Full Text of the Friday Prayer Sermons in Tehran Led by the Supreme Leader

Sermon One: In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. We praise Him, seek His help, ask for His forgiveness, and put our trust in Him. We send blessings and peace upon His beloved, the chosen one among His creation, the guardian of His secrets and the messenger of His messages, the bearer of His mercy and the herald of His wrath; our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, the infallible guides, especially the Awaited One of God among the inhabitants of the earth. I advise you, O servants of God, to be pious. Today is a day dedicated to Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), and our speech is about the characteristics of this great man and this legacy of the prophets and divine saints in our time. I say to all brothers and sisters attending the prayer that the characteristic of our great Imam was his adherence to piety. Let all of you make piety the guideline of your lives, so that just as the doors of divine mercy were opened to that great man, they may also be opened to us. Piety directs divine mercy and guidance towards the individual and the pious community. The first and last instruction of the prophets and their successors is divine piety. In this first sermon, I intend to convey to you, dear ones—especially the youth—the understanding I have felt, seen, and experienced over time as a student and follower of this great man. We have spoken a lot about the Imam. Everyone, friends and enemies, Iranians and non-Iranians, Muslims and non-Muslims, have praised this great man. There is no doubt about this. His greatness and dignity are certain for all; however, this is a general matter. I believe our youth—who today are walking the path of honor and dignity that this great man opened before us—wish to know more about their Imam. I will share my own insights; that is, what I have observed over the course of about thirty years of knowing the Imam closely, and at each stage, I have witnessed a manifestation and dimension of this great personality. From these thirty-one years—from my youth until the passing of that great man—of course, he spent fourteen years in exile, and we appeared to be distant from him; however, we were in the mental space and path of the Imam and were not separated from him. Even during those fourteen years, we were indeed with the Imam. Let me share a point with you, dear ones. It is true that the Imam's students and acquaintances loved him dearly; however, what has been said about the Imam does not stem from love; love is rooted in the qualities that were in the Imam. The second point is that this multifaceted personality had no insistence or haste to showcase the beauties and brilliance of his existence to anyone. Whenever his religious duty compelled him to act, a dimension of his character was revealed. I start from the year 1958; the year I went to Qom and saw the Imam up close for the first time; of course, before that, we had heard in Mashhad that there was a great teacher and scholar in Qom who was appealing to the youth and distinguished. A young seminary student entering Qom seeks a teacher. In the seminaries, choosing a teacher is not compulsory, and everyone selects a teacher according to their own preferences and tastes. The teacher who initially attracted young and eager students was the man who was known among his students as "Haj Agha Ruhollah." A group of talented, studious, and enthusiastic youth gathered in his class. We entered Qom in such an atmosphere. He was a symbol of scientific innovation and mastery in jurisprudence and principles. I had seen a great teacher in Mashhad before him—namely, the late Ayatollah Milani—who was one of the distinguished jurists. At that time, the head of the Qom seminary—who was also the Imam's teacher, namely the late Ayatollah Borujerdi—was present; there were other great figures as well; however, the class that attracted the hearts of eager and hardworking young talents was the jurisprudence and principles class of the Imam. Gradually, we heard from the older students that this man was also a great philosopher and that his philosophy class was the first philosophy class in Qom; however, he preferred to teach jurisprudence now. We heard that this man was also a teacher of ethics, and people participated in his ethics class, and he endeavored to strengthen moral virtues in the youth. Over the years, we observed this closely. However, up to this point, the personality of this great man—whose inner self was filled with unknown qualities—was known to most people only as a learned teacher and a moral educator of students. In 1961, the late Ayatollah Borujerdi—the religious authority—passed away. There were other esteemed authorities who were mentioned, and their friends named them. This became a scene for this man—our great Imam—to show everyone that this ethical lesson he spoke of was not merely verbal and intended to teach others; rather, he himself was the first practitioner of the lessons of self-purification. Everyone saw, understood, and acknowledged that this man was turning away from the position and prominence of leadership—even if that leadership was a spiritual and moral authority—and made no effort for rank or status; rather, if others sought to promote him, he would, as much as he could, prevent it. After about a year and a half following the passing of the late Ayatollah Borujerdi, the Islamic movement began. In the second half of 1962, another dimension of this personality was revealed, which was his awareness, sharp understanding, and attention to points that were often overlooked, on one hand, and his religious zeal on the other. Many heard that the government’s resolution at that time had removed the stipulation of being Muslim and the oath on the Quran for the elected individual; however, many did not pay attention to how significant this was! At