Khamenei.ir

Leader's speech on 26th demise anniversary of Imam Khomeini (r.a.)

Shiism thoroughly introduces the personality of the Savior

All Abrahamic religions believe in an end-times savior. All Abrahamic religions believe that someone will emerge who will save the world from the morass of oppression and cruelty. In Islam, the name of this savior has been mentioned. All Islamic denominations refer to this divine person and this great and extraordinary individual as Mahdi. Perhaps, there is no Islamic denomination that does not believe Mahdi (a.s.) will emerge. He is a descendent of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.). Islamic denominations have even specified the name and epithet of that noble man. The feature of Shia ideology is that it thoroughly and clearly introduces this personality. It considers him as the son of the eleventh Imam - Imam Hassan al-Askari (a.s.). From the viewpoint of Shia historians and writers, his birth date is completely clear. Most of other Islamic denominations have not specified his birth date or they have not accepted it, but the Shia prove the existence and birth date of that great personality with strong and cogent reasons. Some people have dismissed the possibility of the existence and survival of a person over this long time. This is the only question that opponents have raised regarding Imam Mahdi (a.s.). However, the Holy Quran dispels this doubt with its clear words. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) says about Prophet Noah, "We sent Noah to his people, and he tarried among them a thousand years less fifty" [The Holy Quran, 29: 14]. This does not mean that he lived for 950 years. It apparently means that his mission - to invite people to God - lasted for 950 years. Therefore, this questioning is groundless.

The greatest quality of belief in Mahdawiyyah is creating hope

The greatest characteristic of this belief among Shias is that it engenders hope. The Shia community is not reliant only on its prominent historical events in the past. It also looks forward to the future. A person who believes in the issue of Mahdawiyyah on the basis of Shia ideology does not empty his heart of hope even in the most difficult circumstances. There is always a ray of hope in the heart of such a person. They know that this dark era and this era of oppression and illegitimate domination will definitely come to an end. This is one of the most important results and achievements of this belief. Of course, Shia belief in the issue of Mahdawiyyah is not confined to this point: "People all over the world feed from his blessings and the heavens and the earth gain strength thanks to his existence" [Commentary on Usul al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 4]. Such is the belief in Mahdawiyyah. This bright flame and this shining light has existed in Shia societies in the course of past centuries and it will continue to exist. By Allah's favor, the era of anticipation will come to an end.

Leader: Distorting Imam's Personality Is a Grave Danger

Valuing national unity and union among the public

Another fundamental guideline in Imam's (r.a.) thoughts and path - this is the last issue that I will address - was national unity and attention to discord, whether discord based on religion - Shia and Sunni - or discord based on ethnicities such as Fars, Arabs, Turks, Kurds, Lurs, Baluchis and the like. Creating discord was one of the enemy's definite policies. From the beginning, our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) placed unique and peerless emphasis on national unity and the solidarity of the people. This was one of his guidelines. Today, we should pursue this guideline. Today, you can see that the policy of creating discord in the world of Islam is one of the main policies of arrogance. Americans have gone as far as speaking about Shia Islam and Sunni Islam. They support one and attack the other. This is while from the beginning, the Islamic Republic adopted a similar outlook towards different denominations. We have behaved towards our Palestinian brothers - who are Sunnis - in the same way that we have behaved towards our Shia brothers in Hezbollah of Lebanon. Everywhere, we have acted in the same way. This was our magnanimous Imam's (r.a.) outlook inside the country. In the world of Islam, the Islamic Republic's outlook is an Ummah-building outlook. The Islamic Republic thinks about the Islamic Ummah. When second-rate servants of America bring up the issue of the "Shia Crescent", this shows seditious policies. When the Americans get along with takfiri and seditious groups in Iraq and Syria despite their widespread propaganda - most probably, they help them secretly as well, but their agents support these groups in an explicit manner - this shows that the role of creating discord is an outstanding matter from the viewpoint of the enemies of Islam and Muslims and the enemies of the Islamic Republic. Everyone should pay attention to this. Both Shia and Sunnis should pay attention to this point. They should not be deceived by the enemy's game. The kind of Sunni that is supported by America and the kind of Shia that is exported from London to the whole world are similar to one another. Both of them are Satan's brother. Both of them are the agents of America, the west and arrogance.

