which is wrong. You see what global propaganda and foreign radios do in political, economic, and consumption matters and the like! The main secret of why the Iranian nation was able to create a worldly resurrection, awaken the world, and bring about a great transformation was that it changed that wrong and mistaken path. It realized that following the oppressors and tyrants and the tyrannical kings, or remaining silent in the face of them, is wrong. Therefore, it returned from this mistake, and this return from the mistake enabled it to achieve happiness and salvation. You, the Iranian nation, opened and traversed a path before the nations of the world, which today all Muslim intellectuals and those with awakened consciences in the Islamic world seek, desire, and pursue; because this is the path to salvation. The path to salvation lies in liberation from the imposition and domination of the arrogant powers. Unfortunately, some Islamic countries are not like this, and some Islamic nations have not yet succeeded in following this path.

Treacherous and corrupt leaders have not allowed nations to find their way. Regarding the issues that have arisen for the pilgrims in this year's Hajj, what I can currently say is that I am very sorry that some prevent the call of monotheism from rising beside the house of monotheism and the center of monotheism. For now, we will not speak about the behavior of the rulers and officials of 'Hejaz' until we see how they will treat our pilgrims. Today, thousands of our people are there, and we, by the grace of the Lord, are following and pursuing their issues in detail so that they can perform their duties with complete comfort and safety and return. The officials there are obliged to provide and ensure the means of comfort, safety, and the performance of rituals and duties for the Iranian pilgrims. This is a duty they must fulfill, and we are waiting to see whether they will act correctly and completely according to their duty with the Iranian pilgrims or not.

We hope that Almighty God will bless the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah and these blessed days for all Muslims, especially for our dear people and our great, faithful, and loyal nation. I hope that God will grant you, the faithful people, the success to use the day of Arafah to bring your hearts closer to Almighty God and to value this day. Arafah is a great day. Purifying the soul and giving clarity to the self is a fundamental and important issue for each of us, wherever we are. Do not underestimate these opportunities and do not consider these matters insignificant. In the great movement of the Iranian nation and in construction and victory over the enemies and standing against the tyrants and achieving the high goals of the Islamic system, the connection with God and attention and supplication to the Lord plays a role. The time and opportunity for this are the times that have been determined, and the most important of them, or among the most important of them, is the day of Arafah. We hope that God will include all of you in His mercy and blessings.

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