the same time, it was very important; the reason was that although the National Assembly at that time was a puppet assembly—they formed it themselves, and only their approved candidates went there; in reality, there was no election by the people, and it was an appointment—despite this, that regime did not dare to present the regulations regarding the associations and this Islamic issue while the assembly was in session. They feared it would be reflected; they passed it in the absence of the assembly! They had dissolved the assembly at that time; there was no assembly; they approved it in a closed environment! This indicated that there were many discussions and numerous intentions behind this issue. No one understood this; however, the Imam understood it and stood firm. His religious zeal compelled him to take the initiative in this seemingly small anti-Islamic matter and to start the struggle, and he did so. Here, there is an important point: the great Imam did not want to lead even in the field of struggle. He himself narrated to us that at the beginning of the movement, at the house of the late Ayatollah Haeri, he spoke with one of the well-known authorities of that time, who was also his contemporary, and told him that you should take the lead, and we will follow you. The Imam's intention was that the duty be fulfilled; to carry out the obligation he felt on his shoulders; leading was not the issue. Of course, others did not have the ability and courage to enter this field and could not reach the Imam. Naturally, the Imam took on the leadership and guidance of this movement; he started this struggle and relied on the people. Until that day, no one among the great figures of the seminaries and authorities had guessed that a religious movement, especially in that era of oppression, could garner such support from the people; however, the Imam said on that day that he would move forward with the support of these people; he invited the people to this desert of Qom. He knew that if he invited the people, they would gather from all over Iran and create an immense, unmanageable gathering for that regime and the corrupt government. Here, a new dimension of this man’s personality was revealed; the dimension of leadership power, political courage, familiarity with the intricacies of the enemy's actions, and awareness of the enemies' goals; this dimension became evident in practice. The year 1963—the second year of the struggle—arrived, which was a year of intensification of actions, pressures, and killings. There, the Imam appeared like a sun in the sky of the hopes of the Iranian nation. In the position of a self-sacrificing man and a volcano; someone who possessed all the necessary feelings for a global man, a patriotic man, and an Islamic man; he had the necessary courage, the power to mobilize the masses, and the necessary clarity; whether at the beginning of 1963 when the incident of the commandos attacking the Feyziyeh School and the Qom seminary occurred, or on the 15th of Khordad 1963 when the greatness of the Imam became evident. The Iranian nation suddenly felt that it had a support; a great peak existed that it could look up to and pay attention to. The Imam appeared in this way on the scene on the 15th of Khordad. After this incident, there were imprisonments, exiles, and numerous pressures, and the Imam was not young at that time. For us who were young at that time, going to prison and the difficult events that arose were not very hard; it was more like a pastime; however, the Imam at that time—at the beginning of the struggle—was sixty-three years old. At sixty-three, this man could stir the feelings of a nation with the surge of his own feelings. Going to prison and being exiled at that age was not an easy task; however, this self-sacrifice and willingness to take risks became evident in this man. This was another new dimension; that is, a man who, in the path of great ideals and in the path of religious duty, no problem could hinder his way. This process culminated in the fourteen-year exile of the Imam, first to Turkey and then to Iraq. During the Imam's exile, new dimensions of this unparalleled and truly exceptional personality emerged; things that one rarely observes in the lives of great personalities. Firstly, he positioned himself as a thinker—what is commonly referred to in political negotiations as a theorist—who lays out the plan for a government, a system, a new structure; a plan that has no existing and tangible precedent before the eyes. An Islamic foundation, considering the needs of the modern world and the issues that are raised in the world; the combination of these issues becomes the design of a system. Secondly, although this man was not in Iran, he led the Islamic struggles and the Islamic movement in Iran from afar for a full fourteen years in the true sense of the word. During these fourteen years, especially in the recent years—from the years 1970 and 1971 to 1974 and 1975—the intensity of oppression and pressure was high. Various groups, factions, political parties, clandestine, militant, political, and non-political emerged and were suppressed and disappeared under the pressures of the regime or became ineffective. Although some of them had international political backers; they were connected to the East and West blocs—especially the East—and were guided and supported from there, the Imam's movement was not reliant on party organizations. The Imam had no party organization within the country; a number of students and friends and acquaintances were thinking of him and the masses. When the Imam sent messages in his announcements, his audience was not those specific friends and acquaintances; his audience was the masses. He spoke to the masses and guided them, and over the course of fourteen to fifteen years, he was able to deeply instill this Islamic thought and Islamic movement in the minds, and secondly, expand it in