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It’s Everyone's Obligation to Engage in Jihad against Enemies Yearning to Rule over Muslim Lands

On the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr, Ayatollah Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, delivered a speech to government officials and ambassadors (from Islamic countries) representing the Islamic Republic of Iran. The following is the full text of his speech as delivered on June 26, 2017:

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem Al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure, immaculate, and infallible household--especially, the one remaining with Allah on earth.   

I would like to congratulate all of you: my brothers and sisters; the honorable ambassadors of Islamic countries; guests, present at this assembly; all the great people of Iran and, each and every member of the great Islamic Ummah, throughout the world, on the auspicious occasion of the Eid ul-Fitr. I hope that Allah the Exalted will bestow His blessings on this great Ummah. I hope that this Eid becomes a blessed occasion, in the real sense of the word, for the Islamic Ummah.

The truth is that today, the Islamic Ummah is suffering from numerous problems. Certain wounds have been and continue to be inflicted upon the body of the Islamic Ummah. The deepest wound is the one caused by discord. Enemies of Islam are trying to create discord among Muslim groups with different methods. They want to create rifts and enmities among them, by means of ethnic and denominational differences, based on geographical disputes of territorial and border issues. Tools for carrying out these methods are available to them [those involved in disputes], and the enemy is, unfortunately, using them. We, officials of Islamic governments, have ignored this measure that the enemy has adopted.

When I think to myself, I feel that we should be extremely concerned that some American congressman – who is opposed to the very essence of Islam, an enemy to Islamic countries – expresses his "concerns" about the problems of a Sunni community, pitting people against Shi’a. We should be ever more vigilant upon hearing such rhetoric. An enemy, who is opposed to the essence of Islam, has now expressed his support for a certain Islamic group against another! Is this anything other than malevolence, conspiracy and enmity? As it so happens, this behavior unfortunately exists. We should ponder on it; we should understand this ploy.

All Islamic countries lose from discord, and all of them profit from unity. Unity among Islamic countries, their closeness to one another, and their refusal to use force against one another are merits that can be used to their own advantage; we should understand that these qualities are to the advantage of Islamic countries. This is a divine logic: it is Islamic logic. Unfortunately, this logic does not receive enough attention.

Today, we have certain problems within the world of Islam. We are suffering from the bloodshed, and there are deadly confrontations today. Yemen serves as an example. These issues should receive more attention. The issues of Syria, the issues of Iraq, the issues of North Africa and, the numerous issues that one witnesses in the world of Islam are all signs of discord and conflict. These conflicts serve as a disadvantage towards Islam; moreover, this is a disadvantage for the entire Islamic Ummah. We should resolve these problem.

This action (confronting problems within the Islamic Ummah) is one of the prominent aspects of Quds Day rallies. Notice that in almost all small and large cities of Iran, the people take to the streets on Quds Day while they are fasting; in recent years, they have been doing so in hot weather. You were witness to the large gatherings of the people in Tehran and in other cities. These people are Shi’a, but they express their sympathy and support for the Palestinians who are Sunnis. This is the meaning of unity. This is the meaning of commitment to the unity of the Islamic Ummah. It was our magnanimous Imam (ra) who laid the foundation for this, and today the people are moving towards it (unity).

One grave danger, which is threatening the world of Islam today, is undermining the important issue of Palestine and consigning it to oblivion. Some Muslim countries expand on this severe threat; they behave, speak and act, in way that will culminate with the issue of Palestine being ignored and consigned to oblivion.

Palestine is the primary issue of the Islamic world. An Islamic country has been completely occupied, not a small strip of land, city or village, but an entire country! People have been driven out of their homes. Even those Palestinians who reside in Palestine are living with complete difficulty and pressure. They are subject to continuous slaughter, humiliation, degradation and pressure. Is this a minor issue?

According to Islamic fiqh – whether Sunni or Shia fiqh, or fiqh in other Islamic denominations – there’s no doubt that when an enemy dominates Muslim lands, it’s a legal obligation upon everyone to engage in jihad against them--whichever form of jihad possible. Today, fighting against the Zionist regime is obligatory and necessary for the entire world of Islam. Why do they dodge this responsibility?

Thankfully, our people are awake and vigilant on this matter. In any case, the world of Islam needs unity, it needs coalition and it needs unanimity. Most nations are unanimous. It is governments that are responsible for this, and they can also play an important role.  

I hope that, with the blessedness of the auspicious month of Ramadan and the felicitous day of Eid ul-Fitr, (which is the Eid of Muslims, and a source of dignity and honor for the Holy Prophet of Islam {pbuh}) Allah the Exalted will bring our hearts closer together, granting Muslims with kindness towards one another. I hope that He will give the necessary power, strength, determination and willpower to the Islamic Ummah to confront the enemies of Islam, God willing. 

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.