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, Abul Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and his untainted, pure, infallible Progeny.
First of all, I thank you very much. I am happy that the group here has followed up on this idea and is pursuing this work seriously. May God's mercy be upon Martyr Soleimani. As he mentioned, Martyr Soleimani was the creator of this thought and action.
The subject of the “Defenders of the Shrine,” this phenomenon, is an amazing, important phenomenon. It has many dimensions. While some of these dimensions have been mentioned in talks, speeches, and such things, I believe it is necessary for these dimensions to be fully, comprehensively discussed. I have noted a few points that I would like to share with you, my dear brothers and sisters, which are related to the dimensions of this important, incredible, extraordinary phenomenon.
I have chosen four aspects to discuss here:
- One area is the “symbolic aspect” of this. The movement that originated from different places and moved toward the holy shrines, their defense, etc. has a symbolic meaning and aspect, which I will elaborate on later.
- Another aspect is the “Revolution’s global outlook.” The Revolution pays attention to regional issues, global issues, and world dynamics. This aspect also merits further exploration, which I will explain.
- Third aspect is that this movement averted a great danger from the region and especially from our country. This is another important issue that has not been properly addressed, even though some things have sometimes been said about it.
- This event showed that after four decades the Revolution still has the "power to recreate" its own intrinsic events, which was evident at the beginning of the Revolution.
I will give a brief explanation of each of these four points.
Regarding the symbolic and allegorical aspect, while it may be true that the movement toward the shrines of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt (pbut) and the defense of their shrines is in fact a defense of that tomb and showing respect for that tomb, it is in fact a show of respect for the teachings and beliefs embodied by the purified bodies buried within them. This is what’s important. In other words, if an individual does not respect those ideologies or goals, there is no reason for them to go and defend or support the tombs or the domes there.
Some of those who went to defend the shrines were not even Shia! We know individuals from our own country and elsewhere who were not Shia. So, they may not have even practiced the jurisprudence of the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (pbut), but they believed in the ideals of the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (pbut). That's what matters.
The Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (pbut) had high ideals that will never become outdated and are at the top of what is wanted by all pure consciences and free individuals. These ideals include justice, freedom, fighting against oppressive, tyrannical powers, the need to make sacrifices on the path of truth, and selflessness. These are the lofty concepts that exist in the lives of the Imams. This movement was a movement to defend these ideals and to demonstrate devotion and love for them. This is very important.
If we are able to convey this one aspect, the aspect of defending ideals, to people around the world through the means of propagation [that he] mentioned, we will have supported the movement to defend the shrines and supported those ideals too. Because, ultimately, pure consciences exist in the world.
Take a look at the US now. In the center of spiritual and moral problems, a group of young people are selflessly defending the men and women of Gaza. They don't even know where Gaza is located in the world. It is evident that there are pure, untainted consciences everywhere in the world. These people need to be addressed. These consciences need to be addressed. We must not neglect them. One of the things that needs to be addressed and conveyed to these people are these ideals. These ideals have such an appeal that they can pull a young person away from their home, their life, their love, the affection between father and child, husband and wife, and so on in order to defend a cause. This is the first point that exists in this movement.
The animosity of those who are responsible for provoking this movement — that is, those who threatened the shrines and the like — is in fact directed toward those same ideals. Consider individuals who passed away many years or centuries ago, like Al-Mutawakkil al-Abbasi. Why did Al-Mutawakkil al-Abbasi do those things to the grave of Imam Hussain? Imam Hussain had left this material world over 150 years before that. He had departed. He no longer [physically] existed.
What compelled Al-Mutawakkil to carry out those actions such as cutting off hands and feet, killing people, blocking access to water, and other such actions was the reality that existed beyond this grave, dome, tomb, and shrine. He was worried about that "truth," and of course he had every right to be worried. Because that truth crushes people like Al-Mutawakkil. This has always been the case in history, and it is still the same today. This is the first point.
The second point I referred to is the issue of the "Revolution's global outlook." One of the things that movements definitely need is to not be satisfied with the scope of their own existence and presence. [Rather,] they must also look beyond their own boundaries, especially in a situation such as the current global situation where there are powerful countries that may interfere.
At present, there are countless US bases in many countries around the world. They have bases all over the world. In such a situation, any movement, any action, and any revolution that only pays attention to its own internal environment and neglects foreign developments will certainly suffer a blow. Therefore, one of the essential needs of any movement, any action, and any social or political movement is to look at the international environment, the regional environment, interactions, relations, ratios, and other relevant factors.
