Thousands of Iranians called on the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on Friday, December 29.
In an address to thousands of enthusiastic people on Friday morning, the leader, delineating the deep aspects of the auspicious Eid Al-Ghadir, referred to the continuous striving and movement towards the creation of the Islamic community aspired to by Imam Ali as the current requirement of the Iranian nation and the great lesson that the Ghadir holds for them.
"Following Imam Ali as a model, the Islamic world should place the avoidance of discord and boosting of Islamic unity and solidarity at the top of its list of goals." Ayatollah Khamenei added.
Having congratulated "all Muslim and faithful and broad-minded people throughout the world", especially the Iranian nation, the leader referred to the determination of the path of Imamate for the orientation of the Islamic government as the ideological aspect of the great Eid Al-Ghadir and stated that "The appointment of Imam Ali by the Exalted Prophet of Islam, and in fact by Almighty Allah, showed that from an Islamic point of view, government signifies Imamate and that it is not simply restricted to the management of people's daily life. Imamate means the management of people's lives in this world and the hereafter, management of hearts and the perfection and elevation of man's soul." He added that "this basic orientation is the essential difference between the concept of Islamic government and power and other types of government and that throughout its history, the Shia has managed to develop and to prove its truth to "the just hearts of those who seek it" by the light of this radiant beacon.
The leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran described paying further attention to the spiritual attributes and unmatched personality of Ali Ibn Abi Talib as the second aspect of the Ghadir event. "In the crucial incident of Ghadir, someone who was the source of all virtues must have been appointed as Imam in order to quench the spiritual thirst of the whole Islamic history. And as divine and superhuman calculations revealed, only the Commander of the Faithful embodied these endless virtues. And it is for this reason that Ali ibn Abi Talib is considered the sun, and the other Imams, the stars of this radiant sky."
Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei referred to the need for holding up as a model the Islamic community aspired to by Imam Ali as the third aspect of the Ghadir and a concrete and crucial lesson for the Iranian nation. He stressed "We should model our government on the characteristics of Imam Ali's government and strive ceaselessly to construct his desired community". He mentioned "justice, sincerity, monotheism, working for the sake of Allah, kind and compassionate behavior towards the members of society, and seriousness and firmness in response to diversion from the Straight Path" as some of the characteristics of Imam Ali's government and went on to say that "the ideological aspects of the Ghadir are very important to us, but the main reason behind reviving the remembrance of this feast is to hold up Imam Ali's community as our model and to try to achieve and plan for the great aspiration of the nation, namely ascending to a position that the Commander of the Faithful had aimed for."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to paying complete heed to the need for Islamic solidarity and unity as another great lesson that the Ghadir can teach us.
"His Holiness Ali Ibn Abi Talib was appointed by the Last Prophet (swa), but when he observed that claiming this right may be injurious to Islam and may foment schism, not only did he not stake any claims but he also cooperated with those who wrongfully held the position and ruled the Islamic community. Islam was in need of unity and that was the reason the Commander of the Faithful made this sacrifice. Today in the Islamic world, the Iranian nation enjoys the most compelling logic, namely the logic of velayat and imamate; however, it does not seek to prove itself by rejecting others and, following the example of the Commander of the Faithful, it is the standard-bearer of calling Muslims of all denominations to Islamic unity and solidarity." He observed.
Having pointed out the need for vigilance against the complex plots of the enemies of the Islamic ummah to spread the virus of discord in the Islamic community, the leader noted, "fighting off discord is the great lesson that the Ghadir holds for us and in order to translate this important lesson into action the followers of all Islamic denominations must avoid aggression towards and disrespect to what different denominations hold sacred and the raising of sensitive issues and, as was mentioned in the Hajj pilgrimage message, they, with their vigilance and unity, should foil the arrogant enemies' plots to create religious discord and foment schism between the Shia and the Sunni."
The leader of the Islamic republic referred to the Iranian nation's maintaining vigilance against the enemy's machinations as the secret behind all its victories over the arrogant powers. He stated "thanks to faith, reliance on Allah, commitment to being politically active and constant vigilance against the enemies, we, the Iranian nation, have defeated the brash and boastful arrogant powers during the past 29 years and if we want to continue these victories, we should never forget the enemies and neglect being politically active."
Pointing to the upcoming parliamentary elections, which will be held on Esfand 24, Ayatollah Khamenei added, "with Allah's assistance, the necessary recommendations will be made in this regard. The important point is that the nation should consider the elections as a divine test and one of the areas of efficacy and be aware that negligence regarding the enemies' machinations in this respect may bring about some harm."
At the end his speech, the leader prayed to almighty Allah to bestow the reward of approaching Islamic ideals on the Iranian nation.