In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and may peace and greetings be upon our Master and our Prophet, Abul-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his untainted, pure, infallible Progeny, and upon his chosen companions, and upon those who follow them in goodness until the Day of Judgment.
Congratulations to the Islamic Ummah, the Iranian nation, all those present, our guests, and our Muslim brothers who are the ambassadors of Islamic countries on this auspicious occasion of Eid al-Fitr.
Verily, today the Muslim world needs points that connect and unite them into an active, productive unit. Eid al-Fitr is one of those points. In the supplication we recite during the qunut of the Eid al-Fitr prayer, we say, "And a [source of] treasure, honor, nobility, and increase for Muhammad (peace be upon him and his Progeny)." The word mazid [increase] is a profound and meaningful word. In other words, this Eid al-Fitr brings about a daily increase in the honor of Islam and the dignity of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).
[It is through this Eid that] his religion, the path and course he set before humanity, continues to spread and grow day by day. Eid al-Fitr possesses such a characteristic. When will this happen? An Eid al-Fitr in which people don’t come together, don’t beseech God, don’t speak with God, and don’t gather lacks this quality. We build up Eid al-Fitr, and we establish it as a source of honor, increase, and blessings for Islam and Muslims with our behavior and actions. If there is unity, determination, and insight within the Islamic Ummah, Eid al-Fitr will truly become [a source of] increase.
Today, events around the world are taking place in rapid succession at a staggering pace — whether in our region or in other parts of the world. This rapid pace at which events are taking place necessitates that all those who see themselves as being either influential or affected by these global events keep up with these events quickly and carefully and state their position. Today, Islamic governments have this duty. Islamic governments should think carefully about their own nations, their friends, their enemies, and the events that lie ahead and await them.
The Islamic world is quite large. We Muslims have a large population, we are situated in a critical geographical location in the world, and, in terms of the world’s natural wealth, we rank among the wealthiest countries and communities in the world. If the Islamic world wants to take advantage of these critical situations, it needs to take a fundamental action: unity — the unity of the Islamic world.
Unity doesn’t mean that governments should merge together into a single entity. It doesn’t imply that they must think alike in all political orientations. The unity of the Islamic world involves, first and foremost, recognizing common interests. In the first step, they need to know what their common interests are. We shouldn’t define our interests in a way that would lead to discord, conflict, and strife among ourselves.
The Islamic world is one family. It’s one whole. Islamic governments must think about this and move in this direction. The Islamic Republic has extended its hand toward all Islamic governments and considers itself to be their brother. As the president just stated, it considers itself to be with them in one general, fundamental front.
Let’s work together and put our minds together. Let’s maintain unity in the Islamic world. If we do this, the aggressive, oppressive, coercive powers won’t be able to attack the Islamic world, impose their will, or blackmail them. Unfortunately, extortion and blackmail have become the common practices of the powers today. Major powers blackmail weaker countries, governments, and nations, and they state this openly. Let’s not allow the Islamic world to be blackmailed by the US and the likes of them.
We must defend the rights of the oppressed. Today, part of the Islamic world is severely wounded. Palestine is wounded; Lebanon is wounded. Some of the crimes being committed in the region are unprecedented. In the history we’ve witnessed or read about, we cannot recall a case where around 20,000 children were martyred in a military conflict in less than two years! This isn’t a trivial matter. The Islamic world must see, realize, and understand this. It must empathize with the sufferings of the Palestinian people and recognize its duty. If the Islamic world joins hands, it can achieve this. Without there being a need for war or military action, if there is unity, solidarity, empathy, and mutual understanding between Islamic governments, others will reconsider their positions.
We hope Almighty God will make this Eid al-Fitr a blessed time for the entire Islamic Ummah and give resolve, determination, and drive to the officials of Islamic countries so that they can form an Islamic Ummah in the truest sense of the word.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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