In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
This gathering was very pleasant and enjoyable for me. First of all, Quranic gatherings are intrinsically appealing, especially when the Quran is read aloud in a sweet voice with a pleasant tone. Second, this auspicious gathering has coincided with the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. I hope Allah the Exalted will place all of us among the followers of the Quran. By Allah's favor, our life will be based on Quranic principles and our death will be in line with Quranic recommendations.
First and foremost, good progress has been made in the country regarding widespread affinity with the Quran and melodic recitation of it. The melodic recitations that were performed here - for which I would like to express my gratitude to all the esteemed Quran reciters as well as those who made preparations for this gathering - were among excellent recitations. Some the recitations were indeed performed in a highly principled way - in terms of pronunciation, intonation, tajwid, attention to the meaning, and correspondence between the tone and meaning of verses. Thankfully, our youth have made good progress in these areas. That is something good. As I have repeatedly pointed out before, such gatherings and the efforts to promote principled recitation of the Quran are a prelude to our society's affinity with the Quran. They are a prelude to saving our people and country from alienation from the Quran, something that has plagued our country and our nation for many consecutive years.
These gatherings can foster an affinity with the Quran, and that is being done in a gradual process. Of course there is a long way to go before all our people, youth, men, and women develop an affinity with the Quran. Then there will be an opportunity to consult the Quran for various daily matters. This will be done when there is an affinity with the Quran. Otherwise, it is not the case that anyone can just open the Quran and unfailingly find what they need without having developed any affinity with it. That is not the case. Most of the time, it is not possible to find what one needs. Most of the time, the heart cannot develop close familiarity with Quranic concepts. But when there is an affinity with the Quran, that becomes possible. Therefore, these are the prelude for an affinity with the Quran.
I usually make some recommendations to our dear qurra. A new recommendation that I would like to make this year is that the intonation and melodic recitations are good: They make the Quran more enjoyable to the ear and the heart, and they increase the influence of the Quran. However, these enjoyable melodic recitations can be performed in two different ways. One way is to read out the verses like a singer. That is the case with some famous Egyptian Quran reciters - who are, of course, considered among the prominent qurra. They simply sing out Quranic verses, and they are good at their work. They have a good voice, and the tone and intonation of their voice is also good.
However, the Quran can also be recited - using the same tones and intonation patterns - in a way that it can create humility in the hearts of those who are listening and make them remember God. "And when His messages are recited to them they increase them in faith ..." [The Holy Quran, 8: 2]. The purpose is to achieve this goal. This kind of recitation can bring man closer to humility and supplication before God. That is another way to recite the Quran. Among the famous qurra, there are some individuals that recite the Quran in this way. Their recitation engenders humility.
You should observe this aspect of reciting, particularly you dear youth who thankfully have a good voice and have achieved good mastery over the techniques of recitation. I know that you dear youth are also familiar with the meaning of what you recite. That was not the case in the past. The situation was different in the early years of the first decade of the Revolution. At that time, there were some Quran reciters who had a good voice, but they often did not pay attention to the meaning of what they recited. By Allah's favor, the progress we have made in this regard has brought the youth to the forefront. That is something good. But you should learn and observe what I said as another technique in order to engender humility.
When there is humility before Quranic verses, the heart will be influenced by Quranic guidance. Some hearts do not seem to be influenced no matter how much Quranic verses and guidance are recited to them. But this is not the case with some other hearts: "So whomsoever Allah intends to guide, He expands his breast for Islam, and whomsoever He intends to leave in error, He makes his breast strait (and) narrow as though he were ascending upwards" [The Holy Quran, 6: 125]. We must pray to Allah the Exalted to make our hearts so sensitive that they learn lessons and are influenced by Quranic guidance and hints.
We keep repeating Quranic verses to one another, but our hearts must be affected by these verses. For instance, take the verse "And hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together" [The Holy Quran, 3: 103]. This is a Quranic teaching, and it has been repeated to us so many times. We have read this teaching repeatedly. When this holy verse is revealed to our hearts as a divine inspiration, when our hearts absorb the message, when our hearts take the form of this verse, and when our heart and soul are placed within the framework of this verse, unity will turn into an essential issue for us, and we will not undermine national unity for the sake of personal motives and goals. That is where unity manifests itself. If Quranic verses are revealed to us in a way that our hearts absorb and understand the message and take the form of the verses, then it will be easier to accept the message when, for instance, the following verse is read to us: "And those with him are firm of heart against the disbelievers, compassionate among themselves." [The Holy Quran, 48: 29].
This verse does not mean that the enemy must constantly be suppressed and trampled underfoot. That is not the case. Sometimes it is appropriate to suppress the enemy and sometimes it is inappropriate to do so. However, you must always stand firm against the enemy. Your bulwark must not be flimsy. Your stronghold must be impenetrable. That is how you should treat the enemy. In contrast, you should be "compassionate" among yourselves. We must be kind towards one another. We must be sympathetic and gentle. After all, that is the order of the Quran. Why do we fail to practice this Quranic decree? What is wrong? That is our problem. If our hearts are ready for Quranic blessings and guidance and if we develop close familiarity with the Quran, it will be easy for us to unite. Then personal goals, materialistic interests, greed for power and money, favoritism, and other such things will not make us forget or disregard this Quranic recommendation and guidance.
Therefore, reading the Quran and listening to it must gradually lead us to this point. That is the way it should be. That is the characteristic of the Quran as a celestial book. The Quran is not like an ordinary book that can be read once. It is not possible to read it once, learn everything, and put it aside. That is not the case. The Quran is like drinking water. It can give you life. You always need it. Its effect is gradual and infinite. Its guidance is endless. No matter how much you learn from the Quran, there is always a door to be opened. There is always something that has to be explored. That is what the Quran is. Therefore, the Quran must be read constantly. We must gain an affinity with the Quran. Our youth must recite the Quran in a good tone and observe different techniques that have been developed for recitation. As I said, our youth must consider engendering humility as one of the components of good recitation.
Dear God, let our life and death be accompanied by the Quran. Associate our souls with the Quran. O God, make our hearts accept Quranic guidance and knowledge. Make us true followers of monotheism. O God, for the sake of Prophet Muhammad (s.w.a.) and his household, make this month of Ramadan auspicious for our nation and the Islamic Ummah. O God, make the Quran more and more common among the Islamic Ummah on a daily basis. Dear God, bestow mercy and blessings on our forefathers.
Blessings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings