Statements During Visit to the Home of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) in Qom

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

I am very grateful for the kindness you have shown me. I truly, without intending to flatter, do not consider myself worthy of such kindness and attention. It is a great honor for me to be present once again in this house, which is the birthplace of the great Islamic Revolution, after several years. Of course, in this house, where from every corner and room we have memories of our great and departed Imam, it is difficult to observe his absence; but as you mentioned, these memories are eternal and never-ending. This is the very place where the first sparks of this great revolution were ignited and shone. The eternal words of our great Imam were sent from this home to the entire world. That great man endured the most difficult trials here and taught the world how to stand firm against falsehood and have hope in the truth.

The second day of Farvardin in the year 42 is as clear in my mind as if it were now. After the events at the Feyziyeh School and those infamous incidents, we arrived here with friends at the beginning of the night—since everyone was worried about what would happen from this house—we entered through the small courtyard door and saw him standing in the corner of the yard, engaged in the Maghrib and Isha prayers, with a group praying with him. Such tranquility was in his being that it dispelled all anxiety; it was as if no incident had occurred at all; truly, he stood firm like a mountain and was engaged in prayer; afterward, he ascended those stairs and entered the left room and sat down; the students gathered to hear his statements. Among his words that day—at the height of oppression and the dominance of the tyrannical regime—was that he said these people will leave, and you will remain, and we have seen even harsher times; endure and stand firm. This is a lesson of hope for us. Truly, his steadfastness in the face of hardships and his hope for the future was such; and this is what can advance our nation today as well; that is, hope for the future and standing firm against difficulties. He provided a practical and tangible lesson in this, and his path was this path.

We ask Almighty God to guide us in the same way that he had and pursued and was able to accomplish the greatest tasks of this era with this method; and we ask that his holy and blessed soul be encompassed by God's eternal favors and blessings and that his exalted ranks be elevated even higher. God willing, for the number of believing souls and millions, or even hundreds of millions of Muslims, and those who will come from their generations—who have been influenced by his movement, in their knowledge, or in their living conditions, or in their actions—may God grant him goodness, reward, and favor; and grant us the success to, God willing, follow that path. We are also very grateful that you accepted this effort; we did not expect you to endure any trouble; we only wanted to renew a memory and offer greetings to the residents of this house—those who are present.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings