The following is the full text of the speech delivered on January 19, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with family members of Shahid Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan.
Two valuable aspects are completely manifest in your youth, each of which is a source of pride in some way: one is knowledge, research, progress and mastery over the important and sensitive task that he undertook. This is a superior talent. It is prominence and brilliance in the real sense of the word. This is one aspect of your youth's personality which is a source of honor. Even if such personalities were alive, they would continue to be a source of honor because of this aspect of their personality. They are a source of honor for their parents, for their family, for their wife and children and for their country.
The second aspect is, however, more important. It is the spiritual and divine aspect of their character. It is what prepares them for martyrdom. From the viewpoint of us men of the world and from the viewpoint of you who are their parents and wives - well, your feelings for them are extraordinary - martyrdom is bitter because it is a loss. From material aspects, this is a loss and therefore, it is bitter. This is the outer layer of martyrdom: the loss of one's dear ones and the feeling of missing them. However, the essence of martyrdom is beyond this. The essence of martyrdom is that one individual and one human being suddenly gains a lofty divine position. With martyrdom, one's position becomes higher than that of angels. In that main and eternal life - all of us will willingly or unwillingly live that life after 40, 50, 60, 70 years - the martyrs' position rises, they will receive great attention and they will even bring good to others on Judgment Day: "Their light runs forward before them and by their right hands" [The Holy Quran, 57: 12]. This is the essence of martyrdom.
One of the characteristics of Judgment Day is the darkness of the environment because there is no sun and no means of casting light. All people are surrounded by a kind of darkness. When these good servants of God - one of the best of whom is your youth - move forward, their light runs forward before them. There are some people who look at them with envy and say, "Give us your light". These are people who do not deserve that light. In response, these good servants say, "Turn back to your rear. Then seek a light where you can" [The Holy Quran, 57: 13]. They say to them "Turn back to your rear", that is to say, your material lives. If there is any light, seek it there because no light will be given to you here. This is a light that they found in their material lives, but it will be manifested in the hereafter. This is the second aspect of the personality of your youth and of all martyrs.
They were martyred in the way of God and the progress of Islam. They did not say to themselves, "We are a people who do not want to fall behind such and such a country and government. This is why we have entered the arena of science". Of course, this was one of their motives, but they had another motive which is more important. They were trying to bring honor to Islam and the Islamic government with their scientific movement.
From the beginning of the Revolution, one of the ideas that they bombarded us with was that when Islam dominates a country, the gate of knowledge and civilization will be closed to the people who cherish it. This is one of the accusations that they have leveled at us from the beginning. Well, in the beginning, we had no reason to dismiss this accusation. In 1360s, we could not do anything to dismiss this accusation. The only feat that our youth accomplished was jihad and faith. Well, the world accepted this. It said, "Their faith is good, but in such a society, scientific activity and progress, civilization and development are not possible".
However, our youth proved them wrong. Our scientists - whether this martyr or the others who were martyred before him - proved them wrong. The youth who conquered scientific arenas, introduced new ideas and displayed their ground-breaking identity, their brilliant talents and their great capacities and capabilities brought dignity and honor to the Islamic Republic. Can a country and a system say that they will make progress in science without proving it in action? Well, we used to deliver speeches about this progress, but such speeches are of no value and they will not convince anyone. They should bring their capabilities to the arena and show how this scientific progress will be achieved.
Your youth did so. This is the second part of martyrs' identity. Because of it, Allah the Exalted bestowed on them the virtue and blessings of martyrdom and He raised their position. Although it is true that your martyred youth is not by your side and that you will not see him until the end of your lives, he exists. He belongs to you and he is there. When will he come to your aid? He will come to your aid on the day you are poorer than ever.
I hope that God will bestow patience and rewards on you and that He will comfort your hearts and the heart of this little boy. Anyone can render services no matter where they are. When services are sincere, God will give rewards to the best as He has done so until today. After your Mostafa was martyred, I heard that the students of Sharif University and other universities wrote a letter, saying that they want to change their field of study and change it his instead.