Statements at the Meeting with Officials of the System and Guests of the Islamic Unity Conference

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

I congratulate all of you esteemed attendees, the dear guests from other countries, and the ambassadors of Islamic countries on this great and blessed holiday. I also congratulate the great nation of Iran, which has demonstrated its love and commitment to the Prophet's mission through action. Additionally, I extend my congratulations to the entire Islamic Ummah, who feel unity and solidarity around the blessed name of the Prophet of Islam. We also congratulate this blessed holiday to all the freedom-seekers of the world; for the truth of the announcement of the Prophet's birth and the divine blessings associated with this great birth belong to all the freedom-seekers of the world; to all those who seek freedom, justice, and the attainment of lofty divine values.

Some knowledgeable and spiritual individuals believe that the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, in the true sense of the word, is the spring of life; it is the spring of existence; because in this month, the revered Prophet and his noble son, Imam Abu Abdullah Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, were born. The birth of the Prophet is the beginning of all the blessings that God the Almighty has decreed for humanity. We, who consider Islam to be the means of human happiness and the path to salvation, recognize this divine gift associated with the blessed existence of the Prophet that occurred in this month. Truly, this great birth should be regarded as the source of all the blessings that God the Almighty has bestowed upon the human community, the Islamic Ummah, and the followers of the truth.

Merely celebrating is not enough; first and foremost, we must strengthen our heartfelt connection with the Prophet. The Islamic world must strengthen its spiritual, emotional, and heartfelt relationship with the revered Prophet day by day; this is the common point among all Muslims worldwide. Those who have a heart for the formation of the Islamic Ummah must focus on this point: the spiritual and emotional relationship with the blessed existence of the Prophet. This means, first and foremost and seriously, making the decision to follow that great figure in all matters. In the noble verses of the Quran, the Prophet's ethics, political behavior, the type of governance of the Prophet, and the Prophet's feelings towards people—both Muslims and non-Muslims—are described. The training of the Prophet's noble companions during his time and their behavior reflect the direction that Islam and the Prophet envision for the education and upbringing of the Islamic Ummah. We must implement these teachings in our lives; we must operationalize them; mere words are not sufficient.

Today, the ground is prepared for this matter. Islamic awakening is a reality that has occurred. After decades of continuous domination by the enemies of Islam and Muslims over Islamic societies, whether in the form of direct colonialism, new colonialism, or indirect colonialism, whether in the form of cultural, economic, or political domination; after years of oppression under the immense pressures of Western domination and European and American governments over their countries, gradually the seed of awakening, the Islamic awakening, has grown and is manifesting itself. The people of the Islamic world today feel that their means of dignity, their means of pride, and their means of independence is Islam. By the grace of Islam, all the national aspirations of a nation in the Islamic world can be fulfilled. Islamic nations, by the grace of Islam, can stand against Western domination, against the arrogance of Western governments, against the oppressive dominance of Western governments, and against the exploitation and global arrogance of Western governments.

And the West is compelled to retreat; today you observe this experience in the Islamic world. This issue occurred in Iran over thirty years ago; today, you see it in the Islamic world, in North Africa. Steps are being taken towards victory. Of course, there are problems; however, if we remain vigilant, problems cannot create obstacles in our path. The Quran states: "They will not harm you except for a little annoyance." Yes, they annoy, they harm, they create problems; but if we are determined, trust in God, and decide to move forward, they cannot create obstacles in our path.

Today, Islamic nations have awakened; they feel that by the grace of Islam, they can assert their voices against the enemies of the Islamic world, against the corrupt Zionist network that dominates the policies of Western governments. These victories are very valuable. "God has promised you abundant spoils that you will take; so hasten for you this" - this is part of the divine promise that has been fulfilled - "and He will restrain the hands of people from you, and it will be a sign for the believers and guide you to a straight path." Every victory that a nation achieves in confronting enemies and their propaganda and wicked methods is a divine announcement, a divine sign - "and it will be a sign" - that if you move, you will achieve results.

Today, the Islamic world is facing the plots of enemies. I say to you, dear brothers and sisters - both Iranian and non-Iranian - today the most important tool for the enemy to confront the Islamic awakening is to create discord. Placing a Muslim against another Muslim, destroying a Muslim by the hands of another Muslim, keeping them preoccupied with each other; what could be better for the enemies of Islamic independence than to keep Muslims occupied with each other? From the very first day that the Islamic Revolution triumphed in Iran, the policy of creating discord among our nation and country has been pursued; however, the Islamic Republic has firmly stood against this issue. On the international Islamic level, they also raised religious differences, but the Islamic Republic raised the banner of Islamic unity. We declared, our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified) repeatedly said this, and the Iranian nation during his time and after him reiterated and emphasized that we believe in Islamic brotherhood.

We reject any rift among Muslims; this is precisely the opposite of the enemies' agenda, who use every small phenomenon to create discord among Muslims. If you look, you will see that today the enemies' policy of Islamic awakening in the countries of North Africa is also to create discord. This is the policy of global arrogance; they want to pit them against each other, to set them against one another.

The remedy for this illness is the feeling of unity among Muslims; Muslim nations must unite with each other. Within each country, various groups, different sects, and factions must come together; they should not allow ideological, political, and factional differences to dominate their fundamental movements, so that they can stand against the enemy; today, this is the only way. They are trying in various ways to create discord; you see it. When Muslims become preoccupied with disagreements among themselves, the issue of Palestine is sidelined; standing against the greed of America and the West is sidelined; they gain the opportunity to implement their plans.

Today, it is observed that the Westerners have initiated a new movement in Africa to dominate the African nations, to re-enter the lives of the people of Africa. When the fire of discord is ignited, the enemy finds the opportunity to do whatever they want. In our neighboring country, Pakistan, you see what atrocities they create under the pretext of differences. In Syria, you see how they incite people against others. In Bahrain, observe how they completely silence the voice of a nation; they boycott a nation from all sides. In Egypt and other regions, you see how they set people against each other. These are policies that may have personal and ideological motivations from individuals, but the overall plan is the plan of the enemies.

I do not accuse anyone of knowingly and intentionally executing the enemy's plan, but I firmly and certainly say: any movement of discord, in any form, among Muslim nations, or within a country among its individuals, is playing on the ground that the enemy has determined; it is aiding the enemy. The issue of unity must be taken seriously by everyone; first and foremost, the elites; political elites, religious elites, academic elites, seminaries' elites; everywhere. In our country, everyone must take the issue of unity seriously. Creating religious discord among different groups of Muslims is a great danger. If the enemies can ignite the fire of sectarian discord somewhere, extinguishing it will be one of the most difficult tasks. We must prevent this; this cannot be done except through the initiative and struggle and sincerity of the elites in every country; scholars, academics, politicians, those who have influence and impact; they must explain to the people the enemy's plan, and the enemy's hopeful outlook towards creating discord among people, among Islamic countries, among Islamic factions, between Sunni and Shia, among various tendencies in different Islamic sects; they must make the people aware.

This is a great danger that the enemies have experienced. The British have long experience in this regard. We read in history about their actions to create discord. They know how to do it; others have learned from them. They are busy trying to create discord; we must avoid this. We should not, with superficial and popular sentiments, ignite these fires; this darkens the fate of nations; it brings nations to the depths of despair; it enables the enemies of Islam, the enemies of Muslims, the enemies of independence to succeed in their endeavors; it will fulfill their plans; we must remain vigilant.

The slogan of Islamic unity is a sacred slogan. Today, if the revered Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and his family) were among us, according to the noble verse "It is grievous to him that you should suffer; he is ardently concerned for you; and to the believers, he is full of pity and mercy," he would invite us to unity; he would prevent the creation of such differences. If we truly care for the revered Prophet of Islam, we must fulfill this definitive request of that great figure.

We ask God the Almighty to grant us all the success to act upon what we say.

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