society; directing the hearts of the youth and their minds and faith towards it, so that the ground would be prepared for that great revolution. Many inside the country were doing great, sincere, and self-sacrificing works, but if it were not for the centrality of the Imam, none of these works would have existed; all these efforts would have failed, and all these individuals would have lost their breath. The one who did not lose breath was he, and others drew strength and energy from his power. Then, the true guidance of a revolutionary movement and a great movement over the course of fourteen years and leading it through all those various obstacles was by that great man. It became such that un-Islamic and anti-Islamic thoughts were marginalized and pushed to the sidelines; day by day, Islamic thought and this logical, solid, and strong thinking established and demonstrated its dominance over other thoughts. In all important matters, the presence of the Imam was palpable. In 1968, the Imam in Najaf—the center of jurisprudence—brought forth the idea of "Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist" based on solid jurisprudential foundations. Of course, "Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist" is among the established principles of Shia jurisprudence. The fact that some semi-educated individuals claim that the Imam innovated "Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist" and that other scholars did not accept it stems from ignorance. Anyone familiar with the words of the jurists knows that the issue of "Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist" is among the clear and evident matters in Shia jurisprudence. What the Imam did was to be able to codify this idea considering the new and vast horizons that today’s world, today’s politics, and today’s schools of thought have, and to make it rooted, solid, substantiated, and of high quality; that is, to present it in a way that is understandable and acceptable to any discerning individual familiar with contemporary political issues and schools of thought. My dear ones! In Iran, during that fourteen-year period—especially in these last years—the Islamic fighters did not feel alone; they always felt that the Imam was connected and associated with them. In the incident of the passing of his son, another dimension of this great personality became evident. Many are great, learned, and brave; however, those whose greatness extends into the depths of their emotions and the corners of their hearts are not many. An elderly man at nearly eighty years of age at that time, when his virtuous and distinguished son passed away—who was indeed a prominent son and a learned and outstanding individual and a hope for the future—the phrase attributed to him and heard was that "the death of Mustafa is one of the hidden graces of God"! He perceived this as divine kindness and a hidden favor from God; he understood that God had been kind to him; that too, a hidden kindness! See how much greatness is required in a human being! The hardships and difficulties and the intensities that this great man endured during the revolution and he bore them like a steadfast mountain, their root lies in this spiritual greatness that reacts in such a manner in the face of the death of a dear one. Then, the issue of his exile from Iraq and the beginning of that great man’s migration to Kuwait and then to France arose; he said that if I am not granted permission to stay in a country, I will go from airport to airport and convey my message to the whole world. That greatness, that courage, that rare patience, that divine and prophetic leadership power, once again manifested itself here. This was another new dimension of the personality of that great man. Then came the incident of his return to Iran and facing those events and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. What was observed in the period after the establishment of the Islamic system from the existential dimensions of the Imam was, in my opinion, far more important and greater than what had been seen before. In this period, the Imam—this distinguished and outstanding personality—was observed in two dimensions and two faces: in the period of governance, one face is that of a leader and ruler; one face is that of an ascetic and mystic. The combination of these two is one of those things that can only be found in prophets, only in figures like David and Solomon, only in a prophet like the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him). These are the truths that the Iranian nation has felt over the years; we too, who witnessed it closely, saw it. This is the Islamic and Quranic upbringing. The Imam invited everyone to such a thing; he wanted and preferred an Islamic system to train individuals of this kind, just as he himself was the highest manifestation of it. In the face of a ruler and leader, the great Imam was a vigilant, courageous, prudent, innovative, and daring man. The overwhelming waves before him were considered insignificant. There was no heavy incident that could defeat him and compel him to submit to that incident. In all the bitter and difficult events that occurred during the ten-year leadership of that great man—which were indeed numerous—the Imam was greater than all of them. None of these events—the war, the American attack, the coup conspiracies, the strange assassinations, the economic siege, the immense and strange actions that the enemies carried out in various forms—could make this great man feel weak or defeated; he was stronger and greater than all these events. He believed in the people; he truly believed in the opinions of the people. He believed in the views and opinions of the people—about which I will speak briefly in the second sermon—he had a heartfelt affection for the people; he loved the people and cared for them. Most of the qualities that distinguished various rulers around the world, to the extent that I have examined and come to mind—we saw them combined in the Imam. He was wise, far-sighted, cautious, knowledgeable of the enemy, trusted his friends, and delivered decisive blows to the enemy. All the qualities and characteristics that are necessary for a person to be able to perform their duties in such a sensitive and critical position and to satisfy God and their conscience were gathered in this man. The Imam trusted the people. When the revolution triumphed, the Imam could have declared that our system is an Islamic Republic; he could have done so without seeking the people's opinion; no one would have protested; however, he did not do this. Regarding the essence and quality of the system, he initiated a referendum and sought the people's opinion; the people said "Islamic Republic"; and this system was solidified. For the determination of the constitution, the Imam could have proposed a constitution; certainly, all the people, or a vast majority of them, would have accepted it. He could have appointed a number of individuals and said that they should go and write the constitution; no one would have protested; however, the Imam did not do this. The Imam initiated the elections for the Assembly of Experts and was even eager for this to be done as soon as possible. In revolutions around the world—most of which are coups and not true revolutions—those who rise to the top and become rulers give themselves a year or two to prepare for voting, saying that this period must pass before we are ready for voting; however, they often extend that as well! The Imam did not wait two months after the victory of the revolution before initiating the first election—namely, the referendum for the Islamic Republic. A month or two later, the elections for the Assembly of Experts for the Constitution took place. A few months later, the presidential elections occurred. A few months later, the parliamentary elections were held. In one year—which was the year 1979—the Imam sought the people's opinions four times for various matters: for the essence of the system, for the constitution of the system—which was once elected by the Assembly of Experts, and once the constitution itself was put to a vote—for the presidency, and for the formation of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The Imam was genuinely committed to the opinions of the people; that is, what the people wanted and where their opinions were focused. Of course, in these matters, he never handed over the reins of the work to the politicians. The people are different from the politicians; they are different from the claimants of politics; they are different from the claimants of representing the people. The Imam cared for the people. Many groups and parties and claimants and politicians and party-goers and the like existed; the Imam had no concern for them; he did not give them the opportunity to come and make excessive demands and speak on behalf of the people and decide instead of the people; however, he respected the opinions of the people. The war broke out; he appeared in the role of commander of the armed forces. The issue of economic siege arose; the Imam was a complete supporter; a spiritual supporter of the state apparatus. At the beginning of the revolution, for various tasks and for supporting the oppressed and deprived, the Imam issued numerous directives and many works were accomplished. Institutions such as the Jihad for Construction, the Housing Foundation, the Relief Committee, the Foundation for the Oppressed and Disabled, and the Fifteenth of Khordad Foundation were established to assist the people. The issues that were raised for the Imam in governance and in managing the country were these. This was the dimension of the Imam as a ruler and leader in the position of a powerful and determined human being; a person who, if war arises, can decide; if peace exists, can also decide. For managing a country and facing enemies, he can make decisions. However, this same person, in the face of his personal and private life, was an ascetic and mystic detached from the world. Of course, the intention is the bad world; the same thing that he himself referred to as the bad world, that which is within you. These outward appearances of nature—the earth, trees, sky, inventions, and the like—are not the bad world. These are the blessings of God; they must be cultivated. The bad world is that selfishness, that greed, and that sense of attachment that exists within a person. The Imam was completely detached from this bad world. He wanted nothing for himself. For his only son—who was the dearest person to the Imam, the late Haj Ahmad Agha, and we had often heard him say that he is the most cherished person in my view—he did not buy a house in the ten years of that governance and that great leadership. We repeatedly went and saw that the Imam's dearest person lived in that garden behind the Imam's house, in two or three rooms. That great man had no worldly adornments or reserves and did not want them; rather, on the contrary, he received numerous gifts that he distributed in the way of God. What he had and belonged to him and was not related to the public treasury, he spent for the public treasury. That man who was unwilling to buy a decent house for his son with ten to fifteen million tomans—even from his personal wealth—spent hundreds of millions of tomans of his personal wealth for various places—for development, for helping the poor, for addressing the flood victims, and other various places. We were aware that in some cases, the money was his personal money that was given to individuals to go and spend; these were gifts that disciples and admirers and friends brought for the Imam. He was a person of solitude, worship, midnight weeping, prayer, supplication, connection with God, poetry, spirituality, mysticism, and taste. That man whose formidable face frightened and shook the enemies of the Iranian nation—this solid dam and steadfast mountain—when emotional and human issues arose, was a gentle, complete, and kind person. I have narrated this incident that once during one of my trips, a lady approached me and said to convey to the Imam from me that my son had been captured in the war, and I have recently received news of his death. My son has died, but it does not matter to me; your health matters to me. That lady said this to me in the height of excitement and emotion. I came to the Imam and entered. He was standing, and I conveyed this matter to him; I saw this steadfast mountain of dignity and resilience, like a sturdy tree bending suddenly due to a storm, sank into himself. Like someone whose heart breaks; his spirit, soul, and body were affected by this mother of a martyr's words, and his eyes filled with tears! One night in a private gathering, with two or three friends, we were sitting at the house of the late Haj Ahmad Agha; he was also sitting. One of us said: O Imam, you have spiritual ranks, you have mystical ranks; please give us a few words of advice and guidance. That great man, who was so much a person of meaning and a person of the path, in response to this short praise-like sentence from one of his students—who, of course, all of us were like students and like children of the Imam; our behavior was like that of a child towards a father—became so shy and embarrassed and humble that the effect of it was felt in his behavior and posture! In truth, we felt ashamed that we made this statement that caused the Imam to feel shy. That brave man and that immense force, in emotional and spiritual matters, was so humble and shy. The last point I want to mention is that all of these qualities were derived from adherence to religion, from commitment to religion, from piety, and from obedience to God's command. He himself repeatedly expressed this theme in various words: everything is from God. He considered everything to be from God; he was absorbed in the will of God; he was dissolved in divine decree: God granted victory to the revolution; God liberated Khorramshahr; God united the hearts of the people. He viewed everything from a divine perspective and acted according to the commandments; the Almighty God opened the doors of mercy to him. I would like to mention a sentence of mourning as well. Tomorrow is the Arbaeen (Fortieth) of Sayyid al-Shuhada. On the occasion of the anniversary of the Imam, we have gathered from various places at his grave. The appropriateness of this gathering at the Imam's grave with Arbaeen is remarkable. On the day of Arbaeen, after those bitter days and that extraordinary martyrdom, the first pilgrims of Abu Abdullah al-Husayn (peace be upon him) gathered at the grave of the martyred Imam. Among those who came that day was one "Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari" and one "Atiyyah ibn Sa'd Awfi," who was also among the companions of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him). Jabir ibn Abdullah was a companion of the Prophet and one of the companions of the Battle of Badr; he was apparently an elderly man that day; he must have been at least sixty or seventy years old—perhaps even more—if he was in the Battle of Badr, then he must have been over seventy years old at that time; however, "Atiyyah" was among the companions of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him). He must have been younger at that time; because he apparently lived until the time of Imam al-Baqir. "Atiyyah" says: when we arrived there, we wanted to go towards the grave, but this elderly man said let us first go to the bank of the Euphrates and perform ablution. He performed ablution in the Euphrates, then wrapped a cloth around his waist and threw another cloth over his shoulder; like someone who wants to circumambulate and visit the House of God, he went towards the grave of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him). Apparently, he was also blind. He says we went together until we reached near the grave of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him). When he touched and recognized the grave, his emotions surged. This elderly man, who must have embraced Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) many times in the arms of the Prophet, called out loudly three times: O Husayn, O Husayn, O Husayn! And those who have wronged will soon know to what kind of return they will return. In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Say, He is God, the One. God, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent. Sermon Two: In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds. And blessings and peace be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially upon Amir al-Mu'minin, the pure and chaste, and Hasan and Husayn, and upon Ali ibn Husayn, and Muhammad ibn Ali, and Ja'far ibn Muhammad, and Musa ibn Ja'far, and Ali ibn Musa, and Muhammad ibn Ali, and Ali ibn Muhammad, and Hasan ibn Ali, and the righteous successor, the Awaited Mahdi. Your proofs over Your servants and Your trusted ones in Your lands. And send blessings upon the leaders of the Muslims and the protectors of the oppressed and the guides of the believers. I advise you, O servants of God, to be pious. Since the time is nearly up, I must present the second sermon very briefly. After the passing of the Imam, we announced that we would continue the path of the Imam and the line of the Imam. Firstly, this movement was not based on imitation; it was a movement based on experience and awareness. The path of the Imam is the path of salvation for this country, both at the beginning of the revolution, during the life of that great man, and today; but what is the path of the Imam? What do we mean by the path of the Imam? I will mention a few important characteristics from the collection that we consider to be the path of the Imam and the line of the Imam. A few matters were of utmost importance to the Imam; first, Islam and religion. The Imam did not consider any value to be higher than the value of Islam. The revolution and movement of the Imam were for the establishment of Islam. The people who accepted this system, who rose up for this revolution, and who accepted the Imam did so for Islamic motivation. The secret of the Imam's success was that he openly and without pretense took Islam in hand and declared that he wanted to work for Islam and that everything is under the shadow of Islam. Before the revolution, there were individuals in our country and in some other countries who truly believed in Islam, but they did not dare or did not want to openly present Islam; they entered the field under other names and generally failed. The reason the Imam succeeded was that he clearly stated his goal, which was the establishment of Islam. Of course, the Islam that the Imam spoke of has two significant aspects: one is the aspect of Islam in the form of a system. The Imam was very strict here and would not be satisfied with a word more or less; he would not accept any leniency, whether in economic matters or otherwise. Everywhere, the bitter truth of Islam. The Islamic system, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the Islamic government, Islamic judiciary, and various institutions must follow the interests, the line of Islam, and the path of the establishment of Islam. The Imam pursued this and tried as much as he could. The second aspect regarding adherence to Islam is the individual actions of individuals. Here, the firmness, decisiveness, and exercise of power do not exist. Here, it is preaching, advising, speaking kindly, and enjoining good. The Imam believed in this. Thus, the first thing that is important in the line of the Imam is the pursuit of the Islamic goal and the establishment of Islamic governance in the realm of faith and in the realm of action. The second matter is reliance on the people—as I mentioned—no one in the Islamic system should deny the people, the opinion of the people, and the will of the people. Now some consider the opinion of the people to be the basis of legitimacy; at least it is the basis for the exercise of legitimacy. Without the opinions of the people, without the presence of the people, and without the realization of the will of the people, the tent of the Islamic system cannot stand and remain. Of course, the people are Muslims, and this will and desire of the people is within the framework of Islamic laws and commandments. The Imam established the Expediency Council; that is, the opinions of the people, which is represented by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and the Islamic limits, which is represented by the Guardian Council, if a disagreement arises between them, the Expediency Council decides. Where the interests of the country require, it takes precedence over this. The Expediency Council was also established by the Imam. What is said about freedom is all within the belly of this great movement and this important line that the Imam established for this country. Now some newly arrived individuals want to teach and instill the concepts of freedom, freedom of thought, and freedom of opinion to the Imam and the Imam's apparatus and the Islamic system! This was the line that the Imam placed the movement of the Islamic system on. Thanks be to God, the officials of the country—both today and in the previous period and the previous government—who are all students of the Imam and the disciples of the Imam, have understood and believed these things down to their bones; there is no need for another to come and teach them. The third characteristic of the line of the Imam is social justice and assistance to the underprivileged and deprived classes, whom the Imam considered to be the owners of the revolution and the owners of the country. The Imam regarded the barefooted as the most important element in the victories of this nation; and so it is, and as we said, the Imam did not just stop at speaking. From the very beginning of the revolution, he established the Jihad for Construction, the Relief Committee, the Foundation for the Oppressed, the Fifteenth of Khordad Foundation, and the Housing Foundation and issued firm directives to the governments of the time. Social justice is one of the main slogans; it cannot be placed in the second degree and sidelined. How can it be?! Now some come from the other side and say that the Imam said: our revolution is not a revolution for bread, it is not for bread! Yes; the October Revolution in Russia that occurred in 1917 was due to the interruption of bread in the main cities of that day—such as Moscow. If the people had bread at that time—just ordinary bread—that revolution would not have occurred. Our revolution was not like that; our revolution was based on faith; however, this does not mean that the revolution should not address the lives of the people, the economy, bread, and the welfare of the people. What kind of statement is this?! The Imam addressed these issues and issued directives, and what was primarily on the Imam's mind was the underprivileged and deprived classes. Of course, today alongside the gentry, those who always know how to sit in a corner and issue orders and prescriptions—without knowing how realities are or feeling any responsibility—say that social justice has not been realized! Of course, complete social justice has undoubtedly not been realized—we must strive hard—but the Islamic system came and changed that erroneous program and plan that existed in this country—which did not recognize any rights for the villages and villagers and remote cities and the deprived classes—and placed the utmost emphasis on these matters. Today, the greatest concern of our service-oriented government is for the deprived areas. Throughout the revolution, governments have always been like this; their greatest concern has been