Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution in the Presence of System Officials on the Anniversary of the Birth of the Greatest Prophet (PBUH)

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

I congratulate all of you esteemed attendees, especially our dear guests: the ambassadors of Islamic countries and the guests of the Week of Unity. I also extend my congratulations to the dear nation of Iran, the great Islamic Ummah, and all truth-seekers and freedom-lovers around the world on the birth of the Prophet of Light and Mercy and the standard-bearer of freedom and justice.

These days are significant for us and the Islamic Ummah; it is both the birth of the esteemed Messenger of Islam and the birth of Imam Abu Abdullah Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (peace be upon them). On the occasion of this great birth—the birth of the Prophet—the Islamic Republic has declared this week as the Week of Unity.

What is of concern regarding the esteemed Prophet and the Islamic Ummah includes the issue of the fate of the Islamic Ummah and the events and currents that this great Ummah is experiencing—"Indeed, there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; it grieves him that you should suffer; he is concerned over you; and to the believers, he is kind and merciful." Throughout all periods of history, this has been the case. What happens to the Islamic Ummah is of great importance to the pure spirit of the esteemed Prophet; those two insightful and perceptive eyes are worried about the state of the Islamic Ummah.

This Ummah has gone through difficult times and has seen numerous ups and downs in history, and today it has reached a decisive point. If today the Islamic Ummah strives, it can choose a path that will erase the backwardness, problems, hardships, and humiliations of the Islamic world. The leaders of this movement are the elites of society; whether political elites or scientific and cultural elites—in the realm of religion or in the realm of academia—who can recommend this path to the Islamic Ummah and demonstrate it.

The other path is for the Islamic Ummah to remain in the same negligence that the enemies of Islam desire; to remain in that negligence and become afflicted by divisions, narrow-mindedness, selfishness, worldly desires, and the irresponsibility of the elites; and if this happens, the path to the prosperity of the Islamic world will remain out of reach for the Islamic Ummah for at least decades to come; this is the nature of our time; today is the day of choice for the Islamic Ummah. It is true that moving towards growth and righteousness is not an instantaneous matter—it yields results gradually and in the medium to long term—but the guiding movement of the elites and officials, and their decision-making in the entire Islamic world, will be detrimental to the Islamic Ummah with each day of delay; everyone must feel a sense of responsibility. Today is the day of unity for the Islamic world. You can see how much the enemy invests to disrupt this currently weak unity. Look at the situation in Iraq; the situation in other Islamic regions is also grappling with similar conspiracies, to sow discord among Islamic sects, ethnicities, and nations under various pretexts: these kill those; those kill these; these nurture animosity in their hearts; those reciprocally harbor resentment towards these; the result is that they remain oblivious to the main enemy of the Islamic world, the architects of domination over this region of the world. If the Islamic world is united, Palestine should not be left alone today; the government that arises from the vote of the Palestinian people should not be pressured and threatened with the cessation of aid, provided it does not abandon its principles. The Islamic world must, with one voice and one word, declare its support for the Palestinian people and their officials and back their insistence on their principles. If this happens, those who are the architects of the misfortunes of the Palestinian nation and country will no longer be able to speak in such a demanding manner. All these atrocities against the Palestinian people are being committed, and the so-called humanitarian Europeans and advocates of human rights are deaf and blind; it seems they cannot see. Then, when a Palestinian government comes to power by the will of the people, they speak against it and take a stance. This is due to the division within the Islamic world; this is due to the selfishness of the elites and politicians of the Islamic world.

We must awaken; we must understand today that our decision determines the historical fate of the Islamic world. Of course, this decision is not only related to ourselves and our present. Today, there is no path for the Islamic Ummah except to believe in its own power and to avoid continuing in subjugation and to decide not to submit to oppression. We do not invite the Islamic nations to take up arms and wage war against the countries of the world; we advise them to recognize their rights, their dignity, the dignity of their nations, their history, and their valuable heritage, to appreciate it, and to rely on it; not to allow the world of disbelief and global arrogance—which today is in the hands of the Zionists—to humiliate them; this is our message. "It grieves him that you should suffer"; your hardships and the hardships of the Islamic world and the Islamic nation are hard on the Prophet. "He is concerned over you"; he wants you to be guided; he wants you to be prosperous and to utilize this divine straight path—which has been laid out for your worldly and otherworldly happiness—and to advance; the Prophet desires this from us.

We say that the sacred existence of the esteemed Prophet and the greatest Messenger of Islam is the most important point of unity. We have previously stated that the Islamic world can unite at this point; this is where the emotions of all Muslims converge; this is the center of love and affection in the Islamic world. Now you see that the pens bought by the Zionists focus on this center and insult it; so that the significance of insulting the Islamic Ummah and humiliating the Islamic world gradually diminishes. This is the main point; politicians, scientific and cultural elites, writers, poets, and artists must focus on this point, and all Muslims must come together with this slogan. They should not consider the points of disagreement, should not accuse one another, should not excommunicate one another, and should not exclude one another from the realm of religion. Hearts throughout the Islamic Ummah will be rejuvenated in remembrance of the Prophet and in love for the Prophet; all of us are enamored and in love with that great figure.

This week is truly the Week of Unity; these days are truly the days of the unity of Muslims. Political officials have a heavy responsibility; cultural officials, writers, and scholars must avoid raising divisive and conflict-inducing issues; both Sunnis and Shiites must focus on this point of unity. It is expected of scholars, elites, and political leaders to understand the urgency of the time, to comprehend the importance of Muslim unity, and to recognize the plots of the enemies to break this unity and solidarity.

This is our message to our nation and to the Islamic world, and we ask the Almighty God, by the honor and dignity of the Prophet in His presence, to grant success to the Islamic world on this path and to make the future of the Islamic Ummah better than its present.

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