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.
Today’s meeting was wonderful, sweet, and favorable. Praise God, the honorable reciters from our own country and brotherly countries presented their recitations and we benefitted from them. I hope that the desire to receive enlightenment from the Quran and the inclination to understand its teachings will spread day by day among our people, people throughout the entire Islamic world, and among the Islamic Ummah. This is something that we need.
I would like to say a few words about the matter of seeking enlightenment from the Quran. This Quran that you are reciting is a book of guidance, “Indeed, this Quran guides to what is most upright” (17:9). We all are in need of guidance. It is a book of zikr [remembrance], and “zikr” means eliminating negligence. We are often negligent. Human beings often forget what they know and they suffer from negligence. The Quran is a book of remembrance. It is opposed to neglect, and it is a dispeller of negligence: “Certainly, We have made the Quran simple for the sake of remembrance. So, is there anyone who will remember?” (54:17). The Quran is a book of warning: “And this Quran was revealed to me that I may warn you thereby” (6:19). We need warnings in order to pay attention to the dangers that threaten human beings, both in the life of this world and in the life of the next, which is the true life.
The Quran is a book of healing for human sufferings, whether they are spiritual, mental, or intellectual sufferings. It is also a book for the sufferings of human communities, [such as] wars, oppression, and injustices. The Quran is a healing for all of these things: “We send down in the Quran that which is a cure and mercy for those who believe” (17:82). The Quran is a book of wisdom: “Ya-Seen. By the Wise Quran” (36:1-2). "Wisdom" refers to expressing the truths of life that human beings have a need for. The Quran is a book that provides explanations and removes ambiguities and ignorance. The phrase “[t]hese are the verses of the Book that makes (things) clear” (26:2) is repeated many times in the Quran. The Quran is a noble book; it is a book of grace; it is a book of light; it is a book of logic. These are descriptions the Quran gives about itself. The Quran itself introduces and describes itself to us.
There are elevated expressions in Nahj al-Balaghah about the Quran from the words of the Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali (pbuh)], who was a prominent student of the Quran and the Great Prophet (pbuh). [The Quran is] “the spring of hearts.” It is the spring of hearts. In the same way that the world and the earth are revived in spring, the Quran revives hearts and saves people from misery, depression, and backwardness. It is “the spring of hearts and the best cure for hearts” (Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon 110). “It contains knowledge of what is to come. … It is a cure for your ills, and regulation [system] for whatever faces you” (sermon 158). These are the expressions in Nahj al-Balaghah about the Quran. In other words, the never-ending knowledge needed by humankind is available in the Quran, whether it is the knowledge that is needed by human beings as individuals or the knowledge that is needed by them as a human society.
The phrase “knowledge of what is to come” that we read in Nahj al-Balaghah refers to the provider of the needs of all of humankind, including those in the future — “Knowledge of what is to come.” The Quran responds and provides solutions for human beings’ needs for all the periods that humankind lives on this earth. That is the [meaning of] “knowledge of what is to come.” It is a cure for sufferings, the sufferings of human societies. “[A]nd regulation [system] for whatever faces you” — social systems, human relations, and relations between societies are all in the Quran. We must know the Quran.
Unfortunately, there have been and still are some people in the Islamic world itself who imagine and believe that the Quran is only for people’s hearts. That is, it is only for being kept in the corners of places of worship, and people just need the Quran for their personal needs and their personal relationships with God. They do not believe that Islam is the solution to societies’ needs. They reject the idea of a political Islam. They do not believe that Islam can build a social system. This is exactly the opposite of what the Quran says about itself, and it contradicts what Imam Ali (pbuh) has said about the Holy Book.
So, these are the Quranic teachings. How do we obtain them? By developing a companionship with the Quran, by pondering over it, and by referring to those in whose house the Quran was revealed, [that is], the Household of God’s Messenger (pbut). We can obtain those teachings through them and use them [the teachings] to build our lives based on those teachings.
Your recitation — this common practice among Quran enthusiasts in Islamic countries, which, praise God, has become popular in our country as well — is one of the most effective steps for developing a companionship with and understanding the teachings of the Quran. The great value of reciting the Quran lies in the fact that it encourages your audience to ponder over the verses and the concepts in the Quran. It facilitates a clearer understanding of its teachings. Of course, the condition to this is that the recitation is intended to show the Quran rather than the individual. I have already said this to our dear reciters [of the Quran] before. The skills that are needed in recitation — a good voice and tone, recitation techniques, when to stop or continue, and intonation — should all be used for helping others to understand the teachings of the Quran better.
Arrange, recite, stop and continue, and repeat [the verses] in such a way that the teachings of the Quran find a place in people’s hearts. That is what we need today. Unfortunately, many people in the Muslim world do not have a companionship with the Quran. This is the complaint of the Messenger of God (pbuh) to Almighty God [about the people’s abandonment of the Quran], “O my Lord! Indeed, my people consigned this Quran to oblivion” (Quran 25:30). This is the case and the bitter reality that exists today in many parts of the Islamic world.
Today, the important issue of the Islamic world is the issue of Gaza. Do we see heads and officials of Islamic countries practicing the teachings of the Quran and Quranic knowledge about Gaza? The Quran tells us, “Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers” (3:28). Is this verse being practiced with regard to Gaza? Why don’t the heads of Islamic countries publicly announce their opposition, that they’re cutting off relations, and that they’re stopping their aid and support for the murdering, evil, Zionist unbelievers? The Quran says, “Do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends” (60:1). Is this being practiced in the world today? The Quran says, “Harsh against the unbelievers, but merciful to one another” (48:29). Is this harshness in action being shown against the evil Zionist regime? These are the great sufferings of the Islamic world today.
Almighty God reprimands people. He reprimands the people of the Muslim nations for not bringing pressure on their own governments and for not acting [in accordance with the Quran]. “He only forbids you from being friends with those who have fought against you about the religion, expelled you from your homes, or supported others in expelling you” (Quran 60:9). These are all Quranic teachings. These are the things that we should make standout in our recitations. We need to remind each other of these matters. We must remind each other of these duties and enjoin one another to do good deeds. This is the kind of result and output that we should see from our gatherings for the recitation of the Quran.
Of course, there’s a different side to this story as well. Today, inside Gaza and inside Palestine, the Resistance forces are practicing what is said in the Quran. The Resistance inside Gaza is standing up to the enemy. “Permission to take up arms is hereby granted to those who are attacked; [because] they have suffered injustice. God has power to grant them victory” (Quran 22:39). And Almighty God will make them victorious, God willing.
The Islamic world is definitely mourning for Gaza today. The people of Gaza are being oppressed by those who have no sense of humanity left in them. Indeed, our biggest obligation is to support those oppressed people and to support the brave and selfless resistance efforts led by the Resistance forces in Gaza and in Palestine, as well as all those who support them throughout the Islamic world. The Palestinian people are being oppressed. Not only the Islamic world, but also free-thinking non-Muslims are mourning for the oppressed people of Gaza today. Yet, the same people are praising and applauding [the valiant efforts] of the Palestinian Resistance.
We are hopeful. Our faith in God’s grace and His help will not end. In the aforementioned holy verse, [the Quran] states, “And Allah has the power to grant them victory” (22:39). In another verse, He has said, “And Allah will surely help those who help Him” (22:40). God is emphasizing this. God’s help will come to the Palestinian people, God willing. And the Islamic world will witness the destruction of the cancerous Zionist tumor by God’s grace. We are waiting for that day. That day will come, God willing. That day will definitely come, and this increases the duty of all of us, especially the duty of the heads of Islamic countries. Everyone needs to make an effort. The most important thing to do today is to cut off support for the usurping Zionist regime and to support and help the people of Gaza, the Palestinians, and the Palestinian Resistance in every way possible. We hope that Almighty God will grant us all success in this endeavor.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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