for the deprived people and areas, and numerous works and great services have been accomplished. These are due to the very element of social justice in the line of the Imam. Another element is the understanding of the enemy and not being deceived by the enemy. The first action of the enemy is to propagate that there is no enemy! How can the Islamic system have no enemy?! The world oppressors have been deprived of this plundered table for many years; it is clear that they are enemies; we see that they act as enemies—in propaganda, in economic siege—doing everything they can to strengthen the enemy against the system; they openly say so! In this country, what is unacceptable for America, for global arrogance, and for the world oppressors is the independence of this country and the independence and awakening of these people; that is the rejection that these people have given to the enemies of this country and the world oppressors; they do not want this. They are also enemies of Islam, and the reason is that Islam has given this awakening to the people; they are enemies of this. The Imam recognized the enemy; he understood their political methods and their propaganda methods, and he stood firm against them. Another axis is the interest and sensitivity towards the fate of the Muslims of the world. The Muslims of the world are considered the strategic intellect of the Islamic system. Now nations in Asia, in Africa, and in our own region support the Islamic system. This expression of affection towards the Imam and the revolution has no precedent; it does not exist today regarding any country in the world, nor has it existed in the past. This is due to Islam. The Imam was sensitive to the fate of the Muslim brothers. And finally, the advancement of knowledge and the development of the country. These are the main headings of the line of the Imam; Islam, the people, the progress of the country, enmity with the enemies, and sensitivity towards the Islamic Ummah are included in it. These are the line of the Imam; we have been committed to these and will, God willing, continue to be committed to them. In these years after the passing of the Imam, what governments have been in power—whether the previous government or our current government—what the judiciary, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and the legislative apparatus have done, thanks be to God, have accomplished great works and provided great services. The details of their works are so numerous and the operational page that the officials of this country in various branches—especially in the executive branch, which bears heavy burdens—have done is so brilliant and extensive that any fair person who looks at them will admire them. If I were to speak now about what is in my mind, it would be a long page. These should be explained by the gentlemen themselves to the people, so that they can see what efforts have been made! This is thanks to following the very path of the Imam. The Almighty God has also bestowed grace upon this country. This foundation that the Imam built, thanks be to God, has remained solid and has strong foundations and deep roots. The effects that the Almighty God and the hand of divine power have brought for these people are immense. By God's grace, fifty thousand of our captives have returned without worry. The Soviet bloc, which was a nuisance and adversary, has disintegrated over these years. Thanks be to God, our nation has achieved great successes in various fields. The various elections and prominent participations—the very thirty million presence of the people in the presidential elections two years ago—are divine favors and signs of God's mercy. We are proud to have a young, alive, and vibrant nation. We are proud that faithful, selfless, and people-oriented officials manage the forces of this country. We are proud that despite the enmity of global arrogance and despite all these conspiracies, our nation and our officials have, thanks be to God, been able to advance the long and difficult path of the revolution and build the country. Day by day, this construction will increase; day by day, God willing, we will move towards social justice; day by day, the foundations of Islam and devotion to Islam in this country will become stronger. Those who have been listening for signs that perhaps the people will turn away from Islam and the Islamic Republic should know that their fate is the same as those who at the beginning of the revolution thought the revolution would disappear in three months, six months, or a year! Or thought that at the beginning of the war, they could conquer Iran in a week! Just as they were slapped in the face, just as they were defeated by the Iranian nation, just as their threats became clear to them, those who today think and wait for the people to turn away from their religion, from their Quran, from their Islam, from their clergy, and from their Imam will also be slapped in the face; they too will be defeated! The future belongs to this nation. The future belongs to this country and to Islam. Day by day, by God's grace, the bright sun of Islam will shine brighter and will warm and illuminate more people. O Lord! Elevate the ranks of the Imam in the highest realm more than before. O Lord! Grant him a good reward from each of us. Fulfill his desires, aspirations, and goals. Grant victory to the Iranian nation and crush its enemies. Make Islam and Muslims successful and victorious everywhere in the world. Remove the difficulties of this nation. Return the evil of the enemies upon themselves. Make the hearts of this nation more compassionate towards one another day by day. In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful And by time, indeed, mankind is in loss, except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised one another to truth and advised one another to patience. And peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.