In this area in our not-too-distant past in history, we were stung at least twice. Once was during the Constitutional Movement, and once was during the National Oil Movement. In the case of the Constitutional Movement — putting aside the interference of the English at the outset — after the Constitutional Movement was established and became stabilized, the supporters of the Constitutional Movement, the officials, the dedicated individuals, and the followers of the Constitutional Movement became preoccupied with issues within the country such as the conflicts and confrontations between different factions. They neglected potential external threats. They neglected the fact that at some point the policy of the English may require the English bring in someone like Reza Khan to sweep away the Constitutionalists and non-Constitutionalists alike. So this disaster befell them.
Their negligence of the possibility of the interference of the English meant that one morning, as the saying goes, they woke up to find that a tyrant and a dictator like Reza Khan had come to power. First he became the commander of the army, and then he became the shah. In reading the memoirs of one of his relatives, I came across a quote attributed to Reza Shah where he had said, "If I had known that becoming the shah was so easy, I would have become shah sooner!" So people were neglectful. The people were negligent, and such individuals rose to power. The English intervened and brought him to power. You see, Reza Khan rose to power 15 years after the Constitutional Movement. It was only a short time afterwards. During those fifteen years, what internal turmoil existed in the country that led to the people’s negligence? That is one issue.
Another matter is the National [Oil] Movement. Consider all that excitement and enthusiasm [surrounding that movement]. I remember to some extent that excitement and the enthusiasm of the people, those demonstrations, those meetings that were held — a corner of which we observed in Mashhad for example. The people's interest and such things were [quelled] with a coup that was truly farcical! I mean, it truly was far from being a genuine military coup.
A bunch of troublemakers, hooligans, and the like who were carrying a suitcase with American dollars were directed from inside the British Embassy in Tehran, and they overthrew a national government elected by the people that had taken office with eagerness and enthusiasm. [The government] disappeared without a trace remaining of it. This was all due to negligence. Being preoccupied with domestic issues and failing to recognize the possibility of interference by foreign intruders brought this disaster upon the country.
The Islamic Revolution of Iran and the Islamic Movement of Iran were aware of this issue from the very beginning. In the very first speeches he gave, Imam [Khomeini] not only highlighted the atrocities committed by the Shah's regime and the like, but he also mentioned the name of the US, Zionism, and Israel. He was aware of these issues right from the beginning.
It had been approximately a year and two or three months since the start of the struggle when Imam [Khomeini] delivered his speech against capitulation (Sahifeh-ye Imam, 1: 415). So he was aware of capitulation, the bills passed by Parliament, and the interference of others in the country's internal affairs.
From the very beginning of the Revolution, Imam Khomeini was focused on what was taking place outside [the country]. His statements were overflowing with solving and addressing domestic issues. But when you look at most of Imam Khomeini’s statements, there are references to external threats and potential dangers to the country. The Revolution had a global perspective, a regional perspective, and a comprehensive perspective, which emphasized the importance of not being negligent and preoccupied solely with domestic issues.
One of its major, important manifestations is the presence of our fighters in countries where the enemy had drawn and devised plans. A very important plan had been formulated, primarily for Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon to some extent. The enemy had devised a significant plan.
They established a group in the name of Islam and using religious motives. These are very important motives, and they have a very important function. This group was in the fist and under the foot of the US. The Daesh [terrorists] shouted Allahu Akbar [God is the greatest] on the battlefield, while their members who had been wounded were hospitalized in Israel. The heads of the Zionist regime would go and visit them in the hospitals there! This was broadcast and everyone saw it. It was a very dangerous plan.
The purpose of this scheme was to dominate the region in order to take control of Iran. In other words, Islamic Iran in this region would have been under the control of the US and the apparatus of the Arrogant Powers and colonialism. This is the reason they had devised that plan. And they had spent a great deal of money on it too. They had spent seven trillion dollars. This is a statistic and a figure that the highest-ranking official in the US [Donald Trump] has repeatedly announced. They spent seven trillion dollars in the region, and it all went to waste. All their expenses were in vain.
They sought to use the Daesh to create governments in the name of Islam on both sides of Islamic Iran — in one country to the east [of Iran] and in another country to the west [of Iran]. They wanted to promote Takfiri Islam and essentially dissolve, digest, and eliminate the Islamic Republic using various religious, intellectual, ideological, and economic pressures, etc. The movement of the Defenders of the Shrine thwarted this. A group of both young and older people from different countries with the Islamic Republic at its center were able to completely neutralize an important, expensive, calculated plan of the Arrogant and Colonial Powers. The Revolution’s global outlook is a very significant matter.
The new Middle East that was being discussed by them was characterized by being under absolute US control, governed with a religious backing in Iraq and Syria, and supposedly in the name of religion but actually serving the interests of Israel, the US, and similar countries. This situation also involved putting pressure on the Islamic Republic from both sides. In this context, the actions of the Defenders of the Shrine have saved the region. This is a significant achievement as it has shielded the region from a grave threat and a dangerous scheme. This is the second point.
What was the third point I mentioned? It was in regard to neutralizing a great internal threat, insecurity. If the Daesh and the other groups that were its followers, allies, or rivals in Syria and Iraq had continued to exist with the same formation and organization until now, they would have spread insecurity throughout the entire region, including Iran. We would undoubtedly have seen tragedies like the Shah Cheragh [terrorist] attack in Shiraz [in 2022] and the [terrorist] attack in Kerman [in 2023] every few days in our country as well as in Iraq and Syria until they gained total control. The striving mujahids defending the shrines successfully thwarted this threat.
Yes, there are still some scattered [Daesh] around here and there, and they are being supported by the US. The members of the Daesh have not been completely eliminated yet, but the organization's structure has been dismantled. The idea of what could have happened if this group had not been eliminated is truly concerning. These merciless people, this extremely ruthless group, did things that had never been seen before. In front of cameras, they burned people alive and they drowned them alive, all while benefiting from the financial backing of the US as well as the technical and propagational backing of the West!
The things they did — the filming, the photography, and the delicate, precise details seen in their work — were not the work of a bunch of illiterate people like them. They were being helped and supported. The plan was for them to come and be present in the region so that there would be no security left for anyone. This is another point.
The final point as I mentioned is that the presence of the Defenders of the Shrine showed that the Islamic Revolution has the power to recreate and sustain the same enthusiasm and magnificence of the early days of the Revolution. It has proven this. Usually movements are fervent and revolutionary in the beginning. But due to various factors, that initial excitement, enthusiasm, and motivation become weak at first, and then they completely disappear causing the movement to collapse entirely.
We have observed this in modern history in movements such as the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, and the like. A massive, popular movement takes place in a country like France, it spreads throughout their country, and there is a revolution. Then after about 12 or 13 years, they face certain reactions and ups-and-downs — all of which indicate spiritual and moral weakness — and the result is that the movement completely disappears, and a despotic ruler like Napoleon comes to power. This is usually what happens. Some expected the same to happen for the Islamic Republic, but the presence of the Defenders of the Shrine showed that the same motivation still exists after four decades.
The story of these young people who left their homes and lives behind, which I have read about in some of their books, is truly moving. It is truly moving. A young person with all the opportunities and potential that exists for the youth willingly separates himself from comfort, love, material possessions, academic growth, etc. to defend an ideology, an action, a revolution, and a movement!
This is very important. These individuals did not personally see Imam [Khomeini], nor were they present during the Sacred Defense. However, it is evident that they exhibit the same level of dedication and insight, at times even more than that time, when they fight in battle and risk their lives. Some of them achieve martyrdom, while others do not. This shows that the Revolution has this incredible capability. This is very important.
Of course, we have seen these in various other forms such as the 22nd of Bahman rallies and these incredible, unique funeral processions that have never been seen anywhere else in the world. For example, these recent funeral processions [for Martyr Raisi and his companions], the funeral processions for Martyr Soleimani, and those for others like them were truly events that something similar to them has never been seen anywhere in the world. We have seen these, but the most superior of all of these is the presence of the Defenders of the Shrines on the battlefields.
Those people who are entrenched in materialistic analyses refuse to consider alternative perspectives no matter what you do and whatever reasons you bring, because those perspectives may be convincing. As a poem says, “If you give reasons to a person who is adamant on his beliefs / It will only further reinforce his beliefs” (Molavi, Masnavi, Book 2).
They have their eyes set on the West and Western intellectual foundations and motivations. They expected the Revolution, which is an uprising against that materialistic way of thinking, to gradually become weaker. Some of them were initially Revolutionaries, but they later became opponents or at least found their thinking was incompatible with the Revolution's approach. They claimed that even those who fought in the Sacred Defense would have shared their beliefs if they were still alive, comparing themselves to them. However, these young people have proven this way of thinking is wrong and that it is not like that.
The combination of purity, bravery, sacrifice, sincerity, and a deep belief in Islamic and Revolutionary principles among these young people who went [to fight] is truly amazing and is a truly exceptional phenomenon. It makes one wonder. This cannot be due to anything except the grace of God, divine guidance, and the guidance of the Infallible Imams. Now the position of their leaders like Martyr Soleimani, Martyr Hamedani, and other great figures who have achieved martyrdom on this path are obvious.
Therefore, I conclude that the Defenders of the Shrine and their families are a source of pride and honor for Islamic Iran. They are a means for the salvation and success of the Islamic Revolution, and the Islamic Republic is definitely indebted to these beloved individuals, these martyrs, these families, and these Defenders [of the Shrine]. May God elevate their ranks, unite their spirits with the Prophet (pbuh), make them pleased with us, and unite us with them.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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