The significance of national independence in the thoughts of Imam Khomeini

Another main guideline in Imam's (r.a.) thoughts was the issue of the independence of the country and rejection of arrogant domination. This is another important chapter... Imam (r.a.) believed in the independence of the country. He believed in the rejection of foreigners' domination over the country. Over the course of these years, many of the activities that our enemy did against the country and the people were for the sake of undermining the independence of the country. He has targeted our independence whether through sanctions or threats. Everyone should be vigilant. Everyone should know what the enemy's goals are. This is another fundamental guideline.

Imam Khomeini’s rationale against the arrogant powers

Imam (r.a.) was in the camp which was against international bullies and arrogant powers and he did this in an outspoken way. He showed no considerations for them. This was why in the confrontation between bullies, arrogant powers and the thugs of the world, and the oppressed, Imam (r.a.) was in the latter camp. He used to announce this in an outspoken way and without any considerations and fear. He was an ardent advocate of the oppressed all over the world. He did not compromise with arrogant powers. "The Great Satan" was an astonishing term that Imam (r.a.) coined. The ideological and practical implications of the term "The Great Satan" are very vast in scope. When you consider someone and some organization as "Satan", it is clear how you should behave and feel towards them. Until the last day, Imam (r.a.) had the same feeling towards America. He used to use the term "The Great Satan" and he believed in it with all his heart and soul... Imam's (r.a.) position was against America and its political and intelligence system. On the contrary, Imam (r.a.) supported and defended Palestine in the course of these long years. He defended Palestine and Afghanistan. The day when the Soviets entered Afghanistan, our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) adopted a decisive and determined position against the Soviets despite the fact that we were involved with America's enmity. Usually, when governments are in conflict with a certain side, they compromise with other sides. Even some governments which had a western orientation did not adopt the decisive position that Imam (r.a.) did. But our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) supported the people of Afghanistan and Lebanon without any consideration. He offered his support to the Palestinians in a very genuine and honest way. This was Imam's (r.a.) logic in confronting arrogance… Wherever oppression exists, there are two sides: the oppressor and the oppressed. We advocate for the oppressed and we are opposed to the oppressor. This was the position that Imam (r.a.) adopted in an outspoken way and this was one of his main guidelines.

Imam Khomeini’s steadfast support for the deprived and the oppressed

Imam (r.a.) was an ardent advocate of the weak and underprivileged classes. He used to reject economic inequality in a very serious and severe way. He used to reject aristocracy with bitterness. He was an advocate of social justice in the true sense of the word. Advocating underprivileged classes of society was perhaps one of the issues that he repeated the most in his speeches. This was one of his clear and definite guidelines. Everyone should try to uproot poverty. Everyone should try to liberate underprivileged classes from poverty. Everyone should help them as much as they can. On the other hand, he used to warn the officials of the country about living the life of a courtier. This has also been mentioned in the Holy Quran: "And you dwelt in the dwellings of men who wronged their own souls" [The Holy Quran, 14: 45]. He used to prevent everyone from living the life of a courtier. He used to stress that officials should have trust in the loyalty of underprivileged classes. He used to repeat many times that it is the residents of slums, the poor and underprivileged classes who fill the scenes despite their poverty. They do not even complain and they participate in dangerous arenas. On the contrary, those who were well-to-do would in fact complain more if there was a problem in a certain area. From the viewpoint of Imam (r.a.), the loyalty of middle and underprivileged classes was an outstanding phenomenon and he placed great emphasis on it. He also stressed the necessity of using public funds in the correct way and avoiding extravagance. This was another fundamental guideline that Imam (r.a.) had: the issue of administering social justice, advocating underprivileged classes, avoiding an aristocratic lifestyle and taking action in this direction.

Having faith in divine promise and distrusting the arrogant powers

The second principle is reliance on divine assistance, trust in the truthfulness of divine promises and - at the opposite end of the scale - distrust of arrogant and bullying powers in the world. This is one of the constituent elements of Imam's (r.a.) school of thought: reliance on divine power. Allah the Exalted has given certain promises to believers. Those who do not believe in these promises have been cursed by God: "For them is the curse of Allah" [The Holy Quran, 9: 68] and "Have you not seen those who befriend a people who have the wrath of Allah?" [The Holy Quran, 58: 14]. Who have "the wrath of Allah"? Those "who imagine an evil opinion of Allah. On them is a round of evil. The wrath of Allah is on them. He has cursed them and got hell ready for them. And evil is it for a destination" [The Holy Quran, 48: 6]. Belief in divine promises and their truthfulness is one of the elements of our magnanimous Imam's (r.a.) thinking. Allah says, "If you help the cause of Allah, He will help you" [The Holy Quran, 47: 7]. We should trust and rely on this promise. On the contrary, we should not at all trust the false promises that the enemies and arrogant powers in the world give. This is completely visible in Imam's (r.a.) actions, behavior and statements. This reliance on and trust in God's power helped our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) to be outspoken in announcing his revolutionary positions. Imam (r.a.) used to speak in an outspoken manner. He was candid in expressing what he believed in because he relied on God. This does not mean that he was unaware of the fact that powers did not like what he said and that they became angry. He was aware of it, but he believed in divine power and assistance. He did not show considerations for anyone in the face of events. He responded to one of the letters that had been written to him. In general, he probably responded to two of the letters that had been written to him by the heads of arrogant governments or those connected to arrogant governments. He responded to that letter with complete outspokenness. This was broadcast by the IRIB. Of course, Imam (r.a.) spoke politely, but he announced his definite and clear positions in those letters. Such reliance on God spread in the veins of the people like blood. As a result of his behavior, the people too began to rely on Allah the Exalted, believe in divine assistance and enter this path. Imam's (r.a.) distrust of arrogant powers made him ignore their promises. The president of America - Reagan, who was a powerful president - used to write letters and send messages and agents to Imam (r.a.), but Imam (r.a.) did not pay any attention to him. He did not respond to his letters.

What is pure original Islam in the viewpoint of Imam Khomeini?

From the viewpoint of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.), original Islam is one that is reliant on the Book and the Sunnah. This is achieved with clear thoughts, with familiarity with the developments of the time, and with scholarly and well-established methods - those methods that are developed by Islamic seminaries. It is not the case that we do not pay attention to the method of istinbat [derivation] and that anyone can open the Holy Quran and derive the principles of social movement. This is not the case at all. There is a certain method which is scholarly and well-established. There are some people who can pursue this method. This is original Islam from the viewpoint of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.). Of course, not everyone who knows this method is able to do so. They should also have clear thoughts, be familiar with the developments of the time, know the needs of human and Islamic societies and have knowledge of the enemy and his methods for showing enmity. Only then will they be able to identify and introduce original Islam. The kind of Islam that is practiced by "court akhunds" - Imam (r.a.) repeatedly used this term to refer to such people - the kind of Islam that is promoted by DAESH, the kind of Islam that is indifferent to the crimes committed by the Zionists and America and the kind of Islam that is dependent on America and great powers and that acts with America's signals have their heads in one trough. They all meet in the same place and Imam (r.a.) rejected all of them. The kind of Islam that Imam (r.a.) introduced is against all these [fake] kinds of Islam. Imam's (r.a.) followers should draw a line between original Islam, and reactionary and secular Islam. They should identify and pursue original Islam. This is one of Imam's (r.a.) principles and it is not something that he spoke about only once, rather this is evident throughout his statements.

Imam contrasted original pure Islam with the American version of Islam

Imam (r.a.) is that he proved original Muhammadi Islam and rejected American Islam. He differentiated between original Islam and American Islam. What is American Islam? In our own time, during Imam's (r.a.) lifetime and at all times - as far as we know, in the future too the situation will be the same - American Islam has only two branches: one is secular Islam and another is reactionary Islam. Imam (r.a.) always placed those who had secular thoughts - that is to say, those who wanted religion, society and individuals' social behavior to be separate from Islam - on an equal footing with those who had a reactionary outlook. The latter means those who adopt a backward outlook that is not understandable to broad-minded individuals. It means those who are prejudiced about their wrong principles. This is the meaning of being reactionary. Imam (r.a.) always mentioned these people together. If you take a look today, you will see that both of these kinds of Islam exist in the world of Islam and both of them are supported by bullying powers of the world and by America. Today, the deviant DAESH, al-Qaida and other such orientations are supported by America and Israel. Some other orientations that work in the name of Islam, but that know nothing about Islamic action, fiqh and sharia are supported by America as well.

Opposing despotism and arrogance, the two primary words of Imam Khomeini’s school of thought

Imam's (r.a.) intellectual system enjoyed all the characteristics of an intellectual, social and political school of thought. First, it was based on a monotheistic worldview. All his activities and all his thought processes were based on monotheism which is the main infrastructure for all Islamic thoughts. Another characteristic of this intellectual system - which has turned it into a school of thought in the real sense of the word - is that it was up-to-date. It addressed all the issues which were related to human societies and the Iranian society in particular. The addressees of Imam's (r.a.) intellectual system used to feel this. In Imam's (r.a.) intellectual school of thought, opposition to tyranny and arrogance was the most important matter. This is what the people of Iran and other Muslim peoples felt tangibly. This was why his invitation was promoted everywhere. Another characteristic of this intellectual school of thought was that it was lively, dynamic and practical. It was not like other intellectual philosophies and theories which contain beautiful words, but which are not practical in the arena of action. Imam's (r.a.) logic, thoughts and path were practical. His path could be implemented in the arena of action and this was why it achieved victory and moved forward... Imam (r.a.) turned us into a motivated, hopeful and dynamic people who enjoyed great goals.

Imam Khomeini’s strong spiritual backing sustained his selfless endeavor

Our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) used to show humility before God, shed tears, read duas and rely on Allah the Exalted. He used to repeat this part of Dua Sha'baniyya in his Sha'ban speeches: "Oh God, bestow upon me the perfection to separate myself from others and to join You. Enlighten our hearts with the light of seeing You so that our hearts tear the veils of light and join the mine of greatness" [Iqbal al-A'mal, Vol. 2, p. 687]. Such was his behavior, his tears at sunrise, his supplication, his prayers and his constant relationship with God. This condition formed the spiritual source of support for the continuation of that great man's jihad. We should remember this concerning our magnanimous Imam's (r.a.) jihad in the way of God.

Knocking down the foundation of hereditary monarchy and creating an Islamic establishment: two great and unprecedented tasks in Iran’s history

In the history of our country, two great and unprecedented tasks were carried out by Imam (r.a.). One was the destruction of a structure which was based on a cruel and unreasonable hereditary monarchy. This hereditary monarchy had a millennium-long history in our country. This old and derelict structure - on the basis of which some people took over the government with the power of their swords and armies and then passed it to other people in a hereditary way - was a wrong and unreasonable tradition that dominated our country for several thousand years. The first task that Imam (r.a.) carried out was to destroy this wrong structure and to entrust affairs to the people. The second great task that our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) carried out was to create a government on the basis of Islam. This was unprecedented in the history of our country and the history of Islam after the early Islamic era. The great jihad that our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) did brought about such a valuable product. Therefore, it is really necessary to say that "He strove in His cause, such a striving that is due to Him" [Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 33, p. 18] which also exists in the Holy Quran: "And strive in His cause, such a striving that is due to Him". Like other saints, this great man was a manifestation of "He strove in His cause, such a striving that is due to Him". Of course, I should say in parenthesis that this great man's jihad was not merely a political, social and intellectual jihad, rather besides all these forms of jihad, he engaged in inner jihad as well. He engaged in jihad against one's self and he preserved his constant relationship with Allah the Exalted. This is another lesson.

The founder of the intellectual, political and social school of thought in the Islamic Revolution

Imam (r.a.) is the embodiment of the great movement that the people of Iran began and with which they transformed their history. Imam (r.a.) was the founder of an intellectual, political and social school of thought. The people of Iran accepted this school of thought, path and roadmap and they moved forward on it. The continuation of this path depends on gaining a correct understanding of it. Without knowing Imam (r.a.) - that is to say, knowing his principles - this roadmap will not be known... Imam was a great faqih. He was an outstanding and great faqih, philosopher and expert on theoretical mysticism. He was an outstanding personality on these matters and in scholarly areas, but Imam's (r.a.) outstanding personality is not dependent on either of these things, rather his main characteristic is manifest in this ayah: "And strive in His cause, such a striving that is due to Him" [The Holy Quran, 22: 78]. With his outstanding scholarly capabilities, he entered the arena of jihad in the way of God. He continued this jihad until the end of his life and he created a great movement, not only in his own country, but also in our entire region, in the entire world of Islam and - in one sense - in the whole world. The product of this movement was a unique product.