Imam Khamenei

Statements made in the home of Major-General Martyr Hajj Qasem Soleimani

May Allah reward all of you and grant you patience. Hajj Qasem's life was a trial for you. His martyrdom is a trial for you too. The suffering is great, the grief is deep, but the reward is just as great. We have to endure. We have to be satisfied with the Almighty God. After all, everyone will pass through this stage of life and will pass to the next world - everyone will pass through. You, I, others, all will pass through, young and old. How we pass through is important. A person who is martyred for the cause of God is doing his actions sincerely for God (and will pass through in the best possible manner). Hajj Qasem had been exposed to martyrdom a hundred times before. This was not the first time. However, he had no fear on the path of Allah, in performing his duty, and in Jihad for the cause of Allah. He was not afraid of the enemy, nor was he afraid of what others would say about him, nor was he afraid of hardships.

Imagine, he would spend twenty-four hours in a given country and work nineteen hours of it! He would meet, debate and talk with different people. Why? In order to reach a desirable outcome. He didn't work for himself. He worked for achieving their goals. Haj Qasem was this way. He lived a beautiful life. God bless him; he lived well. You lived well with him too. You were patient, worked with him, endured problems. You, yourself, your children, your sons, and your daughters endured problems. All of this is going to be rewarded by Allah, the Almighty. After all, this stage and this world must be passed through. He passed through in the best possible manner.

We have many martyrs. We have martyrs from among the commanders. We have martyrs from among the civilians. However, this martyr was killed by the most villainous human beings, the American officials themselves. Then, they boasted about being able to martyr him. Other than Hajj Qasem, I do not remember anyone else who was like this. His Jihad was a great Jihad. And, the Almighty God gave him a great martyrdom. God willing, we hope God will highly elevate his rank in the Heavens. He truly deserved the great blessing that was granted to him (martyrdom). If Hajj Qasem had died of illness, in an accident or from other causes (instead of martyrdom) – for example, it would have been hard if he suffered chest pains and was a victim of chemical weapons – and one would have been sad for him. Hajj Qasem had to be martyred in this way. Of course, it is very difficult for us. It is difficult for you. Perhaps, it is even more difficult for me. However, we must endure and pass-through this stage.

May the Almighty God make these hearts happy and heal the injury. Hopefully, by His grace, Allah will bestow His peace on your hearts, on our hearts, on the hearts of all the people. You saw today. Well, everyone knew Haj Qasem personally in Kerman. This crowd that came to Kerman’s streets today was not something strange. But, what about Tabriz? Did you see Tabriz? You saw? What a huge crowd! What a feeling of respect! How the people of Tabriz cried! That was a huge crowd of millions! (Of course,) these are the blessings in front of our eyes that God Almighty has put before our eyes for us to understand the great value of martyrdom. You will see his funeral too and how it will be conducted. These are small blessings in front of our eyes. The great blessings are those that we do not see, those that we do not understand. They are blessings that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no heart has felt.” We can’t even imagine those blessings. We have never felt them by heart. Those (blessings) are given to him by Exalted Allah. He is so blessed, he is so blessed, he is so blessed! He achieved his dream. He wished for it. He cried for martyrdom. Many of his comrades were gone, and he was mourning for his comrades too. He was so eager for martyrdom that it made him cry. He achieved his dream. Hopefully, all of you can achieve your dreams too, God willing, and we too can achieve our dreams. And, may Almighty God make up for this loss.

 You should also endure his loss and be patient. This patience itself will be rewarded. Fighting for the cause of God is an inner struggle. Every external Jihad actually relies on an internal Jihad. This is the man who confronts the enemy with no fear. In all fields, he doesn’t feel tired, cold or hot. If he had not succeeded in that great Jihad within himself, he would not have been able to confront (the enemy) in this way. Therefore, external struggles rely on internal struggles. You too should rely on your own internal struggle and achieve peace of mind with the remembrance of God. God willing, the Almighty God will comfort your hearts. We will pray too. You see what people are doing for Hajj Qasem. This is a consolation for you. Today in Tehran – south, north, everywhere, besides the great crowd surrounding your house - in different cities, everyone is mourning. That is, they feel like mourners. This should be a consolation for you. Know that people appreciated your father, and this is due to his sincerity. Without sincerity, people's hearts would not have understood in this way. The hearts are in God's hands. The fact that the hearts have all understood in this way show that there was great sincerity in that man. He was a great man. God willing, God will highly elevate his rank in the Heavens.