The following is the full text of the speech delivered on May 15, 2013, by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with a group of people from Mazandaran, Gilan, Golestan and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I welcome all the dear brothers and sisters, religious people, enthusiastic youth and outstanding religious scholars - particularly the honorable families of martyrs - who travelled from distant cities and who imbued our meeting and our Hussainiyyah with enlightenment and warmth. I ask Allah the Exalted to bestow his special blessings, mercy, kindness and grace - in this holy month, these blessings are bestowed on religious people and those whose hearts are pure - on all of you dear brothers and sisters, all the people who took the trouble to travel from other provinces and all the people of Iran.
First of all, I deem it necessary to draw the attention of you dear brothers and sisters, particularly young individuals, to the significance of the month of Rajab. One cannot easily give up the blessings of these occasions and forget about the characteristics of such months. Outstanding religious personalities and mystics have regarded the month of Rajab as an introduction to the month of Ramadan. The month of Rajab and the month of Sha'ban are opportunities to prepare ourselves for the month of Ramadan which is the month of divine celebration. How should we prepare ourselves? Primarily, we should prepare ourselves by paying attention and engaging our hearts. We should know that we are present before God, who is the Omniscient One. "He is pure, whose knowledge includes everything" [ Mesbah al-Mutahajid, volume 1, page 305]. We should be aware of the fact that God knows about our feelings, our moves, our intentions and what happens in our hearts. Primarily this is important.
If this is done, then we will pay more attention to our actions, our words, our silence and our social relationships. We will pay attention to what we say, where we go, what we do and whom we support and whom we speak against. When we know that we are present before God, we will pay more attention to our actions and behavior. Many of our problems are because of our negligence in taking care of our behavior and actions. When we make up for our negligence, when we pay attention to the fact that we are being watched and judged, we will be careful because God sees all of our moves and actions. "Surely We wrote what you did" [The Holy Quran, 45: 29]. We should enter the month of Ramadan with purity and piety and by paying attention to these points. We should enter the month of Ramadan while we have cleansed ourselves. In such a condition, we make the most of our presence in divine celebration. We should adopt such an outlook towards the month of Rajab.
When we take a look at the prayers of the month of Rajab, which have been narrated by the Imams (r.a.), we can see that most of these duas speak about monotheistic issues and divine greatness and characteristics. In these duas, we see ourselves before this greatness, we can find the path which leads to God and we become interested in knowing this path. These are among the characteristics of the prayers of the month of Rajab: they draw our attention to monotheism, to God and to divine characteristics. The value of this month should be appreciated. The early days of this month are blessed with the birthday anniversary of Imam Baqir (a.s.). The last days of this month are blessed with the greatest event in history - that is to say, the Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) be'that. Also, it is several years that our youth have promoted the good tradition of itikaf - in which people go to mosques and fast - in the country which is performed in mid-Rajab. What a pure and beautiful scene it is when we see a large number of our youth - unlike other young individuals in the world who are drowning in lust and carnal desires - fast during certain days and nights, go to mosques and perform itikaf. They spend day and night engaging in dhikr, thinking about divine teachings and paying attention to real knowledge, which is the knowledge of monotheism. This is a very important thing. These are the blessings of the Revolution.
Before the Revolution, we would not see many people or we would see few people go to mosques and perform itikaf in mid-Rajab. All of us and all the people were often negligent in paying attention to this divine blessing. I myself had not at all seen that people would perform itikaf in Mashhad. And in Qom, only a few people - a few clerics - would go to Imam Mosque and perform itikaf in mid-Rajab. Today, you can see that not only in jameh and big mosques, not only in a few cities, but also in the entire country, in all the cities and in all the mosques, our youth, our men, women, daughters and sons stand in a line and write their names so that they can be given the opportunity to fast and perform itikaf in different mosques for three days. This is very valuable for a nation. This is very important. These things exist. This is the month of Rajab. You should benefit from these opportunities. Dear youth, you should benefit more from these things. Your pure, warm and enlightened hearts and souls are prepared to benefit from the light of divine mercy and blessings. You should appreciate the value of this.
What a people achieve from such things and from spiritual blessings will become a source of support and a valuable resource for them. Even in the face of problems, it will enable them to move forward with firm determination in all the arenas of life. It will enable them to resolve any impasse and do great things. Such spirituality is the source of all these things. Somebody like our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) - who single-handedly entered the arena, managed to unite all the people and launched this great movement with his firm determination, faith and reliance on God - relied, more than anything else, on knowledge and understanding, on worship of God and on the enthusiasm which originates from one's heart and soul. Until the end of his life, this great person used to wake up in the middle of the night and shed tears despite being old and physically weak. We knew it because we had heard from his close relatives - who knew everything about his lifestyle - that he used to wake up in the middle of the night and ask Allah the Exalted for help. He used to keep a vigil at night. He was like this at night, and during the day, he used to enter the arena like a roaring lion and defeat global powers and solve the peoples' problems. He used to strengthen and set in motion the determination of all the people, thanks to his reliance on spirituality.
Each and every one of our dear people - particularly our youth, especially our youth - can establish a close relationship with this great source and mine of power [spirituality] by relying on God and being honest. You can benefit from it, enlighten yourselves and play your part. When Islam tells us to keep a vigil at night and exercise piety, this piety is different from the piety which is practiced by Christians. "But the monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them" [The Holy Quran, 57: 27]. The piety that was exercised by the Christians and other religions meant isolation, seclusion and separation from the world. Islamic piety means being present in all the arenas of life. "My Ummah travels throughout the world to engage in jihad in the way of God" [Mostadrak al-Wasael, volume 11, page 14].
From an Islamic point of view, all the moves that Muslims make should be in the way of God. Their peace, their movements, their silence, their actions and everything they do should be in the way of God. "Whoever is with God, God is with him" [Bihar al-Anwar, volume 79, page 197]. "If you help (the cause of) Allah, He will help you" [The Holy Quran, 47: 7]. Elsewhere in the Holy Quran, Allah the Exalted says, "And Surely Allah will help him who helps His cause" [The Holy Quran, 22: 40]. If you tread the path of God, then divine kindness, assistance and support will be with you.
My dear ones, this is the secret of the progress of the Iranian nation. It is because of divine support and these characteristics - such as firm determination, progress and continuous and jihad-like movement - that our nation has managed to make all the enemies retreat despite all malevolent and hostile moves which the enemies made at different levels, in different arenas and from all sides. And this will continue. By Allah's favor, the Iranian nation will continue this path.
Some people hoped to separate our youth from religion. They were greedy for busying our youth with the luxuries of life, materialistic issues and other such things. They made a mistake. In terms of quality and quantity, the number of our youth is not smaller - if not larger - than those who are old. Today, our religious youth and those who are attached to the Revolution - who neither saw Imam (r.a.), nor witnessed the victory of the Revolution and the Sacred Defense Era - are not less motivated - if not more motivated - than the youth during the Sacred Defense Era. What I am telling you is based on facts and accurate information. It is not an interpretation or a guess. Today, the great things that our youth are doing in national and different other arenas involve more trouble, pressure and even danger than the things which the youth during the Sacred Defense Era did or should have done. This spirit should be preserved.
Today, elections are the most important political issue of the country. Elections are a one-day event. It happens in a day, but it is one of the events which has a long-term effect. It takes you one day to participate in presidential elections, but you entrust an individual or a number of individuals with the fate of the country and the major issues of the country for four years. Besides, the effects of your choice will not be confined to four years. Sometimes, governments do things - whether good or, God forbid, bad - whose effects last for years. The effects of what they do will not be confined to four years. It will continue like a flowing stream. So, on a specific day, you will make a certain move, you will make a certain choice and you will carry out a certain action whose short-term effects last for four years and whose long-term effects last for sometimes 40 years. Elections are this important.
This year's elections have more significance. I would tell you dear brothers, dear sisters and dear people of Iran that your elections - which will be held in about one month - have turned into an internationally important issue. You should know this. Their intellectual apparatuses - as they say, their think tanks - sit and observe the introductory stages of these elections and this great event. They are looking at these elections and they have certain plots and goals. The goal of your enemies is the exact opposite of your goal. You who participate in elections are looking for a qualified individual who can help your country move forward - both in material and spiritual arenas - at the same rate or even at a faster rate than the present time. You pursue elections so that the individual or the individuals, the administration and the president who will hold executive positions can increase your dignity, deepen your independence, help you have better and more prosperous lives, solve the problems and create hope, excitement and enthusiasm in the country.
But quite to the contrary, now that he is confident the elections will be held, your enemy likes a kind of election which will not bring about these good things for the future of the country. He likes a kind of election which will push the country towards dependence, weakness and backwardness in different arenas. He wants our country to retrogress. This is their goal. Of course, if he could do something to prevent the elections from being held, he would do it. But now that he has no options and elections will be held, he is pursuing this goal. Therefore, there are two goals against each other: the goal of the Iranian nation and the goal of the camp of enemies.
How will the goal of the Iranian nation be achieved? This goal will be achieved with two factors. One is that the elections should be warm and enthusiastic. The people should participate in elections and go to ballot boxes with excitement and enthusiasm. Another is that these elections should lead to the election of a qualified person who enjoys religious, revolutionary and jihad-like determination. With these two things, the goal of the Iranian nation will be achieved.
How will the goal of the enemy be achieved? First, the goal of the enemy will be achieved if the elections are held without enthusiasm, if people are not interested, if a small number of people participate and if a number of people say, "Why should we participate in the elections? What is the use of it anyway? We do not want to participate." These things will make the enemy happy. Second, his goal will be achieved if the result of the votes will cause the government and, following the government, the people to move towards being more dependent and more submissive and towards treading the path of policies developed by foreigners.
Therefore, the situation is clear. It is clear what you want and what the enemy wants. As for the second factor - which tells us how we can we find the most qualified candidate and what the characteristics of a person who is more qualified than others are - There are certain points which, by Allah's favor, I will discuss in the future - before elections are held - if I live long enough.
What I want to say today is that the first factor - that is to say, the people's enthusiasm and excitement in the elections and their communal movement towards the elections - is the first great thing that our nation can do. The enemy wants this not to happen. What does he do to take away this enthusiasm, energy and excitement from the people? They try to discourage the people from participating in the elections. They want the people to say, "What is the use of participating in the elections? For what purpose should we go and vote?" They want to instill this feeling into the people. That is why if today you listen to foreign radios and Zionist news agencies - today, it is a large Zionist network which, as they say, channels all the news in the world, and it only broadcasts the kind of news which it likes - you will see that their efforts are focused on describing the conditions of the country as critical. Well, there are problems in the country. In which country do problems not exist? There is the problem of high prices and unemployment. Today, in which country do these problems not exist? Today, even those countries which control the propaganda against the Islamic Republic are drowning in problems. Every now and then, the people in one of these countries or, simultaneously, in several countries enter the arena and shout out of desperation and they are attacked by security forces. Of course, they hide these facts as much as they can.
We also have a number of problems. We should compare our problems with the strong points that we have. Which country has united and coherent people as our country? Different ethnicities, different religions, different cities and different areas in our country live and move forward in the same path and with the same goals, emotions, feelings and hopes. Which country has all these energetic and lively youth? Today, our youth are conquering the peaks of scientific achievements. They are achieving the highest ranks in different international competitions. Is this a minor achievement? Which nation has managed to enjoy the significance, greatness and influence that the Iranian nation enjoys in international and regional events despite all the hostilities? A number of people are our enemies and a number of people are the mercenaries of our enemies. They create obstacles as much as they can, but the people of Iran are treading their path with honor and dignity, with a cheerful and hopeful face and without bearing any grudges against such and such people and they are present on the scene. You should know this. Different nations - of course, wise and outstanding personalities in these nations and those who are familiar with different developments - point to you and they say, "See in which great arenas the Iranian nation has made progress. This is while we have fallen behind them." This is the movement of the Iranian nation.
In their propaganda, the enemies try to cast a shadow of despair, hopelessness and crisis over the issues of the country. They try to greatly magnify small problems or problems which do not exist, accuse the people and the country of creating these problems, picture the future of the country as dark and make the people hopeless. This is the goal of the enemy. From their point of view, this despair prepares the ground for undermining the elections. You should do the opposite.
Dear people! Dear youth! Dear officials! Dear promoters of the Islamic Revolution! Dear public speakers! You should do the opposite. You should give hope to the people. This hope is not a vain hope. This hope is a genuine hope.
The people should know and pay attention to the fact that their enthusiastic and strong presence in elections will bring about immunity for the country and will reduce the greed of foreigners for transgression and wrongdoing. The presence of the people will have such influence. The enemies are trying to prevent this. Of course, I would tell you that because we know our people from experience and because we have constantly witnessed divine blessings and kindness, we are sure that - like previous elections - this time too the Iranian nation will deal a hard blow to the enemies. By Allah's favor, the people will emerge victorious in another glorious test and they will add to their glories. This is the divine blessing. By Allah's favor, this will happen.
What is important during the time that we have before the elections is that as well as being determined to participate in the elections, the people should try to make a good choice. As I said, the effects of a good and appropriate choice will last not only for four years but also for tens of years. We should think carefully in order to make a good choice. We should know the standards. By Allah's favor, I will discuss certain points in this regard in the future. But the main standard is that those who will hold executive positions should make efforts to preserve the dignity of the Iranian nation and continue the movement of the country towards the goals of the Revolution.
Whatever blessings we have had over these long years is because of the goals of the Revolution. Whenever we could not go on, whenever we fell behind others and whenever we were defeated, it was because of our negligence to follow the goals of Islam and the Islamic Revolution.
Those people should hold executive positions who are the manifestation of this holy ayah: "Those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah' and then stand steadfast" [The Holy Quran, 41: 30]. Those who will hold these positions should be steadfast and able to put up a resistance. They should enter the arena by wearing a steel armor which is made of reliance on God and divine remembrance.
You should look at the slogans of candidates and see what kind of slogans they chant. Sometimes, in order to win votes, a number of candidates use slogans that are beyond their legal powers. Of course, they are making a mistake. Our wise people can identify these slogans and they can be vigilant about them. In their slogans, they should include issues which are crucial for the people, which are more urgent than other issues and which are compatible with the realities and the resources of the country and which will lead to the inner strength of the Iranian nation. This is one of the standards.
Many people have run for the elections. By Allah's favor, the honorable members of the Guardian Council will introduce to the people - based on their legal responsibilities - those candidates who are qualified. Everybody should obey the law. Problems arise when the law is violated. In the year 1388, the problems that were created, the harm that was inflicted on the country and the efforts of some people to prevent the country and the people from enjoying the results of their 40 million votes were the consequences of violating the law. Some people violated the law either because of their personal motives, their illegal political motives or whatever else - I do not want to make a judgment in this regard. They made a mistake by choosing illegal ways and they harmed themselves, the people and the country. The right path is the path of the law. Everybody should obey the law. Everybody should submit to the law.
Sometimes, a law may not be one-hundred percent right, but it is better than lawlessness. It is possible that the enforcer of the law carries out an illegal action and you and I may find out that he has acted in an illegal way. But if we fail to correct this mistake with legal actions, then it is better for us to tolerate this mistake rather than taking another illegal action and correcting what we consider as illegal by violating the law. The law is a very good standard. It is a tool for preserving national unity and the peace and tranquility of the country and for continuing the public path.
The honorable members of the Guardian Council are pious and wise people. They will make a decision based on the law and as a result, a number of people who are qualified will be introduced to the people. You and I should take a look and see which of these qualified candidates is the most qualified, which candidate can realize the goals of the people and which candidate can undertake this heavy responsibility and continue this path with complete trustworthiness. You and I should understand and pay attention to this issue. We should ask the people who can guide us to help us in this regard. We should reach sharia standards. When one acts according to sharia standards, even if later it turns out to be an incorrect choice, one can feel proud and say, "I carried out my duty". But if we do not act according to sharia standards and if later it turns out to be an incorrect choice, we will blame ourselves. In such a condition, we have no excuse for the choice that we made.
Of course, I am hopeful. We are very hopeful about the assistance of Allah the Exalted. I thank God for helping us remain hopeful. When one takes a look at the conditions of the country, he will be more hopeful - on a daily basis - about the future of this path, this nation and this country. These religious and determined people and these youth, who are enthusiastic and energetic in different arenas, increase our hopes about the future.
I hope that you will benefit from divine blessings. I hope that all of you dear people will benefit from the prayers of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). By Allah's favor, the prayers of that great Imam (a.s.) will bestow divine guidance on the hearts of all of us. By Allah's favor, what benefits our country will be achieved by you people.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings