In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
This meeting is a very enlightened, sweet and meaningful one. Those who were introduced as martyrs were among the outstanding personalities of society. They were artists, teachers and university and school students. This shows that the motive to sacrifice oneself and die in the away of God has been firmly established at different levels of our society. This is a very important matter. University professors, artists and students are willing to be martyred. Many of these well-known martyrs in the Sacred Defense Era - our streets and organizations have been ornamented with their names and their photos enlighten the environment of our life - were students. Some of them were really outstanding and gifted. They were artists, teachers and university professors and they offered and laid down their life - which is the most valuable thing that one has from a material aspect - in the way of God. This is very important.
The importance of reviving the memory of martyrs
Commemoration ceremonies are a continuation of jihadi movement and martyrdom. If the names of martyrs had not been repeated and if respect towards them and their families had not turned into a culture in our society - fortunately, this has become a culture in our society - then many of these valuable and precious personalities would have been forgotten. If such a thing had happened, this great value - which is achieved with martyrdom - would have been consigned to oblivion. You should not allow this to happen from now on too. Reviving the memory of martyrs, repeating their names and researching into their lives should be promoted in our society. If this happens, martyrdom - which means comprehensive and all-embracing jihad in the way of God - will become permanent in society. If this happens, our society will no longer suffer defeats and defeat will not mean anything to it. Under such circumstances, it will move forward.
Reviving the memory of martyrs, repeating their names and researching into their lives should be promoted in our society.
This is very similar to the event that occurred to Hussain ibn Ali (greetings be upon him). Today, more than 1,300 years have passed from the martyrdom of Hazrat Abi Abdullah (greetings be upon him) and this event has become more prominent and outstanding on a daily basis. This event contains concepts which are vital for the life of the Islamic community. If these concepts had not been promoted, then there would have been no trace of Islam, the Holy Quran and Islamic teachings. The same is true of our martyrs. You should not allow the names and memory of martyrs to be forgotten or to rust away in our society. Of course, this should be done with innovative moves. The valuable commemoration ceremonies that you gentlemen hold are not merely some glorious funeral ceremonies. They contain valuable concepts. They should define martyrdom and martyrs and they should eternalize the culture of martyrdom in society.
Allah the Exalted says that martyrs are alive: "And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: ‘They are dead'" [The Holy Quran, 2: 154]. "Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord. They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah" [The Holy Quran, 3: 169-170]. These are Quranic ayahs. These are clear concepts that no Muslim can ignore. Anyone who believes in Islam and the Holy Quran should take a look at these concepts. This holy ayah says that martyrs are alive. Their life is a real and spiritual life and they are enjoying the sustenance that Allah the Exalted has provided for them. This means that they constantly benefit from divine blessings. "They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah". What is happening in the other side? What do people know about that unknown world?
There is no fear and grief for martyrs whether in this world or in the hereafter.
We know that martyrs are happy, joyful and pleased there. "They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah". More importantly, "And with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them in their bliss, the martyrs glory in the fact that on them is no fear". They are speaking to us. They are addressing us, saying, "That on them is no fear nor have they cause to grieve" [The Holy Quran, 3: 170]. This is very important. We should develop the ability in ourselves to hear what martyrs say to us. They are sending messages to us and they deny the existence of any fear and grief in the hereafter: "That on them is no fear nor have they cause to grieve". We fear and become sad because of our weaknesses. They say to us that we have nothing to fear or to grieve in the hereafter. They are either saying this to themselves or to us. There are different interpretations about this holy ayah. There is no fear and grief for martyrs whether in this world or in the hereafter. How important it is for a people to be free of fear and grief in their movement and progress. How important it is for them to move with hope. This is martyrs' message to us and it should be heard. You should convey these messages to people with your meetings and ceremonies.
One of the brothers in this meeting raised a good point. He said that when a meeting is held in commemorating martyrs, those who participate - no matter what positions they have - benefit from it more than what they themselves add to the meeting. It is the meeting that raises their understanding and gives them guidance. This is, in fact, true. You should do something to make commemoration ceremonies have such characteristics and you should develop them. You should promote this culture in society.
The people of Iran; against global arrogance
The people of Iran accomplished a great feat. They carried out a great task. In a world which is based on the oppression, bullying and transgression of powers and bullies and in a world in which the weak are pressured by these powers, an entity and identity emerged which denied this wrong system in the world - which is imperialism and which we refer to as global arrogance - in an outspoken way, with complete courage and without any consideration. This was done by the people of Iran. The people of Iran rejected global arrogance which is based on an oppressor-and-oppressed dichotomy.
The basis of this looting and power-based system is the division of the world into the oppressor and the oppressed.
The basis of this looting and power-based system is the division of the world into the oppressor and the oppressed. The same is true of the present time. The same was true of the time when the Islamic Revolution achieved victory. The same system has existed throughout history. Of course today, it has gained strength compared to past eras. This is because today's weapons of domination are not comparable with 100, 1,000 and 5,000 years ago. This is why imperialists can dominate the oppressed and the weak more than before and they are making the most of this opportunity.
They are looting resources, destroying cultures, humiliating people, increasing hunger among oppressed and underprivileged nations and committing many other crimes. Against this movement, an identity, namely the Islamic Revolution, emerged that relied on revelation, divine principles, divine morality, divine movement and what the Holy Quran says in a clear way. This is the movement of the people of Iran. Thankfully, this movement has developed and moved forward on a daily basis.
They tried to make us regret launching this movement, but they failed. They tried to stop us, but they failed. They tried to do something to make us move backward, but they failed.
We do not claim that we have managed to implement Islamic goals in the country. We do not claim this at all. In many cases, our capabilities were limited and we failed to do what we wanted to do. However, we continued our movement. We are moving towards the peak. They tried to make us regret launching this movement, but they failed. They tried to stop us, but they failed. They tried to do something to make us move backward, but they failed. Although it is true that we could not reach the peak, but we managed to climb a long way. And this movement and motivation is continuing and will continue in the future. It will not stop.
The culture of martyrdom
One day, some people used to say, "You are taking students to the front lines. This way, universities are emptied and the movement of knowledge is stopped". This was while we did not force them. They themselves joined the front lines with complete willingness and enthusiasm. Those who were prevented from doing this compelled the people around them to give them the permission to go and they did this with different efforts and tricks. Despite what these people said, their move, effort and jihad helped us to progress in our scientific path more than we did in other areas. Thankfully today, our condition in the area of knowledge is satisfactory throughout the country. It is, in fact, a source of pride for us.
But in those days, this was not imaginable. In those days, it used to be said that if outstanding personalities, artists, students, university professors and teachers join the front lines, there will be a gap in the country. Later on, it became clear that the blessings of martyrdom and jihad in the way of God are far beyond these things. They were martyred, but thankfully today, some individuals have emerged who are outstanding in the world of knowledge, art and different other areas. Such individuals can be presented and introduced to the whole world. These are the blessings that the movement and jihad of a nation bring about and they will continue to exist in the future.
The culture of martyrdom means the culture of making efforts with one's own resources for the sake of furthering those long-term goals which are shared by all people.
I firmly believe that one of the fundamental needs of the country is to keep the names of martyrs alive. This is something that we need, whether we are religious and pious people or we are individuals who are not very religious but who are interested in the fate of this country and these people. No matter how you think, commemorating martyrs is vital and absolutely necessary for the future of our country. The culture of martyrdom means the culture of making efforts with one's own resources for the sake of furthering those long-term goals which are shared by all people. Of course, in our case, these goals are not particular to the people of Iran. Rather, these are goals for the entire world of Islam and the entire humanity.
If this culture is firmly established in society, it will become the exact opposite of western individualism which is based on selfishness. This western culture attaches a monetary value to everything. Everything is evaluated on the basis of money. Our Islamic culture is the exact opposite of that culture: "They give them preference over themselves" [The Holy Quran, 59: 9]. In this culture, individuals behave in an altruistic way. This is the culture of altruism, self-sacrifice and devoting one's resources to the fate of society and people. If it becomes public, no country and society that enjoys it will be stopped. It will never move back and it will constantly move forward. What you are doing revives this culture. Therefore, I thank all the brothers and sisters who have participated and cooperated in this good deed and I hope that all of you will be successful.
Each of the three congresses which are present in this meeting - the congress on commemorating artist martyrs, the congress on commemorating student martyrs and the one on commemorating education martyrs - is carrying out a valuable and meaningful task. By Allah's favor, we will witness the results of these tasks in society.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings