In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and our Prophet, Muhammad, and his untainted, pure, chosen Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
I would like to congratulate all of you, the dear, respected audience here, and the nation of Iran, as well as all the Muslims of the world, on the auspicious and grand Eid al-Mab’ath. Eid al-Mab’ath serves as a reminder of the greatest event in history. We can confidently say that the most blessed and greatest event that has taken place for humanity, spanning the entirety of history, is the Bi’tha of the Holy Prophet of Islam [marking Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) divine appointment to prophethood]. The same can be said about the birth of that honorable person. It is too due to the blessings of the Bi’tha. Why is it that one can claim so many virtues and values about the Bi’tha of the Holy Prophet? It is because, through this event, the complete and final version of the worldly and eternal prosperity for humanity was presented.
The first miracle and extraordinary event that we can observe in this regard is that the Prophet’s appointment took place in a disapproving environment. The beginning of the Bi’tha was together with this strange matter. The world in that day was filled with corruption, distortion, and calamity. Regarding that era of ignorance in which the Prophet began his mission, the Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali (pbuh)] has said, “And the world was devoid of brightness, and full of open deceitfulness.” The world was full of darkness, and the people lacked growth, awareness, and insight.
“The minarets of guidance had disappeared.” The guidance that the prophets had brought, and the lanterns and minarets of guidance that had been brought to the people were old, manipulated, broken, and distorted. “And the signs of going astray were evident.” The signs of the corruption and downfall of humanity had become evident.
“And the world was devoid of brightness” refers to the entire world, not just the Arabian Peninsula. It refers to the Iranian and Roman civilizations of that day, as well as other great civilizations that existed in the world then as well. This quote by the Commander of the Faithful (pbuh) refers to all of them. So, this Bi’tha and this appointment took place [in such an environment], which is an event that has been spoken about a lot by others and me. That is, the inner selection of the Prophet (pbuh) and subsequently, the effects of this selection in society, which can be discussed separately.
So, this appointment was made, but was did this appointment aim to achieve? This is what I want to speak about. It has been mentioned in different verses in the Quran. One such verse is from Surah Al-Jum’ah: “It is He who sent to the unlettered [people] a Messenger from among themselves, to recite to them His signs, to purify them, and to teach them the Book and wisdom …” (62:2). This [verse] outlines the task that was to be accomplished.
“[R]ecite to them His signs” shows that the initial step is to create an opportunity for establishing a connection with the hidden and divine. This materialistic human being who is trapped inside a material world and lacks awareness of anything beyond, needs to be freed from this mindset and introduced to the boundless realm of divine knowledge. This is the beginning, that is, faith. Therefore, faith is the first step.
Once a person is freed from the confined, material setting, it is time “to purify them.” Purification means to improve and grow by eliminating flaws and weaknesses. It involves removing the dark spots from the object being purified and making it shine, preparing it for growth and development. This is the meaning of purification. So, what is it that requires purification? It is not only about moral purification of a person. This is important.
Purification means to remove the indecencies, the badness, the impurities, and falsehood from within human beings, from our inner morality, from the society, their beliefs, their actions, their behaviors, and their lifestyles. This is the meaning of purification. It is a widespread movement to resolve the problems faced by individuals and society as a whole, encompassing all aspects including politics, economics, and social matters. This addresses injustices present at both societal and global levels, spanning from government institutions to ordinary citizens. This also opposes social inequality. Purification includes all of these things, “to purify them.”
After purification, education is mentioned, but it should not be seen as a sequential step. Rather, both purification and education are gradual processes that occur simultaneously. What is meant by education? It means that once the mind and the soul have been prepared by removing their darknesses, flaws, and wrongness, and once the groundwork has been done, it is time for the light of divine knowledge and wisdom to shine. The issue of divine wisdom in itself is a topic that can be discussed thoroughly.
In other words, purification cleanses the foundation, while education enriches the people and society in terms of spirituality, knowledge, and wisdom to nurture the ideal Islamic individual. Human edification comes based on what Islam wants from and aspires for human beings. The current problems that we and all of humanity face lie here.
Now there is a fundamental point that lies here. This Bi’tha, this transformation and change, the quest to promote goodness, beauty, and light while eradicating darkness, adversity, misfortune, and the like, is not a singular occurrence about which we say the Bi’tha took place once and then finished — whatever happens after that is resulted from the same first Bi’tha. That is not right. That is not what this verse is stating.
The verse says, “It is He who sent to the unlettered [people] a Messenger from among themselves, to recite to them His signs, to purify them, and to teach them the Book and wisdom. And to others who have not yet joined …” (Quran 62:2-3). This Bi’tha is among those people, and also the others. This “and” in the verse pertains to the unlettered [people], signifying that the Messenger was sent to both the unlettered and the others. And who are the others? They are the people “who have not yet joined.” They had not yet arrived.
In other words, up to this day we are the audience of the Bi’tha. The Bi’tha is among us as well. In other words, the Holy Prophet of Islam is teaching and purifying us right now. We are the audience of the Bi’tha right now. This shall continue to exist throughout the eternal history of mankind. Humanity is always the target of the Holy Prophet’s teachings, edification, and purification.
Just as the Prophet urged people to stay away from [worshipping] idols, and invited them to break the idols during that period, the same message is applicable today. The first idol is the idol of our [carnal] self, the idol within us, the idol of our ego, the idol of our desires, and, according to Imam [Khomeini (ra)], that dangerous animal and creature inside us. This is the primary danger we face. So, the first battle is with this [internal idol], as the closest enemy to us [is also] the enemy of our carnal self. We must confront our carnal self.
Then there are the external deviations, and now the first thing to do is to correct the nearest area, [that is,] our own society. Some say that if you want to make changes in the world, you need to make changes in yourself first. Well, yes. We must make changes within ourselves first. We must reform our society first. This is what the Holy Prophet of Islam and the Bi’tha wants from us. It wants us to make a change within ourselves first. Once we have made the changes, if we show a reformed representation of Islam to humanity, that in itself will be appealing and attractive.
Purification and education have two sides. On one side there is the inviter, the other side is the invitee. If there is an inviter, which there is — the Prophet is inviting all of us today — but the invitee does not respond, nothing will happen. What happened in our Revolution was that those who were invited responded. The magnanimous Imam [Khomeini] told the people about the teachings and mission of the Prophet. He asked the people to do jihad, and the people responded. So, this remarkable movement occurred and significant accomplishments were made. After that, our people continued to move on the right path, with God's grace, and some successes were achieved. We fell short in some places too and failed.
[Nonetheless], this tradition continues. It is an eternal tradition. As long as we respond to the call of the Prophet, we will achieve purification and education. Growth and progress will emerge. Growth is not just spiritual and Hereafter growth. No! “Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter” (Quran 2:201). It is growth both in this world and in the Hereafter. [It is] happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.
It is exemplifying the best life for human beings’ world, the society’s world and Hereafter. If we, who are invited, respond, this will happen. There is an inviter. The Prophet is inviting us now. We are the last ones who "have not yet joined” (Quran 62:3). We need to respond [to his call]. On the occasion of Eid al-Mab’ath, the anniversary of the Prophet’s appointment, we need pay attention to the fact that we too are being addressed by the mission of the Holy Prophet of Islam.
If we fail to respond, then we will resemble the following of the verse: “The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah, then failed to carry it …” (Quran 62:5). They were given the Torah. In the Torah there was light, divine wisdom, and divine invitation. The Torah was a collection of divine commands, yet they did not act upon them. If we too fail to take action, we will be the same as those who “were entrusted with the Torah, then failed to carry it.” So, that is about the Bi’tha.
What I would like to say is that today, the world is in need of this call. It needs this Bi’tha. At present, people’s lives worldwide is not good. Now some things might appear good on the surface in some countries, but these appearances do not necessarily indicate the happiness of those societies. In these societies, just like all other societies, there is poverty, misery, discrimination, oppression, and injustice. Today, humanity is trapped in the framework of materialism. It is in dire need of this purification, prophetic teaching, and prophetic mission. We have a responsibility. Our responsibility is to improve ourselves and to show the world how an Islamic country and an Islamic society can be governed. We need to take action in the true sense of the word, just as we did in certain cases, the effects of which, praise God, were left in this world. We do have some shortcomings, [but at the same time], praise God, we have also experienced numerous achievements.
I would like to say a few words about Gaza. Unfortunately, the tragedy in Gaza is continuing. This tragedy is the tragedy of the world of Islam. Yet it is even greater; it is the tragedy of humanity. This shows how wrong the current world order is. That is, a significant portion of the world powers are today behind the criminal and blood-stained hands of the Zionist regime, whose opposite side is not the fighters, but children, women, patients, hospitals and people's homes.
The US is supporting them [Zionists]. The UK is supporting them [Zionists]. Many European countries are behind them. So are their subjects — countries that are subject to them are following them. Look at this world order. The false nature of this world order can be understood from what is happening in Gaza. And it will not remain. It cannot last. It will be destroyed.
The tragedy in Gaza exposed the Western civilization and culture globally. It revealed that cruelty is so common in Western civilization that it allows and tolerates, as we are witnessing, bombing hospitals, killing hundreds of people in one night, and murdering nearly 30,000 people in one area, most of whom are women and children, in a span of three-four months.
The US is behind the Zionist regime. The Zionists themselves say this and admit it. They say that if it were not for US weapons, the Zionist regime would not have been able to continue and pursue this war for a single day. From the first day, American weapons, funds, political aid, and the like were sent to them. They too are guilty and responsible for this tragic incident.
The only solution to the problem in Gaza is that the world’s superpowers who are supporters of the Zionist regime should step back from this issue. The Palestinian fighters know how to handle the situation themselves, just as they have done so up until now, without suffering any major setbacks. The side that the Zionists are attacking are the oppressed and defenseless people who live there.
What the governments are responsible for is cutting off political aid, propaganda aid, weapons, and consumer goods to the Zionist regime. This is the duty of governments. The duty of the nations is to pressure the governments to fulfill this important duty. This must be done and, God willing, the victory of the people of Gaza will become clearer day by day.
We hope that the oppressed people of Palestine, the oppressed people of Gaza, and other areas of Palestine will witness victory and, God willing, they will be able to bring their enemy to their knees.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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