Imam Khamenei

Imam Khamenei's recommendations and requests for the youth

 

The recommendations: 

 

1. Trust in divine promise 

Regarding the issue of genuine and heartfelt beliefs and orientations, one of the things which I lay great emphasis on is reliance on Allah the Exalted and divine promises. This is one of the issues which I strongly believe we should not be negligent about. Allah the Exalted firmly promises that "If you help (the cause of) Allah, He will help you." [The Holy Quran, 47: 7] And "Allah will certainly aid those who aid his cause." [The Holy Quran, 22: 40] When Allah the Exalted promises in such a direct and emphatic way that if you support His religion and follow and assist the divine path, God will help you, then we should believe in this promise and we should do what He says. Aug 28, 201

 

2. Rely on God

Always remain on God's side. Have faith in Him. Do not stop relying on Allah the Exalted. Have faith in the great power that Allah the Exalted has built into your hearts, your minds, your willpower and your bodies. You should know that you can move mountains with the power that has been bestowed on you. The Iranian people might seem like a calm ocean sometimes, but once they are stirred, they will give rise to devastating tsunamis. If this great ocean with its religious depth is stirred into action, our youth can accomplish great achievements. These great achievements will not be confined to battlefields, rather great accomplishments will be made in the arena of science, in the arena of social issues, in the arena of culture, in the arena of establishing moral virtues and promoting them among people, in the arena of technology and scientific advances. You dear youth are capable of such achievements and miracles. You dear people of Iran are capable of such things. Aug 24, 2005

                                    

3. In the face of opponents, neither get astonished nor panic, not get infuriated

Competitive discourse in academic environments is a good thing provided that it is accompanied by tolerating the opposing views. One should not become surprised, angry and intimidated at the existence of opponents. None of these three feelings is acceptable in the face of opponents.

If we become surprised at the existence of opponents, this means that we are overconfident about ourselves. This is the reason why we are surprised when someone is opposed to us, but there is no room for surprise. Well, every individual, every thought, every movement and every orientation has certain opponents. And it is not the case that we think those opponents are necessarily wrong. This is not the case. There are certain weak points and these weak points make some people oppose us. Therefore, the existence of opponents should not make us surprised, as it should not provoke our anger. We should not become angry at their opposition. The opposition is understandable and acceptable.

We should not be intimidated either. Being afraid of the existence of opponent’s shows that we are not confident about the power and strength of our position. This should not be the case. We have a reason. We should strengthen and build up the bases of our reason and then we should enter the arena of competitive discourse and engage in discussion. The spirit of students should be like this. Jul 23, 2014

 

4. Grasp every opportunity 

You, youth should benefit from opportunities. Today, you have the opportunity to build the future of your country. Your time is different from our youth. Our youth was marked by insecurity and hardships. When we were your age, we were either in prison, under pressure and torture or in exile. And when the Revolution achieved victory – the first years after the Revolution – our days and nights were marked by working and endeavoring. There was no rest. We were constantly working. After one, two years I became president. Some of those who were with me did not become president. They were only trying and working. I too was engaged in another kind of work and endeavor during my presidency. What I mean is that we really went through a lot of trouble when we were at your age and a little older than that. This is not the case for you. You enjoy security and tranquility, you have scientific opportunities, you have capabilities and you are encouraged and respected. You should appreciate the value of this by benefitting from this opportunity. Oct 18, 2017

 

My dear ones, the enmity of the enemies of truth and of God is never-ending. The enmities exist. The enemies of God exert their enmity depending on the capabilities that they see in themselves for showing enmity and hostility. If they witness a weak point on the other side and if they see that they can exert enmity, they will do so without any consideration. Those who become upset when we speak about the existence of an enemy – they say, "Why do you constantly speak about an enemy?" – have ignored this issue. They have ignored the fact that if the enemy finds the opportunity, he will never hesitate in delivering blows. This opportunity should not be given to the enemy. In the face of the enemy, we should not do anything and say anything which encourages him to deliver blows, show enmity and exert hostility. This is a principle. This is a permanent and logical principle. Nov 22, 2017

 

5. Hopefulness is the necessary condition for progress

Young forces -- all young individuals -- are another important element. Young forces play a pioneering role: they are, in fact, like a locomotive. They play the role of an engine: when a locomotive moves, it naturally makes the rest of the train move. Of course, this role can only be fulfilled if the responsibilities, which fall on the young forces, are carried out correctly.

The spirit of hope, determination, and planning -- these three elements --are necessary as well. First of all, you should not lose one bit of hope. Some are constantly injecting despair into the society: this is carried out as a hostile course of action. Those who are doing this may not really be the enemy, but they are doing the enemy's work. Anyone who injects despair into society is carrying out the enemy's work. They say, "It is not possible. It is of no use. Everything is in a mess." --This is the enemy's work. Hope is a necessary condition.

Another element is determination and willpower: this involves carrying out decision-making: such elements require decision-making. Another element is planning. These tasks are not possible without planning: you should have these three elements in mind. May 28, 2018

 

6. The progress of the Islamic Revolution requires patience

What does patience mean? Patience means staying in the arena, not walking away from it. Some individuals flee from the arena. Some individuals do not flee from it, but they leave it gradually: this goes against the notion of patience: patience means having endurance, staying in the arena and resisting. Patience means keeping our eyes on distant goals and distant horizons. It means looking at distant goals. Sometimes, we become pleased, happy, or proud of a certain achievement. The dangerous thing is to become content: this is dangerous because it prevents us from staying in the arena.

You should look at the distant goal and at the peak of that goal. You should see what the real message of the Revolution and the Islamic government is, and to which place this message wants to take the Iranian nation, the Islamic Ummah, and finally the human community. You should look at that destination. The movement of the Islamic Revolution requires such patience. Jun 30, 2018

 

7. Don't regard yourselves as weak

If you are connected to the never-ending divine source of strength and richness, then you will not need anyone else. "O God, make us heedless of the rich out of your richness, and relieve us from fear of loneliness through your connection." Even if the whole world turns their backs on you, you will be strong. A small bit of this feeling emerged among the Iranian nation; as a result, we have been standing strong against shameless, impertinent, hegemonic powers of the world for forty years. What we have in this matter is small: the more it grows, the more this strength and ability grow. Aug 13, 2018

 

8. Criticism should be made out of friendship, not animosity 

Being critical is a cordial course of action, not a hostile one. When you criticize someone, it is a cordial course of action: “Believers act as a mirror to other believers [Tohaf al-Oqul, page 173].” This means that you find and express the flaws and weaknesses that exist on the other side. --This is a good thing. So, criticism should be made. Sometimes, criticism should be made on a public level as well. We do not always believe that criticism should be made secretly. Sometimes, it should be public; but, if we criticize in a way that the hearts of our audience are torn apart, or they say to themselves: “everything is ruined, we are done,”--this is unacceptable. We sometimes make mistakes in the way that we voice our criticisms and we work like this. Sep 6, 2018

 

9. Youth should deepen their faith so that they will not get deviated by every trivial doubt 

The cultural work of universities should be carried out in a way that religious and revolutionary individuals with good behavior are built. Cultural work is what can provide these things. Correct cultural work is what can teach our youth to be revolutionaries. Our country has carried out a Revolution and we should stand by it. We should set the principles of this Revolution as the main principles of our life so that we can move forward. Our students should believe in ideals, love their country – they should really love their country – and their system and enjoy the insight and religious and political depth.

Our youth should have a deeply religious and political outlook so that they do not slip up with any small falsehood or do not make a mistake in the area of political matters. Many of the individuals who slipped up during the fitna of the year 1388 were not bad people, but they slipped up because of lack of insight. Nov 11, 2015

 

10. Do not lose hope over short-lasting failures

Students should not become disappointed at temporary failures. You should pay attention to this. You should not say to yourselves, "We said something, but it did not happen. We had such and such a goal, but it was not achieved." You should not at all allow hopelessness and disappointment to overcome you... During the war too, it occurred many times that the things that we had planned and predicted did not happen. For example, during Operation Ramadhan, we used to think that the operation would succeed. It was summer and the weather was very hot. It was the month of Ramadhan and many of our youths were martyred and the operation failed. But did we become disappointed? Did our youth become disappointed? The same is true of Operation Karbala-4 and the initial Val Fajr operation... If we were supposed to become disappointed with every temporary defeat and retreat, nothing would have been achieved. This should not be the case. Hopelessness should never enter your lives because of some temporary and periodic failures. Jun 7, 2017

 

11. Revolutionary means educated, organized, religious and wise

A generation should appear that is courageous, educated, pious, innovative, pioneering, self-confident and zealous. Of course, many of these characteristics already exist in today’s young generation, but they should increase. So, we need such a generation. This generation should have faith, it should be educated, it should have zeal, courage, and self-belief, it should have enough motivation and physical and intellectual power in order to move forward, it should keep its goal within sight, it should pay attention to long-term goals and as the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) said – “Lend to Allah your head” [Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 11]- it should dedicate its life and its existence to this goal and it should move in a serious way. To put it briefly, it should be a revolutionary entity. This is the meaning of being revolutionary.

Some people define “revolutionary” in a bad way out of their enmity. They define “revolutionary” as illiterate, careless, and disorderly. But this is not the case. It is the exact opposite of this. “Revolutionary” means educated, orderly, pious, dynamic, wise and intelligent. We need such a generation. This generation is our young generation. Oct 19, 2016

 

12. True Islam is a foundation you should adhere to

Original Islam is against American Islam. American Islam has two branches: one is reactionary Islam and another is secular Islam. Arrogance and materialistic powers have supported and continue to support both of these branches. Sometimes, they create them, sometimes they guide them and sometimes they help them.

Original Islam is against these two branches. Original Islam is the kind of Islam that is comprehensive: it includes everything ranging from one’s individual life to the formation of an Islamic government. Original Islam is the kind of Islam that determines how you and I should behave in the family, how we should behave in society, and how our behavior should be towards the Islamic government and towards the formation of the Islamic government: this is original Islam. These are a set of the principles to which we should be committed to. Jun 3, 2016

 

13. Strengthen your relationship with God

My dear ones, you should also strengthen your relationship with Allah the Exalted. Your hearts are pure. Your souls are unblemished and clean. Obtaining divine kindness, blessings and light is much easier for you than the likes of this humble person. You can easily do so. You can achieve this by supplicating, by saying prayers, by performing daily prayers in a satisfactory and attentive manner, by reading the Quran, by helping God's servants – one of the most important tasks and acts of worship is helping God's servants – and by avoiding sins. I am sure and I have no doubts that the current generation, comprised of you dear youth, will be able to achieve all the dreams that existed in the Revolution. Nov 2, 2017

 

14. If you ask God to help you, doors will open to you

We should rely on Allah the Exalted and ask for His help in all tasks. We should trust divine assistance. When you ask Allah the Exalted to help you, all paths will open to you: "And for those who fear Allah, He always prepares a way out. And He provides for him from sources he could never imagine" [The Holy Quran, 65: 2-3]. The provision which has been referred to in this ayah and in other ayahs becomes available to us in different forms. Sometimes, an idea flashes through your mind and as a result, a path will open. This is divine provision. And during difficult times, a great hope is suddenly engendered into your heart. This is a divine provision as well. Apr 30, 2014

 

15. The youth's faith, decency and moral behavior make us proud and dignified 

The faith, modesty and morality of youth are sources of power as well. They are opposed to these things too. They are so active in cyberspace and in media and they spend billions in order to take away faith, commitment to sharia and modesty from the Iranian youth. Why do they do so? They do so because these elements are a source of power for the country. They show enmity towards pious, religious and modest youth who have faith in God, who do not slip up in the face of these lustful instruments, who can preserve themselves and who are a source of power for the country. May 10, 2017

 

 

Requirements:

 

1. You should develop proper Islamic ethics in yourselves 

What I recommend is that... we should build and develop Islamic virtues in our hearts and souls. A number of these virtues are patience, forgiveness, fortitude, self-control and humility. We should strengthen these characteristics in ourselves... Imam Sadiq (peace and greetings be upon him) used to say to his companions, "You should act in a way that whenever people see you, they say, ‘These people are the companions of Imam Sadiq. God's mercy be upon Imam Sadiq. You should make us be proud of you'" [al-Kafi, Volume 2, page 233]. Each and every one of you dear basijis, you dear youth with your pure and enlightened hearts and souls should behave towards all the people... in a way that they say, "These people are students of the Islamic government. They are a source of respect for the Islamic government and the Islamic Republic". Nov 20, 2013

 

2. Feel yourselves in the frontlines of fighting                               

I want to address those revolutionary groups which are interested in revolutionary matters and those which love the Revolution. I want to address those groups which consider the Islamic Revolution as the means for the salvation of the country and for building the future of the country in the real sense of the word. I am addressing these groups.

I would like to say to you students that you should feel that you are present in the front lines of this battle. There is a battle which is not over yet and which might not be over in the near future either. It might continue to exist for a long time. You should feel that you are present in the front lines of this battle. You should see the scene of conflict. One of the grave mistakes is that some people do not feel and see the scene of conflict. They do not understand it. You should pay attention to the relationship between yourselves and this battle. Students should have a sense of human, national, religious, social and international responsibility. This is what is expected of students. Jun 7, 2017

 

3. Accompany conscientiousness with insight 

During the time of revolutionary activities, some people had a sense of responsibility, but they did not know where to spend it. They expended it in areas that were in the disadvantage of the great revolutionary movement of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.). They acted in the same way after the revolution until today. Some people have a sense of responsibility and motivation, but they spend it the wrong way and in wrong places. They do not target the gun at the right place. This is because of the lack of foresight.

When the issue of fitna arose a few years ago, we spoke about foresight. Some people are jeered at this and said, "What is foresight?" Yes, we should have foresight. If foresight does not exist, then the more we have a sense of responsibility and motivation, the greater will be the danger. This is because the person who does not have the wisdom and foresight, who does not know the enemy and who does not understand where he should expend his sense of responsibility, energy and motivation cannot be trusted. So, this is the second basis which is very very necessary. If the second basis does not exist, our enjoining to do good, our džihad and our tasks are generally done in the wrong way, and they deviate from the straight path. Nov 27, 2014

A revolutionary person should have insight. He should be perceptive. He should be able to understand the complexities of time. Rejecting a certain person and accepting another person is not a simple issue. You should be careful. You should preserve the revolutionary enthusiasm. You should deal with the problems. When somebody raises an objection, you should not turn your back on him. However, you should be careful as well and avoid immature actions. You should not lose hope. You should stay on the scene. But take care not to get angry at an action which you think is objectionable. Take care not to lose your temper in such cases. It is necessary to behave in a logical and reasonable way. Oct 21, 2010

In today's complex societies. The youth must think and increase their insight. Clergymen and the committed members of our society - including those involved in educational and cultural issues, academics, and seminarians - must pay attention to the issue of insight when setting goals, determining the necessary means, identifying the enemy, detecting the obstacles, and determining the methods to remove the obstacles. These are different types of insight that are necessary. When there is insight, you will know who you should deal with and you will equip yourself with the necessary means. Sometimes you decide to take a walk in the street. You may put on ordinary clothes and a pair of slippers for the walk. But when you decide to go climbing, you need special equipment. Insight is the knowledge of what you need and what you should take along. Oct 7, 2009

 

4. The country needs striving and enthusiastic youth

Today, the country needs those youth who can become strong arms for the progress of the country, who are full of religious motivation and insight, who have firm determination, the courage to take action and self-confidence, who believe in "we can", who are hopeful about the future, who see future horizons clearly and lucidly and who have the spirit to be self-sufficient.

Self-sufficiency does not mean refusal to learn from foreigners. We have not recommended and will not recommend this at all. We are willing to learn from those who have more knowledge than us. The spirit to be self-sufficient means refusal to be influenced, to accept others' impositions and to become victims of sharing knowledge - this is fairly common in today's world of science which is the world of arrogant power. This spirit should exist in youth. They should gain a correct understanding of where we are, where we want to go and how we want to make it... We need youth who have the spirit to be decisive in the face of transgression and attempts to undermine national independence. University professors can instill and inject these spirits and positive characteristics into the minds of the young generation of the country - those youth who are studying and acquiring knowledge. University professors are like this. Jul 4, 2015

 

5. Be persistent in the path of the revolution 

My dear ones, stability and steadfastness on this path is one of the most necessary and important factors in progress. You should try to keep your surrounding environment, the individuals which are in contact with you and most importantly, your hearts and souls loyal and steadfast towards these ideals, towards this path and towards these lofty goals. You will definitely achieve victory. Victory will surely belong to you. Nov 22, 2017

 

6. Maintain your preparedness in face of the enemies of Islam

You should be the deliverers of the message that one should have this spirit. You should preserve Muslims' preparedness for this confrontation and battle. Confrontation does not always mean a military war. You should familiarize the minds of your audience – the people who listen to you – with the realities that exist in the world of Islam today.

We will definitely not forsake this responsibility. We will not abandon this responsibility and we are confident that Allah the Exalted will help us accomplish this task. A Quranic ayah says, "Oh you who believe, take not my enemies and yours as friends, offering them your love" [The Holy Quran, 60: 1]. However, contrary to this ayah, some people make friends with the enemies of Muslims, Islam and God and they offer them their love. They are the true enemies of Islam inside the Islamic community. Nov 23, 2017

 

7. The youth should prepare themselves in terms of science, faith and revolutionary motivations

The youth should prepare themselves: they should always be ready in terms of scientific, ideological, and revolutionary motives. Iran's youth serve as an engine for progression within the Revolution: this has been the case since the beginning of the Revolution until this very day. Fortunately, today, we have more youth who are determined and insightful than we did at the start of the Revolution: we do not have as many, rather we have more! The insight and depth of understanding encompassed by our younger generations are greater than the Revolutionary youth of the past: we do not suffer from shortcomings in this regard: this, thankfully, exists. Dear youthful Iranians, you should prepare yourselves: teenagers who are entering into young adulthood should prepare themselves. Revolutionary thought, motivation, insight, and action are among the many elements that our youth should remember. Feb 18, 2018

                                                                                     

8. You should carry on your goals persistently without losing hope

I see that a number of our academic friends... have certain questions in their minds about issues related to justice and combating discrimination and corruption. They say to themselves, "What is the result of constantly speaking about this issue? What happened?" You raised this issue and it produced results, but the expectation to achieve everything that we want in the short run is not possible. Under no circumstances, great ideals are achieved in the short run. Great ideals require continuous work. Tasks should be followed up in a continuous way and we should not become hopeless so that we can produce results. Oct 9, 2007

 

9. We need to compensate for the past delays 

We must pursue this path. We need to be determined. We need to change the wrong orders that have brought about backwardness for nations, especially our nation. We need to make up for the backwardness we have suffered so far. All these things require determination and hope. If a nation loses hope in the future or its determination to open up new paths and move towards the goals is undermined, it will lose its dignity. The Iranian nation needs to preserve this determination all the time and increase this hope on a daily basis. Our country has this attitude. Dec 29, 2010

 

10. Strengthen jihadi work and jihadi spirit in yourselves 

Should prefer the spirit of jihad to the spirit of superiority. One of the dangers for those individuals who have privilege is that they might feel they are superior to and different from others. They might feel that they are superior to others to a great extent. This is a grave danger. This is a personality danger, a personality disease. You should not allow this disease to grow inside you and the way to do so is to strengthen jihadi spirit and work in yourselves. "Jihadi spirit" means carrying out tasks for the sake of God, considering work as one's duty and bringing all of your forces to the arena on the path of a righteous cause. This is jihadi spirit. In order to strengthen this jihadi spirit in yourselves, your presence in jihadi camps will be very good. Oct 14, 2015

 

11. Steadfastly attend to profound cultural and intellectual activities 

Should engage in profound, purposeful and planned intellectual and cultural work. Sometimes the enemy openly attacks our academic environment. This is where you should have an active presence, just like the issues that happened during the fitna of the year 1388 or similar other issues. Other times there is no open aggression. In such cases, our student organizations should play an important intellectual role... It is necessary to do profound work regarding logical issues. Sentimental work should be avoided in the case of political issues of the country. Of course emotions are good and pure. I am not at all opposed to expressing emotions and being emotional, especially in the case of our youth. It is neither possible nor favorable to suppress emotions. However, apart from these things, logical thinking is necessary, especially when it comes to political issues. Aug 10, 2011

 

12. For becoming powerful, science is to be acquired

Science is an absolute necessity. You know this well, but I would like to point out that a country, which has no access to science, cannot expect to have glory, independence, identity, security, and well-being. That is the way of the world. Knowledge brings about power. There a sentence in Nahj al-Balagha that is very instructive: "Knowledge is grandeur." [Speaking in Arabic]. "Knowledge is power. Anyone who gains this power can rule and anyone who does not obtain it will be ruled." [Speaking in Arabic]. Anyone who gains this power can rule and triumph over the others. Anyone with no access to this power will be overpowered. Others will defeat and rule them. Sep 3, 2007

 

13. Practice performing prayers attentively while you young                                                                

You should pay attention to daily prayers. You should perform daily prayers well, you should pay attention to it and you should feel that you are present before God. Presence of heart means that one’s heart should be there when saying daily prayers. Sometimes, we are saying daily prayers, but our hearts are somewhere else. Presence of heart means that our hearts should be present there in our sajjadah, not somewhere else.

You youth should practice this. It might be difficult in the beginning, but if you practice, it will become easy and you will get used to it. If you practice today, it will always be useful to you. If you do not practice this during your youth, it will become difficult when you reach my age. You should get close to daily prayers, to the Holy Quran, to different prayers, to the duas of the month of Sha’ban and to Dua Sha’baniyyah. The month of Ramadan is ahead of us. You should cleanse, aromatize and enlighten yourselves with the auspicious days and nights of the month of Ramadan. If you do so, you will – by Allah’s favor – be able to accomplish all these great tasks. May 23, 2016

Best way to establish a relationship with God is primarily through saying daily prayers. You should try to say daily prayers by paying careful attention from now and from the age of taklif. What does paying careful attention mean? It means that while saying daily prayers, you feel that you are speaking to your Great Addressee – to God. You should create this feeling in yourselves.

When individuals speak to Allah the Exalted, they trust and rely on Him and they make requests to Him. This trust and reliance on God give us courage. You should move forward with courage in your life. You should move forward with self-confidence. And this feeling of courage and self-confidence is gained in one’s relationship with God. You should try to say daily prayers on time and by paying careful attention. Dec 13, 2016

 

14. Read some verses of Quran every day, even if only half a page

I would like to advise our dear youth and our young students to attach significance and attend to matters related to personal piety, righteousness and purity. You should never forget to recite the Holy Quran on a daily basis although it might be a page or half a page. You should read the Holy Quran every day and you should preserve your relationship with it. Prayers contain extraordinary teachings as well. They strengthen your relationship with Allah the Exalted. This is the truth of the matter. Jul 2, 2016

We should continue our movement towards the Quran. My dear ones: Iranian, pious, and revolutionary youth; you should increase your familiarity with the Quran and reap the benefits from it every single day; this will be a source of strength, power, and dignity for you. I hope that by Allah's favor, all of us will awaken. I hope that the Islamic world awakens so that we can carry out these tasks.  May 17, 2018

 

15. Do not forget forbidding what is wrong 

And through "resolving discord, spreading good behavior and covering faults". We should improve the relationship between those who have problems with each other. When it comes to revealing things about other people, we should only reveal their good characteristics. If you know about a good thing that a person or a government official has done, that is what you should reveal about him. Conversely, you must not go public with a negative thing that you happen to know about a particular person. But this does not mean that you should not advise them against bad deeds. Those who are doing something wrong should be told in private what is wrong with what they are doing. But revealing such things in public is not advisable. There are many things that can be said in this regard. What I said is only part of the dua. There were 22, 23 points in the dua and I only touched on 6, 7 of them. We should push our hearts in this direction. We should ask God to "clothe us in the ornaments of the God-fearing". After all, we have no other option. Fasting has been made obligatory so that we can "learn self-restraint". [The Holy Quran, 2: 183]. God prescribed fasting so that we can observe piety. These are some of the requirements of piety. Aug 7, 2011

 

16. Remind and claim the ideals 

What I would like to stress is that today we are in dire need of repeating, highlighting, working on, and demanding these [revolutionary] ideas in our society: such demands are significant. Demanding that [revolutionary] ideas be met is one of those issues we should not abandon. If this tremendous invasion on public opinion -- carried out by anti-revolutionary forces -- is not confronted, through these demands, it will definitely destroy things. Mentioning, highlighting, and pursuing our goals, and making demands for their implementation becomes a fortress against the destruction of public opinion and intellectual environments -- they are, unfortunately, working on intellectual environments as well -- and also managerial environments. Unfortunately, such attempts have exerted some influence in certain cases. So, an army of pious and revolutionary young individuals is needed here so that it enters the arena and demands the [revolutionary] ideals. The young people, themselves, should help with the implementation of such ideals; certainly, how they can help requires a separate discussion. If there is enough time to reach the second part, I will raise some points about this matter as well.

Therefore, there is a need for highlighting [revolutionary] ideals, and this should be carried out with the special language of pious and revolutionary young individuals: whose characteristics are candidness and courageousness in expressing one's ideas. They express their ideas courageously: today, this was almost the case. We felt bravely motivated for saying certain things. Although I did not agree with some of the statements, I approve of courage. I completely approve of this warrior spirit from the young and revolutionary students. These valuable qualities should be constantly, outspokenly, and intelligently pursued by active young individuals. May 28, 2018

 

17. Prepare yourselves truly and be perseverant 

The future belongs to you. You should build yourselves in the true sense of the word and you should remain steadfast. In the future, you will go to university. Presence in a university should strengthen, not weaken, in you that religious and revolutionary identity. Some people are like this. Before going to university, they are such and such individuals, but when they go to university, they become different. This should not be the case. This identity should be strengthened. And our universities are Islamic universities. They belong to Islam. They belong to the Revolution. They belong to our revolutionary people. So, this identity should continue. You should become steadfast because this steadfastness is very important. Apr 20, 2016

 

18. Refer to Imam Khomeini's advice and writings 

When we say that preserving and guarding the Revolution was entrusted to youth by Imam (r.a.), this does not mean that those who are not young do not have any mission. They do have a mission. This is everyone’s mission. All people - including eighty-year-old individuals, those even older than that, teenagers, men, women, outstanding personalities, ordinary individuals and all the people in the country – have the mission of preserving their Revolution. This is the responsibility of all of us.

However, youth are the leaders. They are the engine of the movement. If the young generation did not exist, and if they did not want to take action, the movement would have stopped. The wisdom, ideas and experience of the elderly prove useful only when the youthful movement of youth exists. The leaders of this movement are youth. Therefore, you youth who have not seen Imam (r.a.) are addressed by him. Imam (r.a.) has spoken to you. He has spoken to you. You should refer to his statements. Nov 23, 2016